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!
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Nutrition
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.
I love this recipe. I’m keen to add more protein but wondering the right ratio of greek yogurt to add, any advice?
I love this recipe, I would make it on repeat back in 2020/21. I still make it with raisins and I only add one rounded tablespoon of walnuts. It’s perfectly sweet without being too sweet, and it fills me up so well for the day!
Wow! This was delicious. I put it together in less than 5 minutes and best part, no cooking involved. Thanks for sharing so many great recipes. I’m never disappointed in the ones I’ve tried.
I am so overly impressed by this recipe! Tried overnight oats years ago and it was not good at all. But this.. this is peak perfection. I used unsweetened almond milk and threw in some chia seeds, as well as pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon applesauce instead of unsweetened.I am obsessed!
I was just coming to the comments to see if anyone tried non-dairy milk! It seems oat-verkill to use oat milk but I’m going to try it anyway! Thanks for sharing!