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Prepare breakfast before you go to bed so you can wake up to the warmth of this crockpot apple cinnamon oatmeal! It’s an overnight steel cut oatmeal recipe that makes your morning easier!
Hallelujah! The sun is shining! Which means, hopefully, that nasty snow will go away as quick as it came and I can get back to fall. I guess it’s somewhat whimsical when you think about it – a brief introduction to winter!
So, since I’m pushing winter to the back of my brain and focusing on FALL, what’s more fall than an apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe!?
I hadn’t tried an oatmeal recipe in my crockpot for a year or so, which is CRAZY because it’s basically the answer to my easy breakfast dreams! It’s literally breakfast, ready, as soon as you wake up. Warm and comforting and ready to go!
Oh, and the smell of this glorious oatmeal in the morning is almost better than the taste! Who wouldn’t want to wake up to that? Crazy people. That’s who.
How do you make crockpot oatmeal?
As with the majority of my recipes, this crockpot apple cinnamon oatmeal is SO easy. The night before, combine steel cut oats, chopped apples, cinnamon, maple syrup and a bit of butter with vanilla almond milk. You can absolutely substitute the almond milk for regular dairy milk or even coconut milk if you’d like.
Are you wondering about the parchment paper?
I started doing this little trick recently and it’s the best thing! Line your crockpot with parchment paper so that you literally have no clean-up!! ACTUALLY no clean-up! Just remove the parchment and you’re good to go!
Do you have to use steel cut oatmeal?
Absolutely, yes! Steel cut oats are meant to take the longest to cook so they’re perfect for an overnight oatmeal like this. Quick oats or rolled oats would get way too mushy if they spent that much time in the crockpot. You gotta get steel cut!
Is steel-cut oatmeal healthy for you?
According to this article from Bob’s Red Mill, steel-cut oats are the least processed variety of oats you can buy, so they do contain more fiber and density than rolled oats or quick oats. Nutritionally, they are very similar in their makeup.
Personally, I’m a fan of all oats! For this recipe, however, I can’t stress it enough. You need to use steel cut!
How long do you cook oats in the crockpot?
The best amount of time for this recipe would be about 7-8 hours. Any longer than that, and the oatmeal will start to get a bit mushy. I usually dump everything into the crockpot a few hours before bedtime – because who wants to dice apples right before bed – and then I turn it on just as I go to sleep. Be sure to turn it to low!
There will be enough to feed about 4 of you, unless one of you is a pint-sized oatmeal destroyer like Hattie. Then there will be enough to feed maybe 3 😉
Get that crockpot out. It’s the season for it! (Snow or not).
If apple cinnamon isn’t your thing, I’ve got TONS of different oatmeal options for you to try out!
- banana bread baked oatmeal
- almond java breakfast bulgur
- lemon poppy seed overnight oats
- eggnog baked oatmeal
Crockpot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
- Total Time: 8 hours
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Prepare breakfast before you go to bed so you can wake up to the warmth of this crockpot apple cinnamon oatmeal! It’s an overnight steel cut oatmeal recipe that makes your morning easier!
Ingredients
- 2 large apples, diced (any kind)
- 1 1/2 cups steel cut oats
- 4 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk*
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Line a 3-4 quart crockpot with parchment paper,** or spray with non-stick spray. Combine all of the ingredients into crockpot and give it a stir, ensuring the oats and apple pieces are covered by the milk. Turn the crockpot to LOW and cook for 7-8 hours
- Before serving, give the mixture a stir. Dish into bowls and top with additional syrup, honey or apple pieces. Enjoy!
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 2-3 days. I would add a bit of extra milk before re-heating.
Notes
*Vanilla almond milk tastes the best in this recipe. You can also use regular almond milk or regular dairy milk!
**As per my post above, lining the crockpot will make your life SO much easier in terms of cleanup!!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 7-8 hours
SO YUMMY! If ever there was a recipe to make me run out and buy a crockpot it’s this one. I’ll never have enough ways to enjoy oatmeal–I eat it almost as much as I eat chocolate, and that’s a lot :). This looks amazing, Katherine!
Ooh you need a crockpot Kelsie!! It makes breakfast so easy! Haha, I eat a lot of chocolate too, Kelsie. And oatmeal! Hmm maybe we need a bit of chocolate with our oatmeal!? Thanks friend!
Mmm…what could be better than hot oatmeal with apples, maple, and cinnamon on a cold dark fall morning? Probably nothing (Except a situation you don’t need to leave the bed haha). I hope you weather has improved, and you won’t see any snow for a while (Because the snow before Thanksgiving is…rude, right?)
Guess what, Ben? We’re going to see snow again tomorrow!! Haha thankfully the first stuff melted, so this will hopefully melt quickly too! Thank you!
I’ve been meaning to make oatmeal in my slow cooker, and now I know what recipe to start with! And yes, apple cinnamon is an essential fall flavour. I can almost smell this cooking in my kitchen as I drag my butt out of bed! 😉
Mmm yes, it definitely is a terrific smell to wake up to, Leanne! Thanks my friend! I hope you give it a try!
Breakfast ready as soon as I wake up? Yep! I’m totally down with that! Both hubby and I love steel cut oats so this is right up our alley. I can only imagine how lovely this smells too! Pinned 🙂 Happy weekend ahead! XO
THE BEST. No hustling around trying to get breakfast ready! Thanks Dawn – you won’t regret it!! XO
Loving your tip about the parchment paper! I hate cleaning our crock pot after prolonged use, so very much appreciate it. And vanilla almond milk is a favorite of mine:) Great fall breakfast recipe. Pinned!
I HATE cleaning the crockpot too, especially the hard crusty bits that get burned onto the side. The no-fuss cleanup with parchment paper is the best! Thank you Milena! It’s definitely a great fall recipe!
Absolutely perfect comfort breakfast for the season ! Thank you Kath 🙂
Yay! It definitely is. Thank you!
I looove breakfast and this looks like heaven to me! A perfect fall recipe – thanks so much for sharing, Katherine!
Thank you Katerina!! It’s a very easy recipe!
Mmmm I loooove oatmeal!! And I love having breakfast already made for me when I wake up in the morning!! I will definitely have to try this! And definitely will be using you trip about lining the crockpot with parchment paper first! Totally genius!!
Thanks Kelly!! I LOVE oatmeal too. We nearly eat it every morning. The parchment paper is the BEST trick! Thanks my friend!
I’m a HUGE oatmeal fan Katherine! I bet the apples and cinnamon make the smell intoxicating when you wake up. Absolutely brilliant my friend!!!
The smell is absolutely amazing when you wake up!! I run to the kitchen, haha! Thank you Tasia!
I absolutely love making steel cut oats in the slow cooker. Waking up to a hot breakfast that smells like apple pie is a great way to start the day! These look wonderful!
Is there anything better than the smell of apple pie!? Thank you Marcie!!!
Katherine, what a brilliant way to make breakfast oatmeal! It must smell amazing as you’re waking up in the morning – like a little kitchen fairy has gotten up early to make a warm breakfast you!
Thanks Kelly!! I LOVE the idea of a kitchen fairy, haha! How do I get one of those? 😉