This Salted Caramel Apple Baked Oatmeal is gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, but honestly tastes like a decadent apple cake! The recipe also includes a homemade DATE CARAMEL that is absolutely dreamy!
All you need are a few simple ingredients and about 15 minutes to chop the apples and stir everything together and WAH-LAH you have a healthy breakfast or snack prepped and ready for the next few days.
What is baked oatmeal?
Baked oatmeal is basically a muffin and oatmeal hybrid! You take all of the ingredients you would normally add to oats and bake it in the oven creating the most DELICIOUS cake/muffin-like texture.
Is this a healthy snack option?
Yes! Believe it or not, I actually prefer these for an afternoon or mid morning (pre-workout) snack! I typically love a savory breakfast like avocado toast and eggs but love a sweeter snack like this. Win, win!
Can I make this recipe vegan?
I haven’t tried this recipe with an egg substitue yet, but if you are looking to try— my guess is that flax eggs will work. To make a flax egg, simply mix 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp water and let sit in the fridge for 10 minutes. If you decide to try it out, let me know how it goes!
Does this recipe freeze well?
YES 1000%! I always freeze a few slices for a SUPER easy or breakfast later. Simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight or microwave in 15 second intervals until warm straight from the freezer.
Hope you guys love it!
PS. a tip for slicing this baked oatmeal— it holds together best when you slice it AFTER refrigerating overnight. If you can’t wait that long, at least make sure it has completely cooled from the oven before slicing.
Salted Caramel Apple Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
For the baked oatmeal
- 2.5 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or any sugar)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 2 tbsp oil (I used avocado oil)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon or apple pie spice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 apples (chopped)
For the date caramel
- 9-10 medjool dates (pitted)
- 3/4 cup milk of choice (start with less and continue to add until you reach a thick/smooth consistency)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line your baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add all ingredients except apples to a large bowl. Mix well and then stir in apples (reserving some for topping!)
- Pour into your baking dish, top with additional apples and more cinnamon.
- Bake for 45 minutes and then let cool completely.
- Once your baked oatmeal has cooled, soak dates in boiling water for 5 minutes to soften them. Next, drain the water and then add dates and milk to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and spread over baked oatmeal. Top with extra sea salt, slice, and enjoy!
I was wondering if you happen to have the nutrition information for this recipe? Thanks
Hi there! I do not include nutritonal info on my recipes as I typically try to avoid counting calories and macros. I’m sorry about that! Luckily most of my recipes should be pretty quick to plug into a nutrition calculator like my fitness pal 🙂
Did you use an 8”x8” baking dish for this recipe?
Yes 🙂 enjoy!
Any other options instead of the dates? Don’t have those and honestly don’t like them. If there is something I can substitute that would be great.
The dates are the closest thing to a caramel consistency and taste without using sugar or more ingredients. You could always mix a thick nut butter (like almond butter) with coconut oil and maple syrup. Or use date syrup in place of regular dates! Hope this helps 💕