This Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal recipe is not only delicious, but also extremely filling! Chopped apples are cooked in brown sugar and cinnamon spice then topped on a bowl of warm oatmeal. The oatmeal is also cooked with some cinnamon and a little maple syrup. For extra goodness you can also add some chopped pecans or walnuts! This is definitely not your average oatmeal bowl!
What Is The Difference Between Regular Oats And Steel Cut Oats?
With so many different types of oatmeal, which one do you choose? Here are the 3 main types:
- Instant Oats - Instant oats are oats that have been slightly precooked and dried. This is the quickest type of oatmeal to cook, however they are often a little mushy.
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (Regular) - Oats where the whole grain oat is steamed and then flattened with a roller to create rolled oats. This is probably the most popular type of oatmeal and is great for baking or smoothies!
- Steel Cut Oats - Steel cut oats are made by cutting oat groats with steel blades into coarse tiny pieces. These are thicker, chewier and less-processed than rolled oats. They do take longer to cook (about 25 minutes) but are extremely filling, digest slower and are perfect for meal prepping.
Ingredients Needed
- Steel Cut Oats - this recipe uses steel cut oats for a thick, creamy texture. But if you are short on time you can certainly use old-fashioned rolled oats.
- Apples - I like Gala or Honeycrisp apples, but you can certainly use a different apple if you prefer. Try to stick with a sweeter apple. Fuji apples are also great.
- Brown Sugar or Pure Maple Syrup - to sweeten the oatmeal and apples
- Ground Cinnamon - warm cinnamon spice compliments the apples perfectly in this recipe.
- Almond Milk - I switched to almond milk years ago, but you can certainly use regular whole milk or any plant based milk that you prefer.
- Water - A combination of water and milk balances the thickness and flavor of the oatmeal.
- Butter - Butter adds flavor and helps cook the apples.
How To Make Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Full instructions are included in the recipe card below, but here’s a quick overview:
Step One: Wash and chop your apples into bite size pieces (it's totally up to you if you want to peel the apples or not). In a small saucepan add a little butter, chopped apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir well and cook the apples on medium-low heat for 8-10 min or until the apples are tender and cooked to your liking. Remove from the heat, place the cooked apples in a separate bowl and set aside.
Step Two: To the same saucepan add the steel cut oats, water, almond milk and a pinch of salt. Stir well and scrape up any cooked brown sugar that may be stuck at the bottom of the pot. Bring oats to a boil then immediately turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on the oatmeal and stir every few minutes to prevent any sticking.
Step Three: Once oatmeal is almost ready (around 20 minutes) add a little maple syrup or brown sugar to sweeten and a little cinnamon if preferred. Stir and continue cooking another 3-5 minutes.
Step Four: Add your cooked oatmeal to a large bowl and top with the cinnamon apples and any other toppings like pecans to make this a super filling and delicious breakfast recipe! Enjoy!
What Is The Water Ratio For Steel Cut Oats?
One big difference between steel cut oats and regular rolled oats is the water ratio. Steel cut oats require a lot more water to cook than rolled oats. This is due to the thickness of the oat and the cook time. For 1/2 cup of steel cut oats use 2 1/4 cups of liquid. For 1 cup of steel cut oats use 3 1/4 cups of liquid. Sometimes I use just water if that is all I have and other times I use half water and half almond milk. Adding half milk gives it a creamier texture.
Instant Pot Oatmeal
You can also make a bigger batch of this recipe in your Instant Pot. It's easy to do and more hands-off than the stove top method. You can make a big batch for a large family or it's perfect for Meal Prep! Check out the Instant Pot recipe below.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
- Banana Nut Oatmeal
- Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal
- Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
- Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Strawberry Peach Smoothie
- Tropical Blood Orange Smoothie
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with Steel Cut Oats
Ingredients
Oatmeal Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup steel cut oats
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar for oatmeal
Cinnamon Apples:
- 1-2 apples washed and chopped (1 large apple or 2 small apples)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or more to taste
Instructions
- Wash and chop your apples into bite size pieces (it’s totally up to you if you want to peel the apples or not).
- In a small saucepan add the butter, chopped apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir well and cook the apples on medium low heat for 8-10 min or until the apples are tender and cooked to your liking. Remove from the heat, place the cooked apples in a separate bowl and set aside.
- To the same saucepan add the steel cut oats, water, almond milk and a pinch of salt. Stir well and scrape up any cooked brown sugar that may be stuck at the bottom of the pot.
- Bring oats to a boil then immediately turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes (Make sure to keep an eye on the oatmeal and stir every few minutes to prevent any sticking).
- Once oatmeal is almost ready (around 20 minutes) add a little maple syrup or brown sugar to sweeten and a little cinnamon if preferred. Stir and continue cooking another 3-5 minutes.
- Add your cooked oatmeal to a large bowl and top with the cooked cinnamon apples and any other toppings like pecans to make this a super filling and delicious breakfast recipe! Enjoy!
Love to Cook says
This was a good and easy-to-follow recipe. I have been looking for ways to upgrade my oatmeal and I will be holding on to this recipe when I have a taste for apples! The only thing I am wondering about is the quantity of butter and almond milk to be used. I found the taste of butter and almond milk to be too strong in the finished product. I recommend using one apple. One was more than enough. The amount of brown sugar and cinnamon was on point. Thank you for the recipe!
Marsha says
Wow! Thanks so much for the great feedback.