Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Without Milk (Using Water)

Vegan apple cinnamon oatmeal without milk and sugar (cooked using plain water) or without any dairy products can be made easily at home for breakfast. In fact, this is an easy, perfect oatmeal porridge made with water.

It is sweetened with natural sweetners & fruits like apples and warm spices like cinnamon, which is so delicious and healthy since there is no refined white sugar used!

This apple cinnamon flavored oatmeal without milk is made on stove top as well as microwave. You can also see my easy recipe for microwave cinnamon oatmeal with apples here!

Is Oatmeal better with water or milk?

Oatmeal can be made using water or milk based on your preferences. If you wonder, if oatmeal is better with water or milk, the answer is it depends.

This is because, the taste of oatmeal will also depend on the other ingredients that you use for cooking the oatmeal.

If you want dairy free oatmeal, you can use plain water to cook the oatmeal or you can use any dairy free or plant based milk to make the oatmeal.

Usually, I use a mixture of water and milk to prepare oatmeal. In this recipe, I have skipped milk and used just water to make the oatmeal.

When we use milk to make the oatmeal, the porridge is more thick and creamy in texture.

When you use water to make the oatmeal, the oatmeal is more lighter in consistency and you will need to add something extra to make it more creamy, like peanut butter and you can add more fruits like apples and warm spices like cinnamon to make it very tasty.

Made with apples, cinnamons, raisins & maple syrup, this vegan sugar free oatmeal is so delicious!

I have added a short video of this vegan oatmeal preparation on stove top.

In the pictures, you can see thick oatmeal & also oatmeal diluted with more water to be of more liquid like consistency.

You can adjust the consistency of your oatmeal based on your preference.

Also you may adjsut the amount of sweetner, cinnamon, toppings etc based on your preferences.

Is Oatmeal Vegan?

Oats, whether steel cut rolled oats or quick cooking oats, in its original form without any added ingredient is a vegan food.

They are simply grains obtained from plants (though they may be processed in a facility that may process other products too, so always make sure to read the ingredients and labels in a food package to make sure its vegan).

The quaker oats I have used in this oatmeal recipe is labelled vegan and so the oatmeal that I make with it without using any butter or milk or dairy products is vegan too.

Though oats in normally a vegan products, often non vegan ingredients are added to make oatmeal.

So if you are buying oats, always make sure to check the ingredients list to make sure you are buying vegan, if you follow a vegan diet.

In restaurants too, the oatmeal may contain dairy products like milk, as often milk is added with oatmeal, unless its specified as vegan oatmeal or you can ask them too to avoid any milk if they can.

However, when you make oats at home, you can easily make your oatmeal vegan by avoiding any non vegan products or dairy products including milk.

Can You Make Tasty Oatmeal With Water?

Yes absolutely! You can make easy and delicious oatmeal with water!

You can make plain oatmeal with water instead of milk and its simply awesome on its own, especially when you sweeten up the oatmeal with natural sweetners.

You can make thick oatmeal or adjust the consistency of your oatmeal by adding mor water or vegan substitutes like almond milk if you want a creamy tetxure.

You can also add toppings like fruits, nuts and stir in nut butters like peanut butter if you like, to make it even more delicious.

In this blog post, you can read how to make oatmeal with water without using any kinf of milk.

Substitutes For Milk In Oatmeal

There are many replacements or substitutes for milk in oatmeal.

The easy way to substitute milk in oatmeal is to use any of your favorite plant based milk.

Plant based milks include coconut milk, almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk etc which can be used to make vegan oatmeal.

Instead of using milk or any dairy products, you may also use any other dairy free plant based milk or ingredients to make delicious vegan oatmeal.

However to make delicious vegan oatmeal, you do not even need any plant based milk.

The most easy substitute for milk in oatmeal is just plain water and you can make delicious oatmeal with plain water.

How To Sweeten Oatmeal Without Sugar?

To sweeten oatmeal without sugar, we can use natural sweeteners.

In this oatmeal recipe without sugar, we use pure fresh maple syrup to sweeten the oatmeal naturally.

Pure fresh maple syrup is a natural sweetener obtained from the maple trees and the only ingredient in it will be 100% maple syrup.

There are different kinds available with more added ingredients, but we will stick with the natural fresh maple syrup that has only maple syrup as the ingredient in it.

There are other substitutes for white sugar which includes stevia, raw honey etc which are all natural sweeteners you may use instead of sugar.

In this post on how to make oatmeal taste good without sugar, you can read more tips on how to make delicious oatmeal without sugar.

Oatmeal Without Any Milk Or White Sugar

This is an easy recipe for oatmeal with plain water.

This is dairy free vegan oatmeal and its simple and easy to make and delicious as well.

This is also a yummy vegan apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe made without white sugar.

You do not need any kind of milk including plant based milks to make this delicious oatmeal as we use plain water to prepare this.

We are using pure fresh maple syrup to naturally sweeten the oatmeal and it makes a delicious breakfast or brunch perfect for any busy morning including holidays.

