Move aside summer! It’s not even September yet, but apple season is at our doorstep and this Stovetop Caramel Apple Oatmeal is the perfect way to put the early fall season’s bounty to work! Cooler nights mean that a warm, comforting bowl of oatmeal is the perfect breakfast for crisp, almost-fall mornings. This is one of those recipes that you can easily meal prep ahead of time too!

Cook Oatmeal with the Perfect Texture

When cooking oatmeal on the stovetop, the rules to getting just the right texture are a little different than when you whip up your favorite overnight oats! Here are some tips I learned the hard way:

• Don’t cook the oats in milk – While it would stand to reason that oats cooked in milk are creamier and tastier, the reality is that you just end up with super thick and gluey oats that way. Plus you run the risk of scorching the milk if you don’t stir constantly. Instead…
• …add milk after cooking – A splash of your favorite milk added after cooking will do the trick for creamy and tasty oats. Add it while they’re warm and it’ll soak into the oats and get to that creamy texture you’re after.
• Cook according to package directions – Boring, I know. But the package directions will get you the best texture for that brand and style of oats. After bringing your water and salt to a boil, add the oats (and a cinnamon stick) and lower the heat to low or medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Caramel Apple Oatmeal at home:

• Rolled oats – Also called old fashioned oats, rolled oats are not interchangeable with steel cut oats or quick cooking oats. I love rolled oats because they still have some chew after cooking. Steel cut oats could be used for this recipe, but you’ll have to follow the package directions for how to cook them, then add in the other ingredients as listed in the recipe below.
• Water – Yep, you’ll need it for cooking the oats!
• Milk – Add a splash of your favorite milk after cooking the oats in water to make them really creamy and delicious.
• Apple butter – It’s almost guaranteed that you’ll find this popping up in farmers markets everywhere soon, but if you can’t find it there, most grocery stores sell it too. There’s not really a good substitute for it but you could use applesauce in a pinch. Unlike applesauce, apple butter is thick, dark, sweet, and has plenty of warming spices like cinnamon.
• Maple extract – If you can get your hands on maple extract, it’s a great way to build those fall flavors we love. Vanilla extract works too.
• Spices – I used a combo of apple pie spice and a cinnamon stick to get those fall spice flavors really revving in this oatmeal.

For the “caramel” apple topping:

• Apples – Firm but sweet-tart apples like Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples hold up well when cooking down or caramelizing them, plus they’ve got the right amount of sweetness without having to be drenched in sugar.
• Brown sugar – We’re using just enough brown sugar to help get a syrup going in the pan. Light or dark will work fine, but I don’t recommend using granulated sugar unless you’re all out of brown sugar. Coconut sugar would be a better substitute.
• Butter – Salted or unsalted will do the trick here.
• Lemon juice – Most importantly, the lemon juice helps prevent the apples from browning but it also brings a little pop of brightness.
• Apple pie spice – Keep building those warming spice flavors in the apples too!

tips for

Caramelizing Apple Slices

I didn’t quite get the technique right until my second or third attempt at this, not that you can tell from the photo (from my 1st attempt). Anywho, here’s what I learned works best:

• Once you add the apples to the buttered skillet and sprinkle brown sugar over top, don’t disturb them for a few minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn, but resist the urge to mix them.
• Once the apples begin to lightly brown around the edges, mix everything together, allowing the syrup to come to a boil.
• Cook for another 3-5 minutes until the apples are tender.

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Caramel Apple Oatmeal

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

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Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

Oatmeal

• ▢ 2 cups rolled oats, (162 grams)
• ▢ 4 cups water, (32 fl oz)
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups Fairlife Lactose Free Fat Free Ultra Filtered Milk, (12 fl oz)
• ▢ 1/2 cup apple butter, (4 fl oz)
• ▢ 2 tsp maple extract
• ▢ 1 tsp apple pie spice
• ▢ 1 cinnamon stick
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ Optional: caramel for drizzling and flakey sea salt

Caramelized Apples

• ▢ 3 small Honeycrisp apples, (386 grams yield)
• ▢ 3 tbsp brown sugar, (41 grams)
• ▢ 2 tbsp butter, (29 grams)
• ▢ 1 tbsp lemon juice, (0.5 fl oz)
• ▢ 1/4 tsp apple pie spice

Instructions

Caramelize the Apples.

• Core the apples and slice them into thin slices. Toss apple slices with lemon juice to prevent browning and set aside.
• Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add butter, stirring until melted and bubbly, then add apple slices and distribute evenly in the skillet, in a single layer if possible. Sprinkle with apple pie spice and brown sugar.
• Cook apples for 3-5 minutes without stirring, then toss to coat apples evenly with sauce. Continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes or until apples are tender and sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Set aside.

Make the Oatmeal.

• In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat to a simmer and add the oats and cinnamon stick. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove oatmeal from heat and stir in milk, apple butter, maple extract, and apple pie spice. The oats will thicken and absorb the milk as they rest and cool.
• Serve oatmeal with caramelized apples. If desired, top with a drizzle of caramel, a dollop of whipped cream, chopped pecans, and flakey sea salt.

Tips & Tricks

• Yield: The oatmeal recipe yields 6 cups, so there is 1 cup oatmeal per serving, plus about 1/2 cup of apples with sauce.
• Nutrition: Scan the barcode below or search for “Peanut Butter and Fitness Caramel Apple Oatmeal” to log this food in My Fitness Pal.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1.5cups, Calories: 256kcal (13%), Carbohydrates: 46g (15%), Protein: 7g (14%), Fat: 6g (9%), Saturated Fat: 3g (19%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 12mg (4%), Sodium: 228mg (10%), Potassium: 208mg (6%), Fiber: 5g (21%), Sugar: 24g (27%)