These cinnamon oat baked apples are an easy and delicious fall dessert. Tender and juicy baked apples are topped with an oatmeal crumble with added pecans for crunch!
I love not only apple desserts like this and apple cobbler but also make apple pancakes for breakfast and these cinnamon apple muffins for snacks!
Table of Contents
Baked Apples with Oats
Cinnamon oat baked apples take the classic baked apple dessert to another level by adding a hearty and wholesome twist. These apples are stuffed with a mixture of toasted oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter, creating a delicious contrast of textures between the soft, baked apple and the crunchy oatmeal topping.
The combination of warm spices and nutty oats makes for a comforting and flavorful baked apple treat perfect for fall. It has a similar flavor to easy apple crisp or apple crumble and is the perfect way enjoy all the flavors of my favorite brown bag apple pie without all the calories!
Easy Baked Apples Recipe Ingredients
These baked apples with oats have all the flavors of apple cinnamon oatmeal but in a prettier package.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Apples: Gala are my favorite in this recipe, but any tart and sweet apple that holds its shape when baked will work.
- Oats: Old-fashioned oats provide a great chew to the filling.
- Cinnamon: Is it even possible to have apples without cinnamon? Not in this case. It’s just too good.
- Butter: Melted butter brings everything together.
- Greek yogurt: This gives the filling creaminess and helps bind the ingredients.
- Brown sugar: The little bit of sweetness to play off the tart apple flavor.
- Pecans (optional): These add a nice texture and nuttiness against the other ingredients. Try almonds or walnuts for a different nutty flavor.
Favorite Toppings
- caramel sauce
- vanilla ice cream
- whipped cream
- chopped pecans or walnuts
- drizzle of maple syrup or honey
- dash of cinnamon sugar
How to Make Cinnamon Oat Baked Apples
Just four steps to enjoying all the flavors of fall.
- Toast. Mix together the oats and chopped pecans with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Spread out dry ingredients in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in the oven at 350°F for about 4 to 6 minutes until golden. Then lower the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Core. Rinse and core the apples (with an apple corer or pairing knife).
- Stuff. Combine the toasted oats and pecans in a large bowl with brown sugar, yogurt, melted butter and cinnamon. Then stuff the mixture inside the cavity of each apple. Place the apples in an 8×8-inch baking dish and pour water in the bottom of the dish.
- Bake. Bake in oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the apples are tender (but not mushy). Add favorite toppings and enjoy!
Baking Tips
- Toast the oats and nuts first. Toasting the oats and nuts in the oven first for about 5 minutes really helps intensify their flavor. They also crisp up a bit more, which helps them keep their shape when mixed in with the butter, sugar and yogurt.
- Core the apples. Use an apple corer or a pairing knife to core the apples. Make sure not to cut through the bottom of the apple and also scoop out any seeds with a spoon.
- Pour water in the pan. After adding the apples with oats into the pan, make sure to pour about 1/4 cup water in the bottom of the pan. This trick keeps the bottoms of the cinnamon baked apples from burning.
- Mix up the filling: Add some dried cranberries or even chocolate chips! Try this streusel topping recipe or make baked apples with a crumble topping instead.
More apple recipes to try include crockpot applesauce, caramel apple pie bars and Dutch apple pie!
More Apple Recipes
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Cinnamon Oat Baked Apples
Ingredients
- ½ cup old-fashioned oats
- ¼ cup chopped pecans , optional
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon , plus a pinch for the oats
- 4 medium Gala apples
- 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter , melted
- ¼ cup water
- Whipped cream or ice cream , optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, stir together oats, a pinch of cinnamon, and pecans, if using. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake 4 to 6 minutes, or until golden and toasted. Remove and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
- Rinse and core the apples, making sure not to cut through the bottom. You can use an apple corer or a paring knife. Scoop out any remaining seeds with a spoon.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat mixture with brown sugar, yogurt, melted butter, and remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Spoon mixture into the cavity of each apple. Place apples in an 8×8-inch baking dish. Pour water in the bottom of dish.
- Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender but not mushy. Top with whipped cream or ice cream to serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
I used Gala apples for this recipe, however there are many other varieties that will work. You want to choose an apple that’s both sweet and tart. You also want to make sure you pick an apple who’s skin doesn’t fall apart in the oven. Some of my favorite types that will work in this recipe are Honeycrisp, Jonathans, and Melrose.
Absolutely! Simply use gluten-free oats in place of the old-fashioned oats.
I don’t see why not. Swap the butter for coconut oil and use a plant-based yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt, and you should be good to go.
Cool completely then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Reheat baked apples in the microwave until warm. The oatmeal crumble with be softer, sprinkle with additional nuts or granola for additional crunch.
Recipe adapted from Boys Ahoy.
Categorized as: American, Desserts, Fruit Desserts
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
These were so simple and delicious! Will definitely be making them again. Even my fiance went gaga over them!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for your comment and review. :)
what a fun, gorgeous way to serve this, great idea and fun to share too, thank you!
This is such a fun and amazing idea! Would love to give this a try!
Oooh, these look heavenly! These are mouth watering!
These are perfect for fall, I am loving all of your new recipes.
What a great idea for a little sweet tooth! Yum!
Absolutely love this method! Looks so good. I cannot wait to give it a try.
Hope you enjoy as much as we do! :)
I love it! I am going to try this out. Thank you for sharing this great recipe. YUM!
Hope you enjoy these as much as we do! :)
I love how easy these are to make! So perfect for fall!
They look wonderful! Can you freeze them for later?
I haven’t thought to try that! I’d be concerned about the texture of a cooked apple being frozen and defrosted, but if you warmed it up again I’d guess it would be similar to reheating a frozen apple pie. :)
I found this on Pinterest and they look so good! I’m going to try them, I’ve pinned them to my board. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, just made your baked apples for me and my boyfriend. They were delicious! Subbed Greek for fat free natural yogurt and didn’t add any apple juice but worked fine. Thanks for the recipe :)
What kind of oats would I use?
I can hardly wait to try this. It looks the best!
This is really similar to a recipe I posted last year (minus the apple juice and whipped cream). It really is the perfect warm Fall breakfast or dessert if you add a little scoop of ice cream!
You can find my recipe here if you’d like to compare: http://fishtitch.wordpress.com/?s=apples&submit=Search
Deliciouso!
Kristy – These look amazing. Love how you used greek yogurt and can’t wait to try. Thanks for sharing :)
YUM!!!!!
What can I replace the Greek yogurt by? Sounds delicious!
We have dairy allergies in our family and were planning on replacing the greek yogurt with a non-dairy yogurt. We use coconut yogurt, but soy or rice yogurt would work also.