Autumnal Apple Overnight Oats

With a cooked cinnamon apple topping and shredded apple in the oats, apple cinnamon overnight oats are a great way to get your one-a-day in. You have a couple options outlined for spices, whether you want the oats to be more cinnamon-forward or something more like apple pie overnight oats (with nutmeg, ginger, and maple syrup). The cooked apples are a little bit more work but you can skip that step if you’d like.

The real benefit of overnight oats is that they’re made in advance and you have breakfasts made ahead. No stress in the morning before work or school, as breakfast is already on hand and you know it’s a good one, with 6 grams of fibre and 11 grams of protein per serving. They’re great to take with you if you don’t have time in the morning and eat breakfast at work, too. We like to keep them on hand for snacks and not only for breakfast.

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Ingredients You’ll Need and Why

This is made with a base of only yogurt, with no added milk, because the shredded apple adds enough moisture without needing another liquid. These are my notes from recipe testing and you can find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.

• Apples: you’ll notice that the apples are two very different sizes, and that’s because ideally you want a small apple for the overnight oats, and a large one for the cinnamon apples. If yours are both large, use half an apple in the oats and either snack on the other half or cook it and have extra cooked apples to layer in.
• Yogurt: any unsweetened yogurt will do. I recommend a thick Greek-style yogurt for the best texture. I almost always use soya yogurt. Coconut yogurt is sweeter and very rich.
• Oats: use rolled oats. Quick-cook oats are soggy once soaked. This recipe won’t work with steel-cut oats. If necessary, choose certified gluten-free oats.
• Spices: you have two options here for spices, depending on what you prefer or feel like that day. If you want cinnamon apple overnight oats, use a half teaspoon of cinnamon and skip the other spices. For apple pie overnight oats, use the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
• Chia: any colour, it doesn’t matter. I recommend storing all seeds and nuts in a cool, dry place or to keep them in the refrigerator or freezer if your home is warm (that’s what I do in the summer). Substitute ground flax if you don’t like the texture of chia.
• Lemon: you might be looking at this and wondering what on earth a lemon is doing in overnight oats – it’s for the cooked apples! A little lemon juice helps prevent browning and helps to balance the sweetness.

How to Make Apple Overnight Oats

The first four steps here are to do with the overnight oats, and the last two are making unsweetened applesauce, but leaving the apple pieces intact rather than blending it smooth. You could use store-bought applesauce to layer or top the oats if you don’t want the extra step of cooking apples.

Step 1: mix the oats, chia seeds, and spices in a bowl. While you can add everything at once and mix, I find that this helps to distribute the ingredients more evenly so you’re less likely to get clumps of seeds.

Step 2: add the yogurt, shredded apple, and vanilla extract. Don’t worry about mixing these beforehand. They’ll easily incorporate into the oats.

Related: Apple Baked Oatmeal

Step 3: mix to combine. Make sure there are no clumps of chia seeds and that the shredded apple has been evenly mixed in to the other ingredients. As the base is made with yogurt rather than milk, there’s no need to rest before stirring a second time. If you’ve adjusted the recipe and the mixture feels thin, give it a second good stir a half hour after the first one.

Step 4: chill for a few hours before serving, preferably overnight. Cover tightly. The overnight oats are ready now and can be kept in the bowl and dished out as needed, or transferred to individual containers or jars and layered with the cinnamon apples.

Step 5: core the apples and cut into chunks. Mix with the cinnamon and lemon juice in a small saucepan. If you skip the lemon juice, add a splash of water to prevent the apples sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Step 6: cook on low heat for about ten minutes, until the apples are soft. I almost never peel apples but if you don’t like the texture of cooked apple peel, remove it before cooking.

Expert Tips for the Best Overnight Oats

• Sweeten to taste: as written, the only element adding sweetness is the apple. If you have a bigger sweet tooth, add some maple syrup or honey to sweeten to your taste.
• Make a layered apple pie version: for decadent-feeling apple pie overnight oats, add the extra spices, and boost your layering. In addition to the cooked apples try layering with vanilla yogurt or cream cheese mixed with vanilla yogurt (Soyananda does a decent vegan cream cheese) and cashew or almond butter. A crumbled graham cracker is good too but note that it softens as it’s stored.
• Don’t skip the add-ins: overnight oats, even when made with extras like spices and apple, are really just oats soaked in yogurt overnight. This is more like müsli than many recipes and I think it’s quite good, but expect something with a soft texture and mild flavour. Add lots of toppings or layers to make it more interesting.

More Overnight Breakfast Recipes

• Strawberry Overnight Oats – make with fresh or frozen berries
• Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats
• Peanut Butter Chia Pudding
• Chocolate Chia Pudding