Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

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These apple cinnamon overnight oats are an easy, sweet, and healthy start to your morning. Oats, chia seeds, apples, nuts, and maple syrup for natural sweetness create a vegan breakfast loaded with complex carbs, protein, and all the sweet, delicious flavors of fall.

Overnight oats topped with chopped cinnamon apples in a glass jar.

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If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m a big fan of apples. I make as many apple recipes as I do pumpkin during the fall. However, I keep the apple train rolling right along year-round with recipes like vegan apple pie bars that can double as a dessert or a sweet breakfast and vegan apple galette, a classic, rustic tart that’s always delicious.

Speaking of dessert for breakfast, these apple cinnamon overnight oats are so rich and sweet that you’d think they were dessert. The best part is that they’re also healthy. It’s a win all the way around!

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Why You’ll Love These Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
Ingredients and Notes
Substitutions
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
FAQ
Expert Tips
Serving Suggestions
Storage
Recipe

Why You’ll Love These Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

Simple Ingredients: These overnight oats are made with simple kitchen staples.
Easy: Combine the oat mixture and simmer the chopped apples, and you have a gorgeous breakfast.
Healthy: These oats are packed with complex carbs, plant protein, vitamins, and minerals for a well-balanced and nourishing breakfast.
Delicious: This delightful recipe tastes like dessert for breakfast, but it’s made without refined sugar and lots of warm spices!

Ingredients and Notes

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Otas Ingredients: oats, chia seeds, apples, butter, pecans, maple syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon, coconut yogurt vanilla extract.

Rolled Oats: Rolled oats are hearty and chewy, and they won’t break down while absorbing the liquid.
Chia Seeds: Chia seeds add vitamins, minerals, and extra protein.
Diced Apples: Diced Honeycrisp apples add a naturally sweet flavor and texture.
Chopped Pecans: Chopped pecans add flavor, texture, and healthy fat to the oats.
Cinnamon and Nutmeg: This is the classic spice pairing for anything involving apples!
Plant Milk: Plant milk gives the oats a rich, creamy texture without dairy.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.

Substitutions

We prefer the sweetness and firm texture of Honeycrisp or Gala apples, but you can use any apple variety you like to change the flavor of the oats.
Use your other favorite diced fruits or whole berries to make all kinds of variations.
You can use any of your favorite nuts for a slightly unique flavor.
Chia seeds add a wonderful texture and flavor, but you can leave them out.
Use maple syrup or agave as a natural sweetener.
Use steel-cut oats to give the oats a more pronounced, dense, and chewy texture. You’ll have to chill them overnight rather than just four hours because they take a long time to soften.
If you are not vegan feel free to use regular Greek yogurt, and milk.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

Combine all the overnight oat ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
Pour the mixture evenly into four glass jars.
Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan. Add the diced apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup. Simmer until the apples are lightly browned and soft.
Add the warm diced apples to the top of the oats.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Serve chilled or warm, topped with chopped pecans and more maple syrup if desired.

FAQ

Do you cook overnight oats?

No, overnight oats aren’t cooked. They soften by soaking in liquid for several hours or overnight. However, this method still makes the oats as soft as cooking, and blending them makes them extremely creamy.

Will the apples get soft in overnight oats?

The apples sit on top of the oats. They are already soft since they have been cooked before being added to the mixture. When you enjoy the oats in the morning, stir them into the oat mixture.

Do overnight oats have to be served cold?

Many people think overnight oats have to be served cold, which turns them off to this kind of recipe. However, they can be served cold or warm, depending on your preference. Just pop them into the microwave.

What apples work best in overnight oats?

The beauty of overnight oats is that any apple or fruit will work in them. While you might opt for a particular apple for its sweetness or texture in baked goods, depending on the recipe, any apple you put into the oats will soften as the oats chill. This means you can add any apples you prefer.

Expert Tips

Don’t mix the nuts into your overnight oats until you serve them. If you mix them in overnight, they’ll get soft and mushy.
It’s essential to make these overnight oats with rolled oats. Quick oats will get overly mushy and gelatinous due to the way they’re processed.
Store the oats in a container with a tight-fitting lid, such as these mason jars or these adorable overnight oat jars.

Serving Suggestions

These overnight oats are a delicious, healthy, and EASY way to start the day. They’re a complete meal, but you can still pair them with other delicious breakfast dishes for a feast everyone loves.

I like pairing these apple cinnamon overnight oats with a warm pumpkin spice latte or soy vanilla milk latte.

Storage

Refrigerator: Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Reheat: Microwave the oats at 30-second intervals until heated through.

If you made this recipe, please comment below and leave a ⭐️ rating. You can also follow me on Instagram , Pinterest, and Facebook for more family-friendly vegan recipes!