Apple Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Simple apple oatmeal recipe made with steel-cut oats! The oats and apples cook together in the same pot. It's a healthy and delicious fall breakfast.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best, and this oatmeal is one of them. I’m on a seasonally-appropriate apple kick, you see. When I was trying an applesauce filling for last week’s apple tart, I wondered if I could cook homemade applesauce and steel-cut oats in the same pot at the same time.
Their cooking methods and timing are similar, so why not? That was a very good question, and the result was so delicious that I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it before.
Why didn’t I think to cook apples in my oatmeal before I added orange zest and a swirl of cranberry sauce? Or carrots?
You really think I would have come up with the concept when I featured my maple cinnamon applesauce on steel-cut oatmeal nearly four years ago. Head smack.
We finally have apple steel-cut oats on the blog today, in 2016, and I believe they are worth the wait. First, you’ll toast the oats to enhance their flavor (in a little butter, if you want to make them really luscious). Then, add apples (I didn’t peel mine, since the skins get super soft during cooking), water and a pinch of salt. Cook until the mixture is ultra creamy and the apples are so tender that they almost disappear into the oats.
It’s nearly perfect after a 5-minute rest, but I liked mine even more after I added a little maple syrup and a swirl of almond butter. Pecans are great, too. I almost always add cinnamon to apple/oat combos, but I preferred the clean taste of sweet fall apples this time around.
What fall recipes do you guys want to see next? I’m working on a savory recipe for later this week, but here are more apple recipes if you’re on an apple kick like me.
Apple Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Meet my favorite fall breakfast! Apples and steel-cut oats cook together in the same pot until they are creamy, delicious perfection. It’s a hearty, healthy and delicious fall breakfast that reheats well for busy weekday mornings. Recipe yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
- 1 cup steel-cut oats (certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 3 medium-to-large apples (I used 2 Granny Smiths and 1 Honeycrisp), cored and sliced into 1-to-2″ chunks
- 4 cups water
- Pinch of salt
- Maple syrup or honey, to taste (optional)
- Optional toppings: swirl of nut butter (pecan butter, almond butter or peanut butter), toasted pecans or pepitas, chopped fresh apples, dried cranberries, drizzle of additional maple syrup or honey, light sprinkle of ground cinnamon…
Instructions
- In a medium Dutch oven or large saucepan (around 3.5 quarts), melt the butter over medium heat (if you’re not using butter, just warm the pan). Add the steel-cut oats and cook until fragrant, stirring often, about 2 minutes (this step enhances the flavor of the oats).
- Add the apple chunks, water and salt. Stir to combine, and raise the heat to high to bring the mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 35 minutes, until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed and the oats are nice and creamy. Stir every five minutes in the beginning, and more frequently as time goes on (you might need to dial down the heat as well).
- Remove from heat and let the oatmeal rest for 5 minutes before serving so it has more time to thicken up. Carefully taste (it’s hot!) and add maple syrup or honey if you’d like sweeter oatmeal (I used tart apples, so I added 1 tablespoon).
- Divide the mixture into individual bowls and serve with any toppings you’d like. If you’re saving extra portions for later, let them cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Leftovers reheat well in the microwave, and would likely reheat well on the stove if you add some extra water to loosen them up.
Notes
Recipe inspired by my perfect steel-cut oats and maple cinnamon applesauce recipes.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free steel-cut oats.
Make it dairy free: Omit the butter and dry-toast the oats instead.
Make it vegan: Omit the butter and dry-toast the oats instead, and use maple syrup instead of honey.
Make it nut-free: Don’t top with nuts or nut butter! You might enjoy some toasted pepitas on top.
Slow cooker option: I haven’t tried this, but commenter Kathy says that she uses 1 cup oats to 4 cups water, adds apples and cooks on low overnight.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Good idea, and a yummy combination, sort of like Apple Crisp, but a healthier breakfast version.
Yep, sort of like a crisp, but this one’s all creamy! Thanks, Lynda!
Never thought to toast my oats. Thank you! I want some of this RIGHT NOW!
It definitely makes a flavor difference! Hope you love the oatmeal.
