Baked Oatmeal with Apples
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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 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.”
What You’ll Need To Make Baked Oatmeal
- 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.
Stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, make the custard by whisking together the eggs, milk, and vanilla.
Combine the custard with oat mixture and melted butter.
Arrange the chopped apples in a baking dish.
Top with the oat mixture and sprinkle remaining nuts over 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.
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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!
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
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8 or 9-inch baking dish with butter.
- In a medium bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, ½ cup of the nuts, raisins, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.
- In another bowl, break up the eggs with a whisk; then whisk in the milk and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the milk mixture to the oat mixture, along with the melted butter.
- 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.
- 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
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- 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.
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Loved this recipe! I used Fuji apples and a little less sugar. I also used pecans and pepitas on top rather than walnuts. It was awesome and my guests all asked for the recipe. I told them it was another reliable and wonderful recipe from Once Upon a Chef!
A guest for up brunch Friday after Thanksgiving is allergic to cinnamon. What other spice could I substitute?
You could use a combination of fall spices, like nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, etc.
You are my “go to” recipe source!
Everything I have made from your site is terrific. Thank you for making me such a good cook and baker!
This is currently baking away in my oven and smells amazing. I cut the calories almost in half by using a few tweaks, including un sweetened almond milk. We’ll see how it turns out 🙂
I love to cook for my wife & daughters and this recipe got raves from them and company. It’s not overwhelmingly sweet, but just enough. I will definitely make this again. Just wish walnuts were not so expensive….
Delicious!
Hi, can I substitute cranberries and pecans? Will the flavour still work?
Yes and yes 🙂
Thank you!
Can shortening be substituted for butter? Any ideas on how it might affect the texture?
I wouldn’t use shortening here; butter adds nice flavor.
Thank you! This recipe is a great base recipe and very flexible! I left out the raisins and added a peach to the apples and hemp seeds (about half amt) instead of nuts. Used a combo of coconut milk and almond milk. Like others, I will reduce the sugar next time… we have quite a sugar buzz going in this house right now, but my son ate oatmeal, which is progress!
While this sounds delicious, 46 gr. sugar is not healthy under any circumstances. This is consuming a dessert and calling it breakfast….not a healthy send off for children before school. Any suggestions for lowering the sugar content w/o resorting to artificial extremes?
Hi Leslie, It’s fine to reduce the sugar; the recipe will still work.
I’ve made various baked oatmeals before, and find that 2T sugar (I use coconut sugar) works nicely.
I switched out regular milk for unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and cut the brown sugar in half which brought the total amount of sugar down to 20g, still a little high for my liking but still better than 46g. Next time I’ll try doing even less with raw sugar instead and seeing how it turns out. Most of the sugar in this recipe is from the brown sugar and the milk, but those are easily substituted.