This Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal recipe comes out so creamy on the stovetop, takes less than 15 minutes, and it couldn't be easier! With vanilla, maple syrup, pumpkin seeds & hemp seeds. It's a simple recipe to start your morning with tons of flavor and great nutrition including fiber, healthy fats, and plant protein!
Quick Look: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
- 🧁 Serves: 4
- ⭐ Features: Easy ✓ Quick ✓ Fiber-Rich ✓
- ⌛️ Prep Time: 2 minutes
- 🍪 Cook Time: 10 minutes
- 🕑 Total Time: 12 minutes
- 👩🍳 Skill Level: Beginner
- 🏆 Why make THIS version? This is a fiber-rich breakfast that's easy to make and full of flavor!
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As a dietitian, my friends joke that I am the oatmeal queen. And they have a point.... I've always loved my apple cinnamon overnight oats and banana oatmeal pancakes! But creamy oatmeal made on the stovetop will always be my favorite when the weather cools down.
This apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe is perfect for fall or winter months when fresh apples are in season. All you'll do is add everything to a saucepan and let it simmer for a few minutes until the oats are soft and creamy! In the amount of time it takes your coffee to brew, you'll have a delicious breakfast ready and waiting for you. 😊
If you like this recipe, you may also like my Banana Bread Overnight Oats,or Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats.
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Key Ingredient Notes and Substitution Ideas
This apple oatmeal recipe is made with wholesome ingredients. Below are some ingredients notes and substitutions. Check the recipe card for the measurements.
- Rolled Oats - I recommend using rolled oats, also known as old-fashioned oats, because they give the best texture to overnight oats. They absorb the milk and become super creamy. I don't recommend using quick oats (instant oats) because they will get mushy. I don't recommend using steel cut oats because they will not become as soft. To make it gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats.
- Apples - fresh fruit adds so much flavor and natural sweetness to oats. Apples provide vitamin C, antioxidants, and dietary fiber for gut health! I suggest using sweet apples like Honeycrisp or Cosmic Crisp because they hold up well to cooking. You could also use a fuji, gala, golden delicious, or granny smith. If you love warm cinnamon apples, you can also try my air fryer cinnamon apples for an easy topping for yogurt, pancakes, or oatmeal.
- Milk - I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but you could use any milk you like. Regular milk (dairy milk) absolutely works. Coconut milk or cashew milk will make it even creamier. Other non-dairy milk like oat milk or soy milk work, too.
- Vanilla Extract - to add a creamy vanilla flavor.
- Cinnamon - a little ground cinnamon because you really can't beat a cinnamon apple mixture. Cinnamon is a good source of antioxidants so it can help with immune health.
- Maple Syrup - I personally love using a drizzle of maple syrup to sweeten these overnight oats because it makes the cinnamon apples have an apple pie filling vibe. You can use your own sweetener of choice - honey, agave nectar, date syrup, a little brown sugar, or coconut sugar all work.
- Nuts & Seeds - this is an easy way to add nutrition including plant protein, fiber, and healthy fatty acids. I use a combination of pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds but you can use your own favorites! I use a combination of pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds, but if you love that combination, you'll also want to try my hemp seed granola with oats.
Recipe Variations & Topping Ideas
The best part about making this easy apple cinnamon oatmeal is you can easily customize it to your taste. Below are some ideas!
- Change up the Seeds - if you don't have pumpkin & hemp seeds or don't like them, you can use flax seeds, or sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans, or whatever other nut or seed you love! Chia seeds are another easy way to add fiber and healthy fats to oatmeal; you can learn more about the health benefits of chia seeds here.
Blend up the nuts & seeds to create a flour like consistency if you don't like the texture. - Nut Butter - add a spoonful of peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter for a nutty flavor and more healthy fats.
- Chocolate Chip - chocolate chips added at the end melt into the oatmeal and make for a special treat. Cocoa powder is a healthier way to make it chocolatey without all the added sugars!
- Protein - add a scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder or serve the oatmeal with Greek yogurt for more protein. If adding protein powder, you will need to add more liquid too.
- Dates - add chopped dates or another dried fruit if you want a bit more sweetness.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Below are the directions for how to make this recipe. Check the recipe card at the bottom for the full recipe.
- Step 1: Dice the apple into small pieces. Heat a saucepan on medium high heat. Add the apples, ½ tablespoon of the syrup, and ¼ teaspoon of the cinnamon. Cook for ~5-10 minutes, until the apples have softened, stirring frequently. Remove a couple spoonfuls of the apples from the saucepan and set them aside for topping the oatmeal.
- Step 2: Add the oats, milk, water, vanilla, and remaining maple syrup and cinnamon. Stir and bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Step 3: Add the pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds and heat another minute.
