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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Another hit! I’m obsessed. I make this almost once a week. Healthy, yummy and my kids really enjoy it. It might actually be even better the next day when reheated.
Your recipes are wonderful and I go to your site so often for new ones that my family has actually started asking me, “Is this Jenn Segal’s?” whenever I bring something new to the table.
Thank you!
My family loves this recipe. We change it up a bit, substituting almond milk for regular milk and using other dried fruits (cranberries, blueberries, cherries) for the raisins. Delicious and filling!
Delicious, un-fussy, highly adaptable recipe. Great go-to for comforting, rainy-day, weekend breakfast.
This is such a great, easy, and delicious recipe to make. I also shared it with my best friend and it has become a favorite in our homes. I substituted the raisins and walnuts for cranberries and slivered almonds. My best friend uses blueberries instead of raisins. We both don’t generally enjoy oatmeal but after trying this recipe, it has become a FAV! Thank you!
We make this recipe every few weeks. It is simple, delicious, and everyone LOVES it.
Delicious recipe! Great way to use up some apples that were past their prime. I followed other reviewers suggestions and reduced the brown sugar to 1/3 cup and thought it was perfect.
Yes. This recipe has turned into a family favorite.
I had never made baked oatmeal before, and for whatever reason, this morning it just sounded good. I didn’t have walnuts at my disposal, but I had every other ingredient. I’m sure, with the nuts, it would have balanced the “sweetness” of it, but it WAS super sweet. My 4 year old liked it at first, but then changed his mind (Normal 4 year old stuff). It was easy to make and made my house smell wonderful! It tasted great, just too sweet (without the nuts). I’ll attempt this recipe again and adjust things a bit. Thank you for introducing me to something new 😊
1/2 cup seems to be sweet enough! I have a sweet tooth so I do 1/2 cup plus two TBSP. The pecans are a must! I’ve made this with pecans and walnuts and pecans are better in my opinion.
When I’m feeling like making something a little special/out of the norm for breakfast, this is my go-to recipe. It is SO good! It is super sweet and I’m going to make it next time with less brown sugar, but even being super sweet, I’m not complaining. 🙂
By using unsweetened almond milk and Earth Balance vegan butter, I always make it dairy-free. As for the nuts, I always use pecans. It’s delicious!!! My husband doesn’t drink almond milk and loves this dish the way I make it.
I love the versatility of this recipe. I used coconut sugar, almond milk, toasted pecans, ginger & pumpkin spice. I added more salt, but only because that’s how I prefer my oatmeal. I also snuck in some quinoa & chia seeds. It’s perfection. Thanks, Jen! I joined your mailing list & look forward to trying & sharing your additional recipes.
This oatmeal bake is totally delicious 😋 Thanks for sharing! I used honey instead of sugar!
This was delish!! Used sliced almonds on top because I ran out of walnuts and dried cranberries because I didn’t have raisins. So so good. Can’t wait to try it cold tomorrow morning.