It’s been a long time since I’ve made baked oatmeal, but when I came down with a “summer cold” this weekend, the thought of a warm comforting baked oatmeal sounded perfect. And, to throw a new summery spin on the old classic, I made this fruity Apple Cherry Baked Oatmeal.
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If you’ve never had one of my baked oatmeals before, they’re similar to bread pudding, but made with oats instead of a loaf of bread. They’re soft, a little sweet, and almost custard-like in texture (not at all crunchy).
Although my previous baked oatmeal recipes only use a very small amount of sugar, I wanted to attempt a baked oatmeal with no added sugar. I relied completely on the sweetness of fruit for this Apple Cherry Baked Oatmeal, and skipped the tart yogurt that would usually require some extra sugar for balance. Some fruit is more tart than others, so I made sure to stick to two low acid fruits: apple and cherry. No sugar added apple sauce replaced the yogurt and chopped up frozen dark cherries added a little pop of extra sweetness (not to mention a stunning deep purple color). If you’re lucky enough to live in an area where fresh cherries are affordable, by all means use fresh. Just don’t forget to pit them first. ;)
This Apple Cherry Baked Oatmeal can be enjoyed warm or cold and I love it with a little cold milk poured over top. If you do like things a little sweeter, feel free to add 1/4 cup brown sugar to the mix, or just top your bowl with a little honey or maple syrup. If you have a few extra pennies, sliced almonds would be an amazing addition to this dish. Just stir about 1/3 cup into the oats before baking. YUM.
Apple Cherry Baked Oatmeal
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen pitted sweet cherries ($1.56)
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce ($1.31)
- 2 large eggs ($0.32)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract ($0.14)
- 1/2 tsp almond extract ($0.14)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder ($0.03)
- 1 cup milk ($0.44)
- 2 cups uncooked old fashioned rolled oats ($0.34)
Instructions
- Take the cherries out of the freezer and allow them to thaw. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the apple sauce, eggs, vanilla and almond extracts, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Once combined, add the milk and whisk until smooth.
- Roughly chop the cherries and add them to the bowl of liquid ingredients, along with the rolled oats. Stir with a spoon until combined.
- Lightly coat an 8″x8″ or 9″x9″ baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour the oat mixture into the dish and then bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown on top and no longer tacky in the center. Divide into six portions and serve warm.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Apple Cherry Baked Oatmeal – Step by Step Photos
Allow one cup of frozen cherries to thaw, then roughly chop into smaller pieces. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple sauce, 2 large eggs, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp almond extract, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp baking powder. Whisk until smooth.
Add 1 cup of milk and whisk until smooth again.
Finally, stir in the chopped cherries and 2 cups of uncooked old fashioned dry oats. While this recipe can be made with “quick oats”, I prefer the old fashioned rolled oats because of their heartier texture. It makes the final dish a bit chunkier and less pasty.
Lightly coat a casserole dish with non-stick spray and pour in the oat mixture. I suggest an 8″x8″ or 9″x9″ casserole dish, but I used an oval dish today. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the surface is golden brown and no longer sticky in the center. If you have a larger shallower dish (like a 9×9) it will take closer to 40 minutes, while a smaller but deeper dish (like an 8×8) will take a bit longer.
When it’s done baking it will be golden on top and a little more brown around the edges. It will be soft, moist, and very warm and comforting!
You can eat the Apple Cherry Baked Oatmeal plain or topped with cold milk, or even a dollop of yogurt. I <3 baked oatmeal!
Fabulous as written, but spring strawberries are calling and I wanted a fancier option for an upcoming family event. Subbed a generous cup of diced fresh strawberries and set timer for 35 minutes. Made a crumble with 1 oz dehydrated strawberries, 2 T sugar, 1/4 C spelt flour, 1/4 C sliced almonds and 3T butter. Texture more like coarse sand than classic crumbles, but it binds well with the oatmeal when sprinkled on top. Baking uncovered for 10 minutes was perfect in my oven, but start checking at 7 or 8 minutes as it burns quickly.
Thank you! Totally love this. I didn’t have straight frozen cherry but I had frozen cherry berry blend mix from Aldi. Oh my! Nom nom nom. Delicious! It was sweetened perfect to me, didn’t need the extra sugar. Even hubby loved it and he likes extremely sweet stuff. Next time am gonna add the sliced almonds. Thank you for all you! 😁😁
I used fresh cherries which were $1.79/lb here in the Midwest. I used a bamboo skewer to pit them which took some time but wasn’t too hard. It helped to stab a hole in the bottom of the cherry first, then push the pit through the top from the stem hole. They didn’t bleed in the batter like I was worried about, and turned out beautifully with sliced almonds on top. Thank you!