These oats look so creamy! Such a tasty treat for breakfast :)
Thanks Katrina! It’s great to hear from you. :)
Hi Kate, (are the trees in KC pretty these days? I grew up there.) I have another oatmeal variation you might like to try. They serve oatmeal or steel cut oats for breakfast in zen monasteries with toppings to mix in before eating. A “standard” zen oatmeal includes diced apple, walnuts or other nuts, bits of nori (that’s right! seaweed!), gomasio (sesame seeds with salt), some flax oil and a splash of soy sauce. Yum! For those of us raised on sweetened oatmeal as the only option this variation is pretty “out there” but I have really come to like it. Very healthy, savory, nutty and delicious! My other variation is to add a handful of frozen spinach in with the oats as they are cooking (or other veggies)still adding nuts and apple before eating. Sometimes I cook the oatmeal in broth or boullion. Try boullion, mushrooms and cheese! See what you think! I thought I would write because maybe some of your readers, looking for non-sweet breakfasts like I do, would enjoy these variations also. (I miss Kansas City in the fall!) Best regards, Dhyan
Hi Dhyan! So far, the leaves are starting to turn but they aren’t as pretty as usual (hopefully that changes soon). We’ve had a couple of extreme temperature changes so I’m afraid some of them have just died off without their usual show. I’m definitely intrigued by your zen oatmeal and spinach oatmeal! Thanks for sharing!
Yum!! I haven’t gotten into apples yet, because it’s still very warm where I live, but this recipe just hit the spot perfectly for me. So I’ve saved it and will be making it soon. I’m always happy to see good breakfast recipes, and also like savory dishes. Unfortunately I can’t afford to eat sweet stuff, from a caloric standpoint, so I usually don’t even look at that kind of recipe. I love things like butternut squash, and kamut. These days I mainly use vegetarian dishes at lunch (I’m married to a meat and potatoes kind of guy, but he’s willing to eat what I fix and hasn’t complained at all about vegetarian meals). I could easily slide back into being a vegetarian, but I don’t think it will be happening as long as I’m married (and since I waited a very long time to get married, I’m hoping the marriage keeps going as long as possible).
I hope you love it once the weather cools down! I’m glad your husband is enjoying those meatless meals. I bet he’d like these oats, too!
Got these made today, and my husband actually enjoyed them more than I did. I love the technique of toasting the oats first – it really does add a lot of flavor – but I don’t think enough water cooked off in 35 minutes. I have very little experience with steel cut oats, so I’m not sure what they are supposed to be like when done, other than soft enough to eat. As a matter of fact I think this is the first time I’ve cooked them on the stove top. Apart from my inexperience in cooking steel cut oats, this was a nice hot breakfast.
I’ve been looking for a recipe like this lately, except a baked/overnight/crock pot version. Any ideas to adapt this accordingly?
Hey Annie, I’d probably follow this recipe and just throw in a few apples like I did here.
Make those apples ORGANIC, particularly if you eat the peels because of the pectin under the skin. Apples and strawberries are the most pesticide-laden produce on the market. The Environmental Working Group (EWG.org) has a list of fruits and vegetables for which organic is the best choice for us and our planet. Get the full benefit of food without pesticides and other chemicals.
Enjoying a bowl of this warm from the dutch oven…swoon! All about the pecan butter too!
It tastes like a treat, for sure! Thanks, Rebecca!
Yum, perfect breakfast for a cool morning!
Thank you, Hope!
What a perfect cozy breakfast! Yum
Thanks, Sara!
Does anyone have an idea how to cook this overnight in a crock-pot?
I haven’t tried, but I bet you could follow this recipe and throw in a few apples like I did here.
I thought I would miss summer peaches, but the apples this year have been so good that I haven’t given those ol’ fuzzies a second thought. This sounds just wonderful for chilly fall mornings.
Same here! I love how the seasons give us just the foods I’m craving.
This looks amazing, Kate! Going to try it next weekend. Thanks for the recipe!
Hope you love it, Kelly!
Making this right now for breakfasts the rest of the week!
Yay! Hope you love it!
Hi Kate!
I just wanted to say that I’ve been a blog reader for a while, and I adore your writing and your photography. Recently I made a compilation of some of my favourite blogs (which I had to feature yours in!), and you can check it out here: https://cookiesnchem.com/2016/10/19/my-top-22-favourite-food-blogs/
Thanks for making your blog so easy to read, exciting, and creative. Hope the rest of your day is amazing!
Cindy
Cindy, thanks for your note, and for including me in your list! I’m flattered to be included in such great company. :) Have a lovely day!
I love when a recipe comes through my inbox and I already have all the ingredients. :o) I made this this morning and it was a huge hit with my husband and kids, too! I love how much sweetness the apples added to the oatmeal. I recently froze some cooked peaches that I love as an oatmeal topping and I was already feeling sad that they would one day be gone – so I’m thrilled to have this easy, naturally sweet oatmeal option too!
Thanks, Bet! Delighted to hear that you all enjoyed it. Your peach topping sounds amazing; maybe I’ll have to try this in the summer with peaches!
Fantastic! Have been loving your blog for about 6 months now. Everything you post is just spot-on with what I’m in the mood for. Thank you!
Oh yay, happy to hear that! Thanks, Ally!
