Apple Pie Baked Oats Recipe

This apple pie baked oats recipe is easy to make and creates a nutritious, filling breakfast that’s perfect for meal prep. It's vegan and can easily be made gluten free.

It’s also an amazing breakfast or snack for busy people and great to pack for school or work!

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Baked Apple Oatmeal Ingredients

This recipe uses simple ingredients that I always keep on hand in my vegan pantry. Baked oatmeal is a versatile recipe, and you can easily modify it to your liking.

• Rolled oats: To start this baked oatmeal recipe, you’ll need lots of rolled oats. Don’t use quick oats or anything other than a minimally processed rolled oat.
• Brown sugar: Some sugar enhances the flavor of this oatmeal, helping it taste more like an apple pie. I haven’t tested this recipe with other sugar options; other sugars (like maple syrup or date sugar) should work, but I can’t guarantee they will.
• Walnuts: For some crunch and healthy fats, walnuts are a great addition to this recipe. Any type of nut could work, but walnuts go perfectly with apples and cinnamon (pecans or almonds would also be good).
• Hemp seeds: I love including seeds in my breakfast for some additional protein and healthy fats. Hemp seeds pack a great nutritional punch!
• Ground flaxseeds: Along with the hemp seeds, ground flaxseed provides healthy fats along with fiber and other nutrients. Flaxseeds also act as an egg replacement and help hold the oatmeal together so you can slice and serve it easily. Use chia seeds instead of flaxseed if you prefer.
• Baking powder: Some baking powder prevents the oatmeal from becoming too dense. This ingredient is technically optional as the recipe can be made without it.
• Cinnamon and nutmeg: For some great apple pie flavor, I love using plenty of cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg. Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking. Pumpkin pie spice would also be tasty in this recipe.
• Salt: A pinch of salt helps round out and enhance the other flavors in this recipe.
• Plant-based milk: Any type of plant-based milk should work, although I strongly prefer soy milk as it’s creamier and has a higher protein content.
• Apple sauce: Many baked oatmeal recipes use banana to add sweetness and replace eggs. For this recipe, to keep the oatmeal tasting like apple pie, I use apple sauce instead of banana. Use mashed banana if you prefer.
• Vanilla extract: I love how vanilla extract enhances flavor in any baking recipe, including breakfast recipes like this one.
• Apples: Of course, we need apples to make apple pie oatmeal. These apples are cooked in butter and cinnamon for a delicious, irresistible flavor.
• Vegan butter or margarine: To cook the apples in a way that tastes like they came from an apple pie, I cook them in some vegan butter before tossing onto the oatmeal.

How to Make Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal

This is a very easy recipe to make with only three simple steps. It’s ideal for meal prep because it makes a large amount that you can enjoy all week long!

Step 1: Prepare Apples

To start, chop the apples. You can peel them first if you like, but I typically leave the peels on (removing the peels is more like an apple pie).

Then melt vegan butter or margarine in a pan over medium heat. Add the apples and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon into your melted butter.

Cook the apples, stirring regularly, for 5-8 minutes, until they begin to soften.

If you’d like, add half the brown sugar to your apples as they cook. Just keep a careful eye on everything so you don’t burn the sugar-covered apple pieces.

Set your cooked apples aside while you prepare the oatmeal.

Step 2: Mix Oatmeal

In a large bowl, mix the rolled oats, brown sugar, walnuts, hemp seeds, ground flaxseeds, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Once combined, add the plant-based milk, apple sauce and vanilla extract.

Stir until everything is well mixed.

If you’re a multi-tasker, you can prepare this oatmeal while cooking the apples.

Step 3: Assemble and Bake

Grease a 9x13 baking dish and pour in the oatmeal mixture. Spread this into a thin layer.

Add the cooked apples over the top of your oatmeal, stirring the apples in completely or just pressing them into the oatmeal surface.

Bake in an oven preheated to 350 °F for 45 minutes.

Remove the oatmeal from your oven. It’s best to cool the oatmeal for at least 15 minutes before serving. The oatmeal is easiest to cut once fully cooled (it will slice and hold together better).

How to Create a Nutritious Meal with Oats

I consider a balanced meal one that contains a good source of plant-based protein, carbohydrates, fats and lots of vegetables or fruits.

This recipe has plant-based protein coming from the walnuts, hemp seeds and ground flaxseeds. There is also a smaller amount of protein in rolled oats. Plant-based milks also offer protein (particularly soy milk). Overall, this recipe isn’t high in protein, but there is enough to make it a satisfying breakfast.

There’s plenty of healthy carbohydrates in oatmeal which provides fiber too. Healthy fats are also found in the walnuts, hemp seeds and flaxseeds. Lastly, apples add some fruit to this tasty breakfast.

You can serve this recipe as-is for a balanced breakfast, but I like to top this baked oatmeal with some peanut butter or vegan yogurt.

Baked Oatmeal Variations

There are plenty of creative ways to prepare baked oatmeal.

Use any blend of fruits, nuts, seeds and spices to flavor this recipe how you like. You may also be interested in my blueberry baked oatmeal recipe!

If you’re a fan of cranberries, adding a cup of chopped cranberries to the oatmeal is a tasty addition. The tartness of the cranberry balances the apple sweetness beautifully!

You can add other berries too, it just won’t taste like apple pie if you do this.

How to Refrigerate and Freeze Apple Baked Oats

Once cooled, refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat the oatmeal by microwave if desired (you can eat it cold too).

Freeze this recipe in any freezer-safe container or bag for a few months. You can either defrost the frozen oatmeal in your fridge overnight or in the microwave on a defrost setting.

This is a fantastic meal prep recipe and is great to pack when you’re on-the-go and need some quick but lasting energy!

If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below to help others benefit from your experience!

📖 Recipe

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