Caramelized Apple and Fig Oatmeal

Caramelized apple oatmeal with figs is a hearty, healthy breakfast perfect for warming up a chilly fall morning. Syrupy stovetop caramelized apples, fresh figs, and a bowl of tender oats is the perfect way to get your day started.

I am so happy to be sharing this caramelized apple oatmeal today. It’s honestly a big surprise to me that this is one of the first oatmeal recipes I’m posting, because we eat it almost every other day in my house.

Breakfast oats can be plain, but not when you make them into fig oatmeal with sweet cooked apples. It’s delicious and actually really healthy. Plus it’s easy enough to make every day, so you can sit down to a delicious, but good for you, fall fruit breakfast without any stress.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• It takes less than 10 minutes of cooking time to make it.
• It’s completely free of refined sugars.
• You can easily double or triple it for a bigger group.
• Apples and figs are beautiful in autumn and taste great together.

If you have an air fryer, I highly recommend checking out my air fryer oatmeal recipe. It’s super easy and quick to make and is perfect for those busy mornings.

Ingredients

I love how pure and natural a recipe like this caramelized apple oatmeal feels to cook. It uses seasonal fruits, natural sugars, and wholesome oats to create a delicious and filling meal that still tastes like a treat first thing in the morning.

• Non-dairy milk, unsweetened – you can use your favorite plant based milk like almond, oat, coconut, or soy.
• Quick oats – rolled oats will also work for this recipe.
• Coconut oil – a naturally solid plant oil that works beautifully in place of butter.
• Apple – I recommend a sweeter variety for this recipe to help naturally sweeten the oatmeal.
• Coconut sugar – An unrefined option very similar in flavor to brown sugar.
• Cinnamon – you could even add a pinch of other warm spices too.
• Lemon juice
• Raisins
• Pecans – they add crunch and protein. You could use walnuts or almonds instead.
• Vanilla extract
• Fresh figs – a ripe, in season fig is sweet and beautiful eaten raw and fresh.

I typically use rolled oats, and prefer them, but ran out when it came time to take pictures for the recipe. If you’d like to swap rolled for quick oats to make your fig oatmeal, you can use the same amount. You’ll simply need to cook the oats for about 10 minutes longer.

Instructions

Making caramelized apple oatmeal is easy with just two pans. One medium saucepan for cooking the oats, and medium skillet for creating the gooey, delicious apple topping.

Start by adding your milk of choice to the pan and bringing it to a boil. The oats go in next, and you’ll want to drop the heat to low and give it a stir occasionally.

For quick cooking oats, they’ll be soft in about 3 minutes, for rolled oats, it can take 10-15 minutes. Remove them from the heat when they’re done.

While the oats are cooking, melt the coconut oil in the other pan. Add all the remaining ingredients aside from the figs and vanilla into the melted oil. Stir it until the sugar has melted and the apples are tender. This took about 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add the vanilla extract into the apples and build your bowls. You’ll get two hearty bowls of oats from this recipe, and each is topped with a scoop of the caramelized apple and pecan topping. Then layer on slices of fresh figs and dig in.

Storage and Prepping Ahead

I recommend eating it right away once the topping has been added. But, if you’re interested in cutting down on cooking time and still want to have your apple and fig oatmeal ready to eat all week, you can prepare oatmeal in advance.

Simply cook a large batch of oats at the beginning of the week. They’ll stay good in the fridge for 5-6 days in an airtight container. Then make your caramelized cinnamon apple topping fresh and reheat oatmeal with a splash of milk to serve.

I hope you love this big bowl of autumn flavors. Fresh figs, sweet syrupy cooked apples, crunchy pecans, and cinnamon make a decadent oatmeal topping that’s actually still healthy for you.

You can indulge, celebrate the seasonal flavors, and feel full and satisfied all with one easy breakfast. Don’t forget to check out my other healthy breakfast ideas, and keep an eye out for more oatmeal recipes in the future!

• Banana Cranberry Muffins
• Buckwheat Banana Bread
• Mason Jar Oatmeal 3 Ways
• Eggplant Breakfast Frittata
• Air Fryer Granola