This is an excellent idea, got me all fired up to re jig some of my current oatmeal dishes, thank you.
The Oatmeal looks fabulous!
i love me apple + cinnamon combo with oats..i recently made parfait with apples but im totally loving this idea. toasting makes a huge differencE!!!
So good! Made this morning and can’t wait to make again tomorrow! Gives me another use for all the apples I picked :)
Thank you!
I had the same thought just the other day! I’ve been making lots of applesauce, and lots of oatmeal, and thought… couldn’t they be cooked together? Yours looks way better than mine, though… I love the pecans and nut butter topping. Yum!
We made the apple oatmeal on this cool morning here in Kansas…and it was perfect. Topped it with some almond butter and a swirl of maple syrup. My 3 year old ate most of my portion along with his. So, kid friendly, as well! Another recipe well done!
I’ve been making a pot of steel cut oats on the weekend to eat all week, and apples sound like a great addition! We’ll be trying this for sure.
Hi Kate, love your recipes! I was wondering if I could sub in milk instead of water (1/2 milk, 1/2 water)? For a bit of extra protein and creaminess.
Sera, I was wondering the same as I usually cook steel cut oats with water and almond milk. For this recipe (and I was making only one serving), I used 1/4c of oats (40g), one medium Gala apple, about 1 cup of water and about 3/4 cup of almond milk. I mixed water and milk, heated to near boiling, and then added oats and apple. It sounds like a lot of liquid, but oats and apple soaked it all after cooking for 30-40 min. They were delicious!
Kate, I am so grateful you posted this recipe. I kept eating my steel cut oats with berries and peaches all summer, but wanted to find a more seasonal variation, so this is a perfect solution.
Thanks, Kate! Pregnant lady here craving apple everything this season. And it makes enough to feed my family. :) Looks super delish! I can’t wait to try it out!
Thanks, Rachel! Hope you all love it. :)
This was delicious! My 6-year old daughter said “Mommy! This tastes like apple pie but healthier!” I loved it with and without maple syrup and cinnamon added. It’s even good cold out of the fridge…like apple rice pudding. Mmm. Thanks Kate!
Thank you, Kimberly! So glad you all enjoyed it.
Delicious! Thank you!
Thanks, Carolyn! :)
I’m new to this website, but I have to say I love it so much. It just really suits the way I like to eat and I’m so happy I found it. My husband and I have tried 3 recipes so far: this one, the best ever granola one (which my super-picky daughter loves) and the red thai curry one. So far they are all a huge hit in my house! This one was so creamy and delicious. I’m going to make a bigger, second batch this weekend. I can’t wait to try more recipes. Anyway Kate, I really appreciate how much work you’ve put into perfecting your recipes and your beautiful website. Thanks!!!
Thank you, Amy! I’m so glad you found my site, too. I really appreciate your kind words.
Very yummy. Added a couple cinnamon sticks while it cooked. This is the go to breakfast through the winter. So easy!!! Thanx!
Thank you, Paula! Happy to hear it!
Another 10. Loved it especially with almond butter and orange-flavored dried cranberries! The tastes are incredibly satisfying. Thanks Kate!
Thank you, Wendell! :)
Just made this and I’m in love :) so simple, doesn’t require a lot of effort and tastes amazing! Thank you for another brilliant recipe :) Also, those post, what to make every month are a tremendous idea. So many inspirations!! Thank you again :*
I use a slow cooker all the time to cook the steel cut oatmeal. I will try toasting the oats first next time though. When I make oatmeal cookies I taost the oatmeal first, don’t know why I hadnt though of doing it for oatmeal too!
I use 1 cup oats to 4 cups water and cook on low overnight. It’s enough for breakfast all during the week for me. I always add apples and cinnamon
Thanks, Kathy! That’s really helpful to know. I’ll add your slow cooker technique to my recipe notes for everyone else who’s wondering how to do it.
Face palm. Brilliant. Made these for breakfast and turned the leftovers into cookies for after lunch.
Thanks, Molly! I’m impressed that you made cookies out of the leftovers!
Could you make these in a Crock Pot by chance and have them cook overnight?
