Amish-Style Apple and Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
A delicious variation on baked oatmeal, this Amish-style apple and cinnamon baked oatmeal is so easy and delicious (and can be made the night before!).
In my rush to talk about packing school lunches, I’ve neglected to talk about another important component of our back-to-school mornings: breakfast.
I may or may not do an official post later on about our go-to morning breakfasts, but for today, I’ll say that this version of apple and cinnamon baked oatmeal is a worthy addition to the lineup.

I have a couple other overnight or baked oatmeal recipes that we make quite often but when my cousin-in-law, Julianne, emailed me about this Amish-style apple and cinnamon baked oatmeal, I think I tried it that minute (no, like really, that minute – at 3:53 in the afternoon or sometime thereabouts).
We ended up eating it that night for dinner with hard-boiled eggs and yogurt (per Julianne’s suggestion since they had enjoyed it for dinner, too) and it was delicious, assuming breakfast-for-dinner is one of your vibes.
Which it is for me and mine.
The dreamy part is that not only can this oatmeal be baked right away, but it can also be assembled, covered and refrigerated overnight to bake in the morning.
Even though it only takes minutes to prep, I’m never one to get up any earlier than I have to.
I’ve made this already as part of our back-to-school routine.
Because the apple and cinnamon baked oatmeal needs 35-45 minutes to bake, I took one for the team and dragged myself out of bed a little earlier than the general wake-up call.
And I’m not looking for extra bonus points, not-really-ok-kind-of, but instead of rolling back into bed while the oven did its work, I even begrudgingly exercised while everyone else enjoyed the last few minutes of precious sleep.
I know.
Oatmeal miracles: bringing back exercise routines that somehow disappeared over summer.
Also, keep in mind you can omit the apples for a regular baked oatmeal variation.
Whether or not you eat it for breakfast, dinner or anytime in between, it’s some seriously delicious oatmeal – a little crunchy on top and creamy and warm and hearty all throughout.
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Amish-Style Apple and Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 3 cups (300 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (106 g) lightly packed brown sugar, more to taste if you like things a bit sweeter
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, melted
- 2-3 large tart sweet apples, (like Honey Crisp or Gala), peeled, cored and diced
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 8X12-inch or 9X13-inch baking pan or 9X9-inch (for super thick oatmeal) with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (don’t preheat the oven if making ahead of time and refrigerating overnight).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and brown sugar.
- In a large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla.
- Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and add the melted butter or coconut oil. Stir or whisk to combine.
- Arrange the diced apples evenly over the bottom of the baking dish and pour the oatmeal mixture over the top. You can cover and refrigerate overnight at this point or bake right away (uncover before baking the next morning).
- Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden and the mixture is setup and not super jiggly.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with a little milk poured over the top, if you want.
Notes
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Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe at Once Upon a Chef (after my cousin Julianne emailed and raved about it)
This sounds delicious! My kids love oatmeal so I’m thinking about trying this, do you think it would work the same with dried apples?
I think the outcome will be slightly different (texture and flavor), but I definitely think it is worth a try and will likely be very yummy.
Like every recipe from Mel, turned out great! I swapped out half the volume of milk with vanilla protein shake for additional protein, will def make this again!
I’m only 10 and I made it for my family. You should make it with the apple skins on. It was so much better than without.
Delicious!
For those that can’t have egg, I used a flax seed egg and it worked out perfectly.  I also didn’t have nutmeg so I subbed with pumpkin spice.Â
I chopped my apples because I like them soft.Â
I immediately shared this recipe with friends!Â
This was a hit! It was enjoyed texture and taste wise by 8 of us from very young (2 y/o) to adult (42 y/o). Thanks!
I prepared this the night before and followed the recipe faithfully (except I only used 3 Tbsp melted butter because that’s all I had), however the oatmeal was way sweet and had a pretty dominant butter flavor. Maybe it’s just me? Maybe the apples I used? I’m going to try it again with 50% less sugar and butter. The texture was great—no problems with that! We poured milk on it like we do with cereal and my kids loved it. I figure we can always add maple syrup if I cut the sugar back too far. 🙂
Made this for Christmas breakfast, with a handful of dried cranberries sprinkled on top. Delicious!!
It was more like oatmeal when I wanted apple crisp, but maybe that was just my own misplaced expectations. It didnt have much taste when I took it out if the oven, and the apples were very soft. But a sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon on top was a nice quick fix to that. I think this recipe is alright, a nice treat that isn’t too unhealthy and saved me from giving in to a craving for mug cake ^-^
ha ha
We made this for a retreat and served it with a splash of half and half, a drizzle of buttermilk syrup, and toasted pecans…. HEAVENLY! Thanks for another great recipe, Mel.Â
The pros- very easy to make. Tasted great. I loved the flavor of the oats and sweet apples.
