Baked Oatmeal with Apples

Tested & Perfected Recipes

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.

Wake up to the cozy flavors of this baked oatmeal recipe with apples, raisins, and a nutty crunch—basically fall in a breakfast dish!

baked oatmeal with apples

Baked oatmeal is a traditional and comforting breakfast casserole. Unlike regular oatmeal, which is made on the stovetop and has a porridge-like consistency, or overnight oats, this baked oatmeal recipe is made in the oven and has a consistency similar to bread pudding. There are endless variations, like blueberry baked oatmeal and morning glory baked oatmeal, but this version with tart apples, plump raisins, and a crunchy nut topping is a classic. Bonus: it can be made ahead of time and reheats beautifully.

“I’ve been making this dish for the last two years and it has been a staple for our family! When peaches are in season, I sub them for the apple and add nutmeg and ground ginger.”

Faye

What You’ll Need To Make Baked Oatmeal

baked oatmeal ingredients
  • Light brown sugar – Adds sweetness and a hint of molasses, which pairs nicely with the fruit.
  • Chopped walnuts or pecans – For crunch and nutty flavor; I like to divide them, mixing some into the oatmeal and sprinkling the rest on top for extra texture.
  • Raisins – These add little pockets of sweetness and chew throughout the oatmeal. Feel free to omit them if you’re not a fan.
  • Baking powder – Helps the oatmeal puff up slightly as it bakes.
  • Cinnamon – Warm and spicy, it’s the perfect complement to the apples and oats.
  • Salt – Balances the sweetness and enhances all the other flavors.
  • Eggs – Bind the ingredients together and give the oatmeal structure.
  • Milk – Keeps the oatmeal moist and creamy as it bakes.
  • Vanilla extract – Adds warmth and depth of flavor.
  • Unsalted butter – For richness and flavor, both in the oatmeal and to grease the dish.
  • Apples – Add juicy bursts of flavor that contrast nicely with the warm spices and rich oats. For the best results, use tart yet sweet baking varietals, like Honey Crisp or Gala, which hold their shape when baked.
  • Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

Step-by-Step Instructions

Begin by combining the oats, half of the nuts, raisins, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.

baked oatmeal ingredients in bowl

Stir to combine.

mixed oat mixture in bowl

In a separate bowl, make the custard by whisking together the eggs, milk, and vanilla.

whisked liquid ingredients in bowl

Combine the custard with oat mixture and melted butter.

baked oatmeal mixture in bowl with wooden spoon

Arrange the chopped apples in a baking dish.

apples in greased baking dish

Top with the oat mixture and sprinkle remaining nuts over top.

oat mixture poured over apples in dish with nuts sprinkled on top

Bake for about 40 minutes, until the oats are set and the top is golden. Be sure to save some leftovers; this dish is just as delicious cold out of the refrigerator the next day.

slice of baked oatmeal on plate

You May Also Like

Baked Oatmeal with Apples

Wake up to the cozy flavors of this baked oatmeal recipe with apples, raisins, and a nutty crunch—basically fall in a breakfast dish!

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Total Time: 50 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, divided
  • ½ cup raisins
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the dish
  • 2 tart yet sweet baking apples, such as Honey Crisp, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks (about 2 cups)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8 or 9-inch baking dish with butter.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, ½ cup of the nuts, raisins, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.
  3. In another bowl, break up the eggs with a whisk; then whisk in the milk and vanilla until well combined.
  4. Add the milk mixture to the oat mixture, along with the melted butter.
  5. Scatter the apples evenly on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Pour the oatmeal mixture over top and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup nuts on top. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden and the oats are set. Serve warm or at room temperature.
  6. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: This dish can be frozen after baking, tightly covered, for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve it, defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours then reheat it, covered with foil, in a 325°F oven until hot.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (6 servings)
  • Calories: 411
  • Fat: 17 g
  • Saturated fat: 8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 60 g
  • Sugar: 36 g
  • Fiber: 5 g
  • Protein: 10 g
  • Sodium: 322 mg
  • Cholesterol: 90 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

See more recipes:

Comments

  • Our young family loves baked oatmeal, so I had to try out this recipe when I saw you had one. Boy it did not disappoint and is better than my tried and true recipe. All of our kiddos asked for at least seconds.

