Oatmeal has been one of my favorite budget ingredients since day one. It’s super inexpensive, shelf-stable, and can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Not to mention, a warm bowl of oatmeal is just the epitome of cozy. 🥰 This Autumn Fruit and Nut Oatmeal is one of the first flavored oatmeal I made back in the day when I was flat broke but knew I still needed to put something good in my belly. You can make one serving at a time, or make a batch of two as listed below and just microwave the second half for your breakfast the next morning (or share with someone you love). Enjoy!
Originally posted 10-29-2010, updated 10-7-2021.
What Kind of Oats are Best?
My favorite kind of oats to use for a classic bowl of oatmeal are old-fashioned rolled oats. These oats have plenty of texture so you don’t end up with a bowl of mush, and they still cook relatively quickly (about 5 minutes). You can use quick oats if you have to, but you’ll want to adjust the cooking time according to what is suggested on the package and keep in mind that the texture won’t be as great. You could definitely do something similar with steel-cut oats, although they require a much longer cooking time and more liquid, so adjust as needed.
Sweeten to Your Liking
I used a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup to sweeten my Autumn Fruit and Nut Oatmeal because that maple flavor adds to the whole autumn vibe. But real maple syrup can be expensive, so if you want to cut the costs on this bowl a bit, try using brown sugar instead. Brown sugar still goes great with all the flavors in this bowl and is much less expensive. Feel free to swap out with any sweetener of your choice, keeping in mind the flavor differences from maple syrup.
How to Store Leftovers of Autumn Fruit and Nut Oatmeal
The batch below makes two servings, so if you want to save the second serving for the next day, I would refrigerate it before adding the second half of the apples and the walnuts. Add those after reheating the next day. To reheat, simply microwave for 1-2 minutes, adding a splash of water to help loosen the oatmeal as you stir. Once reheated, top with the apples and walnuts, then enjoy.
Can I Use a Microwave?
Yes, you can definitely make this in a microwave. I suggest making one serving at a time (half of the recipe below). Simply add the butter, apples, cinnamon, cloves, oats, salt, water, and cranberries to a bowl. Microwave on high for one minute, stir, then microwave again in 30-second intervals until thickened. Sweeten with maple syrup, then top with the walnuts and remaining apples.
Autumn Fruit and Nut Oatmeal
Servings 2 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1 apple ($0.41)
- 1 tsp butter ($0.04)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.05)
- 1 pinch cloves (optional) ($0.01)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats ($0.18)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 2 Tbsp dried cranberries ($0.22)
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts ($0.30)
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup ($0.60)
Instructions
- Chop the apple into ½-inch pieces. Add about ¾ of the apple pieces to a small saucepot with the butter, cinnamon, and cloves. Sauté over medium heat for a few minutes, or just until the apples begin to soften.
- Add the water to the pot. Place a lid on top, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the water to come up to a boil.
- Once the water reaches a boil, stir in the oats, dried cranberries, and salt. Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to simmer the oats for about 5 minutes, or until thickened.
- When the oats have thickened, stir in the chopped walnuts and maple syrup. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your liking. Top with the remaining chopped apples. Serve hot.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Nutrition
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How to Make Autumn Fruit and Nut Oatmeal – Step by Step Photos
Chop one apple into ½-inch sized pieces.
Add about ¾ of the apple pieces to a sauce pot with 1 tsp butter, ½ tsp cinnamon, and a tiny pinch of cloves (optional). Sauté over medium just until they begin to soften (just a few minutes).
Next, add 2 cups of water to the pot. Place a lid on top, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the water to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, add 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 2 Tbsp dried cranberries, and 1/4 tsp salt. Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to simmer the oats for about five minutes, or until thickened.
Once the oats have thickened, add ¼ cup chopped walnuts and 2 Tbsp maple syrup (or sweeten to your liking with your favorite sweetener).
Divide into two bowls and top with the remaining chopped apples. Enjoy!
I love this oatmeal! I’ve been making it on repeat. One question: is it supposed to be a tablespoon of butter, not a teaspoon? I made it with a tablespoon and it was great. Just curious. I’ve never seen butter measured in teaspoons before.
Yes, it is a teaspoon. Just cut a tablespoon into thirds, and use one third. It’s just for cooking down the apples. Though, I would totally use more, BECAUSE BUTTER. XOXO -Monti
This is the best oatmeal I’ve ever had.
I love the site and this recipe did not disappoint!
Will try this recipe like everything in it
This tasted great. I found it a little too much prep for the morning, but worth it. I decided I couldn’t just leave the uncooked apples waiting if I only made one serving, so I threw them in the pot. It certainly won’t hurt the taste, in fact intensify it, and no brown apples.
I like reading your recipes and your comments. But I think these days you need to update your costs.
When I update a recipe, like this one, I use the current cost of the ingredients I used. :)
Darn it, sorry, accidentally replied to another comment. This looks really good, I bet it’d be great stuffed in poached pears for a fancy breakfast!
A perfect autumn Sunday morning breakfast. Makes the house smell lovely. Thank you!
This was so heart warming. Loved digging into it this morning for breakfast. Even the kids approved of it.
Based on the microwave time, I used quick oats (as opposed to rolled oats). This made a giant bowl and was super filling. Thank you!
Can this be made ahead like the Heat and Eat.
That should work. :)
This oatmeal stuffed into a poached pear would make such a sublime breakfast. 😋
Do you think this would work uncooked as a muesli? I find I don’t really enjoy cooked oats but do enjoy uncooked.
Thanks!
Yes, absolutely. I love uncooked oats, too. :)
Beth, this is delicious. I love your baked oatmeal dishes and was wondering if this one could be converted to a baked dish?
Hi there! Great post (and healthy eating inspiration!). I’m the health and fitness blogger for Glamour magazine. Will be linking to this post tomorrow. Will give you credit for the photo and send some traffic your way. Thanks much!
My husband has high cholesterol and you needn’t quit your eggs, just moderate. BUT oatmeal on a daily basis, either straight up, soaked overnight in yogurt or milk, or put in a smoothie took his cholesterol into normal levels. So eat up!
Hey Beth,
I totally feel you about the cholesterol thing, but I have some great news: egg substitute doesn’t have cholesterol, so you can use it to make your beloved breakfast sandwiches (I also recommend frittas with your favorite vegetables) OR you can kick egg products altogether and have a savory oatmeal. Think of oatmeal like rice, grits/polenta, and maybe even pasta and toss with your favorite ingredients. Last week I had oatmeal with broccoli florets, a handful of fat free mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkle of Tony’s — YUM! I found that Chowhound has a whole thread on savory oatmeal, and I’m sure you can find even more across the Web. Hope this helps, and don’t be down — you rock and will get your cholesterol under control!
Maura
P.S. I eat a sweet version of oatmeal 99 percent of the time and basically just use a variation of your process above with whatever fruit I have on hand: golden raisins and bananas with or without walnuts are good, blueberries without the cinnamon are also divine.