Easy Apple Pie Overnight Oats

Make apple pie overnight oats (or one of 6 other yummy flavors!) for a low-prep, filling breakfast. Naturally sweetened, plus options for adding protein – it’s the perfect way to start your day!

Oatmeal is just about my favorite breakfast. I love to mix and match all varieties. Besides Instant Pot Oatmeal, I adore Blueberry Baked Oatmeal and Apple Oatmeal Bars.

My family begins almost every weekday morning with a variety of oatmeal to give us a healthy, filling start to our days. Even on the weekends, we find ourselves eating oatmeal with my Cinnamon Oatmeal Blender Waffles.

And now, you can take your favorite apple pie flavors and turn them into oatmeal with less than 5 minutes of meal prep. Apple pie isn’t just for fall – go ahead and add apple pie overnight oats to your menu plan for breakfast this week!

WHY MAKE APPLE PIE OVERNIGHT OATS

I am new to this overnight oats trend that has been taking off lately. I’m not sure what took me so long to join the bandwagon – overnight oats are amazing!

• Fewer dishes. Refrigerator oatmeal is made in mason jars, stored in mason jars, and served in mason jars.
• Quick and easy to mix up! Just 5 minutes of prep and you’ve got breakfast all week long.
• Easy to make vegan, dairy-free, and gluten free. Just switch out the milk for your favorite dairy-free option. And make sure your oats are certified gluten-free if needed.
• Perfect for busy mornings. If you or the kids need a portable breakfast to eat on the go, just grab a mason jar and spoon. No waiting for the oatmeal to cool down.
• All the flavors you love in apple pie in an easy, healthy, hearty oatmeal form. Or mix up several different flavors for variety throughout the week!
• Options to add protein. You can even make protein overnight oats to help meet your nutrition goals!

APPLE PIE OVERNIGHT OATS RECIPE INGREDIENTS

To make apple pie oats overnight, you just need a few simple ingredients.

• Milk. You can use any variety of milk. Non-dairy milk like almond milk and coconut milk or even oat milk works great too!
• Spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are the classic apple pie spices. (You could also use Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice!)
• Honey or Maple Syrup. Personally, I like maple syrup in my oatmeal. But use whichever natural sweetener you have on hand!
• Applesauce. You can use store-bought unsweetened applesauce or Homemade Applesauce.
• Chia Seeds. Adding chia seeds is a great way to add an extra punch of nutrients to your oatmeal. They also help give a delicious texture to your overnight oats.
• Oats. This is the main ingredient! Keep reading for my recommendations for oats for overnight oats. Grab certified gluten-free oats if you need them.
• Apples. You’ll top your apple pie overnight oatmeal with fresh apple chunks.

OATS FOR OVERNIGHT OATS

You can use almost any type of oats for overnight oats. The less processed the oats, the more nutrients they contain.

• Steel Cut Oats. After harvesting, oat groats are put into a large machine that spins really fast, causing the oat groat to separate from its husk. In the process, many oat groats break into small pieces, creating steel-cut oats. Use this recipe for the Best Overnight Steel Cut Oats.
• Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. Large oat groats are rolled in between large pins and flattened into rolled oats. The result is considered old-fashioned oats. These are my favorite to use for just about everything calling for oatmeal.
• Rolled Oats. Old-fashioned oats are steamed and lightly toasted to aid in the cooking process at home. These are called rolled oats.
• Quick Oats. These are old fashioned oats that were cut into smaller pieces before steaming and toasting, making them cook even faster at home.
• Instant Oatmeal. These oats are pre-cooked and then dried before packaging. Typically, you will find them with added sugars and flavors. Not ideal for the real food family on a budget!

When choosing oats for overnight oats, I typically pick old-fashioned oats or rolled oats, although quick-cooking oats can work too if that’s what you have on hand. Steel-cut oats may not soften enough without cooking, and instant oatmeal will turn into mush.

HOW TO MAKE OVERNIGHT OATS APPLE PIE FLAVORED

This easy overnight oats recipe is like my Slab Apple Pie in breakfast form – with a healthy spin on it!

So how do you make overnight oats? Follow these instructions.

Step 1. Mix the milk, spices, sweetener, applesauce, and chia seeds in mason jars with a good shake or stir. (You can use a mixing bowl or glass measuring cup if you prefer.)

Step 2. Then add your oats and chopped apples and shake again.

Step 3. Refrigerate overnight.

Step 4. Serve in the morning cold or warmed up.

Overnight oats are good for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, so go ahead and prep breakfast for the week on Sunday night!

OVERNIGHT OATS AND MILK TOPPINGS AND ADDITIONS

The main recipe I’m sharing today is for Apple Pie Oatmeal. But it’s easily customizable – make your own flavor varieties using oats and milk as the base!

Use different spices, add cocoa powder, or use a little vanilla extract. A peanut butter (or nut butter or almond butter) and chocolate chip oatmeal would be amazing!

Top with a sprinkle of brown sugar or unsweetened shredded coconut.

Make overnight oats with yogurt instead of applesauce or even use up the last bit of your favorite seasonally flavored coffee creamer in place of part of the milk.

OVERNIGHT OATS AND MILK FLAVOR VARIATIONS

If you need a little more direction, here are some great overnight oats flavor combinations. Follow the same measurements in my recipe below, swapping out for these flavors instead:

• Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats. Use 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter in each jar instead of the spices and sliced bananas instead of the apples.
• Peanut Butter and Berries. Use 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter in each jar instead of the spices and berries instead of the apples. Or add a dollop of jelly on top after stirring the rest of the ingredients.
• Mango Ginger. Use powdered ginger instead of the spices and diced mango instead of the apples. I like a pinch of salt with this version to draw out the flavor.
• Carrot Cake. Use the same spices (or maybe a touch more cinnamon!) and shredded carrots instead of the apples. Yogurt would add a nice tang here! Top with walnuts before serving for a touch of crunch.
• Blueberry Cashew. Use cashew butter (or blend cashews in your blender!) and blueberries instead of apples.
• Chocolate Strawberry. Add chocolate chips and strawberries instead of apples. Dark chocolate has the perfect amount of sweetness for breakfast. Yum!

PROTEIN OVERNIGHT OATS

Oatmeal is one of the best grains you can eat. There are many benefits to oatmeal including fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

When you make overnight oats, you’ll use oats and milk as the base (both of which also contain protein), but your options are endless from there! To make protein overnight oats, try adding any of these:

• Protein Powder. If you have a favorite flavored protein powder, mix it into your overnight oats for a delicious protein-packed breakfast. You’ll typically get 15-30 grams per serving, depending on the brand.
• Collagen. 1 Tablespoon of collagen in each jar of overnight oats will give you an extra 6 grams of protein. This is my favorite brand.
• Nut Butter. A Tablespoon of peanut butter will add 4 grams of protein, and almond butter will add nearly as much at 3.4 grams. Powdered peanut butter also mixes in well with oatmeal, with less fat.
• Nuts. Or just add chopped nuts to your overnight oats. 2 Tablespoons of chopped almonds will give you 4g of protein, and the same amount of chopped walnuts or pecans will add another 2 grams.
• Greek Yogurt. Use Greek yogurt instead of applesauce to keep the liquid-to-oats ratio the same and add 3 grams of protein.
• Seeds. My overnight oats recipe already calls for chia seeds, which give you 2g of protein per serving. Hemp seeds (3g per Tablespoon) or flax seeds (1.3g for a Tablespoon of ground flaxseed) are also options for adding protein and nutty flavor to your oats overnight.

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