Joy the Baker

Vegan Apple Cranberry Oatmeal Bake

by 74 Comments

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Sometimes I like to explore the inverse of things.

The inverse of working is (clearly) laying on the couch watching really old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.

The inverse of exercising is (clearly) laying on the couch watching really old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.

The inverse of organizing my desk… Grey’s Anatomy.  You catch my drift.

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With this dish I wanted to explore the inverse of fruit-topped oatmeal, which is… not Grey’s Anatomy.

I usually cook my oatmeal on a stove top, spoon a hearty portion into a bowl and top with a few bites of fruit.

With this warm pan of goodness, I’ve baked heaps of sliced apples and fresh cranberries with just a bit of oats.  Lost of fruit with less than lots of oatmeal.  Whoa dude!  With warm, steaming milk… this is bonkers delicious!  It feels like breakfast dessert.  Inverse accomplished.

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Apple.  Apple.  Apple!

Three pretty Fuji apples.  We have to start somewhere.

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Fresh cranberries.

Every new cranberry season I enter, I pop a fresh cranberry in my mouth.  It’s always unbearably tart… but I always try.

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Our oatmeal.

It’s wholesome and spiced.

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Sliced, spiced apples combined with fresh cranberries are topped with our moistened oatmeal mixture.

As far as news goes… this is really good news.

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Oh… I forgot to tell you something about our breakfast.

Should you have a pint of Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Ice Cream in your freezer, this warm apple oat mixture can totally turn into dessert.  Or you can just have ice cream for breakfast.  No judgements here.  None whatsoever.

A few things you should know:  this oat and apple mixture doesn’t produce a lot of liquid while baking.  The apples become soft and the cranberries burst (with happiness), but this isn’t a soupy situation.  This breakfast dish is most lovely served with steamed milk or copious amounts of melting ice cream.

Oh!  Should you be in the mood for more cranberry, this Pear and Cranberry Crumble is totally major (though not vegan).

Vegan Apple Cranberry Oatmeal Bake

makes 1 8×8-inch pan, serves 4 to 6

Print this Recipe!

For the Fruit:

3 medium Fuji or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

6 ounces fresh cranberries

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

pinch of ground ginger and ground cloves

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

For the Oatmeal:

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon water

2 cups milk, heated to steaming, for serving (almond milk to keep it vegan, cow’s milk if you prefer)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, toss together apple slices, fresh cranberries, cornstarch, spices, and maple syrup.  Toss with a spoon until cornstarch has disappeared into the mixture.  Pour into an 8×8-inch square pan.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, spices, and salt.  In a small bowl, whisk together oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and water.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, all at once.  Toss together, ensuring that all of the dry ingredients are moistened.  Spoon the oat mixture on top of the prepared fruit mixture.  Toss just slightly with a spoon.

Place in the oven to bake until cranberries have burst and apples have softened, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

While oatmeal bakes, place milk in a small saucepan over low heat.  Heat until milk is steamy hot, but not boiling.

Remove fruit and oats from the oven.  Scoop into bowls and pour desired amount of steamed milk over mixture.  Conversely, you can also scoop cold ice cream over the warm fruit mixture.  Serve warm.  

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Rachel Cross

    I just made this delicious recipe! I substituted arrowroot for the cornstarch & a gluten-free flour blend for the all purpose flour in the oat mixture. Sadly, I also ran out of maple syrup so had to sub some agave syrup and it turned out fine!! So yummy & pretty. Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply

  4. Rethea

    I made this on Friday evening. Had with frozen vanilla yogurt. I warmed it on Saturday morning and added the steamed milk for breakfast. I absolutely prefer as a breakfast dish. This was wonderful as breakfast. This will become a go to breakfast dish for me and my family. Next time I believe I will use dried cranberries as the fresh cranberries were way to tart. This is a keeper. Thank you.

    Reply

  5. jess

    oh joy, its like we are the same person. grey’s is such an amazing time suck for me as well. i can re-watch old episodes over and over. it never gets old. see you in boston at eat boutique :)

    Reply

  6. Crystal Clark

    Looks wonderful! I’m going to share this with my mother-in-law; I think she’d love to add this to her Christmas morning brunch. :) Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  7. rebecca.k

    Thank you so much for posting vegan recipes! I recently changed my diet to include more plant-based (vegan) meals, so it is always nice to find awesome recipes like yours to add to my collection. More, please!

    Reply

  11. Liesl

    Oh, this looks so very yummy. Will try soon. And at the risk of being both wrong and a grammar nerd, I think the word is “lying” not “laying.” Of course that is not the point…..

    Reply

  20. Katherine {eggton}

    Those drops of milk against the black background really make the picture. Horray for gorgeous imperfection, right?

    Also, when you watch really old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and swoon over McDreamy you exercise your heart, Joy. YOU EXERCISE YOUR HEART.

    Reply

  22. meredith s.

    this post convinces me even further that we would be great friends.
    a) my favorite lazy pastime is watching Grey’s Anatomy
    b) this is my favorite food combination
    so maybe someday we shall meet!

    Reply

  23. Emily

    I’m glad you mentioned your recipe for Pear and Cranberry Crumble, because it was the first thing I thought of when I saw the title of this post. I made the Pear and Cranberry Crumble last year for Thanksgiving, and it was so delicious! I’ve been looking forward to making it again now that cranberry season has arrived, but first I’ll be trying out this new recipe!

    Reply

    • Jess

      Ah! I miss george too! I think season two may just be my favorite. Glad there are other people that still get sucked into the old episodes :).

      Reply

  42. Veggiegourmande

    I love this recipe, and you made it vegan (yeah!), great flavor combos, I have got to try it soon, except here in Switzerland cranberries are kind of hard to find, maybe I’ll have to find a substitute.

    Reply

  45. Heather

    I am in love with this. SERIOUSLY. Apples and cranberries are so sweet and tart, plus oatmeal is infinitely perfect. Also breakfast is my favorite and I adore excuses to have ice cream with my coffee.

    Reply

  55. Bakerkat

    This looks so good especially with the ice cream. I see no reason not to have a little ice cream for breakfast or oatmeal for dessert. Love It.

    Reply

  59. Margherita

    Hahaha! Every year I do the same thing as well: biting a raw cranberry. They look so perfect: size, color, and weight. But then you pop one in your mouth and: big disappointment!
    It’s not only that they’re uber tart; also the texture throws me off!
    Good thing that cooking them turns them into one of the most delicious things ever!

    Reply

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