Overnight Baked Apple Oatmeal

I love that this Overnight Baked Apple Oatmeal recipe can be prepared the night before. Crowned with a crispy brown sugar streusel, it makes for an irresistible make-ahead breakfast!

Easy Overnight Baked Oatmeal Recipe

When the temps start to fall, my breakfast thoughts turn to a bowl of warm, hearty oatmeal. And of course, ANYTHING that features fresh seasonal apples. This easy Overnight Baked Apple Oatmeal is the perfect solution to my autumn cravings!

This comfy pan of oatmeal includes both steel cut oats and old fashioned oats, is generous with chunks of fresh sauteed cinnamon apples, and is topped with a crispy brown sugar streusel. That topping is a golden crown of crunchy, yummy, sweet & salty heaven!

And what’s even better is that you can prepare this baked oatmeal recipe the night before. Which is great for an easy breakfast the following morning, especially when you have guests staying with you. What a treat it is to wake up to a fabulous dish that only needs to be popped into a hot oven!

A few more delicious apple recipes: Here’s my favorite Apple Crisp – with a topping that’s actually crispy! This Apple Bread always gets rave reviews. And this is the Homemade Applesauce that I grew up on – I love that it’s chunky!

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Recipe Ingredients

This recipe is broken down into 3 parts, using common ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

FOR THE SAUTEED APPLES

• Butter – I use unsalted butter in all my baking, so I can control the salt.
• Apples – Use a crisp, tart variety that holds up well when baked. I recommend Haralson, Honeycrisp, Zestar!, or Granny Smith.
• Brown sugar – This adds warm, sweet flavor to the fresh apples.
• Cinnamon – I ALWAYS include cinnamon when baking with apples – they just go together!
• Apple cider – This adds extra apple goodness to the sauteed apples. I prefer cold pressed unfiltered apple cider for the most beautiful apple flavor (find it in the refrigerator section), but regular apple cider will work just fine.

FOR THE OATMEAL

• Butter – Melt the butter, so it distributes evenly throughout the oatmeal mixture.
• Milk – I use 1% milk. Use 2% or whole milk for a richer, fuller oatmeal.
• Applesauce – Look for unsweetened applesauce. This adds another layer of apple flavor and helps to loosen up the oatmeal texture.
• Eggs – To bind it all together and give it a fuller texture.
• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon – I add quite a bit; I love that cinnamon!
• Nutmeg – Nutmeg and cinnamon were just meant to be together!
• Kosher salt
• Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract (not “imitation vanilla extract”) for the best flavor.
• Old fashioned oats – Be sure to use “old fashioned”, not “quick” oats. The old fashioned are meant to be cooked longer and will give more texture.
• Steel cut oats – I love the chewy texture that these oats offer, and always add some to my regular oats when making stovetop oatmeal!

FOR THE STREUSEL

• Flour – This streusel has flour mixed with baking powder, which gives it a crunchy baked bite.
• Old fashioned oats – The streusel features the oats in a crispy way, different from the softer apple oatmeal mixture.
• Brown sugar
• Kosher salt
• Baking powder – To give a little rise and crunch to the streusel.
• Butter – Incorporate room temperature butter (do not melt!) into the streusel mixture, to create pea-sized pieces that will bake up crispy.

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How to Make Baked Oatmeal With Apples

It’s easy to make this recipe. Just follow these steps:

Make the Sauteed Apples

Sautee the apples: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and stir to coat. Pour in apple cider and cook until apples are soft and cider has reduced and mostly disappeared from the pan, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Make the Apple Oatmeal

Create the apple oatmeal mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together butter, milk, applesauce, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla. Then stir in the sauteed apples, old fashioned oats, and steel cut oats. Transfer mixture to a 2-quart buttered baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the oatmeal mixture. Refrigerate overnight.

Make the Streusel

Create the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, use a fork to stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder. Using the fork, cut in the butter until there are large pea-sized crumbs. Prepare this the night before, and cover it, but don’t add it to the oatmeal mixture until you are ready to bake it in the morning.

Bake the Apple Oatmeal

Bake: The following morning, remove the oatmeal mixture from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Let the oatmeal sit on the counter while the oven preheats to 375° F. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the oatmeal mixture. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until oatmeal is thoroughly hot and the streusel is golden brown.

Tips & Variations

Here are a few things you might find helpful when making this recipe:

• Choose the right apples: I always want toothsome bites of apple (not apple mush!), so I use apples that are crisp and hold up well during baking. Some of my favorites are Haralson, Honeycrisp, Zestar!, and Granny Smith.
• Mix up the apples: To add different flavors and textures, use two or more varieties of apples.
• Add some mix-ins: Chopped nuts or some dried fruit would be fun and delicious!
• If it’s browning too much: If the streusel is browning more than you’d like while it’s baking, cover the top of the dish loosely with foil.
• If you want the streusel crispier: If you’d like the streusel to be more browned and crunchy, simply place the baking dish under the broiler for a couple minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Baked apple oatmeal is best eaten while still hot from the oven. Enjoy it simply on its own or in a bowl with a bit of warmed milk or light cream.

How to Store

If you have any leftovers, cover the baking dish and refrigerate.

To reheat, remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and uncover it. Let it sit on the counter while the oven preheats to 350° F. Loosely tent the baking dish with foil and heat until thoroughly warmed, removing the foil at the end to crisp up the topping.

Can I Bake This Right Away?

If you want to simply make and bake on the same day, go right ahead. Just add the streusel to the top of the apple oatmeal mixture and pop it in the oven!

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This post was originally published in 2013 and updated in 2021.