This overnight apple oatmeal in the crockpot starts with whole apples, so you can skip the chopping and let breakfast cook while you sleep. Peeled, cored apples cook alongside steel-cut oats, brown sugar and cinnamon for about seven hours, then get mashed directly into the oatmeal in the morning.

I couldn’t stop wondering what would happen if I left the apples whole instead of cutting them into little pieces. So I tucked them into my crockpot with the oats and went to bed. By morning, they were soft enough to break apart with a spoon. That’s the shortcut I love here: the apples don’t need to be chopped when they’re going to soften and get mashed anyway.

I cook this version with water, then add milk or cream after cooking so I can adjust each bowl’s consistency. Expect soft, spoonable oatmeal with mashed apples throughout. If you need breakfast sooner, my Instant Pot apple oatmeal is another option!

Spoonful of apple oatmeal with apples and cinnamon in a bowl.

Why This Recipe Works

You can skip chopping the apples. Peel and core them, then nestle them into the oatmeal mixture whole.
Breakfast cooks while you sleep. About seven hours on low gives the oats time to cook and the apples time to soften.
The apples become part of the oatmeal. Mash them directly in the crockpot so you get apple flavor throughout, with soft pieces wherever you leave them.
You finish it your way. Stir in milk or cream for a looser consistency, then add maple syrup, pecans or extra cinnamon to individual bowls.

Ingredients for Overnight Apple Oatmeal

Apples: Use 3–4 medium apples, peeled and cored but left whole. Honeycrisp is a great choice. Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady and Jonagold are other options, or use a combination of sweet and tart apples. They will soften and be mashed into the oatmeal, so they don’t need to hold their shape.

Steel-cut oats: Use regular steel-cut oats for this recipe. Rolled oats, instant oats and quick-cooking steel-cut oats aren’t interchangeable with them for this seven-hour cooking method.

Water: Four cups of water provide the cooking liquid for the oats. This is the version I tested; milk or cream goes in after cooking.

Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and a little molasses flavor that complements the apples. Light or dark brown sugar works.

Cinnamon and nutmeg: Give the oatmeal its warm apple-spice flavor. The nutmeg is a small addition, but it rounds out the cinnamon nicely.

Salt: Balances the sweetness of the apples and brown sugar.

Butter: Divide it among the apple centers or place it over the apples before cooking.

Vanilla extract: Stir it in after cooking, along with any milk or cream.

Tools I Use

These are the two tools you see me using in the video!

Apple peeler, corer and slicer: This peels, cores and spiral-slices the apples. I keep each apple together rather than separating the slices before adding it to the crockpot.
Potato masher: I use this to mash the softened apples directly into the oatmeal after cooking. A spoon works, too, if that’s what you have.

How to Make Overnight Apple Oatmeal in the Crockpot

Sliced apple on a skewer with onion rings in the background.

Prepare the apples. Peel and core 3–4 medium apples, leaving them together rather than chopping them into pieces. If your peeler makes spiral cuts like mine, keep each apple intact.

Oats and chopped apples in a slow cooker with water being poured in.

Combine the oatmeal ingredients. Coat the inside of the crockpot with cooking spray. Add the steel-cut oats, water, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir briefly to combine.

Onions with slices of cheese melting on top in a skillet.

Add the apples and butter. Nestle the apples into the oatmeal mixture, then divide the butter among their hollow centers or place it over the tops.

Three halved onions cooking in a crockpot with ground meat and sauce.

Cook overnight. Cover and cook on low for approximately 7 hours, until the oats are cooked and the apples are soft enough to mash easily.

Cooking apple oatmeal in a slow cooker with a spoon stirring the mixture.

Mash and stir. Mash the softened apples directly into the oatmeal with a spoon or potato masher. Leave some apple pieces or mash more thoroughly, depending on your preference. Stir in the vanilla and add milk or cream as needed to reach your desired consistency.

Warm apple oatmeal topped with syrup in a white bowl, with apples in the background.

Add toppings and serve. Spoon into bowls and finish with maple syrup, chopped pecans, extra cinnamon or a splash of cream.

Recipe Notes

Peel and core, but skip the chopping. Removing the cores keeps seeds and tough centers out of the finished oatmeal.
Use regular steel-cut oats. This cooking time and amount of liquid are intended for steel-cut oats rather than rolled or instant oats.
Cook on low. The overnight method is built around approximately seven hours on the low setting.
Slow cookers vary. Seven hours is a guide. The oats should be cooked and the apples should mash easily. If your cooker tends to run hot, try the recipe during the day first so you can check its timing.
Stir before adjusting the liquid. Mash the apples and stir everything together before deciding how much milk or cream to add.
Expect it to thicken as it cools. A splash of milk, cream or water helps loosen individual portions.

Variations and Toppings

Less sweet: Reduce or omit the brown sugar, then taste after cooking. Sweet apples are especially useful here.
More texture: Mash the apples lightly and finish each bowl with chopped pecans or walnuts.
Extra creamy: Stir in milk or cream after cooking, adding a little at a time.
Maple finish: Drizzle maple syrup over individual servings rather than sweetening the entire pot further.
Simple apple-cinnamon bowls: Serve with a splash of milk and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon.

How to Store and Reheat

Refrigerator: Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours of cooking. Store covered for 3–4 days.

Freezer: Freeze chilled oatmeal in individual portions in freezer-safe containers for up to three months for best quality. Leave a little room for expansion.

Reheating: Thaw frozen portions overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan, stirring and adding a splash of water or milk to loosen the oatmeal. Heat until hot throughout.

Steaming spoonful of cooked apple oatmeal in a slow cooker.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have to chop the apples?

No! Peel and core them, but leave them whole. They soften during cooking and get mashed directly into the oatmeal afterward.

Can I use rolled oats instead of steel-cut oats?

Stick with regular steel-cut oats for this recipe. Rolled oats cook differently and would need their own cooking time and liquid ratio. They are not a direct substitute for this overnight method.

Can I replace the water with milk?

I tested this recipe with water and add milk or cream after cooking. Some slow cooker oatmeal recipes use milk during cooking, but I haven’t tested that substitution with this whole-apple version. For the method shown here, use water and add dairy at the end.

What kind of apples should I use?

Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady and Jonagold are good options. A mixture of sweet and tart apples also works. Since you mash them after cooking, keeping their shape isn’t the goal.

Is this the same as overnight oats?

No. This is hot oatmeal cooked overnight in a slow cooker. Refrigerated overnight oats soften by soaking without cooking, usually using rolled oats.

Can I make this on the stovetop?

Steel-cut oats can be cooked on the stovetop, but this whole-apple recipe is written for the crockpot. A stovetop version would need a different cooking method and timing.

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Megan Porta is a comfort food recipe creator who specializes in easy family meals and Instant Pot desserts, and the founder of Pip and Ebby. She has been cooking for three decades and developing recipes for over fifteen years, helping home cooks make reliable, cozy recipes for real life.