Did anyone else catch a case of the late August blues? After spending four relaxing days with my family in Kansas City, I’m struggling to say goodbye to the lazy days of summer. My single source of the fresh, pencil-sharpening, back-to-school energy I knew in elementary school: Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats.
As an elementary school student, I looked forward to the end of summer, because it meant the beginning of a new school year. Anything was possible. I had a brand-new Lisa Frank trapper keeper to prove it.
As an adult, the transition between seasons is less defined, but still present. Although I no longer have a first day of school to signal summer’s end, I can sense the arrival of fall. Summer is permissive. In summer, I can eat chips and dip for lunch, ignore my to-do list in favor of watching the sunset, and leave my bed unmade. Fall feels less accepting of these things.
Although I’m not quite ready to embrace the productivity I feel fall demands, fall flavors are already tempting me.
This week, after a long, lazy weekend in Kansas City with my family celebrating my little niece’s first birthday (her reaction to the cake was priceless), I needed these Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats to transition me back into real-life mode. As it turns out, waking up just one quick mason-jar shake away from a breakfast as satisfying and delicious as overnight oatmeal is a very powerful thing.
About These Delicious Overnight Oats
If you’ve never tried overnight oats, I am begging you to give this apple cinnamon overnight oatmeal recipe a try. Overnight oats are incredibly filling, packed with super foods, and taste so rich and decadent, you’ll think you are eating an old-fashioned pudding, instead of a wholesome meal.
Here’s the rundown of overnight oatmeal ingredients: uncooked rolled oats (I like rolled for the best, most decadent texture, though quick oats will work too), Greek yogurt (extra protein and maximum richness), flaxseeds (omega-3 power), and Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk. I’m once again teaming up with Almond Breeze to share this recipe, because its Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk is my go-to for smoothies, cereals, and my overnight oats too. I love its light, nutty flavor and creamy texture—both are perfect for overnight oats!
To make overnight oats, simply layer the ingredients, then let them sit in the refrigerator while you sleep. That’s it. Overnight, the oatmeal softens and thickens into a filling breakfast pudding that will have you leaping out of your bed to enjoy it. I like to put my overnight oats in a mason jar, because the jar is easy to store and makes me feel hipster and cool, but any airtight container (or even a bowl with plastic wrap over the top) will do.
Because overnight oats can last up to five days in the refrigerator, I usually make a few jars at once. For less than 10 minutes of prep work, I can have breakfast covered for the week.
You can customize overnight oats to any flavors you love. Today’s recipe is inspired by apple pie. I added warm fall spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, pure maple syrup, a diced honeycrisp apple, and a handful of toasted walnuts and dried cranberries.
I love the way the creamy oats and yogurt contrast with the crisp apples, crunchy walnuts, and chewy, sweet cranberries. It truly is like apple pie, in healthy overnight oatmeal form!
Since overnight oats can be made ahead, this recipe is ideal for quick back to school breakfasts. Overnight oats are also portable, so you can easily grab a container on your way out the door. You’ll be the envy of the office when you open the lid and dig in!
More Make Ahead Breakfast Recipes
- Coconut Chia Pudding
- Freezer Breakfast Quesadilla
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Slow Cooker Banana Bread Overnight Steel Cut Oats
Tools Used to Make This Recipe
- Mason jars
- I didn’t peel my apples, but if you prefer to, this peeler is a good one.
Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
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Ingredients
For Each Jar:
- ⅓ cup old fashioned rolled oats gluten free if needed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Tiny pinch ground ginger
- Tiny pinch ground cloves
- Tiny pinch kosher salt
- ½ medium apple cored and diced (peeling optional), any kind you enjoy eating (I used honeycrisp)
- ½ cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure maple syrup
- ½ cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal or substitute chia seeds
- Optional toppings: Toasted almonds or walnuts; dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries, or apricots, additional maple syrup
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to a 16-ounce mason jar or other individual storage container in the order listed above: oats, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, diced apples, almondmilk, maple syrup, Greek yogurt, and flaxseed. Do not shake. Seal jar and refrigerate overnight (or up to 5 days). You can also layer the ingredients in a bowl, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- When ready to eat, shake the jar to combine the ingredients or empty the contents of the container into a serving bowl and stir to combine. Add a little more Greek yogurt or almondmilk if a thicker/thinner consistency is desired. Add any desired toppings and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Sign Me UpI am sharing the recipe in partnership with Almond Breeze. Thanks for supporting the brands and companies that make it possible for me to continue creating quality content for you!
