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Wake up to the aroma of apple pie when you cook this Overnight Apple Oatmeal in the slow cooker all night!
I’ve tried this recipe for Apple Pie Overnight Oatmeal before, but as my Pinterest boards start filling up with apples and other heralds of fall, I start to crave it again. I took the opportunity to play with the recipe and make a few changes.
Waking up to the aroma of apple pie in the kitchen draws you in for breakfast! I find that if I take the time to eat a hearty breakfast like this, I won’t be digging through the cupboards at 10:00 looking for a snack.
Ingredients needed:
- butter
- apples-Granny Smith apples are the best option for slow cooking like this
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
- old fashioned or steel cut oats
- water
- optional-evaporated milk
Supplies:
- Pretty purple Crockpot (OK, you can use whatever color you want) 😉
- Slow cooker liners (seriously, make your life easier- you’ll thank me later)
Substitution ideas for overnight apple pie oatmeal:
The best thing about a recipe like this is that you can adjust it to fit your personal tastes. If you like your oatmeal a little more runny, just add some milk when you spoon it into your bowl.
If you like raisins, toss those in with the apples. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar.
If you prefer to sweeten with honey, leave out the sugar and use that instead. If you like creamy oatmeal, try using half and half in place of some of the water.
Other great breakfast recipes:
If you want oatmeal a little sooner than overnight, try this delicious Caramel Apple Baked Oatmeal (bakes in 30 minutes) or Microwave Caramel Apple Oatmeal (ready in 2 minutes!)
Have you ever tried oatmeal in the crockpot before? What about another kind of breakfast that can be cooked overnight? I’m always looking for new slow cooker recipes!
These overnight breakfast burritos are another slow cooker breakfast treat. We sometimes have them for dinner.
Chewy Oatmeal Breakfast Bars are a make ahead breakfast that’s easy and good for you!
Overnight Apple Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 medium apples peeled and diced
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 4 cups water or a combination of water and evaporated milk.
Instructions
- Break up the butter into small pieces and drop it all around the bottom of a slow cooker. While doing this, wipe down the sides of the cooker with a pat of butter to keep from forming a “crust” along the edges.
- Cover butter pats with diced apples.
- Sprinkle cinnamon across the apples
- Pour sugar over the apples and cinnamon
- Cover with two cups of oats
- Gently pour in 4 cups of water
- DO NOT STIR
- Place on low setting and cook overnight, 8-10 hours.
- Serve as is, or pour milk over it, if you like your oats that way!
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DebGnegy says
Way too much cinnamon. Should have listened to my instinct
Nicole Burkholder says
It’s definitely a personal preference thing. I like a lot of cinnamon with my apples, so I don’t think it’s too much personally. But the recipe is quite basic, so it’s easy enough to adjust to your own tastes and add/subtract whatever you wish. You know what you like-next time listen to your instincts. 😉
Lisa says
I made this recipe yesterday. I know my crock pot cooks fast, so I cooked it during the day so I could watch it. I ended up leaving it in the crock pot for about 5 hours and when the edges started to burn just a bit I turned it off. The taste and flavors were great, but the consistency was just too mushy for me. Did I cook it too long or not long enough? Do you have any suggestions? Hope I can can get the texture right because it seems like a keeper!
Nicole Burkholder says
Were you using old fashioned oats? If so, and the texture is still too mushy for your liking, try using steel cut oats instead. They hold up to cooking better, but it’s really a preference thing when it comes to textures. 🙂
Ashley says
I’ve tried making this recipe twice and it never turns out. It burns and has WAY too much water. Am i missing something in the making it like propping the lid up or something? It sounds amazing so i keep trying and failing. 😞
Nicole Burkholder says
It sounds like your slow cooker is cooking way too hot. It’s burning the oatmeal before it has time to soak up the water. I had one crockpot (an older one) that did the same thing. When I got a new one, I made the recipe again and it was fine. I’m sorry it didn’t work for you 🙁 Any chance you could borrow a friend’s and try again?
Verena says
It looks delicious and i really want to try it, but it is just my son and i, can i keep left overs in the fridge for us to eat in the mornings?
Nicole Burkholder says
You sure can! I had leftovers for a couple weeks after the last batch. Just keep it in an airtight container and then add a little milk when you’re reheating to get the right consistency again ?
LaToya Darden says
Will the recipe come out the same if I split it in half?
Nicole Burkholder says
I would be a little concerned with it overcooking if you don’t have as much in the crock. Either try a smaller slow cooker or make it during the day so you can check on it and see how long it takes to cook. I’d hate for you to ruin a batch by cooking it overnight. Just in case. 😉
Jackie says
I made this overnight for my family this morning and it was good but I felt 2 tablespoons was way too much cinnamon and I had dropped the brown sugar down to a 1/3 of a cup and it still seemed a bit sweet. Next go around I am going to cut the cinnamon in half and only add 1/4 cup of brown sugar and I think that will do the trick.
Nicole Burkholder says
The cinnamon is certainly a matter of personal preference. I really like cinnamon so I overdo it according to some people 🙂 The apples do make it sweet, especially if you use something other than Granny Smith, so feel free to adjust! I’m glad you liked it!
Liz says
can i use milk instead. i prefer milk.. should i use more milk? or can I use both milk and water?
Nicole Burkholder says
Cooking dairy for that long will make it curdle and you’ll be left with an icky mess. I would cook it with water and then add milk just at the end to get the creaminess and taste that you’re looking for. The option would be to use evaporated milk, which is great for cooking!
