Nothing says fall like this homemade caramel apple oatmeal! Start with a hot bowl of oatmeal, then top it off with freshly chopped apples, walnuts, and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
As soon as October rolls around each year, you can usually find me eating this caramel apple oatmeal every. single. morning.
This year, I leveled things up by topping this oatmeal with my homemade caramel sauce, and oh man, it seriously took things to the next level! I knew I had to share the recipe with you as soon as possible.
Enough talking — let me show you how to make this oatmeal!
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Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
Caramel and apple delight. When I was a kid, I couldn't get enough of those caramel apples — anyone else with me? This oatmeal feels like the grown-up version of that delicious snack!
Minimal ingredients. You only need a few ingredients to make this oatmeal, and it's really easy to whip up on a busy weekday morning. Plus, you can easily substitute in other ingredients if you're missing something.
Wholesome but indulgent. I love eating oatmeal because it keeps me full for several hours. And with this recipe, you'll be getting those great nutrients from the oats, apples, and nuts, but you also get to indulge a little bit with the caramel. Now that's my kind of balanced breakfast!
Tips for Making This Oatmeal
Use milk for creamy oats. Personally, I always like to make oatmeal with milk to get that delicious, creamy flavor. For a lighter version, you could try using ½ milk and ½ water.
Don't stir too much while it's cooking. Too much stirring can lead to mushy oatmeal, so it's best to only stir occasionally. I like to stir just to redistribute the oats and make sure nothing burns on the bottom of the pot.
Make the caramel sauce from scratch for maximum deliciousness. I whipped up a big batch of my homemade caramel sauce and used that to make this oatmeal. It's really easy to make, and that post has step-by-step videos that will help you become an expert at making caramel. But if you're not feeling up to it, you can always buy store-bought caramel sauce and use that instead.
Common Questions About This Oatmeal
I personally prefer to make oatmeal with milk! I'll usually use whole milk or oat milk. You could always do ½ milk and ½ water if you want to lighten it up a bit.
I prefer to use old-fashioned oats when making oatmeal, so that's what I used for this recipe. However, any other type of oats should also work well in this recipe.
Absolutely — you can use the 'Scale' button in the recipe card to double or triple the recipe. The recipe listed below only yields one serving, so you will want to do that if you're serving a crowd.
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Caramel Apple Oatmeal
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 bowl 1x
Description
Nothing says fall like this homemade caramel apple oatmeal! Start with a hot bowl of oatmeal, then top it off with freshly chopped apples, walnuts, and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (45g) old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup milk or water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ apple, chopped (I used Granny Smith)
- ¼ cup (28g) walnuts, chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the old-fashioned oats, milk or water, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until you reach your desired consistency for the oatmeal (usually about 3-5 minutes).
- Transfer the oatmeal to a bowl and top with the chopped apples, walnuts, and caramel sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Oats: I used old-fashioned oats for this oatmeal, but any other type of oats should also work well in this recipe.
- Sweetness Level: I purposefully didn't add a sweetener to the oats since the caramel sauce adds that touch of sweetness. However, you can add some sugar, maple syrup, or whatever you'd like to the oats as they're cooking to increase the sweetness level.
- Apples: Granny Smith apples work great in this recipe because they pair so well with caramel, but you can use whatever type of apple you'd like.
- Nuts: Feel free to leave the walnuts out of this recipe if you'd prefer, or you can swap them for a different type of nut.
- Caramel Sauce: I whipped up a big batch of my homemade caramel sauce and used that to make this oatmeal. However, you can opt for a store-bought version if you'd prefer.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: American
I had a jar of caramel sauce sitting around, so I was searching for some recipes to use it up, and I'm SO glad I found this one. This oatmeal was easy to make and so delicious. Perfect for fall!!
It's one of my favorite fall breakfasts for sure! So glad to hear you enjoyed the oatmeal, Ophelia.