Hi Blake, I just added a recipe note for that! :)
This is my favourite breakfast now! It is just such a lovely recipe – easy, healthy and delicious. Thank you for sharing :)
This is by far the best oatmeal I’ve ever tried in my life!! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I’m honored! & you’re welcome :)
I love steel cut oats! The only thing I love more than steel cut oats is steel cut oats with flavors cooked in. I made this in the crockpot because the only thing I DON’T like about steel cut oats is the time they take to cook!!!! I did double the recipe since I was using a 6 quart slow cooker. Put it on before I went to bed and cooked on low for 8 hours. Stir the skin that forms on top back in (it gets re absorbed) and dish it up. I froze the leftovers in 1.25 cup Rubbermaid containers (about 1 cup per container) which made for perfect single servings that reheat in the microwave in a couple of minutes (add a tablespoon or 2 of some kind of milk before reheating). This is soooo good, perfect for cold mornings. I did add a teaspoon of cinnamon and half teaspoon of cardamom. I loved Apple-cinnamon oatmeal when I was a kid-guess I still do! :)
Great crock-pot tip, Cat! And this is definitely a warm reminder of childhood :)
I absolutely love this oatmeal! It keeps well throughout the week and apples add such a nice sweetness. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Perfect!! Buttery, creamy and delicious. I served it with dates and nut butter.
Yum!
Perfect steel cut oats recipe!
Thank you, Danica!
Pretty darn good! I halved your recipe and used honeycrisp apples. I swirled in a little bit of peanut butter and maple syrup while oatmeal was still hot on the stove, and I topped with chopped apples, cinnamon, and spiced pecans and walnuts. The cooked apples seemed to have lost a lot of their flavor for me. Next time I think I might cook the apples separately with some butter, cinnamon, and maybe a little brown sugar, and then add them to the oatmeal. This is my first recipe of yours that I’ve tried, and I’m excited to try more!
Sounds absolutely delicious! I am excited for you to try more as well. Let me know when you do. I would love to hear what you think, Braxton.
I prepared this in my instant pot this morning.
I used 3 cups of water, high pressure for 5 minutes, natural release for 5 minutes, then released the pressure
Then I added 1T maple syrup, 2T cashew butter and sprinkled a few pecans on top. Very Good.
Thank you, Marsha for sharing! I’m glad it worked well in your instant pot.
Hi Kate! I know this is an old post and I’m not sure if you’re still reading comments but I just had to tell you how great this turned out! I think I might be a convert from overnight oats to stove-top steel cut oatmeal :) Thank you for this recipe!
I am for sure still reading comments! Thank you, Sana. I appreciate the comment and review
Looks great, I might add a pinch of toasted coconut.
Let me know what you think!
I would love to try this in my Instant Pot. Any recommendations on cook time?
I would see what other readers have tried, if they have used an Instapot. Sorry, I’m not sure!
I tried it and it worked great :) I found a similar recipe online and used that as a guideline. I want to say these cooked in 6 min in the IP and then a manual steam release.
Hi Kate,
I have a question. Do you have any recipes that do not contain processed sugar or gluten and are not loaded with cheese?
I have Hashimoto’s disease and am allergic to gluten and am not a big fan of meat so… I feel my options are limited especially since my digestive system doesn’t do well with a lot of cheese. Ugh!
Finding recipes to fit these parameters is challenging. And finding ones that taste good is even more challenging. Thank you for any ideas or recies you may have to share.
Cynthia
Hi Cynthia! I’m sorry to hear that. There are a lot of great options on the blog that should work well. You can always omit the sweetener if you need. Or, for this one particular, make sure to use gluten free oats. The sweetener is optional and tastes great without it. I hope this helps!
Hi Kate,
Yes that helps. Thank you for taking the time to help me.
Is there a substitute for flour I could use for bakes goods like banana bread, etc?
Warmly,
Cynthia
Steel cut oat game changer:in the evening toast oats in pot with a bit of butter. I use T butter to 1/2 cup oats. I add 1 1/2 cup water to toasted oats, cover, and bring to boil for 1 minute. Go to bed. Wake up and add a bit of almond milk or water, and in 5 minutes you have perfectly cooked steel cut oats.
Thanks for sharing, Lori!
I had some ‘regular cooking ‘ steel cut oats on hand and made your Morning Glory recipe. Fabulous….Our new favorite!!
Can you use quick cooking steel cut oats in your apple oats recipe?
Thank you! You can, you will need to adjust cooking time. You may also not need as much liquid. I haven’t tried that specifically so I’m not sure exact adjustments, sorry!
This recipe was amazing! I used three honey crisp and it was definitely sweet enough. I topped it with creamy peanut butter and chopped almonds, too. Thank you for an easy oat recipe that I’ll have for the rest of my week!
-Christine
You’re welcome, Christine! I love your additions. Delicious!
This oatmeal is INSANELY GOOD!!! The recipe makes enough for several days. I split it up and share it with my adult daughters. I make it with almond milk instead of water and sometimes beat in liquid egg white when it almost done to add more protein. That makes it even creamier. We add a little maple syrup, pepitas, slivered almonds, and sliced banana and/or strawberries. Absolutely DELISH!!!
Yes! Love to hear you think so too, Melodie. Thanks so much for sharing and for your review!