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Prepare breakfast for the week by making this easy oat recipe in the crock pot overnight, then wake up to the delicious scent of cinnamon and apples in the morning. Made with steel cut oats, fresh apples and cinnamon this gluten free and dairy free slow cooker oatmeal will become a family favorite. Each batch of oats makes 6 servings, so this dish will last for days.
There is nothing I love more than a nice, slow morning. I like to sip my coffee, catch up on a favorite show or watch the sun rise before the world wakes up. Prepping breakfast for the week means I have more time in the morning to slow down and start my day. This oatmeal recipe is delicious, nutritious and full of fiber. Most importantly, this recipe is made with all gluten free and dairy free ingredients.
APPLES
The scent of cinnamon and apples is such a treat to wake up to. I love apples because they are a year-round fruit. Apples make delicious pies and desserts during summer holidays, but apples come in to peak season during the fall. I used my favorite Honeycrisp apples in this recipe, however any apple you like will work. Some people think granny smith apples go well in baked apple dishes because baking apples can bring out their sweetness.
OATS
There are many varieties of oats available at the grocery store. It can be overwhelming and hard to determine what type of oats to use for certain recipes. Below is a quick breakdown of the different varieties of oats and their uses.
- Steel Cut Oats: These are whole oats that have been cut into 2-3 sections. This is the heartiest type of oat you will find in the store and will take a long time to cook. Steel cut oats are best for slow cooker recipes (aka this recipe). You would not use steel cut oats for simple stove top or microwaved oats because they will take too long to cook.
- Rolled Oats: These oats are made by cooking the whole oat, then “rolling” it into a flattened flake. Rolled oats are great for baked oats, overnight oats and granola.
- Quick Oats/Instant Oats: These are rolled oats that have been processed a little longer, making them the smallest of the oat grain which allows them to cook fastest. Instant oats are what you will find in microwave oat packets.
*If you have Celiac disease you must ensure your oats are certified gluten free. While oats themselves do not contain gluten, some oats are processed on the same equipment as wheat and other grains.
INGREDIENTS:
- Steel Cut Oats (gluten free): You can buy gluten free Steel Cut Oats from the cereal section or gluten free section at the grocery store. As mentioned above, steel cut oats take longest to cook which makes them best suited for crock pot oat recipes.
- Almond Milk: I used unsweetened almond milk, however any milk of choice will work.
- Water: I know this sounds like a lot of liquid but just trust me. The oats will soak up SO much liquid and will nearly triple in size. You will be so surprised when you check your slow cooker and see the volume of oats after they have been cooked.
- Vanilla: Adds a rich depth of flavor and brings out the natural sweetness in the other ingredients.
- Diced Apples: I used honeycrisp apples because they have a very sweet and crisp flavor, however any apples you like will work. If using a more tart or bitter apple such as granny smith I recommend increasing the amount of maple syrup or brown sugar to bring out more sweetness in the apples.
- When cooking low and slow, I prefer to cut my apples into larger chunks, about ¾ inch – 1 inch. When cooking high for 4 hours, I recommend cutting the apples into ¼ – ½ inch chunks.
- Pure Maple Syrup: Used to sweeten this recipe. You can sub for equal amounts of brown sugar if preferred.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon and apples are arguably one of the best flavor pairings of all time.
- Nutmeg: Just a pinch is enough to bring out the spice flavors in this recipe.
- Salt: A pinch of salt will highlight all of the flavors.
COOKING:
Spray the inside of the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray before adding the ingredients. This will prevent the oats from sticking to the sides & bottom of the crock. This recipe can be made in just 4 hours when set to “high” in the crock pot. You can also cook on “low” for 8 hours overnight. I recommend stirring the oats at least once as the cook to make sure the bottom does not burn and to prevent a film from forming on top.
SERVING:
This oat recipe is delicious topped with nuts, nut butter, raisins, brown sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup. You can also make this recipe to include more protein by adding either a scoop of collagen, vanilla protein powder, or even mixing in egg whites. If adding collagen or protein powder to reheated oats, I recommend adding a few more tablespoons of almond milk before reheating to prevent the powder from drying out the oats.
I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite aspects of the slow cooker is that you can store the crock directly in the refrigerator. No need to use a Tupperware dish to store the leftovers. Or maybe I am just lazy? Regardless, these oats will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal (gluten free & dairy free)
Equipment
- Slow Cooker/Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups steel cut oats (gluten free)
- 2 cups almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 2 cups water (see notes)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (see notes)
- 2 apples, peeled and diced (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg
Instructions
- Spray inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine all ingredients inside slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.Stir 1-2 times if able. Add more water or milk in final cooking hours if oats seem dry.
- Serve immediately when done. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
