This vegan apple baked oatmeal is packed with fall flavors and taste like apple pie! They are wholesome, filling and naturally gluten-free. This simple, fuss-free applesauce baked oatmeal is ready in an hour!
Oatmeal is definitely a staple breakfast food in our household. Although I do love some pipping hot cooked oatmeal, chewy banana oatmeal bars or creamy protein overnight oats, this applesauce baked oatmeal is my go-to for feeding a crowd!
Plus, I get to use up those not-that-great apples hence preventing them from going to waste. Definitely a win-win in my books!
💚Why you will love this recipe
- It legit taste like apple pie - Who doesn't like having dessert for breakfast? This vegan apple baked oatmeal has all the flavors of the classic apple pie!
- Low calorie yet filling - It is packed full of fiber and slow-digesting carbs, making it incredibly satisfying to have. Plus, only whole, plant based ingredients are used to make this incredible oatmeal.
- Fuss-free and easy to make - Combine all ingredients together, dump the mixture into a baking dish and bake until golden. Simple, right?
- Perfect for meal prep - This applesauce baked oatmeal refrigerate well, and can even be frozen.
🍎What you will need
📃Notes/substitutions
- Apples - You can use any apples you have on hand! Go for gala or honeycrisp for some extra sweetness, or granny smith if you want yours to be slightly tart.
- Plant milk - Any non-dairy milk can be used, with the exception of coconut milk due to its strong flavor.
- Applesauce - Go for the unsweetened ones, if possible. If you are using sweetened applesauce, cut back on the maple syrup used.
- Maple syrup - Feel free to use other liquid sweetener in place like agave syrup or honey, if not vegan.
- Ground flax - Can be substituted with ground chia seeds.
🔪How to make
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Lightly grease a baking dish with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, place in plant milk, applesauce and maple syrup. Mix well.
Add in diced apples, rolled oats, ground flax, cinnamon powder and baking powder. Combine to mix.
Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish. Using the back of a spoon or spatula, smooth out the edges. Top with chopped pecans if desired.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
✔Helpful tips
- You can easily make your own applesauce at home! Do check out this post on how to make applesauce for detailed instructions.
- Dice up apples into fairly small chunks. This ensures that applesauce baked oatmeal holds its shape well and do not break apart upon slicing.
- Steel cut oats WILL NOT work in this recipe! I highly recommend sticking with rolled oats, but quick oats can be used in a pinch.
- Lightly grease your baking dish with non-stick spray or oil. This prevents vegan baked oats from sticking to the pan and hence can be removed easily.
- To make oatmeal cups, bake the mixture in a muffin tin instead. Bake them for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
🥜Optional add-ins
- Spices - nutmeg, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice.
- Handful of chopped nuts like pecans and walnuts.
- Raisins for some extra sweetness.
- A generous squeeze of lemon juice for some extra tartness.
- Pinch of salt to enhance the flavor.
🍌How to serve
This applesauce baked oatmeal is incredibly versatile, and can be eaten warm, at room temperature, or even cold!
To sweeten it up more, drizzle on some maple syrup, or top it with apple butter or pumpkin butter.
For some extra crunch and texture, top it with some roasted, chopped nuts like pecans and almonds. Or, you can serve it with some sliced fruit or berries.
Nut butter will also pair beautifully with this applesauce baked oatmeal! I really love drizzling on some peanut butter, cashew butter or my homemade coconut almond butter. You can also choose to spoon on a dollop of plant based yogurt of choice.
Lastly, you can eat it like you would a cereal, which is by pouring on your favorite non-dairy milk.
❔Commonly asked questions
Yes, you definitely can! There are actually 2 ways you can do so:
Option 1 is to make your vegan apple baked oatmeal as it is. Then, let it cool completely, before covering it up in foil or wrap and refrigerating it. The next day, pop your baked oatmeal into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes at 180C/350F, or microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.
The next option is to measure out and mix together dry and wet ingredients separately, then store them in sealed containers before refrigerating. The next morning, mix wet ingredients into dry and bake for 35-40 minutes at 180C/350F.
Yes, this applesauce baked oatmeal is naturally free from gluten, but do make sure you are using certified gluten-free rolled oats as cross contamination may occur during processing.
Your vegan apple baked oatmeal is done baking when the tops are golden brown in color and it appears to be set. You can also insert a toothpick down the middle to check for doneness - toothpick should come out clean.
You can store leftover applesauce baked oatmeal in the fridge for up to 5 days.
They are freezable too, and I highly recommend portioning them out into containers or zip-top bags before freezing so you will only be taking out what you need.
To reheat from frozen, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, or on countertop for a few hours. You can then proceed on to heat it in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 180C/350F. To make the heating process quicker, thaw baked oats in the microwave using the "defrost" function, then heat it on high for 15-30 seconds.
🍽More vegan breakfast recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Apple Baked Oatmeal with Applesauce
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 1 ½ cup non-dairy milk
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or other liquid sweetener
Dry ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats use gluten-free if needed
- 2 cups diced apples about 2 small
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Toppings (optional)
- handful of chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Lightly grease a baking dish, either a 8x8 or 10x7, with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, place in all wet ingredients. Mix well.1 ½ cup non-dairy milk, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, ⅓ cup maple syrup
- Add in dry ingredients into wet. Combine to mix.3 cups rolled oats, 2 cups diced apples, 2 teaspoon cinnamon powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish. Using the back of a spoon or spatula, smooth out the edges. Top with some chopped pecans if desired.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
Notes
- Dice up apples into fairly small chunks. This ensures that applesauce baked oatmeal holds its shape well and do not break apart upon slicing.
- Steel cut oats WILL NOT work in this recipe! I highly recommend sticking with rolled oats, but quick oats can be used in a pinch.
- Lightly grease your baking dish with non-stick spray or oil. This prevents vegan baked oats from sticking to the pan and hence can be removed easily.
- To make oatmeal cups, bake the mixture in a muffin tin instead. Bake them for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Reheating - To reheat from frozen, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, or on countertop for a few hours. You can then proceed on to heat it in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 180C/350F. To make the heating process quicker, thaw baked oats in the microwave using the "defrost" function, then heat it on high for 15-30 seconds.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Angela
Delicious recipie, thank you.
Meesha
Glad to hear that! 😄
DAB
I made this recipe on January 12, 2022
If you eat oatmeal everyday in a smoothie then adding a portion this baked version is a good choice, if you eat a bowl of oatmeal with milk then this baked version is a good choice, as it will be ready when you are. The bake has good flavor provided by the syrup, apples and cinnamon.
This is just simple cooked oatmeal, apples & cinnamon. It is not a dessert type food and would be an embarrassment to serve as such!!!
After making this recipe I suggest using a small pan and make ½ recipe. It makes a lot of oatmeal so be advised.
Jane
Do you think Greek yogurt might work in place of the applesauce as I don't have any? Thanks!
Meesha
Sorry, I don't think this substitution will work here. You could try using 1/2 cup of mashed bananas in place if you do not mind the banana aftertaste. Alternatively, you could omit applesauce all together, and add more milk in place. Hopes this helps!
LouAnn
Can I use date paste in place of maple syrup?
Meesha
I have yet to try this, but I believe you can! You might have to add a bit more milk, as date paste is much thicker than maple syrup.😊