- Step 4: Add more milk or water as needed to get to your desired thickness. Serve with the remaining apple on top.
Hint: I suggest using rolled oats for this recipe (also called Old-Fashioned Oats) because when they cook they get creamy and maintain some of their shape. Steel cut oats won't soften in just 5 minutes of simmering and quick oats will get a bit mushy.
Mallory's Dietitian Tip!
I love serving this apple cinnamon oatmeal with Greek yogurt to add protein! If you're looking for another make-ahead breakfast with even more protein, try my high-protein overnight oats.
Of course the Greek yogurt is totally optional, but mixing it into the oatmeal makes it even creamier and pairing protein with the healthy fats and carbohydrates in the oatmeal helps to stabilize blood sugar levels. 😊
Expert Tips
- Dice the apples into relatively small pieces to ensure you get a bit of them in every bite!
- If you like your oatmeal on the sweeter side, add more maple syrup or use vanilla flavored almond milk.
- For thicker oatmeal, add a bit less milk to the oat mixture.
- For thinner oatmeal, add more water or milk.
FAQ
While healthy means something different to everyone, this is a nutrient-rich option. Oatmeal is high in soluble fiber for a healthy gut. It is also high in several nutrients including magnesium, iron, and zinc. Hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds add heart-healthy fatty acids that also support hormone health and brain health, protein, and more fiber. And the apple provides pectin to help support gut health, and antioxidants.
The best oats for stovetop oats are rolled oats, also called old-fashioned oats. Quick oats are smaller pieces and cook faster so they tend to get too mushy. Steel-cut oats are not steamed or rolled as rolled oats are. Because of that, they take much longer to cook or soften and don't work so great for this quick oatmeal recipe.
As it is with all things that have to do with nutrition, the answer is not so simple. But the soluble fiber found in oats can help you stay full for longer making it less likely that you will overeat at your next meal or snack. A recent study in the Physiological Research Journal showed that fiber, starch, and other phytochemicals in oatmeal can have an anti-obesity effect and can also help to promote healthy gut bacteria.
- Refrigerator - store leftover oatmeal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Add an extra splash of milk before reheating.
- Freezer - portion the oatmeal and store it in freezer safe containers for up to 3 months. To reheat, add an extra splash of liquid and heat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
More Oatmeal and Apple Recipes
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I would love to hear from you! If you made this recipe, please leave me a review below or tag me in a photo or story on Instagram. Your reviews help support me and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love. 🙂 IG: @mallorythedietitian
📖 Recipe
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Recipe, Stovetop
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 small apple, diced (or ½ large)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ tablespoon maple syrup (more if you want them sweeter)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds (or nuts & seeds of choice)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds (or nuts & seeds of choice)
Instructions
- Dice the apple into small pieces. Heat a saucepan on medium high heat. Add the apples, ½ tablespoon of the syrup, and ¼ teaspoon of the cinnamon. Cook for ~5-10 minutes, until the apples have softened, stirring frequently. Remove a couple spoonfuls of the apples from the saucepan and set them aside for topping the oatmeal.
- Add the oats, milk, water, vanilla, and remaining maple syrup and cinnamon. Stir and bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds and heat another minute.
- Add more milk or water as needed to get to your desired thickness. Serve with the remaining apple on top.
Video
Notes
- Dice the apples into relatively small pieces to ensure you get a bit of them in every bite!
- If you like your oatmeal on the sweeter side, add more maple syrup or use vanilla flavored almond milk.
- I suggest using rolled oats for this recipe (also called Old-Fashioned Oats) because when they cook they get creamy and maintain some of their shape. Steel cut oats won't soften in just 5 minutes of simmering and quick oats will get a bit mushy.
- For thicker oatmeal, add a bit less milk to the oat mixture.
- For thinner oatmeal, add more water or milk.
- Refrigerator - store leftover oatmeal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Add an extra splash of milk before reheating.
- Freezer - portion the oatmeal and store it in freezer safe containers for up to 3 months. To reheat, add an extra splash of liquid and heat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Courtney
When would you add the water? The recipe doesn’t include when to add it.
I made it with just milk and it was good.
Mallory
Hi Courtney, that's a great catch! Thank you so much for pointing it out. You'll add the water as the same time as the milk! 😊 I hope that helps!! You could also double the milk and skip the water if you like thicker oatmeal! -Mallory
Sarah
This was so easy, tasty, and filling! I added a little spoonful of peanut butter and mixed it in with some greek yogurt like you suggested. Thank you for the recipe!
Mallory
Hi Sarah!! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a rating and review, it truly means so much to me and I'm so happy you enjoyed the oatmeal!! Adding nut butter is a great idea! 😊 -Mallory