This Cranberry Apple Oatmeal is a healthy holiday breakfast that combines seasonal fruits and whole grains. It's the perfect weekday breakfast to get you in the holiday spirit, but can be enjoyed all winter long!
When it comes to festive holiday breakfasts, they're often pretty indulgent. And are usually the kinds of breakfasts you'd make on the weekends for family and friends. You know, eggnog french toast, egg bakes and gingerbread pancakes.
But one of my favorite things about the holiday season is enjoying those happy festive feelings randomly throughout every day. So, I wanted to make a fun holiday breakfast that I could eat every morning of the week in December.
This Cranberry Apple Oatmeal is exactly that. It's filled with winter flavors, but easy enough and healthy enough that it makes the for the perfect weekday breakfast.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This oatmeal is easy, healthy, and packed with winter flavor perfect for the holiday season and beyond.
Plus, it's pretty customizable. If you like your oatmeal sweeter or less sweet, you can adjust the level of sugar. You can make it with milk instead of water if you prefer. And you can switch up the fruits involved or add in all kinds of mix-ins and/or different spices.
If you're like me and you can't get enough cranberries this holiday season, you're going to love this easy way to incorporate them into your breakfast!
Ingredients
You don't need much to make this delicious holiday breakfast! Here's everything involved:
- Apple
- Fresh cranberries
- Brown sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground nutmeg
- Salt
- Water, divided
- Old-fashioned oats
How to Make Cranberry Apple Oatmeal
And the process for making this oatmeal is also super easy!
Simply put chopped apples, cranberries, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and 2 Tbsp water to a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
And once the mixture is simmering, let it cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender and cranberries are just starting to burst.
Remove about 3 Tbsp of the fruit mixture to separate bowl (you'll use this as a topping).
Add remaining 1 ¾ cups water to saucepan and let it come to a simmer.
Then add the oats!
And let them cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until oats are cooked and mixture is creamy.
Your kitchen will begin smelling fabulous thanks to all those holiday spices.
Serve the oatmeal in bowls and top with the reserved cranberry and apple mixture.
And dig into this delightfully warming bowl of holiday oatmeal. It's the kind of food that you can describe as comfort food, but that's healthy. And so, so good for your soul.
Every single bite of this oatmeal is filled with cranberries and apples and holiday spices.
Alterations to Recipe
There's lots you can do with this recipe to make it more suited to your tastes. Here are a few ideas:
- Add more or less brown sugar: the first time I made this cranberry apple oatmeal, I only added 1 Tbsp of brown sugar, but I wanted a little more sweetness, so I added in an additional Tbsp.
- Make it with milk or other dairy/dairy alternative: If you want an even more substantial oatmeal, you can replace the water with the milk or dairy alternative of your choice.
- Use different fruits: I love the cranberry apple combination, but so many fruits would be delicious in this oatmeal. Consider pears, bananas, blueberries, and more.
- Add in more heart-healthy ingredients: to give this oatmeal even more of a nutritional boost, consider mixing in chia seeds, flax seeds, nuts, or other heart-healthy ingredients.
Can I Reheat Leftovers?
Yes! This recipe makes two servings, but if you only need one, you can either cut the recipe in half or make the whole thing and store your leftovers to enjoy later.
Keep any leftover cranberry apple oatmeal in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, simply stir in a little bit of water or milk and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
I wouldn't store leftover oatmeal for more than 5 days.
More Easy Holiday Breakfasts
If you're looking for more ways to celebrate the Christmas season with your regular breakfasts, here are a few of my favorite ways:
- Cranberry Overnight Oats
- Gingerbread Energy Balls
- Eggnog Overnight Oats
- Cranberry Matcha Donuts
- Eggnog Granola
- Sweet Potato Muffins
- Eggnog Donuts
- Gingerbread Muffins (from A Kitchen Addiction)
I eat a lot of oatmeal during the week and I'm excited to have a version that's perfect for the holiday season.
I usually stock up on fresh cranberries during November and December and keep them in my freezer. So, I'll be enjoying this cranberry apple oatmeal long after Christmas is over!
This oatmeal is so good, there's a strong chance you'll find yourself making it on the weekends, too!
Do you enjoy holiday breakfasts during the week?
Cranberry Apple Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 large apple, chopped (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup fresh cranberries
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cup + 2 Tbsp water, divided
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
Instructions
- Add chopped apples, cranberries, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and 2 Tbsp water to a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Once simmering, let cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender and cranberries are just starting to burst. Remove 3 Tbsp mixture to separate bowl (you'll use this as a topping).
- Add remaining 1 ¾ cups water to saucepan and let come to a simmer. Add oats and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until oats are cooked and mixture is creamy.
- Serve in bowls and top with reserved apple/cranberry mixture.
Notes
- Feel free to use more or less brown sugar depending on your tastes.
- You can replace the water with milk or the dairy/dairy alternative of your choice.
- If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge. To re-heat, stir a little more water in and heat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Christine says
Fantastic. My apple was fairly large so I increased the cranberries to 1 cup. Kept the oats and water amount the same. But added a smidge more of each of the spices. The 2 tbsp of brown sugar was the perfect amount for me, since I don’t like super sweet oatmeal and enjoyed the tartness of the fresh cranberries. Thanks for the great winter recipe !