Baked Oatmeal with Apples
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Wake up to the cozy flavors of fall with this comforting baked oatmeal—a warm, make-ahead breakfast that’s perfect for chilly mornings.
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, which are served chilled, 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 juicy apples, plump raisins, and warm spices is a classic. Bonus: it can be made ahead of time and reheats beautifully.
“FANTASTIC!! I sub peaches during the summer and add ginger and nutmeg. We cut into individual portions and top with Greek yogurt.”
What You’ll Need To Make Baked Oatmeal
- Old-fashioned rolled oats: The base of the dish; don’t substitute instant oats—they won’t give you the same hearty texture.
- Chopped walnuts or pecans, raisins & apples: These add-ins lend crunch, a touch of chewiness and sweetness, and tart, fruity flavor.
- Light brown sugar, cinnamon & vanilla: A well-balanced mix that sweetens the oatmeal and adds warm spice and depth of flavor.
- Baking powder: Helps the dish rise slightly.
- Butter, Eggs & Milk: This trio binds everything together and gives the oatmeal a rich and custardy texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, half of the nuts, raisins, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla until well combined.
Step 3: Combine everything. Pour the custard and melted butter into the oat mixture and stir until evenly mixed.
Step 4: Layer the apples. Arrange the chopped apples in a greased baking dish.
Step 5: Assemble and top. Pour the oat mixture over the apples and sprinkle the remaining nuts on top.
Step 6: Bake. Bake at 325°F for about 40 minutes, until the oats are set and the top is golden. It’s just as tasty cold from the fridge the next day, so be sure to save a slice!
ADDITIONAL PRO TIPS
- Make it your own: You can swap the raisins for dried cranberries, chopped dates, currants, or skip them altogether.
- No nuts (or different nuts)? Instead of pecans, use slivered almonds or walnuts. Pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds work too—or just leave them out.
- Meal prep win: Slice the baked oatmeal into squares, wrap individually, and store in the fridge or freezer for a grab-and-go breakfast.
- Best apple types: For the best results, use tart yet sweet baking apples, like Honey Crisp or Gala, which hold their shape when baked.
Got Oats? More Ways to use them
Baked Oatmeal with Apples
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
- ¾ cup (packed) 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 (1.3-cm) chunks (about 2 cups/232 g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease an 8 or 9-inch (20 or 23-cm) baking dish with butter.
- In a medium bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, ½ cup (60 g) 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 (60 g) nuts on top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden and the oats are set. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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Baked oatmeal? I wasn’t sure but I tried the recipe. The first time I made it I substituted dates for the raisins and added some fresh blueberries. Delicious. The subsequent times I made it, like many others, I decreased the sugar by half. I’ve made it with dried fruits like apricots and cherries but my family loves it best when I make it with fresh blueberries.
Just made this baked oatmeal yesterday for our family’s “Cookie Day.” Each year on the Ann of my mom’s death, my daughters, grandkids and I get together to make cookies using Mom’s handwritten recipes. We start early, so I make breakfast for everyone. This baked oatmeal was a hit with young and old! Both daughters promptly asked for the recipe.
Paula, my comment has little to do with the recipe itself…I just wanted to say that I think the way you honor your mother’s memory is lovely, and so meaningful!
The best and my new favorite go-to breakfast treat. Filling, delicious, full of textures, can be changed to add favorite fruits–just nothing wrong with this recipe. Made it for a large crowd for day after Thanksgiving. Everyone asked for more.
I really loved this oatmeal but I cut the sugar back to 1/4 cup and it was perfect.
This dish is delicious; however the prep time is not 10 minutes but more like 40. You’ll need at least 6 apples and it takes more time to peel and chop up than 2 apples. Bake time is more like 50 minutes unless you prefer hard apples.
I made this today for the first time. I make a lot of crockpot steel cut oatmeal and have learned that I like far less sugar than most recipes call for. Usually there is enough sugar from the fruit that I don’t miss it. So I cut the brown sugar back to 1/4 cup. I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing and added baking soda by mistake. After googling it, I see that as long as there is an acid in the recipe, it isn’t a problem. So I was okay because the acid in milk. The other big change was that I left the butter out completely just to be healthier. I LOVE butter but I promise that this oatmeal is so good without it that you would never miss it!! Even without it, the oatmeal was creamy and delicious. I wanted the flavor of my favorIt’s oatmeal cookies, so added 1/4 tsp of nutmeg. I baked them up in a pan that you make hamburger buns in and it filled the 6 spaces perfectly to give individual servings that I can package for work. (Bake 25 mins). SO delicious And easy to make healthy changes.
Hi Jenn, Really love your recipes and as usual, can hardly wait to try this one! I am planning a special family breakfast and would like to bake in individual ramekins (~8 oz). What is your recommendation on adjusting the baking time?
So glad you like the recipes, Renae! I’ve never prepared these in ramekins, but I think they’ll be nice that way. I’d suggest checking them at about 20 minutes; just keep an eye on them!
How long should I keep leftovers in the fridge before freezing?
This should keep nicely in the fridge for about 5 days. Enjoy!
Baked as directed. Delicious with plain yogurt!
I haven’t made this yet and would like to try it. But I don’t like to eat a lot of sugar so not sure it’s a good recipe for me. The nutrition info you give says this dish has 46 grams of sugar. That’s a lot of sugar and I’m trying to figure out where all the sugar is from or is it a misprint?
Hi Linda, Thanks for catching that – it was a typo. The sugar is still relatively high though because of the brown sugar, raisins and apples. Feel free to reduce the brown sugar as necessary.