The con- The apples leeched out juices and so even after an hour of baking there was a layer of water below the oatmeal. I had to drain it off as I couldn’t cook it any longer and the water was not dissipating. Other than the liquid issue the oatmeal tasted great. I am not sure how I could have made this without that liquid I used 3 gala apples
Hi, would quick oats be ok for this recipe? Can’t wait to make it!
I haven’t tried quick oats but I believe others have. Worth a try!
Just made this in a 9×9 pan and my kitchen smells delicious!! I used quick oats because that’s all I had….wondering how long you should bake with such a smaller pan? I did about 50 minutes.
That should be about right – the oatmeal will be firm to the touch if you tap the top.
This recipe has become a staple in our home. The leftovers are heated as needed throughout the week. Â Yesterday, I chopped 1 c. of walnuts and added to the apples then sprinkled with cinnamon and a little brown sugar for a head start to goodness! It was delicious Â
agreed, this is a great recipe. It will become a staple in my home. 🙂 i love your idea of freezing it into portions. thank you for sharing. 😉
YUM, YUM, YUM!!! I love this recipe. it is a GREAT way to enjoy your oats and fuel your body. thank you for sharing your yummy recipe. I WILL be making this again. 🙂
If I let this sit in the refrigerator overnight before cooking, could I use Steel Cut Oats?
I haven’t tried steel cut oats, but you could experiment!
This was so tasty! My adjustments:
– I did not peel the apples. I like this choice, but would chop rather than dice next time.Â
– light olive oil in place of butter
This also freezes well. I cut into half sized pieces, spread the on a cookie sheet, freeze. Once solidified, transfer to a zipper bag. These are wonderful as an afternoon treat with a cup of coffee.Â
agreed, this is a great recipe. It will become a staple in my home. 🙂 i love your idea of freezing it into portions. thank you for sharing. 😉
This was yummy! Â I added diced dates to my recipe and it added a nice compliment to the bake. Very filling!Â
I always search for this recipe. My family loves it!!
I love making this for my kids before school. They love it! The leftovers warm up great too! I made this oatmeal camping a few weeks ago. I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out over an open fire but turned out great…had to mix it while it was cooking but was a big hit! I also used unsweetened vanilla almond milk for more flavor! Great recipe!
Delicious! I added pecans and craisins (since we were out of raisins)…thanks, Mel!
This is absolutely delicious! It is definitely a keeper.
Would blueberries work with this? Somehow envision purple baked oatmeal..lol dried apricots and pure maple syrup or organic honey instead of brown sugar? Monkfruit would work.as well.. See in comments nut milks work, non dairy family. Not total vegan, it’s like would try everything but bananas in it …so yummy.
Would blueberries work with this? Somehow envision purple naked oatmeal..lol dried apricots and pure maple syrup or organic honey instead of brown sugar? Monkfruit would work.as well..
I make blueberry muffins all the time with whole wheat flour. As long as they are clean and dry they hold their shape pretty well.  They will open up slightly so the surrounding muffin parts do turn blue but they hold their shape.  Add them at the very end and fold in lightly making sure they are Dispersed. I’m excited to try this oatmeal recipe as well!
I have not tried this exact recipe yet but I have been making baked oatmeal for years, and we love adding fruit to it. Apples, blueberries, and pineapple are our personal favorites! And I’ll use cinnamon with each of them
Very good. Used quick oats because I didn’t have the old fashioned and served with a drizzle of maple syrup and cream. Maybe it doesn’t sound good to say this, but it tasted like soggy apple crisp plus melted ice cream. Haha. Thank you for the yummy recipes!
Made this for Christmas Eve breakfast and it was so good. I’d mixed it up the night before and next time will either take it out early so it can come to room temperature, or punch the heat up to 350. I ended up letting it bake 10 extra minutes to get it nice and hot. Otherwise – so good – great flavor and not too sweet.
I made this using the Kodiak rolled oats. Â It came out amazing & had a good boost of protein. I will be making this again.
Just made! Â So good! Â Anyway of including nutrition per serving?
I don’t currently calculate that info – sorry!
Looks yummy! Could I double the recipe and still use a 9 x 13 pan, or will it overflow? How much does it rise with the baking soda?
I think a doubled batch might be too much for a 9X13 – it puffs enough that I think it might overflow.
OH. MY. GOODNESS!!! I have had this recipe bookmarked for years and I finally made it this week! WOW!! This was absolutely amazing!! This has become a new favorite for a quick breakfast that I can make on Sunday and reheat throughout the week. I decided to add golden raisins (because, hello, delicious!), 1/4 tsp ground clove, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, and an extra teaspoon of cinnamon (I like warm spices!). I also used oat milk…FANTASTIC!!! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!Â
Recently made this ! Felt like we were eating healthy apple crisp for breakie!!
