Healthy Apple Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

Love oatmeal? This easy-to-make and healthy Baked Oatmeal recipe is a one-bowl quick-to-make twist on your regular bowl of oatmeal. Filled with apples, cranberries, cinnamon, and brown sugar, enjoy a slice for breakfast with a drizzle of maple syrup for a delicious treat to start your day.

Jump to:

• What is baked oatmeal?
• 🤍Why this recipe is amazing...
• 🧾Ingredients
• 🍎Why use applesauce in this recipe
• 🥣Let's bake
• Tips and variations
• More oatmeal recipes
• FAQ'S
• More One Hot Oven recipes
• Recipe

One of my favorite go-to meals for breakfast, and sometimes dinners, is cranberry oatmeal which is filled with sweet apples and cinnamon.  I even have a special bowl just for my oatmeal which I think may make me an oatmeal snob! If you are like me, you don't always have time to make a bowl of oatmeal in the morning but still want all those flavors, that is why this oven-baked oatmeal is one of my go-to recipes.

What is baked oatmeal?

• Baked oatmeal is more like a casserole or even a cake than a creamy bowl of cooked oats. It has texture to it, and the addition of applesauce, eggs, sugar, and milk binds all the oatmeal and plumps it up for a hearty slice.
• When done, cut the oatmeal into slices and serve warm from the oven. You can top the slice with whatever you like, maybe a dollop of yogurt, fresh fruit, maple syrup, or even lemon curd.

🤍Why this recipe is amazing...

• One bowl and a casserole dish are all you need for this recipe, plus simple pantry ingredients.
• 15-minute prep time and 30 minutes of baking time are all you need for this warm-from-the-oven breakfast.
• For oatmeal lovers, this recipe is very adaptable and you can make it all year long by changing flavors throughout the seasons. Add warming spices in the winter or maybe use a vanilla bean in the summer. Make baked oatmeal with fruit or berries and nuts, or just keep it simple.
• Baked oatmeal for breakfast is easy when you bake the casserole the night before and reheat it in the morning which is great for busy families. I like to cut this into slices once cooled, and put it in the fridge, and then everyone can pull out a slice and reheat it themselves. Make-ahead recipes are a lifesaver.
• This is a great recipe to serve during the holidays. Just bake the oatmeal the night before, get up in the morning and reheat it. No spending hours in the kitchen when your company is around.
• Need more than 8 servings, just double the recipe and bake in a 13" x 9" pan.

🧾Ingredients

This oatmeal contains all the ingredients I would put in my bowl of creamy oatmeal: oatmeal, apples, brown sugar, cranberries, pecans, cinnamon, and milk. To add structure and bind the ingredients add an egg, butter, and baking powder.

🍎Why use applesauce in this recipe

Instead of just adding apple chunks use applesauce for moisture to help plump up the oatmeal. You can use jarred applesauce but if you don't have any just cut up an apple and add some apple juice or orange juice and cook the apple until tender, and puree or mash it up.

🥣Let's bake

• Heat your oven to 375 degrees F. and you will need an 8" x 8" casserole dish.
• Step 1. In a large bowl mix the oatmeal, brown sugar, and baking powder.
• Step 2. In a medium-sized bowl melt the butter then add the applesauce, milk, and egg. Using a whisk mix all the ingredients together then pour into the oatmeal bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
• Step 3. Mix in the dried cranberries and chopped pecans.
• Step 4. Pour this mixture into the casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and set.

• Remove the casserole dish from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, cut into squares and serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup.
• Cover leftovers and set them in the refrigerator for up to three days.
• To reheat leftovers, microwave on 50% power for about 40 seconds or until warm. You can also wrap the oatmeal square in foil and heat it in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes.

Cut the warm apple and cinnamon-baked oatmeal into squares.

And for some extra goodness, pour some pure maple syrup on top and ENJOY!

Tips and variations

• Feel free to change this recipe up with spices, fruits, and nuts. Try this recipe for Cherry Bakewell Oats for breakfast.
• I prefer to use whole milk but you can use almond, soy, oat, or coconut milk too.
• This recipe works with quick oats or old-fashioned oats plus there are several brands of gluten-free oats that you can use. Steel-cut oats will not work.
• Substitute coconut sugar for the brown sugar
• Keep the baked oatmeal in the refrigerator for up to a week.

If you love scones, these Apple Cream Scones are also perfect for breakfast. You can make and bake these pastries in under an hour for a tender apple-filled morning treat.

More oatmeal recipes

Bake a loaf of this hearty Spiced Apple Cider Oatmeal Bread for a delicious fall treat filled with lots of warming spices.

Do you love oatmeal cookies? Try these Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with the added crunch of cacao nibs and pecans. These cookies are rich and chewy.

These Oat Tea Biscuits are flavored with tea for a delicious orange flavor. Serve warm with orange honey butter.

FAQ'S

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Recipe

To be honest, before I made this recipe I had never heard of baked oatmeal until  I went to my favorite bakery in Santa Rosa, CA called Criminal Baking Co. and Noshery. In their case of beautiful pastries, they had slices of baked oatmeal.  What? Baked oatmeal? Never had it, but it looked like a piece of cake, so obviously I was all in. But after some serious interrogation, I learned the secret to their baked oatmeal, and ordered a slice, warmed up and served with lemon curd, it was so goooood!

If you are ever in Santa Rosa make sure you visit Criminal Baking.  It's off the beaten path, down a little side street, seats about 12, and serves some amazing pastries.