Made with nutritious ingredients including rolled oats, apples, raisins, and milk, this Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal is ready in minutes. Plus, it’s delicious and high in fiber.
I love how easy it is to transform an apple and rolled oats into this delicious breakfast to share with the kids. It’s naturally sweet from the fruit, easy to vary to add more nutrition or flavor, and is so easy to make—and reheat.
This recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes, is a perfect texture for a baby or toddler, and is satisfying enough for the adults in the house.
You can make it with any type of milk you enjoy, add raisins or dried cranberries, sprinkle on finely chopped nuts or seeds…it’s versatile and yummy.
Why This Recipe Works
With an easy one-pot method, you can cook up a hearty pot of naturally sweet oatmeal to share with the kids that’s rich in fiber, iron, and protein.
(You may also like my Oatmeal Bars, Baby Oatmeal, Chia Seed Oatmeal, Carrot Cake Oatmeal, and Peaches and Cream Oatmeal.)
Table of Contents
Ingredients You need
To make this Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal for a toddler breakfast or family breakfast, you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand and ready to go.
- Rolled oats: These are also called “old-fashioned oats” at the store and are sold in the cereal aisle.
- Raisins: You can use regular or golden raisins in this oatmeal. Or another dried fruit like cranberries or cherries.
- Apple: Any kind of apple works here, including Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Cortland.
- Cinnamon and vanilla extract: These ingredients complement the apple flavor nicely.
- Milk: I use whole milk, but any type of milk will work here, including nondairy options.
TIP: You can make this gluten-free with certified gluten-free rolled oats. And dairy-free if you opt for dairy-free milk.
Featured Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“All of my life, I have never liked rolled oats. I always found it to be too chewy and not comforting at all. Steel cut oats was my go to. Your recipe changed that completely. I now make this for my three year year-old, who loves it. My husband and I love it!” —Linda
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at how to make this simple Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and the process involved. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe, including the amounts and timing.
Step 1. Grate the apple on a handheld grater or box grater. This helps the apple cook really fast.
Step 2. Heat water in a pot and add the apple, oats, and spices.
Step 3. Cook, stirring often, until the oats are softened and the water is absorbed.
Step 4. Remove from heat. Stir in the milk and add optional toppings and serve warm.
TIP: This is easy to reheat, so you can make a bigger batch and serve it throughout the week if you want.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any type of apple that has good flavor and that you have on hand. It works with all types! I usually leave the skin on since it grates up into small pieces.
We often stir in a few tablespoons of hemp seeds (which really don’t have much texture or flavor, but they do have protein, fiber, and healthy fats), chia seeds, or nut or seed butter. You can also serve this with a dollop of Greek yogurt (or chopped nuts for older kids).
Sure, you can swap them in or check out my Instant Oatmeal recipe.
Sure! To make one toddler-size serving in the microwave, add ¼ cup rolled oats, ½ cup water, a dash of cinnamon, a dash of vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons raisins, and about 2 tablespoons grated apple (or applesauce if it’s easier!) to a heat safe bowl or measuring cup.
Cover with waxed paper and cook in 30 second increments, stopping to stir in between, for about 90 seconds or until the water is mostly absorbed and the oats are soft. Add a little milk to serve.
Serving Suggestions
To help toddlers enjoy oatmeal, make sure it tastes really good and make it regularly so it’s familiar. Avoid pressuring them too much, serve very small servings to start, and let them add their own toppings to personalize their bowl.
If my oldest didn’t want oatmeal, she almost always came around if we offered peanut butter (or sprinkles!) or some Sauteed Apples (shown above) on top.
And let it be okay for them to eat it with their hands if needed. When my kids were young and still learning to use a spoon, I would load up their spoon for them and hand it over so they could put it into their mouths.
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How to Store
To store, place Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal into an airtight container in the fridge and then warm individual servings as needed for about 30 seconds in the microwave.
Best Tips for Success
- Grate the apple with the peel on to add nutrients.
- Lower the heat and add a little additional liquid if the oatmeal sticks to the pan at any point.
- Top with protein-rich nut or seed butter.
- Stir in hemp seeds, flax seeds, or chia seeds to add fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
- An older baby eating finger foods can eat this with their hands. A kiddo learning to use a spoon can be handed preloaded spoons so they can feed themselves with your help.
Related Recipes
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I’d love to know what your family thinks of this recipe if you try it, so please comment below!
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 apple (grated; about ½ cup)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup raisins (or dried cranberries)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- Optional toppings: nut or seed butter, honey, hemp seeds, chia seeds
Instructions
- Heat 1½ cups water in a medium pot over high heat.
- When it’s almost about to boil, lower to medium low and add all ingredients except the milk and optional toppings. Cook, stirring often, until the oats are softened and the water is absorbed, about 8-10 minutes.
- Put the lid on, remove from heat, and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and add optional toppings and serve warm.
Equipment
Notes
- If you have leftovers, try storing them in an airtight container overnight, then mixing them with plain whole milk yogurt the next day for a quick take on overnight oats.
- If you need to cook gluten-free, simply choose certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- To make this dairy-free, use your favorite nondairy milk.
- Grate the apple with the peel on to add nutrients.
- Lower the heat and add a little additional liquid if the oatmeal sticks to the pan at any point.
- Top with protein-rich nut or seed butter.
- Stir in hemp seeds, flax seeds, or chia seeds to add fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
- To store, place into an airtight container in the fridge and then warm individual servings as needed for about 30 seconds in the microwave.
- An older baby eating finger foods can eat this with their hands. A kiddo learning to use a spoon can be handed preloaded spoons so they can feed themselves with your help.
Nutrition
This post was first published July 2017.
I don’t understand how to save a recipe to the recipe collection. I’d like to save this one to my favorites but I don’t see a save button or way to add recipes from the collection side either
You can do it from your Recipe Collections page: https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/recipe-collections/. Make sure you are logged in, then you can click the little plus on the right side and make a “saved recipes” collection if there’s not one there already. Then you can search and find the recipe. Going in this way will trigger the functionality to turn your saved recipes into shopping lists or meal plans.
I was disappointed with this recipe. It turned out watery and I think I preferred the consistency before adding milk to the mixture.
Oh no! You can simply let it sit for a few more minutes and it should absorb more of the milk.
Simple and good
Is it possible to swap the grated apple for applesauce for easier clean up and faster prep?
All of my life, I have never liked rolled oats. I always found it to be too chewy and not comforting at all. Steel cut oats was my go to. Your recipe changed that completely. I now make this for my three year year-old, who loves it. My husband and I love it! This is become a staple in our home, and I love the fact that it gives my child the opportunity to eat more apples, and get more fiber through oatmeal in his diet. Thank you so much!
I used this recipe for my 10 year old and he’s learned to love his oatmeal again. Yay!!
I want to double this recipe – will that change the volume of water I need to boil in the first step? Thank you!
Yes, if you double the ingredients, double the water.
Delicious