  • I love this recipe. So smart to put some nuts on top so they taste roasted. I often make on a Sunday so my husband and I will have breakfast leftovers for the next couple of days. It’s a great way to start the week. My only modification I do is too cut the sugar. I made as listed once and found it to be dessert sweet, so I only use 1/4 c sugar to keep this a regular recipe in the rotation and it still tastes great.

  • Hi Jenn!
    A question for you- I want to make a lot of these recipes for a party and would like to bake this in those tin foil baking pans. Do you recommend changing the baking time or anything else in the recipe? Thank you!

    • Hi Montana, Assuming it’s the same size pan that’s specified in the recipe, I don’t think you’d need to make any modifications to the recipe. Hope everyone enjoys!

  • I have made this before and it is delicious. I have a question though. If I had frozen peaches and wanted to use instead of the apples, should I thaw the peaches or leave them frozen before baking?

    • Hi Jennifer, You could really go either way; I’d probably just add them frozen for ease.

      • Thanks for the help😊

  • Great staple recipe to build upon!
    I let the oat mixture sit for about 30 minutes prior to pouring into the baking dish. Instead of apples, I threw blackberries and blueberries into the mixture. As for the nuts, I chose sliced almonds & chopped walnuts.
    Additonally, I made a “crumble” topping. I wanted my dish to have a bit of crisp texture to it!
    Crumble Topping:
    In a separate bowl, I combined 3/4 cups of oats, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour & 1/2 cup butter.
    Layers:
    Berries on the bottom, filled pan with the wet oat mixture, added top layer with the crumble topping recipe, then lastly added a handful of blackberries, almonds & raw sugar to the very top 🙂
    Thank you for this amazing recipe. I can’t wait to add different & fun ingredients to each batch! This dish is a new family favorite! So yummy 😋

  • This was a big hit at our house. I increased it by half again and used a 9×13 pan. To speed things up a bit I microwaved the apples in the bottom of a glass baking pan for several minutes. It baked in half and hour. Got the fishermen out onto the lake a bit faster…

  • Hi, I would like to make this in 7oz ramekins. Any changes to the cook temperature or cook time? Thanks!

    • — Wendi Marchena
    • Reply
    • Hi Wendi, No need to change the baking temperature. In terms of cook time, I’d start checking them at 15 to 20 minutes. Please LMK how they turn out!

  • I’ve made this as directed and it is GLORIOUS. That said, I have a couple of family members who will be visiting soon who can’t do soy, dairy, or gluten. Oats are naturally gluten-free, I think, but is it a big deal to sub out coconut milk or almond milk in the custard…? Thanks so much for this beautiful recipe!

    • — Sarah Pfennigs
    • Reply
    • So glad you like it! I think almond milk will work just fine here. Hope everyone else enjoys!

      • Great recipe but I found 1/4 cup Brown sugar was sufficient. I also cut it in half and used 3 T Brown sugar for the air fryer.

    • I have used both almond milk and oatmilk with great success.

  • I made this yesterday but I am a Diabetic so I reduced the sugar to 2 T. The raisins made it sweet enough. It came out perfect. I also made a custard sauce and reduced sugar. My husband is British and he loved it.

  • My family loves this recipe. We also use a bit less sugar and it still tastes amazing.

    Question- I have read that some people make ahead and reheat and others make the night before and bake in the morning. I am wondering if there is much difference in end result. We are going on a family vacation and I am planning this for our first morning. Should I make, bake and reheat or wait and put it all together the night before and bake in the morning? How long before baking can it sit in a fridge? It would be easiest to make in full and just reheat but my family loves this recipe so much so want it to turn out well. Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

    • Hi Nicole, glad you all like this! I truly think you can go either way in terms of making it ahead, but I’d probably just fully assemble it, let it sit overnight in the fridge overnight, and bake it in the morning. Hope you have a great vacation!

Add a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.