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This apple baked oatmeal checks off all the healthy boxes: clean, refined sugar free, gluten free, and dairy free. It’s a moist, dense filling treat that is perfect for breakfast, after-school snack or even dessert!

A Healthy Fall Treat Coming Right Up

I’ll be honest—fall makes me crave warm, cozy comfort food. I’m not a bear needing extra layers for hibernation, but somehow my brain thinks a few extra pounds are totally fine until next summer.

But here’s the good news: fall comfort food doesn’t have to mean packing on “hibernation weight.” You can enjoy delicious seasonal treats without the guilt.

How I Put on the ‘Hibernation Weight’
After a stressful couple of years—selling our house in 2017-18 and adjusting to life in a new state in 2018-19—the pounds crept on. Stressful eating, sampling the treats I made for my boys… it all added up. Clothes got tighter, and it was discouraging after working so hard to lose my baby weight.

Within two years, I’d gained 30 lbs. Dressing for church felt nearly impossible—I had nothing that fit right.

Finding a Plan That Works
I tried Weight Watchers, then Keto—but neither stuck. I felt awful: lethargic, cloudy-headed, achy. It wasn’t just about weight; I didn’t want to live like that.

So I switched to clean eating—eating the foods God made: lots of fruits, veggies, beans, whole grains, and healthy fats. I cut out refined sugar, processed foods, and most dairy, watched portions, and listened to my body. No strict measuring, no complicated rules—just eating real food.

And it worked. I feel so much better, and I’m committed to this lifestyle, regardless of how quickly the weight comes off.

All the Apple-y Things: Healthy & Clean Apple Baked Oatmeal
Fall in Long Island (where I grew up) means apple picking—something my family still does with my boys. Apples always filled our pantry, and to me, they are fall.

This baked oatmeal is everything I want in a healthy fall treat: clean, refined sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free. Dense, hearty, and moist, it’s perfect for breakfast, after-school snacks, or even dessert if you want a little indulgence with ice cream or whipped cream.

 

 

I based this recipe off of a similar recipe from Kim’s Cravings, with just a few tweaks.

I had my boys help me put this together – it’s that easy, and we had a blast.  Basically, just mix all the ingredients in a bowl together, pour in a baking dish and bake. That’s it.

If you’re looking for more apple inspiration to use up those apples, or if you apples means fall to you too, here are 28 more apple recipes that are HEALTHY, CLEAN, and TASTE AMAZING.

Some Tips for Apple Baked Oatmeal

This is a super easy breakfast/snack/treat to make – there aren’t a whole lot of tips or a whole lot of ways it could go wrong. But here are a few things I found helpful:

1|The Kind of Apple You Use

There’s only 1 apple in this recipe (plus some applesauce). Depending on whether it is tart or sweet, your apple baked oatmeal can have a different flavor. I found this chart on Facebook and this may help you if you’re wondering what kind of apple to get. I used Gala because it’s my favorite and it’s what I had on hand.

2| Cooking Time

The recipe calls for 25-30 min. If you happen to like dishes that are a little more moist, start checking it around 20 or 25 minutes. Use the knife or toothpick test. There will be a little residue on the knife if you like it a little more moist. If you like it drier, you might be cooking for 30-35 minutes.

It could also depend on the baking dish you use. I used an 8 x 8 because I wanted a thicker bar type snack. If you want it thinner, your cooking time will be less.

3 | Healthy vs Healthy-Ish

You really can make this as healthy or indulgent as you want.  The recipe I have here is gluten-free, refined sugar free and dairy free. But if you aren’t too concerned about that, you can use brown sugar instead of maple syrup, regular milk, and put in whatever add-ins you want: M &M chunks, chocolate chips, sweetened coconut. You can custom make this however you want.

You can also adjust the spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, depending on your liking.

4| Get the kids involved

This is a great activity to do with your kids. This is a super-simple recipe, and it’s really just throw the ingredients together and throw it in the oven. My boys had a lot of fun doing this with me, and they were more willing to try it because they were a little more invested in it.

 

OK, let’s get on to the recipe!

Healthy, Clean Apple Baked Oatmeal Recipe: Refined Sugar Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Here’s how it turned out:

All the Healthy Fall Goodness

This was a hit with our boys. And I loved knowing I could eat it for breakfast or a snack, and it was in no way hurting me with my clean eating lifestyle. Fall is all about the yummy comfort food, but it can be healthy, too! If you’re looking for more fall treats, try these Healthy & Delicious Pumpkin Desserts – All Clean or Paleo!

If you made these any of this healthy apple baked oatmeal – or any of the other clean apple or pumpkin desserts, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag me on Instagram – @100affections.