Can you use other frozen fruit instead of cherries.. I have a bag of blueberries and trying to think of ways to use them. I already use them in my oatmeal.
You could certainly give it a try!
This sounds delicious. Would this recipe work as muffins / oatmeal cups instead of a casserole? If so, how many would it make?
Yes you could certainly place it into muffin tins. We haven’t made it that way yet to tell you exactly how many it will yield, but my best guess would be about a dozen.
This is a legitimate question coming from an inexperienced college student…what if I don’t have baking powder? I’ve heard to never use baking soda/powder interchangeably, but is there a substitute?
Great question! You can’t use them interchangeably, however with a few other ingredients to help, you can use them in place of one another. Here’s a great article on why, and then how you can! https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/baking-soda
FYI because I always want to know this about breakfast bakes and casseroles – I’ve made this recipe the night before a few times now and it turns out great. I make the oatmeal in its baking dish without the cherries, cover and refrigerate. The next morning, I set it out on the counter to warm while the oven preheats and add the cherries right before I put it in the oven. There’s slightly less liquid to bake off, but I still go a full 40 minutes and it’s always delicious!
Perhaps my favorite baked oatmeal so far. I was reluctant to buy almond extract just for this recipe, but it really adds a lot to the flavor so I’m glad I didn’t skip it.
Used fresh cherries, same bake time, worked out well, and plenty sweet enough
Thanks for the great recipe. There is no doubt in my mind that this delightful dish will be delicious. Take care.
I was looking for a recipe for baked oatmeal to use some dried cherries that I have on hand. Would it work to substitute the fresh or frozen cherries with the dried? This recipe sounds amazing!
Well, it won’t be quite the same because you won’t have that fantastic cherry juice in there. It will be more like raisins. :D
You could rehydrate the dried cherries, worked for me! :)
I’m trying vegan out but can’t bear to give up baked oatmeal – are there substitutions to make this vegan friendly? You mentioned soy milk instead of dairy in some of the other baked oatmeals recipes, but I’m not sure what to do about the eggs.
Several people have mentioned that they’ve used either soy or almond milk in the baked oatmeal recipes and they’ve worked well. Unfortunately I haven’t tried any egg substitutes, though. I think a couple of people have said they’ve use flax mixed with water to replace them, but I’ve never tried it. :(
This might be my favorite of your oatmeal recipes yet! Is there a reason that things like amount of eggs, milk, etc. change from recipe to recipe though? I’d love to just have a standard baked oats recipe I could swap out different flavorings with.
The changing quantities are sometimes me tweaking the recipe and then other times me changing them because of moisture content of add-in ingredients, etc. :)
Beth,
I made this tonight for my breakfast for the week. Well, after smelling it bake for 40 minutes we (hubs and I) had to dive right in. It is so delicious! I added a dollop of plain Greek yogurt to the top, doesn’t really need it but what the heck.
I love your recipes and am excited to try another in the near future.
Another winning recipe Beth! All I had in the fridge was 1% milk, so I was a little nervous, but it turned out delicous. And, I love that now I know about frozen sweet cherries…I’ll always have some in the freezer from now on. Thanks!
Great recipe Beth. First time making baked oatmeal – and it turned out a treat. Having it both for breakfast and desert! Now off to try your other oatmeal recipes.
Thanks for this! I’m always looking for more ways to make oatmeal without added sugar. This is actually really similar to a slowcooked steel cut oats recipe I make all the time. Not sure why I never thought to try it baked too!
This looks SO good! I might have to make it this weekend.
Beth, have you ever tried making a savory baked oatmeal? The internet has surprisingly few choices for specifically baked oatmeal.
I haven’t, although I’ve thought about it often!
Made this last weekend, it is SO delightful!!
Maybe others can learn from my mistake, though – I added the brown sugar at my husband’s request, and then decided to add a streusel on top at the last minute (brown sugar, oats, almonds, melted butter, flour). The struesel was a great addition, but it was WAY too sweet with the additional brown sugar in the oatmeal. My fault. So if anybody gets a hankering for a sweet crunchy topping, skip the brown sugar in the oatmeal itself!
This was really good! I didn’t have almond extract so I just doubled the vanilla. I love breakfasts like this – protein, whole grains, and fruit.
i made this last week! it was lots of fun just to cook. since i had an apple that wasn’t eating-raw quality i added a little bit of chopped granny smith apple to it. unfortunately it needed a bit of flavor for me, maybe because our frozen cherries were too sweet, so if i try it again it’ll probably be with added lemon juice and brown sugar because i’m terrible and need my sweet/sour fix. also gonna make way less because i learned the hard way that no one in my house will help me eat things :C
Can I use steel cut oats ???