To make this oatmeal made in water so delicious, we use few key ingredients - pure fresh maple syrup, cinnamon powder and apples.

The combination of maple syrup, cinnamon & apples is what makes this oatmeal so delicious even without any milk.

So make sure not to skip any of these key ingredients when you make this oatmeal without milk.

You can make delicious oatmeal using any of the above mentioned plant based milks or by just using plain water, fruits, nuts and maybe dried fruits like raisins, apricots, prunes, dates.

See my tips and ideas on how to make oatmeal taste good without sugar here.

As I menioned, you can also add more toppings like cashews, almonds etc if you wish, to add a delicious crunchy texture to the oatmeal which will make it even more tasty.

The options are many when it comes to what to add to your vegan oatmeal without milk.

Fruits like chopped apples, bananas, blueberries, peaches are all my favorites for adding to my oatmeal.

One thing I especially love to use when I make the dairy free oatmeal is pure fresh maple syrup, which not only sweetens the oatmeal, but also adds a wonderful flavor to the dairy free oatmeal.

You may also try other natural sweeteners like vegan honey, stevia or whatever sweetener you like even if it is white sugar.

However white sugar do not have any specific flavor, as it is plain and only adds sweetness to the oatmeal.

I highly recommend using pure fresh maple syrup in vegan oatmeal without milk.

Another ingredient that adds much flavor to the dairy free oatmeal (other kinds of oatmeal too) is cinnamon powder.

You can use organic ceylon cinnamon powder if you use it regularly, as it is the best, but you can use any good quality ground cinnamon powder too.

In this oatmeal recipe without milk, I chose a combination of apples and cinnamon, which is great when paired together.

How To Make Vegan Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Without Milk Or Sugar

Below you can see ingredients and instructions on how to make this easy apple cinnamon oatmeal with water (without using milk & sugar) using either microwave or on stove top.

We use the following ingredients in this simple, easy and delicious vegan oatmeal recipe without milk.

As I said, I make this kind of oatmeal in stove top as well as microwave though I often make this oatmeal without milk in a microwave to make it easy and more quick.

When making this oatmeal on stove top, you just need to use a saucepan and a large spoon to make this delicious oatmeal.

To make this oatmeal in the microwave, you need a good quality microwave safe bowl ( I do not recommend using plastic, I prefer using ceramic bowl) that is large enough to hold the cooked oatmeal.

Use the same ingredients for the microwave recipe and stove top recipe and follow the instructions given below for both methods.

Ingredients to make oatmeal without milk

½ cup oats (I used steel cut rolled oats)

1 cup water

1 large apple (or 2 medium sized apples)

1 tablespoon raisins (optional)

2 tablespoons pure fresh maple syrup (to 4 tablespoons, adjust to taste)

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon powder

Stove Top Method Instructions

Add the oatmeal and water in a sauce pan and bring the mixture to a boil.

Add the maple syrup and cinnamon powder, mix well and cook in low to medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the oatmeal is cooked enough and soft.

Make sure to keep stirring to avoid the oatmeal burning at the bottom of the saucepan.

Once cooked, add the chopped apples & also raisins, mix in with the oatmeal.

Also stir in a little more cinnamon powder if desired.

You can also add a little more water (about ¼ cup) and stir in with the prepared oatmeal to adjust the consistency of the oatmeal if you wish.

May use almond milk if you want a creamy texture.

Transfer the prepared oatmeal to serving bowls, serve warm or chilled as it tastes great both ways!

Oatmeal thickens as it cools down, you may always add a little more water or almond milk for the preferred consistency.

Microwave Instructions

Add oats in a microwave safe bowl with one cup of water. Microwave in high power for 2 minutes .

Add the maple syrup & cinnamon powder. Microwave for another 1 minute or few more extra seconds until the oatmeal is cooked.

Stir the cooked oatmeal very well using a spoon.

You may add a little extra water if needed.

Add the chopped apples and raisins also, gently mix the contents. You may microwave the oatmeal for another 30 seconds if needed, just to warm up everything

Give a few minutes of cool off time as the oatmeal. Stir in little more cinnamon powder as desired.

You can top the oatmeal with your favorite nuts (toasted nuts taste even more delicious) like sliced almonds, cashews or pecans if you wish.

You can also enjoy the delicious oatmeal with maple syrup, apples and raisins for breakfast, brunch, snack or dinner.

Just make sure you use a good quality microwave safe bowl.

I highly recommend using ceramic bowl, as plastic bowls may not hold well for long when you cook in microwave.

I have more recipes on oatmeal in this blog and you might like to see this easy baked vegan oatmeal recipe.

If you like to try spicy oatmeal which is also vegan, here you can find my simple recipe for spicy oatmeal soup in microwave.

Related blog posts:

how to make oatmeal taste good

how to microwave oatmeal without boiling over

oatmeal porridge on stove top

Below you can read the easy vegan oatmeal recipe without milk in detail.