This Crockpot Apple Oatmeal is a set-it and forget-it breakfast that cooks entirely in the slow cooker. You can set it to cook overnight to have breakfast ready to go in the morning or let it cook on the weekend for an easy meal prepped breakfast during the week.
Table Of Contents
Crockpot Apple Oatmeal makes a great breakfast during the fall months when juicy apples are perfectly fresh and ripe. Use your favorite type of apple in this recipe (anything goes!) for a customized flavor. It's spiced with a homemade blend of apple pie seasoning: allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon to give it an amazing flavor profile.
You can add other fruits too, like dried cranberries or raisins, to make it even more filling. Or mix in a homemade slow cooker apple pie filling when serving for an even more pronounced and sweet apple flavor.
Looking for more recipes to use an abundance of orchard picked apples? Try vegan apple muffins, Instant Pot apple cider, slow cooker applesauce, apple bread and crockpot pork chops and apples, too!
Why You'll Love Slow Cooker Apple Oatmeal
- It can be prepared ahead of time and cooked overnight to make busy weekday or holiday mornings simple and stress-free.
- This recipe yields a large amount of oatmeal so it's great for meal prepping, too!
- Customize the taste with an added mix of fruits. Raisins, cranberries, currants, coconut flakes, peaches, and pears are great additions.
Ingredients
To make slow cooker apple oatmeal you need:
- 1 cup steel cut oats: do not substitute!
- 3 ½ cups milk: I prefer using a non-dairy milk such as almond milk, but any dairy milk or plant-based milk will work.
- ½ cup maple syrup: or use honey.
- 4 large apples: they should be diced or sliced, and peeled or unpeeled are both fine.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon extract: substitute with additional vanilla extract if you don't have cinnamon extract.
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground allspice
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Lightly grease the sides and bottom of the slow cooker with butter. Add all ingredients except the apples. Stir to combine.
- Layer the diced apples on top of the oatmeal. Cover the slow cooker and set to LOW for 4 hours.
- Stir apples into oatmeal when finished. Remove from the crockpot and transfer to a serving dish. Serve warm or store for up to 1 week in the fridge.
Chef's Tips
- For the oatmeal to turn out right, you must use steel cut oats - no substitutions!
- If your crockpot runs hot, use a slow cooker liner to prevent burning if you can.
How To Store Apple Oatmeal
Store oatmeal in a covered container for up to 1 week in the fridge. Avoiding freezing, as it does not freeze well.
Recipe FAQs
You'll get about 5 to 6 cups of cooked oatmeal as the recipe is written. This makes crockpot apple oatmeal great for large families, house guests, and busy holiday and school mornings when cooked overnight.
Cooking time remains the same when doubling or even tripling the recipe.
Stick to a 3 or 4 quart slow cooker. If doubling or tripling the recipe, a 6 or 8 quart slow cooker can be used.
I don't recommend cooking apple oatmeal on the high setting, as this can cause it to burn quickly.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Apple Oatmeal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oats no substitutions
- 3.5 cups milk any dairy or plant-based milk
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 4 large apples diced, peeled or unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon extract or vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Lightly grease the sides and bottom of the slow cooker with butter. Add all ingredients except the diced apples. Stir to combine.
- Layer the diced apples on top of the oatmeal. Cover the slow cooker and set to LOW for 4 hours.
- Stir apples into oatmeal when finished. Remove from the crockpot and transfer to a serving dish. Serve warm or store for up to 1 week in the fridge.
Kristina Tipps
My family loves apple cinnamon oatmeal packets so we make this our homemade version instead, especially when we go apple picking and have sooo many apples to use!