Apple Pie Oatmeal
This easy apple pie oatmeal recipe combines hearty steel-cut oats with tender cinnamon apples, maple syrup and a swirl of cream for a cozy breakfast that tastes like dessert!
The Southern husband and I are great lovers of oatmeal for dinner. It’s warm, wonderful, quick and filling, and we usually send it in a savory direction—our favorite is oatmeal with cheddar cheese and a soft-cooked egg.
But sometimes you want your oatmeal to have a sweet little dessert personality, and that is where this apple pie oatmeal comes in. Hearty steel-cut oats simmer with tender apples and cinnamon sugar and are finished with a drizzle of maple syrup and cream. It’s perfect for breakfast, lunch or supper—and it tastes wonderfully like apple pie in a bowl! 🍎🥣
Jump to:
- 🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- ⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🤔 What are steel cut oats?
- 🍎 Ingredients you need
- 📝 Ingredient notes
- 💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
- 👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
- 🤔 Recipe FAQs
- 🥣 Equipment we used for this recipe
- 🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
- Apple Pie Oatmeal
- 💫 Variations on this recipe
- Other oatmeal recipes we love! 🥰
- We want to know what you think! 🤔
🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- What It Is: Hearty steel-cut oatmeal simmered with tender apples and cinnamon sugar, then finished with maple syrup and cream.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Servings: 4 servings
- Calories: Approximately 293 per serving before optional toppings
- Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Good For: Cozy breakfasts, breakfast for dinner, crisp fall mornings and celebrating National Apple Day. 🍎🥣
⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🍎 It tastes like apple pie in a bowl: Tender apples and cinnamon sugar give every spoonful that classic warm and cozy pie flavor.
- 🥣 Steel-cut oats make it extra satisfying: Their hearty, pleasantly chewy texture makes this oatmeal filling enough for breakfast, lunch or supper.
- 🔥 Everything cooks in one pot: The apples simmer right along with the oatmeal, keeping preparation and cleanup wonderfully simple.
- ⏱️ The timing works perfectly: Adding the apples partway through cooking gives them time to soften without completely disappearing into the oatmeal.
- 🍁 Maple syrup adds natural sweetness: A warm drizzle brings out the flavors of both the apples and cinnamon.
- ☁️ Cream makes the perfect finishing touch: Just a little swirl turns this wholesome oatmeal into an extra-cozy treat.
🤔 What are steel cut oats?
Steel-cut oats are whole oat grains that have been chopped into small pieces with steel blades instead of being rolled flat. This gives them a heartier, chewier texture than rolled or instant oats—and makes them especially delicious in this apple pie oatmeal!
They take longer to cook than rolled oats, usually about 30 minutes on the stovetop. You can also cook steel-cut oats overnight in your slow cooker so a warm and cozy breakfast is waiting when you wake up. And bonus points: steel-cut oats are packed with satisfying fiber. 💪🏻
🍎 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes
- teel-cut oats: These hearty oats have a pleasantly chewy texture that works beautifully with the tender apples. Rolled or instant oats cook much more quickly, so they aren’t a good one-for-one substitute in this recipe.
- Apples: Any variety will work! McIntosh apples become especially soft and cozy, while Honeycrisp, Fuji or Granny Smith will keep a little more of their shape. Peeling them is optional.
- Cinnamon sugar: Look for this sweet spice blend in the spice aisle, or make your own by combining ¼ cup granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Maple syrup: Warm maple syrup is wonderful drizzled over each bowl. Pure maple syrup gives you the richest maple flavor, but use your favorite.
- Heavy cream: This optional finishing touch makes the oatmeal extra rich and luxurious. You can substitute half-and-half, milk or your favorite non-dairy milk.
💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
Missing something or want to swap in something different? Check out the links below to find more ingredient substitution ideas. 👇🏻
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Bring 4 cups of water to a simmer in a medium pot. Stir in the steel-cut oats, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little more water if the oats absorb it all before the cooking time is up.
STEP 2: Stir in the chopped apples and cinnamon sugar. Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding another splash of water if needed. The finished steel-cut oats should be tender but pleasantly chewy.
