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This Amish baked oatmeal recipe with sweet apples and warm cinnamon is the coziest, easiest make-ahead breakfast casserole. Crisp and caramelized on the edges, soft and fluffy on the inside, this hearty dish tastes like a warm oatmeal cookie! Top a big slice with maple syrup, brown sugar, cream, milk, butter, or fruit for a stick-to-your-ribs meal that the whole family will love.
Table of Contents
- The Best Amish Baked Oatmeal Recipe
- Why You’ll Love this Baked Apple Oatmeal
- Ingredients for Amish-Style Baked Oatmeal
- How to Make Baked Oatmeal with Apples
- How to Tell When Baked Oatmeal Is Done
- Serving Suggestions
- Preparation and Storage Tips
- Recipe Variations
- Tips for the Best Baked Oatmeal Recipe
- Amish Baked Oatmeal Recipe with Apples and Cinnamon Recipe
If you’re looking for other good breakfast casserole recipes, be sure to try this maple sausage and apple breakfast bake, a convenient overnight sausage breakfast casserole, and this decadent croissant breakfast casserole with berries, too!
The Best Amish Baked Oatmeal Recipe
Baked oatmeal is a traditional Amish breakfast casserole. Unlike other bowls of oatmeal porridge that are prepared on the stovetop, an Amish baked oatmeal recipe is stirred together and then baked in a casserole dish in the oven. It has a consistency that’s similar to bread pudding, with crunchy, caramelized edges and a moist, soft center.
There are endless varieties of baked oatmeal — from a plain casserole to those studded with berries, cranberries, peaches and nuts. Most Amish recipes call for instant (or “quick”) oats, so that’s what I’m using here. They give the dish a nice, soft texture — less chewy than classic rolled oats. And since oatmeal is always better with brown sugar, spices, and fresh apples, you’ll add those to the mix as well. The baked apple oatmeal will soon become your family’s go-to morning meal!
Why You’ll Love this Baked Apple Oatmeal
This baked oatmeal recipe is full of fresh apples and warm spices for a simple and delicious way to start the day. Serve it hot, straight-from-the-oven on a Sunday morning before church, or prep ahead and reheat individual servings on busy weekdays. It’s flexible, tasty, and totally kid-friendly!
- Easy. Just stir everything together in about 10 minutes and pop it in the oven! There’s no browning sausage or waiting for yeast to rise. It’s a simple morning meal that works for your busy life.
- Make Ahead. Enjoy the casserole warm from the oven, or prep a batch in advance and reheat individual servings throughout the week. So convenient!
- Budget-Friendly. The simple, humble meal only requires a handful of affordable kitchen staples. No shopping for fancy ingredients necessary!
- Kid-Friendly. Thanks to its cozy, mild flavors, this dish is very family-friendly. Let your kids jazz up their individual portions to suit their tastes. Anything from yogurt to warm milk, syrup, honey, jam, apple butter, fresh fruit, or whipped cream will make the meal special!
Ingredients for Amish-Style Baked Oatmeal
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for this easy baked oatmeal. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Butter: I like salted melted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if that’s what you have on hand. The butter adds rich flavor to the oat mixture and keeps the casserole moist and tender. You can probably sub with melted coconut oil, but I haven’t tested this yet.
- Eggs: for structure, binding the casserole together.
- Brown sugar: for just the right amount of sweetness.
- Quick oats: sometimes called “Instant Oats” or “1-Minute Oats”.
- Baking powder: the leavening agent that gives the dish a little bit of “lift.”
- Cinnamon: for warmth.
- Salt: to balance the sweetness and enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Milk: for the oatmeal to absorb as it cooks.
- Apples: for sweet flavor and added nutrition.
How to Make Baked Oatmeal with Apples
This simple breakfast casserole comes together in about 10 minutes with just a handful of basic kitchen staples. There’s a reason the hearty recipe is a farmhouse favorite! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Transfer the oatmeal mixture to a greased baking dish.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until set.
- Slice into squares and serve warm!
How to Tell When Baked Oatmeal Is Done
The oatmeal should be lightly browned on the edges and on the top. When it’s done, a knife inserted in the center of the casserole will come out mostly clean with a few wet crumbs. The dish will appear set and dry — not jiggly and wet.
Serving Suggestions
Slice the baked oatmeal casserole into squares and serve warm. It’s delicious on its own, but it’s even better when you add toppings!
Baked Oatmeal Toppings
- Warm milk or cream
- Fresh fruit — such as sliced bananas, fresh berries, or diced apple
- Sprinkle of brown sugar
- Pat of butter
- Drizzle of maple syrup or honey
- Dollop of whipped cream
- Scoop of thick, creamy yogurt
- Raisins or dried cranberries
- Chopped, toasted pecans, walnuts or almonds
This Amish baked oatmeal recipe also pairs nicely with eggs, bacon, sausage, ham steaks with brown sugar glaze, an easy frittata, and a baked Western omelet.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: Baked oatmeal needs to be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Wrapped tightly, it will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. To freeze the oatmeal, bake the dish as instructed, cool completely, then wrap tightly and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. You can wrap individual slices so that they’re easy to pull out and reheat whenever you need a quick meal for one!