Sue says
I use 1 cup of milk and 3 cups of water and it works great. Other than that I follow the recipe to the letter. My husband and I both love it.
Nicole Burkholder says
I’m so glad you like it! It is pretty easy to tweak for your own personal taste. I just love the way the house smells when it’s been cooking all night! 🙂
Cairn says
This looks great and I will be having a lot of people over during the holidays. I see it says 10-12 servings, but what size are the servings? I want to make sure I have enough. I know a regular serving off the oats container is 1/2 of dry oats.
Thanks, I can’t wait to try this!
Nicole Burkholder says
I think that is Pinterest that keeps adding the 10-12 servings information. I would actually say it’s closer to 8-10 servings. It really depends on how much oatmeal you like for breakfast. 1/2 cup of dry oats will get you about 1 cup of oatmeal, plus you have the apple chunks added in this recipe. If you have a lot of people, I would double the recipe. BUT, please test it out first. 🙂 Slow cookers all seem to cook a bit differently. As a rule, though, they do cook more evenly when nice and full! Enjoy 🙂
Sophie says
I made this a week ago and I’m about to make it today too! So delicious! I feel like I’m having apple pie for breakfast! ? Thank you for this recipe!
Nicole Burkholder says
So glad you liked it! I still need to make it this year. I keep forgetting to save a few apples for this recipe-my boys gobble them up so fast! 🙂
Beth says
I see this makes 10-12 servings. Does anyone know how many calories per serving? (Sorry if it’s already on here and I missed it!) 🙂
Nicole Burkholder says
There are 1760 calories in the whole recipe (give or a take a few, depending on which calorie counter you use) so calories would depend on your serving size. Just divide the total by how many cups of finished oatmeal you have. 🙂
Andi Surface says
I just gently poured the water over and my apples started popping up to the top like dead fish LOL I’ll let you know how it turns out! Thank you for the recipe!
Nicole Burkholder says
Haha! Really?!? Through all the oatmeal? Maybe the fiber content is really high or something ???? what kind of apples are you using?
Andi Surface says
I had a bag of Gala apples so I used them. They do seem to be more airy/not as dense as granny smiths.
Andi Surface says
It was delicious! I lined my crockpot with foil because I don’t have any liners and it actually worked out great because the water ended up dripping down to the outside of the foil, which left my steel cut oats still intact and not watered down but definitely moist! It was great!!!!
Nicole Burkholder says
I’m so glad to hear that! This recipe is great for steel cut oats. Glad the “dead fish” issue didn’t affect the taste ????
Zebra Girl says
I made this and it tasted good, but the consistency was more like a bread pudding. It also burned around the edges and there was a thick film on top which was not edible. But I really like the idea of waking up to the smell of cinnamon and oatmeal so I think I’ll try it again, but I’ll increase the water to 5 cups, add melted butter to the water, then put the oatmeal, cinnamon and sugar on top of the water and stir i before cooking. Thank you for this brilliant idea!
Nicole Burkholder says
It’s a bit of a test since every crock pot seems to cook a bit differently! Just be sure not to stir the apples up with the oatmeal mixture. They need to cook on the bottom. Also, a liner is great if you get a cooked ring around the edge (easier to clean up) Good luck with the adjustments and let me know how it turns out!
Christy says
ignore my question… my grandmother read the recipe incorrectly… LOL
Nicole Burkholder says
Haha! That’s a LOT of cinnamon!
Christy says
Is 3/4 cup of cinnamon correct?
Nancy Love says
Can you use Steel cut oatmeal instead of regular oatmeal?
Nicole Burkholder says
I haven’t tried it myself, so I honestly don’t know, but I have seen similar recipes that call for steel cut oats. Steel cut oats are the least processed and take the longest to cook, so I think they would be perfect for a long, low cook time like this!
Jill says
I was so excited about this, but I woke up to the sides and bottom completely burned and the rest a watery mess. I followed all the directions. 🙁
Nicole Burkholder says
I’m sorry! 🙁 If you read through the comments, you’ll see that has happened to a few other people as well. I’m afraid that some slow cookers heat much faster/hotter than others. I have two cookers, and the old one no longer makes the oatmeal correctly- it seems to cook unevenly now. My new one has no problems, however. I use the same exact recipe/measurements for each one, and they are even the same size. I do know that slow cookers work better when they are 2/3 full, so depending on the size you used, that may have made a difference. I hope you can play around with it and try again! Using a cooking liner would save you from having a mess to clean up off the sides, just in case.
Lisa says
Nicole, just wanted to say thanks for a great recipe! I absolutely loathe oatmeal, but took a chance with this recipe and glad I did – I love it! I have been trying to find breakfast foods that will keep me fuller longer and this does the trick.Per previous comments you have noted that a serving is about 1/2 cup, would you by chance know what the caloric intake might be per serving? I usually cut the recipe in half, follow it completely and use only water. Thanks!!!
Nicole Burkholder says
I’m so glad you like it! So, if you make the recipe as written and split it into 8 servings (which would be a bit larger than 1/2 cup I believe) it’s 220 calories. (1760 calories in the entire recipe as written) So if you split yours into 4 servings it would be 220 each. You might have to do some math 🙂 1760 in half and then that divided by however many servings you get out of the batch! Hope that helps. Right now it’s about as clear as mud! 😉
Lisa says
Hahahahaha, thank you for making it clear, and yes, it helps 😉
emilyjoywhorton says
How many servings does this make?
Nicole Burkholder says
About 10-12 servings