Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats with Fresh Apple

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

These overnight oats have a thick, cinnamon-flecked base and a generous topping of crisp apple. Unsweetened applesauce flavors the oats as they soak with milk and yogurt; fresh red-skinned apple goes on just before serving. Mix the base in about 10 minutes, then refrigerate it for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. No cooking is needed.

Ingredients for Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (80g)
• 1 cup milk, dairy or unsweetened plant milk (240g), plus more to thin if needed
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (120g)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (120g)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (20g)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus a pinch per jar for topping
• 2 teaspoons chia seeds (8g)
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 medium red-skinned apple (about 180g), cored and diced just before serving
• 4 whole cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Use two sealable, wide-mouth glass jars of about 16 ounces each. The wide openings leave room to stir the oats and add the apple topping.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

1. Mix the base: In a bowl, stir together the milk, yogurt, applesauce, maple syrup, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, chia seeds, and salt. Add the rolled oats and stir until evenly moistened.
2. Portion and chill: Divide the mixture between the jars, leaving room for stirring and topping. Seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. The oats are ready when they are softened but still discernible and the base is thick and spoonable. If they are still firm after 4 hours, chill longer.
3. Stir and adjust: Stir each jar to incorporate any separated liquid. If the oats are too thick, stir in more milk 1 tablespoon at a time until creamy but still thick enough to hold the topping.
4. Add the topping: Just before serving, core and dice the apple. Pile half onto each jar, dust with a pinch of cinnamon, and tuck two cinnamon sticks upright into each topping. Remove the whole cinnamon sticks before eating.

Why Add the Fresh Apple at Serving?

Applesauce brings apple flavor into the base during the soak. Adding diced apple at serving keeps the topping crisper; apple soaked with the oats will soften instead. Use old-fashioned rolled oats for a base with visible oat pieces. Quick or instant oats become much softer.

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Simple Swaps

Keep the oat bases sealed in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days. Stir before serving, then add the freshly diced apple, cinnamon dusting, and cinnamon-stick garnish.

For a dairy-free version, use unsweetened plant milk and plain plant-based yogurt. Yogurts vary in thickness, so adjust with a little milk after chilling if needed. To serve a portion warm, gently warm the soaked oats before adding the fresh apple and cinnamon sticks.

For another make-ahead jar breakfast, try peanut butter banana overnight oats.

Nutrition

Approximate per jar, based on 2 servings and calculated with 2% milk and plain nonfat Greek yogurt: 375 calories, 16g protein, 7g fat, and 63g carbohydrates. Approximate per 100g: 95 calories, 4g protein, 2g fat, and 16g carbohydrates. Values vary with the milk, yogurt, applesauce, and apple used; cinnamon sticks are excluded.