5-minute apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe! Skip the instant oatmeal package and make your own microwave apple oatmeal in minutes.
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Hi, Rhubarbarians! Today we are sharing the perfect cold weather breakfast recipe for mega busy mornings: instant apple cinnamon oatmeal!
We made this recipe every single morning all during fall and now that the holidays are over, we are looking at it again. It's so quick, filling, healthy, and best of all, the toddler just gobbles it up.
A super quick and easy breakfast
Breakfast can be so cozy and fantastic, but we just don't always have time for special breakfast baked apples with oatmeal or orange buttermilk pancakes.
How does breakfast in 5 minutes sound? Seriously. Just 5 minutes from start to finish. That INCLUDES chopping the apple up.
There are only 6 ingredients in this oatmeal, including salt and water. Super simple, super quick.
Skip the instant oatmeal packets!
The inspiration for this hit when we fed Ellis a packet of store bought instant oatmeal and he LOVED IT. But we realized that the ingredients in the packet were ones we could easily put together at home.
It was the microwave that was making it so quick. And why feed him preservatives and freeze dried fruit when we have fresh apples on the counter?
So... we tried it out. And it worked! It took a few tests to get it right, but this one has become easily the most requested breakfast in our house to date.
More super fast oatmeal recipes:
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Choose the right apple
Realistically, any apple will work! But there are a few apples that will give you slightly different flavors and textures.
- Granny smith apples: these are often used for apple pie because they are super tart and firm and hold up to the sugar and heat very well. If you want your oatmeal on the less sweet side, go for granny smith!
- Honeycrisp apples: these are sweet and very crisp apples. But they are HUGE! If you want big chunks of apple that is still slightly firm, go for honeycrisp!
- Fuji apples: these are our favorite apples for this recipe. They are sweet and firm and we love the texture and flavor after microwaving them with the oats.
- Golden delicious apples: these are a bit less sweet than honeycrisp or fuji and are quite softer. If you want apples that will become very soft in the oatmeal, go with golden delicious!
Apple cinnamon oatmeal in the microwave
Soooooo easy. Just put all of the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes. That's it.
The apples and the oats cook together in the water and spices, so the oats and the apples become soft and full of maple cinnamon flavor. Mmmm....
Prefer the stove top?
You can make it that way too! It will take a bit longer, about 15 minutes if you use old fashioned oats. But it's a great option!
Just combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until the oats and the apples are soft. You may need to adjust the amount of water if your stove top is hot, as the water will evaporate more quickly.
5-minute apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe
Recipe
5-minute apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- ¾ cup water
- ½ medium apple, cored and diced
Instructions
- In a medium microwave safe bowl, combine all of the ingredients.
- Microwave on high for 1 ½ minutes. Stir and microwave another 30 seconds if necessary.
- Top with pecans or walnuts and milk of your choice. (optional)
Nutrition
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Betty
I cooked mine for 3 minutes total, continually adding 30 seconds after 1 and a half minutes as said. My oatmeal box says cook 2-3 min, so with different microwave powers, that’s expected. Tasty! Will make again.
Jenni LeBaron
I love how easy and simple this recipe is! This is exactly what I'm looking for in the morning, because who has time to spend a bunch of time on breakfast on a weekday?! This apple cinnamon oatmeal is quick and absolutely delicious!
debra
Homemade for the win. So much less expensive and I love to be able to control the ingredients (no sugar, yay!!). A great hack and it doesn't even add to the time. Awesome.
Gloria
I love easy and delicious breakfast options. This is perfect. In fact, I would eat this for dinner....especailly on a day I don't feel like cooking. I know my grandkids would love this too.