These overnight oats pack all the flavor of apple pie—no cooking required

Every fall, I return to Melick’s Town Farm, the orchard near my childhood home in New Jersey, and, without fail, I completely overdo it. Apple cider donuts? Yes please. Fresh cider? I will take both hard and steady. Apple butter? Why not! And of course, I pick way too many pounds of apples. I can’t do anything about it; those beautiful, crisp orbs are calling to me. Of course, nothing beats an all-American apple pie.

One of the first things I make is apple pie, with its sweet, buttery aroma that smells like fall itself. Part of that signature flavor comes from apple pie spice, a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cardamom. One morning, while stirring my usual bowl of oatmeal, I asked myself: why stop at dessert? These warming spices — plus a dollop of sautéed apples — could turn my everyday oatmeal into something special. Overnight oats are the easiest way to do this: no cooking, no morning rush, just a jar waiting in the fridge that tastes like breakfast pie. On mornings when I rush out the door without a plan, these overnight oats save the day – or at least my stomach doesn’t growl.

3 Tips for Making the Best Overnight Oats

Know the difference between apple pie spice and pumpkin spice

Since these oats rely heavily on apple pie spice, it’s worth noting how they differ from the pumpkin spice blend that dominates fall baking. Our apple pie spice blend, which has many uses beyond overnight oats, follows a similar formula to pumpkin spice. Both blends rely on cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and sometimes allspice, but the key distinction comes down to two “C” spices: clove and cardamom. Pumpkin spice includes cloves, which impart a deeper, tangier flavor with a sharp edge that complements dense, creamy desserts. Apple pie spice skips the cloves and brings in cardamom instead, adding a gentler floral warmth that flatters the fruit.

And before you ask, yes, store bought is fine. But I encourage you to make your own: it takes less than a minute and tastes fresher, more balanced, and more like a bakery-level apple pie. Once you’ve mixed your own blend, you’ll probably remove that dusty jar that’s been sitting in your cupboard since last Thanksgiving.

Choose the right apples

There is no such thing as best Apple: There are simply better apples for certain jobs, as discussed in Liz Chernick’s guide here. What’s most important here is balance: sweet-tart fruits that are firm enough to retain their texture after quick cooking. For this reason, I like to use a mixture of one sweet apple and one tart apple for balance. Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Fuji are my favorites for sweetness: they’re crisp, juicy, and flavorful, softening just enough to mix with the oats without turning into mush. To keep things bright, I’ll pair one with a Granny Smith, whose firm texture helps it hold its shape after cooking and adds a pleasant bite alongside its tangy acidity. This balance – one apple providing sweetness, the other a little more – means the oats turn out creamy but never cloying, with tender bites of fruit that still have life.

And while I’m not here to judge your apple choices, unless you’re picking them straight from the orchard, Red Delicious isn’t the way to go. They tend to be mealy, overly waxy and generally at the bottom of the apple pecking order. Look for firm, blemish-free fruits and don’t bother peeling them: keeping the skin on adds color, flavor and a little extra fiber.

Use the Power of Chia Seeds to Make the Creamiest Oats

The base recipe comes from our editor Genevieve’s Easy Overnight Oats, which I make often. I changed the ratio slightly, increasing the chia seeds from two tablespoons to three, to compensate for the extra moisture from the apples. Chia seeds act like tiny sponges, absorbing several times their weight in liquid and helping the oats form a thick, creamy mixture instead of a watery one. Unlike most overnight oat recipes, there’s no yogurt here. I tested a version with yogurt in place of some of the milk, and while it made the oats thicker more quickly, the flavor distracted from the apple pie flavor. Apple pie is not a dairy-based dessert, so why give that flavor here? Better to let the spiced apples shine.

Make these oats after work or on a weekend and you’ll wake up to pots of cold, creamy breakfast layered like dessert. One batch makes six servings, perfect for busy mornings or grab-and-go lunches. Once you’ve tried oats mixed with spiced apples, plain overnight oats may never seem like enough again.

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