This recipe made me an overnight oats believer. I added coconut flakes and a few chocolate chips to make it an afternoon sweet treat. DELICIOUS. I send this recipe to all of my clients! (Well I send every well plated recipe to my clients.) Dietitian approved!!
Hi Taylor! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I’ve made this for months. I prefer it with quick cooking oats (I find the texture closer to steel cut than rolled). Thanks for the recipe! I love to eat it with a sliced banana, chopped apple, or, berries and nuts when I have them. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Joy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I really appreciate all of these healthy recipes because that is exactly what I want for my family, but please provide options to the Greek yogurt, as we are dairy-free. Thank you.
Hi Olga! I’m sorry but I’m not dairy free so I don’t normally tested my recipes this way. Feel free to try and use whatever you normally use in place of yogurt. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Most (Not all) grocery stores now carry almond milk yogurt as any dairy free option for yogurt…
Thanks for the tip Tonya!
You can also make overnight oats without the yogurt.
Great tip, thanks Mary!
Can this recipe be made as an overnight oatmeal cooked in a crockpot like your banana bread overnight oatmeal crockpot recipe? I’m not a fan of cold oatmeal for breakfast.
I’m sure you could. It would be easy to adapt the flavors of the oatmeal. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
So you eat this cold?
Hi V! Yes, you would typically eat it cold, but I know some people like to heat theirs up.
This recipe is absolutely amazing, could not believe how good it was and that the apples were not mushy or brown. Topped with some applesauce I had in the fridge for a little extra sweetness.
Hi Morgan! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
My favorite ON apple oats!
Hi Elaine! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Can I substitute steel cut oats?
Hi Mary! You likely could! Here is my steel cut oats version: https://www.wellplated.com/overnight-steel-cut-oats-recipe/ ENJOY!
So weird. I clicked on your recipe after searching apples cinnamon overnight oats and see my name pop up….I was so confused for a minute! Lol
Hope you enjoy them Erin!
This is a great recipe. I also use it as a base for other additions (substitution of dairy yogurt for nut based yogurt), pumpkin, and blueberries. Super yummy with blueberries (leave out the apples) and the addition of pumpkin purée with the apples is what I like to call “Fall in a jar”! Enjoy!
Hi Molly! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I haven’t made this recipe yet but I plan to and I know it will be great. My only change will be to increase the oats to my usual measure of 1/2 cup. My comment tonight is about overnight oats in general. I do make them frequently but I have never liked them cold. I put them in the microwave for long enough to warm them and enjoy my breakfast. I never bought the idea that overnight in the fridge means eat them cold.
Enjoy Diane!
My almost 2 year old daughter LOVES these oats exactly as is and I do too! Thank you ☺️
Yay! Glad to hear, Vanessa!
Sooooo good! New staple!!
Yay! Thank you Alicia!
I am new to overnight oats – what a delicious and nutritious breakfast! Easy to prep the night before, prep two to use the whole apple. I subbed whole seed for chia b/c that’s what I had, apple spice mix for the spices and used oat milk. Yum! This will be my go-to breakfast this summer with berries/vanilla variation, apple/spice and whatever fruit is in season. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Great to hear, thank you Anke!
I tried this recipe for me and the hubby with the chia seed substitution, but it did not work well as the last ingredient in the layers. I checked the texture before going to bed, after 1 1/2-2 hours, and they had not started softening at all, so I pushed them into the yogurt some. Next morning they had softened some but not swelled up like the chia pudding recipe, even after stirring and sitting for another hour. I think next time chia seeds need to go in with the oats, and maybe with more milk to yogurt ratio. I did wonder about whole seeds vs flaxseed meal.
Hi Theresa, I found that keeping them at the top works best for the oats’ texture and also keeps the apples from becoming too mushy. But you can stir them in, that would be fine if you prefer to do it that way! Thanks!