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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Hi Jenn … I’m making a few of these to put in the freezer and give away (those lucky people). Could you, or maybe one of your followers, give me an idea of how long it might take to rewarm them after defrosting so I can include with the instructions? You’re the best.
Hi Amaris, I would guess it would need about 25 minutes, but perhaps someone that’s done it can weigh in. Hope your recipients enjoy! 🙂
Made this dish and its AMAZING!!! I didnt use the nuts but I added dried cranberries with the raisins and it’s so good!! I’ve already made my second batch!! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hi Jenn – Can you prepare but not bake the night before and if so, what instructions would you impart? Hoping this can be done. You’ve become a family fav! and btw, who is your cooking inspiration? Thank you, Cindi
Hi Cindi, you can definitely assemble this the night before and bake it the next day. You may want to let it come to room temperature first. If not, it may take just a couple minutes longer in the oven. Some of my cooking idols are Kenji Lopez Alt, Ina Garten, and David Leite. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the oatmeal!
Made this recipe, we ate it all, made it again the next day and we are working on that dish!! Very good and good for you and very easy! I used a 9 by 11 by 3 inch deep pyrex dish and glad I did. It really needed it. Not a big raisin fan so I used another 1/2 of an apple and it was fine. I had Granny Smith apples and they worked very well. The sweetness was just right for us. (just 2 oldies hangin’ around). I would serve this to overnight guest for breakfast.
I love this stuff. I cut back a little on the sugar. Then, I serve it warm with milk and a little maple syrup (my sister-in-law’s idea.) Also, I divide it into 2 6-cup glass pans, bake both and freeze one. Now I have the cookbook.
Glad you like this and thanks for purchasing the cookbook! 🙂
Can this be made in muffin tins?
Hi Aimee, I haven’t made this in muffins tins, but a few readers have commented that they have successfully. Hope you enjoy!
This is really good and pretty easy. My 5 and 1 year old devour it and they are picky. We just omit the nuts because we don’t like them. This also works with 3 minute oats.
Delicious. I did cut the sugar to 1/4 cup because I don’t like sweet oatmeal. Used half raisins and half dried cranberries (ran out of raisins). Added an extra apple because it needed to be used. Great brunch and am looking forwards to the leftover tomorrow. Thanks for another great recipe.
Hi Jenn, I would love to try this recipe but I have noticed that when I select metric measurement, it still shows the measures in cups. Could I trouble you to update please? Thank you in advance.
Sorry about that, Nenny — I just updated it. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
So I made this today and it was scrumptious. I normally don’t tweak recipes when I make them for the first time as I like to experience it as-is before I make any changes if necessary (which haven’t been necessary in Jenn’s recipes that I have tried). So whilst I have serious sweet tooth, for some reason, I don’t like sugar in my porridge (that’s what we call oatmeal on this side of the pond), I normally go for fresh fruits and/or nuts so I contemplated for quite a while about the sugar in this recipe. In the end, I left it out and added in a handful of fresh blueberries. It’s for breakfast but I couldn’t wait till morning so I have just tried a small scoop with some plain youghurt over it and I love it. So crunchy and full of flavour. I am sure it would be even better with the sugar but it’s good enough for me. Thank you so much for the recipe. I haven’t made the last of it 😋
This is easy and soooo good! I use half a cup of brown sugar instead of 3/4 and find that to be sweet enough. Trying today with prunes because I was out of raisins. Everyone who has tried this in the family has absolutely loved it.
This recipe is great! I double the amount of apples and only use a half cup of brown sugar.