Quick Apple Oatmeal
This post contains affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Hearty and delicious, this apple oatmeal is an easy 15-minute breakfast idea. It’s the perfect healthy oatmeal recipe for busy mornings!
Healthy oatmeal recipes are one of our favorite things to make for breakfast, especially when they’re made with tons of apples (We love this Baked Apple Oatmeal and Apple Overnight Oats too!)
It’s easy to customize this oatmeal recipe to your liking. Feel free to swap the mix-ins for things your family likes. Unlike instant oatmeal packets, this recipe is refined sugar free! There’s a little bit of maple syrup, but other than that, it gets its sweetness from fruit!
It takes 15 minutes to make, and clean up is simple, so you can get out the door quickly. It’s truly the perfect fall breakfast! If you’ve recently gone apple picking, this recipe is for you. It’s a great way to use up an abundance of apples and enjoy fall flavor!
Liz’s Tips for the best apple oatmeal
- Use milk with a good amount of fat. While any type of dairy or dairy-free milk will work in this recipe, we like whole milk the best. It makes the oats super creamy!
- If you’re reheating the cereal and it seems dry, you can stir in a splash of milk.
Ingredients
Substitutions
Apples: Any apple will work in this recipe. We like Honeycrisp apple or granny smith but gala, pink lady, even Macintosh all work well!
Coconut Oil: Olive oil or butter will also work; the oil is used for sautéing the apples.
Oats: I only make this apple cinnamon oatmeal with old fashioned rolled oats. Steel cut oats will work, but they take longer to cook and need more liquid. You can follow the instructions on the back of the package and add in the cinnamon, ginger, maple syrup and pecans/apples. You could also try our baked steel cut oatmeal or protein oatmeal for a high protein option.
I think quick oats will also work, but they will likely cook much faster and may not need as much liquid.
If you are gluten-free, make sure to use certified gluten free rolled oats.
Milk: You can use any type of milk that you like in this recipe, regular and dairy-free both work. I prefer whole milk because the high fat content gives the oats a creamier consistency.
Sweetener: We use maple syrup to sweeten the cereal, but you can substitute it with honey or agave nectar if you prefer. I haven’t tried other sweetener options in this recipe, but I think anything you like would work. Brown sugar would be good, but it isn’t a natural sweetener.
Spices: You can substitute 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice for the ginger/ cinnamon to get the same flavor. A shake of nutmeg is also delicious.
Nuts: I buy chopped pecans, but you could use halved ones too! Omit the pecans to make this nut free. You could also use sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts or almonds.
Recipe Variations
Toppings: Feel free to add additional nuts or seeds as toppings. Other fresh fruit like blueberries would be delicious, or even some raisins, dried cranberries, chia seeds, almond butter, or peanut butter!
Add extra protein. You can stir in nonfat Greek yogurt or a little bit of vanilla protein powder to amp up the protein in this recipe!
Add vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste: To take the flavor of the oatmeal over the top, add some vanilla flavor! We buy vanilla bean paste from Trader Joe’s – it’s so flavorful!
Baked Oatmeal: This recipe is meant to be made on the stovetop – check out this Baked Apple Oatmeal if you want to use your oven.
How to Make Apple Oatmeal
This is just a summary of the steps involved in making the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full instructions, or click on the Jump to Recipe button, below.
Jump to Recipe
- Sauté the apples. Melt coconut oil in a sauté pan or saucepan. Sauté the fruit in the oil over low heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened.
- Add remaining ingredients, except the nuts, and cook. Stir in everything except the pecans and cook uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the nuts during the last minute of cook time.
Using a Microwave to Make This Recipe
I don’t recommend making this recipe in the microwave because it’s best when cooked low and slow, but it can be done! To cook the oats in the microwave:
- Add the apples, coconut oil, cinnamon, and maple syrup to a large microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until apples are slightly tender.
- Add milk, oatmeal, spices, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Stir + microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute, until liquid is almost entirely absorbed.
- Topped with chopped pecans, and enjoy!
storage
Refrigerator: The cooked cereal will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Just be sure to keep it in an airtight container. It reheats well, so it’s a good meal prep breakfast, too.
Reheating: You can reheat apple oatmeal on 50% power in a microwave or over medium heat in a sauce pan on the stove top. If the cereal seems dry, you may want to add a splash of milk.
Other healthy Oatmeal Recipes
Quick Apple Oatmeal
Ingredients
For the apples:
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 cup apples chopped in tiny cubes approximately 1 medium apple
For the oatmeal:
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup milk
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons pecans chopped
Instructions
- Melt coconut oil in a small sauce pot. Add apples to melted coconut oil. Sauté over low heat for 5-6 minutes until apples start to soften.
- After 5 minutes add oats, milk, cinnamon, ginger and maple syrup.
- Stir together and cook uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. At the last minute, add pecans.
Video
Notes
- Oats: I have only tried this with old fashioned rolled oats. Steel cut oats would work, but would need much longer to cook and would need more liquid.
- Milk: You can use any type of milk that you like in this recipe, regular or dairy free.
- Sweetener: I love maple syrup, but you can use honey or agave nectar if you prefer!
- Spices: You can substitute 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice for the ginger/ cinnamon.
- Nuts: Omit the pecans to make this nut free, or use sunflower seeds. Walnuts and almonds are good substitutions for the pecans.
Looks so good! I am going to make it today for the week. I was wondering what to use instead of coconut oil. Could I use olive oil for almond oil or would that make it taste funny? Thanks!
All of our blog posts have a green substitutions box where we list out all of the substitutions! Pasting what we wrote here: Coconut Oil: Olive oil or butter would also work; the oil is used for sautéing the apples.
Love this oatmeal!! Way better than making your oats in the microwave haha. And the apples are a great addition! Even delicious leftover.
So happy you enjoyed it! It only takes a few extra minutes to make on the stove and it’s sooo much better than microwave, I agree!
Can you use instant oatmeal? and if so, how does that change the instructions?
I haven’t tried this with instant oatmeal, I would think you’d need to reduce the cook time. I’d really recommend following the recipe as is with old fashioned oatmeal 🙂
So very good! Perfect fall breakfast!
Hello I was just wondering if this is made best in a deep pan like with a lid , a saucepan or like a frying skillet?
We use a small sauce pot. See above for photos!
I make this all the time. I add raisens and walnuts when I have them.The apple is so tasty and the maple syrup is the secret to Wow!
Leftovers make a healthy, filling snack.
So glad you enjoyed it, Cheri!! Love those additions 🙂
So good!!! Make this at LEAST once a month.
So happy to hear this! Thanks, Allie!
This recipe was perfect! What a delicious breakfast. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Thank you so much, Tracy!
This recipe was so delicious! I used regular old fashioned oats and it tasted great! The magic is really in the apple topping and if you can have nuts, I highly recommend adding pecans! 🙂
Yay!! So happy you liked it, Elizabeth!
Great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Questa! Thank you!
I cannot say enough how thankful I am I found this gem it’s is delicious!!! So stinking amazing. Thank you for sharing!!!
Thanks, Alicia! I’m so glad you like it!
Unfortunately my husband and I cannot have chia seeds since we are both on blood thinners for high blood pressure. Can you suggest a substitute for the hearty grains mix used in this recipe? Thank you
Any old fashioned oats will work in this recipe.
Pretty good! I used old fashion rolled oats, walnuts and adjusted the recipe for one person. Next time I will add the nuts to the apples when I add the cinnamon and maple syrup so they can get coated in that yumminess too.
Glad you liked it, Lynn! Thank you!
This is SO delicious! Found on pinterest. I didn’t have ginger but it was still good without it!
Thank you Sam!!