# Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal — a easy recipe with 5 main ingredients, ready in about 15 min and serving 2. Check which of its ingredients are on sale at grocery stores near you.

- **Time:** 15 min
- **Serves:** 2
- **Difficulty:** easy
- **Tags:** breakfast, healthy, quick, vegetarian
- **Source:** https://savingrecipes.com/recipes/apple-oatmeal

## Ingredients

- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 apples
- 2 cups milk (any kind)
- Cinnamon _(pantry staple)_
- Honey or maple syrup
- Walnuts or pecans

## Instructions

1. Simmer oats in milk with a pinch of salt, 5 min.
2. Stir in one grated apple and cinnamon; cook 2 more min.
3. Top with diced apple, nuts, and a drizzle of honey.

## Tips

- Grate one apple into the oats as they cook and dice the other for the top. The grated one melts in and sweetens the whole pot; the diced one gives texture.
- A pinch of salt is not optional. Unsalted porridge tastes flat and papery no matter how much honey goes on afterwards.
- Five minutes of simmering with occasional stirring is what makes it creamy. Two-minute oats are hydrated but not creamy — the starch needs time to release.

## Substitutions

- **Rolled oats:** Steel-cut need 20–25 minutes and more liquid but have far better texture. Instant works in 2 minutes but goes pasty. Quinoa flakes for gluten-free.
- **Milk:** Any plant milk. Water works and is what traditional porridge uses; half milk and half water is a good middle ground.
- **Apples:** Pear, banana (mashed in), or berries. Frozen fruit stirred in at the end is fine.
- **Honey:** Maple syrup for vegan, brown sugar, or nothing if the apple is sweet enough.

## Storage & reheating

Keeps 4 days refrigerated and sets into a solid block — stir in a splash of milk when reheating and it comes right back. Also good cold as overnight oats. Freezes 3 months in portions.

## Common questions

### Are oats gluten-free?

Oats themselves are, but almost all are processed alongside wheat and are cross-contaminated. If you need gluten-free, buy oats specifically labelled as such.

### Rolled, steel-cut, or instant?

Steel-cut have the best texture and take longest, rolled are the practical middle, instant are pre-cooked and go to mush. Fine when speed is everything.

### Why is my porridge gluey?

Over-stirring or too little liquid. Stir occasionally rather than constantly, and add more milk than looks right — it thickens a lot as it stands.


_Photo: Shisma — CC BY 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apple_cinnamon_oatmeal.jpg)_