So easy…..so delicious! Â Thank you Mel for yet another winner:)
I made this for lunch and it turned out delicious! Can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow. I used almond milk since that’s what I had on hand and I didn’t notice a difference. Also I didn’t peel the apple since I was lazy and don’t mind eating the peel, the apples still turned out soft and yummy in the oatmeal. I would definitely make this recipe again.
P.S. Thank you for the suggestion to eat this with hard boiled eggs, I don’t make them very often but I cooked a few in the instant pot while the oatmeal was baking and they were the perfect addition to make this a filling lunch.
Sorry, Mel, but this recipe just doesn’t have it for us, thus I can only give it a 1 rating. However, I am not one to waste food so I made oatmeal cookies.
I creamed together:
1 c butter
1 c sugar
3 eggs
Beat in:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
Stirred up the Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal and mixed it in. (We had eaten 2-3 cups of i t, but the remaining went into the bowl)
Mixed in:
2 c flour
1 c each nuts and raisens
Bake 350 – 10-12 minutes
Yield: 5 dozen 2″ cookies
These cookies are not real sweet, which I am happy with because of Diabetes.
Why did you feel the need to enlighten us with a recipe of your own that is not even vaguely related to the blogger’s recipe? Disgraceful.
The comment explained that she used the oatmeal in cookies… I thought it was a helpful comment.
Made this vegan by using flax eggs (1 tbsp of ground flax + 3 tbsp of water left to gel for 5 min = 1 egg) and soy milk. Next time I might microwave the apples for a minute beforehand to get them even softer. Great recipe!
You mention that this could be prepared and refrigerated overnight before baking. Do you think it would last longer in the fridge, like 2 nights? I’m trying to prepare baked goods for Christmas weekend and would love to be able to make this (way) ahead of time
I think the oatmeal part would be fine refrigerated for two days, but I’d probably stir the apples in right before baking (or one night before) so they don’t turn brown.
So…. Delicious! I omitted the nutmeg because I didn’t have any and added some chopped walnuts. Served with a drizzle of maple syrup and milk.  Perfect recipe for meal planing. Microwaves nicely. Thank you!Â
Loved this! Made half a batch in an 8×8 pan. Perfect for two adults and two little kids! It was like eating a cinnamon oatmeal cookie for breakfast. Yes please.Â
Sooo good. Used almond milk, espresso chocolate chips, and bananas instead of apples. Thanks mel!
This is total comfort food. It’s easy to make, travels well for potlucks, and can be prepped in advance. I like to use it as meal prep for the work week.
Delicious! I subbed in 1 cup of buttermilk for a cup of the milk, and added dark raisins. Fantastic!
Followed recipe exactly and it turned out great! My husband loved it! I’ll definitely be making again.
My husband says he could eat the whole pan:) By far the best baked oatmeal recipe I’ve made! Love the balance of the spices.
Absolutely delicious! This will be my standard apple baked oatmeal recipe. Does it need to be refrigerated?
Yes, I refrigerate the leftovers.
I am so happy with how this turned out!! I was first concerned that my mixture was much milkier than your video of the recipe, but the bake set perfectly after the 45 minutes. I also worried that it would taste like dessert, but it really doesn’t—just a delicious, flavorful oatmeal that didn’t give me a sugar overload. (Adding frozen mixed berries with the apples was great too.) This may be our new go-to General Conference breakfast. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Does it make a difference if you use almond milk instead of cow’s milk? I have found that some things just don’t work with almond milk.
I know a lot of people have commented they’ve used almond milk for this recipe with good results.
I make one almost exactly like this. It can also be baked, cooled and frozen. Then you just thaw and reheat, microwave even. Tastes great!Â
Trying this tonight!!! Â Looks and smells so yummy!
So yummy!!
I wish I would have cut the apples into longer larger pieces for the breakfast..
We ate this last night with ice cream, and heated it up again in the morning for breakfast with milk.
Yummy!!
So easy, so healthy, so good!
Thanks for the tip. I was thinking of chopping the apples into small pieces….now I won’t !
This is in our rotation and we love it! If you have boiled cider, that’s delicious in here to boost the apple flavor!
Has anyone tried to feeeze this? I’d love to try that!Â
We freeze it in smaller portions for easy breakfasts during the week. It freezes great.
This was delicious. I used a packed 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 apple, 1 ripe banana, and 1/2 cup of raisins. I also used 2 tsp cinnamon and left out the nutmeg. Otherwise followed the recipe. It made 12 muffins and a small square casserole sure 2 qt. I baked the muffins 20 minutes and the casserole 25 minutes. A fav!