This creamy apple cinnamon steel-cut oats recipe makes a nutritious, delicious breakfast with a stovetop-and-microwave method that gets it on the table fast.
Recipe Highlights
- Servings: Makes 2 servings, and it doubles or triples easily.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Effort Required: Easy. Toast the oats, simmer, microwave the apples while you wait.
- Dietary Notes: Vegetarian, and easy to make dairy-free with a milk alternative.
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What are Steel-Cut Oats?
Steel-cut oats are whole oat groats chopped into small pieces, whereas rolled or quick oats are steamed and rolled flat. This gives them a chewy, hearty texture once cooked.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats: these are much more substantial than regular quick oats. Substitute with traditional steel-cut oats or rolled oats.*
- Water: for cooking the oats.
- Salt: adds flavour to the oatmeal.
- Apple: try Honeycrisp or SweeTango apples, or your favourite cooking apple.
- Ground Cinnamon: for warm fall flavour.
- 1% Milk: feel free to use any milk or milk alternative.
- Brown Sugar: for sweetness. Substitute with honey, maple syrup or your favourite alternative sugar. (Optional)
*I used Bob's Red Mill Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats for this recipe, but any quick-cooking steel-cut oats will work. These oats are just cut smaller than traditional steel-cut oats, so they cook quicker. If you want to use traditional steel-cut oats (or rolled oats), please follow the recommended cooking time on the package.
This recipe has not been tested with all possible substitutions or variations. Making changes may alter the taste, texture, or overall outcome. If you try a different ingredient, please share in the comments!
See the recipe card for the complete ingredient list and recipe instructions.
Variations
- Add nuts: stir in chopped pecans or walnuts for extra crunch.
- Add more spices: a pinch of nutmeg or ground ginger pairs nicely with the cinnamon.
- Make it creamier: stir in a spoonful of Greek yogurt before serving.
Why I Make This Recipe
I'm a big fan of having oats in any form for breakfast. Sometimes, I'll have a blueberry oat smoothie or homemade granola, but when I need something really hearty, I choose steel-cut oats.
I used to avoid making steel-cut oats on weekdays because it takes a while to cook, but now that I've found quick-cooking steel-cut oats, I've been able to add it to my weekday breakfast rotation.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oats
This recipe comes together quickly when you use quick-cooking steel-cut oats. If you have a microwave, you can cook your cinnamon-flavoured apples in there in about a minute.
Step 1: Toast the oats in a dry saucepan over medium heat until they smell nutty.
Step 2: Add water and salt, stir, and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Step 3: Microwave the chopped apples and cinnamon in a bowl for 1 minute.
Step 4: Spoon oatmeal into two bowls, then top with the apple cinnamon mixture, plus more milk and sugar (if desired).
Looking for more apple recipes? Try my spiced apple cider or apple pecan crisp recipes!
Tips for Success
- Stir the oats partway through cooking so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Chop the apple into small, even pieces so it cooks through in the microwave.
- Taste your oatmeal before adding sugar. I personally find that apple and cinnamon provide enough sweetness, but you may want to add sugar.
Common Questions
Yes, but rolled oats will cook much faster. Please follow the cooking time on your package rather than the timing in this recipe.
Yes. I often make a bigger batch and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, so I have breakfast for a few days. Reheat individual portions with a splash of milk to loosen up the texture.
More Breakfast Recipes You'll Love
Recipe Card
Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup quick-cooking steel-cut oats
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 medium apple, chopped into small pieces
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup milk, or milk alternative
- ¼ teaspoon brown sugar, (Optional)
Equipment
- Small Saucepan
- Medium Bowl
- Microwave, or a second small saucepan (for cooking the apples)
Instructions
- Add quick-cooking steel-cut oats to a dry small saucepan over medium heat. Toast for 2-3 minutes, or until it smells nutty.
- Add water and salt, and stir. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the oats are creamy.
- While the oats cook, combine the apples and cinnamon in a bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, stirring halfway through the cooking time.
- Remove cooked oats from heat. Divide oatmeal into 2 serving bowls.
- Top each bowl with the cooked apples with cinnamon. Add milk (and sugar, if using) and serve immediately.
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Notes
- I like Honeycrisp or SweeTango apples in this recipe, but any cooking apple you enjoy will work.
- No microwave? No problem. Cook the chopped apple and cinnamon in a small saucepan over low heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until softened.
- Feel free to swap the brown sugar for honey, maple syrup, or your favourite sweetener. Or leave it out entirely.
- I used Bob's Red Mill Quick Cooking Steel-Cut Oats for this recipe. Regular steel-cut oats and rolled oats need different cooking times, so please follow the package instructions if you use either of those products.
- Stir the oats partway through cooking so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Chop the apple into small, even pieces so it cooks through in the microwave.
- Want to switch things up? Try adding chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch, or add a pinch of nutmeg or ground ginger for more flavour. You can also stir in a spoonful of Greek yogurt for more creaminess once the oatmeal has cooked.
Please read the full blog post for all of my tips, variations, and recommendations for this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate provided as a courtesy and will vary based on the specific ingredients used. For exact values, use your preferred nutritional calculator with the products you're using.
Shareba says
I'm working on more oatmeal recipes to share on the blog soon! I hope you like the apple cinnamon oatmeal 🙂
Maria Zermeno says
Hi Sara hope your day is going well. Would it be alright if I use Old fashion Oats for this recipe that is all I have today.Hope to hear from you soon. Take Care.🙏💯💓
Shareba says
Yes, that should be fine, you may need to adjust the cooking time though. Let me know how it turns out!
Valerie Gillman says
This looks delicious and I'm glad to find quick steel cut oats. I cook them the night before but they're not as good as fresh, to me. I want to know how the heck do you measure .5 cup of anything? Or 1.5 cups water?
Thank you, Valerie G.
Shareba says
Hey Valerie, so .5 of a cup is just 1/2 cup written as a decimal. Not sure why my recipe plugin is showing the number that way, but I'll see if I can fix it. 1.5 is 1 1/2 cups. I hope this helps!
Tanya Ann Wilson says
Toasting the oats before cooking really did deepen the flavor, and I used a Pink Lady apple - it turned out delicious! Thank you again!
Tanya
Shareba says
Hi Tanya, I'm glad you found the information useful and that the recipe turned out well! Are there any recipes that you are looking for in particular? Let me know and I'll try to help!