STEP 3: Remove the oatmeal from the heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Spoon it into warmed bowls and finish each serving with warm maple syrup and a drizzle of cream.
There’s nothing like apple pie oatmeal to make you clean your plate. Or your bowl.
🤔 Recipe FAQs
Steel-cut oats are best for this particular method because their longer cooking time gives the apples time to soften. If you want to use rolled oats, cook the apples with the cinnamon sugar and a splash of water for about 8 minutes first, then add the oats and follow their package directions. Instant oatmeal is not recommended (sorry, instant oatmeal!)
Look for it in the spice aisle, or make your own by mixing ¼ cup of granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Yes! Let it cool, cover it and refrigerate it for up to four days. Reheat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of water or milk to loosen it up. Add the maple syrup and cream just before serving.
Any variety you love! McIntosh apples cook down beautifully, while Honeycrisp, Fuji and Granny Smith apples will keep a little more of their shape. You can also use a combination of sweet and tart apples.
Pop your question in the Comments section under the recipe card and I will answer pronto!
🥣 Equipment we used for this recipe
These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!
- Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show the measurements on both the inside and outside of the cup.
- Cutting Board: These sturdy, dishwasher-safe cutting boards come in all different sizes.
- Measuring Spoons: These handy magnetic spoons are not on a ring, so you can just pick the one you need.
- Medium Pot: We have a drawerful of these, but this pot is the one we reach for first.
🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
Turn your apple pie oatmeal into a cozy breakfast feast with a colorful mimosa fruit salad, a plate of crispy brown sugar bacon and a warm cup of fresh mint tea. If you are feeling extra celebratory, add a slice of cream cheese coffee cake for one scrumptious start to the day! 🍎🥓☕️
Now our Let’s line:
Let’s simmer up a pot of apple pie oatmeal and make breakfast taste like dessert! 🍎🥣
Apple Pie Oatmeal
This easy apple pie oatmeal recipe combines hearty steel-cut oats with tender cinnamon apples, maple syrup and a swirl of cream for a cozy breakfast that tastes like dessert!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 4 cups water
- 4 apples, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces (we like McIntosh!)
- 4 tablespoons cinnamon sugar
- Warm maple syrup, for serving
- Warm heavy cream, for serving
Instructions
- Bring water to a simmer in a medium pot. Add oats and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Add more water as needed if the oatmeal absorbs all of it before 20 minutes are up.
- Add apples and cinnamon sugar and stir. Simmer for another 10 minutes until oatmeal is done, drizzling in more water if needed. Steel cut oatmeal will be slightly chewy – that’s how it’s supposed to be.
- Cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Ladle into warmed bowls, drizzle with a little maple syrup and heavy cream and serve.
Notes
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- Steel Cut Oats: Look for these hearty oats in the breakfast aisle of your supermarket right next to their rolled oats cousins.
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- Apples: You can use any type of apples you like!
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- Cream: A drizzle of cream is optional but oh so good! And yes, you can swap in a drizzle of milk if you prefer.
Time for variations! ✨
💫 Variations on this recipe
- 🌰 Add some crunch: Sprinkle each bowl with toasted pecans, walnuts or sliced almonds.
- 🍯 Make it caramel apple oatmeal: Swap the maple syrup for a drizzle of warm caramel sauce.
- 🍂 Spice it up: Add a pinch of nutmeg, allspice or apple pie spice along with the cinnamon sugar.
- ❤️ Add dried fruit: Stir in raisins, dried cranberries or chopped dates during the last few minutes of cooking.
- 🫐 Bring on the berries: Top the finished oatmeal with fresh blueberries, raspberries or sliced strawberries.
- 🥛 Make it dairy-free: Skip the cream or replace it with oat milk, almond milk or your favorite non-dairy creamer.
- 🍨 Turn it into dessert: Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to warm apple pie oatmeal for a very cozy treat!
Other oatmeal recipes we love! 🥰
We want to know what you think! 🤔
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe card.