The Well Plated Cookbook is here! Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
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
Ingredients
For Each Jar:
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats - gluten free if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Tiny pinch ground ginger
- Tiny pinch ground cloves
- Tiny pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 medium apple - cored and diced (peeling optional), any kind you enjoy eating (I used honeycrisp)
- 1/2 cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 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
I 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 post contains some affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
The Trapper Keeper is KEY. I hope you also had some fuzzy stickers to put on it. Love overnight oats. Will have to try this flavor combo (yum!). xx
Hi!!
I was just perusing your site and I love your pictures!! I try, but they don’t come out so well yet!!
Anyway, I can’t wait to tryour Apple Cinnomon overnight oats!! They look amazing :) Have a great day!
Megan, you are so kind! My photography has been 4.5 years in the making, and I feel like I learn something new every day. It’s also one of the hardest parts of blogging for me, so hearing that you enjoy my pictures means so much. Thank you!
LOL, that makes me feel so much better!! It is so hard, but there is hope!
We love having overnight oats for busy mornings! The apple cinnamon combo is so perfect for fall!
I feel like I need to fit in all my summer fruit recipes before the end of August when real fall starts. I still feel myself with that back to school anxiousness, even when I’m not going back to school! These oats are the most perfect easy fall breakfast – having these stocked in the fridge is a morning lifesaver!
I want to echo that your photography is awesome! I love the angles and the focus. The recipe is also perfect. I love doughy overnight oats, but somehow they don’t appeal to Matt. I just tell him he’s crazy. ;)
You are too kind Kori! Matt IS crazy ;-) But that sounds like more overnight oats for you!
I am so glad you posted this recipe. I love overnight oats and have been wanting a good recipe for Apple Cinnamon flavor. The recipe I had I did not much care for. I would probably add half a scoop of whey protein powder to up the protein levels. And I like the idea of toppings for these, something I usually don’t do. It’s definitely on my list of things to make.
This receive looks great. Do you think it would work with steel cut oats? Also posting the number of calories etc would be helpful for planning purposes.
Hi Susan! I do list the nutritional information—it’s posted below the recipe itself. I’ve never tried steel cut oats, as I didn’t think that they would soften adequately BUT you could try experimenting by refrigerating them for an extra day. I’ve only had rolled overnight oats, so I can’t say for certain how it would turn out. If you decide to use steel cut, I would love to hear how it goes. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Did you ever try this recipe with steel cut oats? How did it turn out?
Lissa, you can find lots of info about that here! https://www.wellplated.com/overnight-steel-cut-oats-recipe/ Feel free to add apples/spices to the steel cut recipe.
My girls and I all love overnight oats, they’re such a great way to start the day! I usually just add berries to mine but I love this idea. This looks like the perfect fall combination! I’m going to try this one!
Thanks so much Holly! I hope you and the girls both enjoy it :)
Love this fall combo Erin! Yum!
Thank you!!
Hi Erin, I really love your photography, makes everything looks quite appetizing (which I am sure it is)…what plugin do you use with your recipes? I was thinking of starting a blog and I’m doing some research to see if it’s for me.
You are so kind Abby! I actually use a recipe template that my wonderful site designer Lindsay from Purr Design (www.purrdesign.com) created for me. HIGHLY recommend her! I’ve heard good things about Easy Recipe Plus, but have never tried it myself, so I can’t recommend one in particular.
I was wondering if any one has tried warming up over night oats? This sounds really good but I’m thinking I might like it warm.
Hi Regina! I wouldn’t actually recommend this, since the yogurt might curdle in the microwave. I’d suggest making a regular batch of oatmeal on the stove. Let it cool, put it in an airtight container, then reheat it in the microwave with a splash of milk to keep it from drying out. You can use all the same spices, then top it with nuts and apples as you like. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Would this still work if I left out the yogurt and maybe did a little more milk so I could heat it in the morning?
Hi Lillian! Yes, I think this could work. I’d suggest using slightly less milk than the quantity of yogurt called for, since yogurt is thicker and the milk will be thinner. Or, you could keep the milk the same as the yogurt and add more oats.
I just searched for this recipe again to see what other fruit combos you have recipes for and thought I should say THANK YOU for this one. I wrote it on a recipe card about a year ago because my picky little girl liked it. She went through a phase with it and then summer came and we moved on. A couple weeks ago when arguing over healthy breakfast/lunch again I whipped this back out. My second grader has literally asked me to make two jars of”apple pie oats” a day so she can eat them for breakfast AND take some in her lunch. Now I just need to find something my seventh grade daughter loves too?
Thanks!!!
Bridget, I’m so happy to hear that these oats are a winner! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this wonderful review!
Made this for meal prep this week – so delicious :) I’ll definitely be looking forward to eating breakfast all week!
Sounds like you have a great week of breakfasts in store, Rohini! Thanks for taking the time to report back!
stumbled upon this recipe while looking for overnight oats recipe! it was my first time making overnight oats and it was delicious!
I am so happy you loved it Rachael! Thanks so much for leaving this wonderful review too!
I have made overnight oats for 1 or 2 servings, but I am currently looking to make it for 8-10 servings. Will it work making it like this in a bigger batch?
Thanks for your feedback! : )
Hi Renee, yes, it should work to scale everything up! I hope you enjoy.
Why don’t you shake or stir the chia seeds or flax seeds into the mixture before you put the jar in the fridge? Won’t that prevent them from absorbing the liquid as they should?
Hi Anne! I found that works best for the oats’ texture and also keeps the apples from becoming too mushy. Stirring would be fine if you prefer to do it that way!
This was absolutely amazing! I used maple syrup and was very generous with how much apple I put in. Your tip about not mixing immediately was good. Thank you!
Courtney, thank YOU for sharing this review! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Is it 1/2 medium or large apple? I tend to have more fruits for breakfast eg I top up with frozen berries- I wonder if you could share how to tailor the recipe into a fruity one
Hi Juliet! The recipe lists 1/2 medium apple. You can definitely swap out berries if you prefer—other readers have done that too! I’d thaw the berries before adding.
Well this recipe just CHANGED MY LIFE!!! First time trying over night oats! We just moved to Hawaii and have no AC and not only were the flavors magical (wow cinnamon, cloves, and pinch of ginger!) but it’s so chilled and refreshing first thing in the morning! Thanks so much!!
YAY! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Marjorie! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
I usually eat a single serving yogurt and fruit for breakfast while commuting, but wanted to try something new. I ate a jar at 6:30am and actually stayed full until lunch time at noon! Usually I need a snack around 9 or 10, but this meal has filling power! I hope jar number five is still good a few days from now, since the consistency was so good after just an overnight sit.
YAY! Thank you for taking the time to leave this kind review, Emily! I’m so happy this recipe was a success!
Made these yesterday they are wonderful!
I’m so happy that the recipe was a hit, Mary! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I have made this recipe several times so good, just got your cookbook can’t wait to use.
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed it, Mary! Thank you for sharing this kind review and for ordering my book!
I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoy this for breakfast! It is easy to put together the night before and a joy to have ready for me in the morning. My husband and I are both type 2 diabetics and this gives us a wonderfully crunchy, flavorful, filling option for a healthy breakfast. The only alteration I make is I use Choc Zero Sugar Free Maple Syrup (made from Monk Fruit) and it makes this recipe nearly sugar free! Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes, they’re appreciated more than you could ever realize!
I’m SO happy that you’ve enjoyed it, Jeanne! Thank you for sharing this kind review!