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Jump to Recipe | Jump to Video | Save RecipeThrow the ingredients in your slow cooker before bed and you’ll have warm overnight apple cinnamon oats ready when you wake up.
I remember when I first wrote this recipe, overnight oats were just becoming a thing and it’s interesting nearly seven years later, they are still ever-so popular.
There are so many unique “flavors” out there now and even I’ve got some:
Why slow cooker overnight apple cinnamon oats?
Well, in general, overnight oats are one of my favorite things to make because it’s so hands off.
The best way to utilize this is when you’re having overnight guests.
Everyone wakes up at different times and instead of being concerned about, “what’s for breakfast?” if you have a batch of slow cooker overnight apple cinnamon oats ready when everyone wakes up, they can serve themselves a bowl with their coffee.
It helps the entire household out and you won’t have any hangry guests or anyone rummaging through your pantry for something to tame that hunger!
Can I use another fruit?
You could but this is for apple cinnamon oats so maybe another hard fruit that compliments apples well?
Can I use regular old-fashioned oats?
Yes.
Can I use quick cook oats?
No.
I don’t have apple cider/I can’t find apple cider
You can use apple juice!
Do I have to spray the insert of my slow cooker?
Probably best idea to because otherwise everything gets all sugary caramelized and crusted on the insert and scrubbing is going to be annoying.
You can also use a slow cooker insert liner.
Can I make this in the Instant Pot?
I haven’t tried this with the pressure cooking function but the slow cooker function on the Instant Pot would work.
Is it safe to have a slow cooker run overnight?
Absolutely. People leave their slow cookers on during the day to cook their meals.
Again, freakier things have happened so I’m not liable for anything.
I kept waking up in the middle of the night from the apple cinnamon smell but it didn’t bother me – my stomach was what was bothering me! It was wanting some of that oatmeal!
I’m going to be making more varieties of this in my crockpot because of all the leftovers I get with it. I love scooping a hefty amount in Tupperware and bringing it into work for a warm breakfast. It’s filling too so I’m not starving by 11am.

Slow Cooker Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oats
Ingredients
- 3 apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 ½ cup 2% milk
- 1 cup apple cider
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup steel-cut oats, heaping
- 2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Optional garnishes: nuts,dried fruit, bananas
Instructions
- Coat the inside of your crockpot generously with cooking spray. You will NOT want to miss this step cause otherwise you will be standing over the sink scraping the little sucker.
- Add all the ingredients to the crockpot (minus the garnishes), stir, cover, and cook on low for 7 hours.
- Serve hot and with garnishes, if desired.
- To reheat: put oatmeal in microwave-safe bowl and add a splash or two of milk to re-moisten it up. Zap it for 30 seconds, take it out, stir it around, then zap for another 10-20 seconds.
Video
YOUR NOTES
NUTRITION FACTS
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Vicki
Wednesday 9th of February 2022
They turned out a mushy mess...what went wrong
Julie Chiou
Wednesday 9th of February 2022
could you please elaborate and/or be more descriptive? it's hard to diagnose general statements like that as i wasn't there with you as you made the recipe. some answers to these questions may be helpful:
1. what kind of oats did you use? 2. how much liquid did you use? 3. how long did you cook this for? 4. did you use a slow cooker or something else?
Kayla
Tuesday 2nd of February 2021
Can I make this with regular oats?
Julie Chiou
Wednesday 3rd of February 2021
yep, should be fine!
Jasmine Byron
Friday 31st of July 2020
I made this and it taste and smells like apple cider vinegar
Julie Wampler
Saturday 1st of August 2020
yes because you used apple cider vinegar, which is not called for in the recipe. apple cider is called for, which is like a juice.
Stephanie
Thursday 14th of May 2020
Apple cider?? This ingredient is putting me off slightly, can you taste it when it's cooked?
Julie Wampler
Sunday 17th of May 2020
i'm confused. you're looking at a recipe for overnight apple cinnamon oats so the predominant flavor is going to be apple, which is what is in apple cider. so yes, i would say you can definitely taste it!
Debra Hubner
Saturday 1st of February 2020
I decided to use only 2 apples because they were quite large. Also, I did not have any cider or juice on hand, so I increased the milk by a couple of ounces. I stirred in a small handful of walnut pieces, as well. My slow cooker did the job in under 6 hours. However, even though I sprayed it well, and stirred a couple of times during cooking, I stuck badly and took a long time to clean up. Still, I love this breakfast!