Steel cut oats won’t work the same, unfortunately, because they require much more liquid and a much longer cooking time. It would take quite a few adjustments.
Even quick cooking steel cut oats?
Hmmm, that I’m not sure. I’ve never used those, so I’m not sure how much liquid they require.
Hey. Your oatmeal recipes seem amazing. I’d love to try one put. Unfortunately, I am yet to buy a baking dish or casserole dish. Can I use a regular oven tray instead, or would it be too light?
Hmm, I’m not sure what type of tray you’re referencing. Can you show me a link to a photo of one?
This looks so good! I’m going to have to give it a try this week.
This recipe looks fantastic and so cheap to make. Maybe I can get my pie fix here too? Honestly, don’t need to eat pie especially with Crisco. I mean what is Crisco, I don’t know.
I’m making this this morning for my family’s breakfast and also hoping it will satisfy a bit of a pie fix, which I’m sure it will because Beth’s baked oatmeal recipes are amazing. For what its worth, real homemade pie crust is even better if made with real butter instead of Crisco. I switched years ago and never went back. Give it a try next time you bake one.
Hello Beth –I have made each of your baked oatmeal recipes and we have thoroughly enjoyed every one of them…I plan to make this oatmeal for our breakfast tomorrow AM…Do you have the nutritional information for this recipe ? If so could you please post it ?? thanks so much !!
I’m sorry, Doris, I don’t. :( I just don’t have a reliable source for that information.
I entered the recipe into the recipe calculator in Myfitnesspal.com, and got the following information. This should give you at least a general idea of the nutritional value:
183 calories/serving; 4g fat (1g saturated fat); 65 mg cholesterol; 179mg sodium; 61 mg potassium; 30g carbohydrates; 4g fiber; 10g sugar; 7g protein.
5% of the minimum recommended daily value of Vitamin A; 3% Vitamin C; 13% Calcium; 9% Iron. The percent daily values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your own values will vary.
By some startling coincidence, I had just bought a big bag of fresh cherries when this recipe went up!
I made it with almond milk, and replacing 1/3 of the applesauce with yoghurt (since I ran out of applesauce partway through making it… oops!) It got a thumbs up from everyone, and the lack of sugar wasn’t a problem with the use of the almond milk (which is sweeter than dairy). A great addition to the baked oatmeal recipe list!
Your baked oatmeal is the best! Thanks for another to add to the rotation. I can’t stop making it, even with the warmer weather!
Beth, this looks wonderful! Thank You so much for the no-sugar-added recipe – I’m trying hard to cut out sugar, but it can be hard to find good recipes without it. Can’t wait to try this!
Yum! I love trying all of your baked oatmeal recipes. One of my new favorite breakfast options!
Looks great! Can this be frozen and then reheated?
Absolutely! :)
This was great! I made a half recipe since I’m the only oatmeal fan in my house; it baked perfectly in 25 minutes using a 700ml oval dish.
how difficult was it to make a half recipe mathwise? i made a whole one of this as a test, but nobody else likes sweet oatmeal and if i ever do one again it needs to be much smaller so i can finish it.
I’m going to make this tomorrow morning! No cherries at my local grocer, even in the freezer (really bummed about this as I was craving cherries) so I’m giving it a go with strawberries instead.
Just be aware that strawberries are quite a bit more tart than cherries, so you may want to add a smidge of honey or brown sugar.
What could be substituted for the cherries? I’d love to make this, but my daughter doesn’t like cherries!
Blueberries are nice and sweet and have a similarly low acid content, so that would be a nice swap. :)
I made it last weekend using blueberries and it turned out really well. I’ve been eating it heated up with a teaspoon of brown sugar and a splash of cold milk for breakfast the past few days. Delicious :)
I followed Beth’s recipe exactly the first time around and it was fabulous. This morning I’m trying it with chopped fresh red plums I needed to use up instead of the cherries (without almond extract, just a double portion of vanilla). Blueberries would be good too, but if I’m going to make a blueberry baked oatmeal I usually use Beth’s Blueberry Banana baked oatmeal recipe and just skip the sugar. Both are awesome!
This looks delicious, and I just bought some fresh cherries today! But I’m allergic to almonds. Is there something you would suggest substituting for the almond extract?
You can use all vanilla extract if needed. :)
Hi Beth,
Can you provide an instruction for a slow cooker version? Thanks!
I actually haven’t ever tried making this in a slow cooker. I’m not sure how it would turn out. I think it might be quite a bit more wet and sticky because the slow cooker holds in moisture, while an oven is dry heat.
Holy cow, that looks great! And not overly difficult!