- Make Ahead: For convenience, you can bake the dish the night before, let it cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Allow the dish to come to room temperature on the counter the next morning before reheating.
- How to Reheat: Reheat a full dish of baked oatmeal in a 350°F oven for about 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, you can reheat individual slices in the microwave (covered) with a splash of milk or cream until warmed through (about 45 seconds – 1 minute). Add toppings and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- I prefer the texture of quick oats for this recipe, but you can substitute with old-fashioned rolled oats for a chewier dish.
- The grated apples just blend right into the casserole (no need to peel them first), adding flavor and moisture. If you prefer chunkier, more prominent apples in your oatmeal, you can peel the apples and dice them into small pieces.
- I typically use Honey Crisp apples, but you can substitute with any apples that you like. Other nice options include Gala, Braeburn, Granny Smith, and Jonagold.
- Add nuts, raisins or dried cranberries to the baked oatmeal.
- Swap out the apples and add fresh blueberries or other fresh berries to the casserole.
- Include additional warm spices for even more flavor. Good options include ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
- Add one teaspoon vanilla extract for warmth.
Tips for the Best Baked Oatmeal Recipe
- This recipe yields about 6-8 large servings. If you’re feeding a smaller family, you can cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the oatmeal in an 8-inch square pan for about 35-40 minutes.
- Use whole milk (or at least 2% milk). You need some fat in the custard for the best flavor and texture. If you don’t like dairy milk, then coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk, and almond milk will also be okay.
- The cooking time will vary, depending on the size and type of your dish. For instance, oatmeal in a cast iron skillet, metal, or dark pan will bake much faster than oatmeal in a ceramic or glass pan. Just keep an eye on it and remove the dish when the outside of the oatmeal is golden brown and the inside is set.
- Garnish with plenty of toppings for more variety and extra flavor. A drizzle of honey, a dollop of yogurt or whipped cream, or a splash of warm milk or cream, juicy fresh berries, sweet sliced bananas, crunchy nuts, and an extra dash of cinnamon are all great options.
More Baked Oatmeal Recipes to Try
Berry Baked Oatmeal
45 minutes mins
Baked Oatmeal with Almonds and Berries
55 minutes mins
Cranberry Baked Oatmeal
30 minutes mins
Amish Baked Oatmeal Recipe with Apples and Cinnamon
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 cups quick oats (“instant oats”)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk (I use 2%)
- 2 medium apples, grated (you do not need to peel them)
- For serving: warm milk or cream, brown sugar, butter, maple syrup, nuts, fresh fruit
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Whisk together butter, eggs and brown sugar.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until set. Slice and serve with warm milk and other toppings, if desired.
Notes
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- This recipe yields about 6-8 large servings. If you’re feeding a smaller family, you can cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the oatmeal in an 8-inch square pan for about 35-40 minutes.
-
- Use whole milk (or at least 2% milk). You need some fat in the custard for the best flavor and texture. If you don’t like dairy milk, then coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk, and almond milk will also be okay.
-
- The cooking time will vary, depending on the size and type of your dish. For instance, oatmeal in a cast iron skillet, metal, or dark pan will bake much faster than oatmeal in a ceramic or glass pan. Just keep an eye on it and remove the dish when the outside of the oatmeal is golden brown and the inside is set.
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- Garnish with plenty of toppings for more variety and extra flavor. A drizzle of honey, a dollop of yogurt or whipped cream, or a splash of warm milk or cream, juicy fresh berries, sweet sliced bananas, crunchy nuts, and an extra dash of cinnamon are all great options.
Can you use regular oatmeal not instant?
Hi, Kathleen! Yes — you can. It won’t have the same soft texture (it will be chewier), but the recipe will work. Enjoy!
Looks engaging and delicious. I want to practice immediately. I like your pages very much. This recipe changes the way use oat before. Pouring honey on the top and sprinkle cashew or walnut debris look very attractive.
Absolutely delicious. Little that I did have leftover I froze. Heated up in toaster oven and fabulous. The flavors are so well blended together. A true BREAKFAST TREAT!
Thanks, Maureen! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
I have made baked oatmeal a few times, sometimes with apples and sometimes with pumpkin. But I never grated the apples. I use stevia and possibly a little honey and almond milk because of yeast syndromwe. But I like Amish food.
My first try at a baked oatmeal, so I was nervous but it is sooo good! Thank you! I followed your suggestion about diced fruit instead of shredded – I used 1 granny Smith apple and because I had some peaches canned in juice, I drained and diced the equivalent of the apple. The only other change I made was reducing the sodium a bit. I used half salted butter and half unsalted, then added a little less than a teaspoon of Morton Lite Salt. I just ate this for lunch – without any toppings at all – and was delicious!
I’m so glad to hear that, Clothos! It’s on my agenda for the week ahead, too. Such a great fall meal!
This is a great recipe, taste better than others i have had that just use applesauce. I love the consistency of it, and yes delish with milk and syrup, we had it for our dessert tonight and will eat in the morning
Thank you, Tina! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!