The weather is starting to warm up outside, so that means it’s officially overnight oats season in my house! When the weather gets hot, I switch from big bowls of warm oatmeal to chilled jars of overnight oats in the morning. Overnight oats are fast and easy to make and the flavor possibilities are endless. This week I made these Apple Pie Overnight Oats that have no added sugar, yet somehow, magically taste just like an apple pie. Yes, please!
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What are Overnight Oats?
If you’re looking for a super simple breakfast meal prep to make mornings fast and easy, overnight oats are it. They’re basically just oats that have been softened by soaking in a liquid for hours, rather than being briefly boiled in the liquid. And when you add all sorts of fun extra ingredients, they will absorb all those flavors as they soak, too! Great, right? Well, it’s even better when they’re apple pie flavored and don’t need any extra sugar to be scrumptious. #winning
Do You Eat Overnight Oats Hot or Cold?
You can eat overnight oats hot or cold. In the summer I love overnight oats cold, but if you prefer a hot breakfast, simply microwave the oats for 60-90 seconds until heated through. They’re great either way!
What Kind of Oats Should I Use?
Old-fashioned rolled oats are my favorite for overnight oats because they soften overnight, but maintain a good deal of texture. Quick or instant oats will soften quickly as well, but they have a lot less texture and will give a more mushy result. While you can do a variation of overnight oats with steel-cut oats, they require a more liquid and a longer soaking time, so they can not simply be swapped into the recipe below.
What Kind of Containers Should I Use?
You can use any type of resealable container for overnight oats. the blue-top Ziploc containers are great if you’re on a tight budget, but mason jars or glass meal prep containers also work great. For the recipe below you’ll want a container that holds 1-1.5 cups. I used 8oz. jars.
What Kind of Dried Fruit to Add
You have a few options here, which will allow you to use the ingredient that is most affordable or accessible to you. I used dried cranberries today because that’s what I had on hand, but you can also use raisins, dried currants, or chopped dried dates.
Apple Pie Overnight Oats
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats ($0.24)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves ($0.02)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts ($0.60)
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries ($0.44)
- 1 1/3 cups unsweetened applesauce ($0.62)
- 1 1/3 cups milk ($0.27)
Instructions
- Add ⅓ cup oats each to four resealable containers. Also add ⅛ tsp cinnamon, a pinch of ginger, and a pinch of cloves to each container.
- Add 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts and 1 Tbsp dried cranberries to each container.
- Finally, add ⅓ cup applesauce and ⅓ cup milk to each container.
- Close the containers and refrigerate overnight or up to four days. Stir the contents of the container before eating.
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How to Make Apple Pie Overnight Oats – Step by Step Photos
Add ⅓ cup old-fashioned rolled oats to each container. Also, add ⅛ tsp cinnamon and a pinch of ground ginger and ground cloves to each jar.
Next, add 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts and 1 Tbsp dried cranberries to each jar.
Finally, add ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce and ⅓ cup milk to each jar.
You can either stir each jar before soaking, or just add the lid and soak as-is, then stir just before eating. Either way, let your oats soak overnight (8 hours) or up to four days. Give them a good stir just before eating, and enjoy.
You can add more toppings to your overnight oats, like fresh apples, after soaking, if desired.
Hi, is it the same as the syrup process? Looks very nutritious, but it takes a long time?
Thanks!
Thanks for this! I’ve been making large batches of steel cut oatmeal in the slow cooker for the past month or so, and am ready to try something new. Pinning!
Is this about the same as Bircher Muesli ?
Yes, it’s like muesli, although I don’t know what “Bircher” muesli is. Perhaps that’s a brand name?
Bircher Muesli (Swiss Oatmeal) developed around 1900 by Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Brenner for his patients. Only difference I see overall (since of course there are plenty of variations) is it has yogurt and honey in it. I am leaning toward your variation, though I may try the yogurt one in the future.
Is this the 5-minute oats or oats like steel cut?
5 minute. :)
I used steel cut oats and it came out great after an overnight chill.
Could hou dothem in one larger jar i really dont want a lot of small jars inthe frig
I suppose so.
Looks awesome! I will definitely give them a try. Quick question though: the ingredients say 1/4 tsp each of ginger and ground cloves, but the instructions say 1/16 tsp of each. That could be a big difference!
Oh god, never mind. I missed the dividing step in the instructions. It’s been a long day :/
Can anyone attest to whether this will make it past the TSA? It looks like such a yummy snack for the plane. I thought perhaps with the liquid having been absorbed into the oats it would pass the test. Anyway, it sounds yummy and will definitely try. I know it’s going to be delicious so I’m giving it 5 stars ahead of time! Thanks for the lovely recipes Beth.
Mine still had a decent amount of liquid milk, so I’m going to guess not. :(
I made this all last summer sans walnuts and currents. I need to try it this way.
(Also – I like unsweetened almond milk)
Oh my god. I want this right now! Yum! I’m all about the easy and delicious breakfasts, this one sounds perfect.
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This was super yummy (and, as a medical student w/limited time, easy and fast to assemble). I prefer my overnight oats to be a little less liquidy, so next time I will probably cut the milk by ~25%. I left out the currants (didn’t have any on hand) and subbed pecans for the walnuts (as that’s what was in my pantry). This will definitely be added to my breakfast rotation.
Gonna make this soon with plain greek yogurt instead of milk!
Hello Beth.
Would it work with quick cooking oats instead of old-fashioned rolled oats?
Do they have a different ratio liquid/oats?
Thanks!
Honestly, I think the old-fashioned rolled oats do work better on recipes like this! But I guess try everything once works too =) I love recipes like this, filling and no-sugar that drops me like a brick by lunch time!!!!
I definitely like the texture of old-fashioned oats better because the pieces are bigger so it gives you something to chew on. You can do this with quick oats, but they might not soak up as much of the milk as the old-fashioned rolled oats do. I kind of like some liquid milk left in the jar, but if you don’t want it so liquidy, you can try reducing the milk.
Thanks for your replies Beth and Laura.
Could I pop them in the microwave to warm up? I’m in Australia where it’s winter.
That’s what I do with mine. Works great.
Yep!
I actually make something really similar! I use almond milk, and add a bit of chia seeds to the mix. It’s perfect fuel for the day thanks to the oats, and is awesome for warm days when you don’t want a hot breakfast.
I’ve also done overnight oats like this using pumpkin puree, finely shredded carrots (think carrot cake!), and banana.
I never had overnight oatmeal before. Definitely will give this recipe a try. :-)