Baked Oatmeal made with apples, pecans, and cranberries is a delicious and comforting breakfast casserole! This easy recipe is perfect for the holidays and will surely become a new fall and winter favorite.
Baked Oatmeal is loaded with juicy apple slices, crunchy pecans, and sweet craisins. This wholesome dish is so creamy and has a consistency similar to bread pudding. What I love about this oatmeal breakfast casserole is that it can be modified to your family’s preferences and dietary needs so that everyone can enjoy it.
Oatmeal is one of my go-breakfasts in the morning. It’s filling, comforting, and easy to make. This baked apple cinnamon oatmeal is perfect to feed a crowd and you can adapt the recipe to fit your dietary needs. It can be made ahead and reheated which makes it a great choice for busy holiday mornings!
This recipe is pretty forgiving so feel free to use any milk you like or substitute the cranberries for your favorite fruit. I also love this baked oatmeal recipe with walnuts instead of pecans but if you can’t have nuts eliminating them is ok too.
How to make baked oatmeal
Making baked oatmeal is super easy and the best thing is you can make it ahead and reheat it. This recipe is decadent and special enough for a holiday breakfast but easy enough for every day. I like to make a few modifications to make it healthier for “normal” days.
How to make baked oatmeal healthy?
You can make this baked oatmeal healthier by reducing the brown sugar or leaving it out. Feel free to use any milk you like, non-dairy milk works too. You can also use coconut oil instead of butter to make it dairy-free.
How long is baked oatmeal good for?
You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. This would also make a great breakfast to prepare ahead for the whole week. You can make this baked oatmeal in individual ramekins (bake for about 20 minutes) and store them in the fridge. It tastes delicious cold from the fridge but you can also reheat it in a 300°F oven for about 15 – 20 minutes until heated through or put it in the microwave.
Can I make baked oatmeal ahead of time?
Yes, this baked oatmeal can be made the night before! Let it cool, then cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. You can reheat it but it also tastes great cold out of the refrigerator.
Looking for more Holiday Breakfast Recipes?
- Pumpkin Spice Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
You can find all my breakfast recipes here.
Tools used for making this recipe
Oats: Old-fashioned oats like these or steel cut oats work best for this recipe! These are my go-to oats, this brand also sells gluten-free oats.
Maple Syrup: This maple syrup has great reviews and is so versatile. I always buy the big bottles because I use it so much.
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Baked Oatmeal with Apples, Pecans, and Cranberries
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats, (280g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, (50g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups milk, of your choice (480ml)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ cup pecans, chopped (60g)
- ½ cup dried cranberries, (60g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C) and grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine eggs, milk, vanilla extract, melted butter, and maple syrup.
- In another bowl, combine oats, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the milk mixture together with the diced apples, pecans, and cranberries. Stir until combined.
- Transfer to the greased baking dish and bake for about 45-50 minutes, until set and golden brown on top.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Rob Bob says
This recipe was AWESOME!!!!!!!!! I made it with my mom and it was super simple and easy to make.
Loretta says
I’d like to make this recipe slightly larger—3 qt casserole. What modifications would I need to make?
Debbie says
How much applesauce or bananas for the egg substitute. Our 11 month old granddaughter is allergic eggs. . Ty
Julia Foerster says
I haven’t tested this recipe without eggs or an egg substitute, so I can’t really help. But I would use 2 flax eggs as an egg substitute.
Teresa Martins says
Made this for my bf this morning and it was awesome. I didn’t have nuts but it was still good!
Mary k Coaston says
Can I use quick oats
Diana says
I love this oatmeal! It is delicious and freezes well.
Danielle says
pretty simple and easy recipe to make. I will definitely be making it again
Becky says
OMG! I made this today and just dug in for my 3rd spoonful from the pan. I didn’t have craisins so used raisins, used a brown sugar substitute and did not peel my apples. Can’t wait for breakfast tomorrow!
Colleen says
How do I store my leftovers of this?
Julia Foerster says
Let it cool, then cover the pan with plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge. You can reheat it but it also tastes great cold out of the refrigerator.
Marianne says
Very good, especially the next day. Will definitely make again!!
Mary says
What is the serving size for 398 cal? It doesn’t say serving #s either to guesstimate.
Julia Foerster says
You can find the number of servings in the recipe card below the image. This recipe makes six servings.
Julie says
Hi Julia, this recipe looks and sounds delicious. I can’t wait to make it. Thanks for sharing.
Carolyne says
What would be a good egg substitution? Bananas? Apple sauce?
Julia says
Sorry, I’m no help here, I never replaced the eggs in this recipe. Perhaps flax eggs might work, but I don’t have any experience with that.
Pamela Cuneo says
Has anyone tried substituting fresh cranberries fir the dried cranberries?
Julia says
Using fresh cranberries is a great idea, Pamela! I would just chop them roughly before adding them.
jan says
Could you put everything tpogether the night before and bake in the AM?
Julia says
I recommend to assemble and bake it the night before and then reheat it the next morning.
Kay Campbell says
What is the best way to reheat it? Should I microwave individual servings or slide it all in the oven, covered or uncovered, and at what temperature?
Julia Foerster says
I usually microwave individual servings. But if you want to reheat the whole thing I would recommend covering it with aluminum foil and putting it in a 350 F preheated oven for about 20 min or until heated through.
Carolyn says
Second time I’m making this, both times I’ve omitted the syrup. First time I made it I used raisins instead of cranberries. It was delicious. This time I’m using cranberries and will decide which one I like best. This is a keeper!
Rita says
My husband said it was a keeper. Omitted the syrup and only used 1/4 c cranberries.
Noreen says
Too bad there is so much sugar in it – I am diabetic and love oatmeal. Could you make this without all the sweeteners?
Lynne says
I am diabetic and just used monkfruit.
Beth says
This is perfect for cold mornings. Everyone loved it and already asking when I can make it again. Thank you for this great recipe!
Jessica says
I love how this can feed a crowd, we always have guests for the holidays and I struggle with breakfasts for everyone.
Mrs Major Hoff says
I’m crazy for cranberries! What a perfect dish for a hectic morning!