Apple Walnut Chia-Oat Bake is wholesomely delicious, filled with bushels of fall flavor and hearty goodness to keep you energized for every autumn endeavor. 

Dairy-free, table-sugar free, gluten-free and perfectly sized to feed a big family and also fantastic for meal prepping –  cut into single servings and pop in the freezer until needed.

Confession time. As amazing is this recipe is, and I’ll definitely be making it on repeat, the “chia” part of this baked oatmeal actually happed as a MISTAKE. Right up until cutting it to serve, I THOUGHT, I was making another flavor spin on my tried-and-true, QUINOA Oats (with the last flavor variation being Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter). 

Anyhow, my bag of chia seeds and bag of quinoa look quite alike when tired and distracted (it’s been a crazy week).  And now you know where I am going with this – I just poured the wrong thing into the bowl! Glad my chia seed snafu never clicked while mixing it up, otherwise I might have started my apple walnut oatmeal bake recipe all over again and missed out on this happy-belly blunder.

This Apple Walnut Chia Oat Bake comes together easily, the base ingredients are simply whisked together and poured out into a 9” x 13” baking dish. I find baking steel cut oats so much easier (and less messy) than making them on the stovetop. However, the chia-oat mixture will seem REALLY watery and you may feel concerned that it is TOO watery. Don’t worry, the liquids are all absorbed during the baking process. Just make sure to walk VERY carefully to the oven, you don’t want soggy chia and oats sloshing all over the place!

Due to this initial wateriness, the apple chia oatmeal is “half baked” before removing and adding sliced apples, walnuts, extra cinnamon and some sugar-free maple syrup on top. Then it is returned to the oven to finish baking. If you try to add the apple slices in the first step, they will sink to the bottom. It will still taste yummy, just won’t be as pretty.

You’ll notice on the ingredient list, I’ve added collagen powder. This simple addition is a great way to bump up the protein in breakfast recipes and take advantage of the extra benefits this supplement offers for joints, hair, gut, mood and more. I’m a big fan of the Great Lakes Wellness collagen hydrolysate and have been using it for 3 years. You could also substitute in a scoop of whatever type protein powder you like – or just skip this ingredient, if you’d rather.

save 10% Great Lakes Wellness collagen and products with code THEFITFORK10off

Also a Monk Fruit baking blend keeps the carbs lower in this recipe. I mean, yeah, oats and apples have carbs (the good kind to get sustained energy for running and living and stuff! ) but using zero-carb Monk Fruit helps keep away those no-value-added table sugar carbs and makes this oatmeal recipe suitable for a more balanced, even lower carb, diet. BTW, the cup-for-cup measuring swap of this Monk Fruit baking blend makes it easy to swap in for all that holiday baking coming up!

I cut the Apple Walnut Chia Oat Bake into 9 generous rectangles and serve warm -sometimes with a dollop of Greek yogurt on the side. Macros check out at 262 calories, 14g net carb, and 14g protein per serving – plus almost 12g dietary fiber which will get you well on your way to the recommended 25 to 38 grams per day. Most people don’t eat nearly enough fiber, but this easy chia oatmeal bake makes it a snap!

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5 from 3 votes

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Apple Walnut Chia-Oat Bake

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Total Time

55 mins

 

This easy-peasy. low-mess oatmeal bake is also loaded with chia seeds to boost nutrition and add lots of fiber. Collagen or protein powder (optional) boot protein, if desired. 

Course: Breakfast, brunch

Keyword: chia seed, make ahead, meal prep, oatmeal, pineapple, walnuts

Servings: 9 servings

Calories: 262 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 2 cups water
• 4- oz. apple sauce
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ cup zero-carb sweetener like Monk Fruit or Stevia cup-for-cup measuring equivalent
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup dry steel cut oats
• 1 cup dry white chia seeds
• 1 medium apple in approx. 18 thin slices
• 2 oz. toasted walnuts
• 2 Tbsp. sugar-free maple-flavor syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.

2. In large bowl, whisk together water, almond milk, eggs, applesauce and eggs.

3. Next, whisk in sugar substitute, cinnamon, ginger, salt until incorporated.

4. Stir in steel cut oats and chia seeds.

5. Pour out into 9" x 13" baking dish. Mixture will seem VERY liquidy, but don't worry, it all gets absorbed during baking. Carefully place in 375F degree oven, being careful not to slosh.

6. This recipe is baked in 2 parts. First bake for 25 minutes to "set" the oats and chia. Remove and top with sliced apples and walnuts. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon and drizzle with syrup. RETURN to oven for another 25 minutes to finish baking. Total bake time is 50 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing into 9 rectangles and serving warm.

8. Store leftovers in the fridge for up 4 days or freeze in single-serve portions and defrost and reheat as needed.

Recipe Notes