Baked oatmeal is bread pudding for breakfast! Made with a handful of healthy ingredients, this easy recipe comes together in 1 bowl and leaves you satisfied all morning.
What is Baked Oatmeal?
Baked oatmeal is a warm breakfast casserole made from oats, milk, and other kitchen staples. Stovetop or instant oatmeal has a creamy porridge consistency, but baked oatmeal, like bread pudding, combines chewy, soft, and creamy all in 1 casserole dish. You can add berries for a juicy burst and walnuts for a crunchy topping. This breakfast recipe is a texture lover’s dream and your oven does all the work.
Basically, baked oatmeal is regular oatmeal with even more texture. If you’re looking for individual serving sizes, try my baked oatmeal cups. I love the apple cinnamon flavor!
You can bake oatmeal ahead of time and reheat it for a quick breakfast during the week. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing and the whole family, young daughter included, LOVES it. Busy parents certainly appreciate the convenience!
Gluten Free, Healthy, 1 Bowl Breakfast
This baked oatmeal combines simple and healthy ingredients and can be adapted for any allergies or flavor preferences. Stir the ingredients together in 1 large bowl, pour it into a greased baking pan, and bake. You need:
- Oats: I recommend whole old-fashioned style oats for a hearty and satisfying texture. If you eat gluten free, choose certified GF oats.
- Milk: Use the variety of milk you drink. This baked oatmeal is wonderful with whole milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, skim milk, and everything in between.
- Eggs: 2 large eggs, while adding protein, bind all of the ingredients together. Have an egg allergy? Use extra applesauce or mashed banana.
- Applesauce or Mashed Banana: Adds flavor and binds. You can use more of either to replace the eggs.
- Maple Syrup: I recommend pure maple syrup for the best flavor, but other unrefined sugars such as coconut sugar or honey work too. 1/2 cup sweetens the entire dish.
- Baking Powder: Lifts it all up!
- Melted Butter: A few Tablespoons of butter prevents the dish from tasting rubbery. Don’t replace with a non-fat alternative. Melted coconut oil is a wonderful dairy-free substitution.
- Vanilla, Cinnamon, & Salt: Each add sweet satisfying flavor.
- Berries: I asked, you told, and I’m delivering! Add some fruit for flavor, texture, and all-around deliciousness. Replace with chopped banana, apple, peaches, pears, raisins, dried berries, chocolate chips, or even a spoonful of your favorite nut butter.
For the BEST baked oatmeal texture: use whole oats and don’t over-bake! You want a deliciously soft & moist spoonful.
Ok let’s recap…
This Baked Oatmeal Is:
- Prepped in 1 bowl
- Made with unrefined sugar
- Not overly sweet
- Packed with fruit
- Warm & satisfies for hours
- Soft, chewy, & creamy
- Adaptable for flavors, allergies, etc
- Like a casserole version of my blueberry banana breakfast cookies
Plus it requires minimum effort– just what our mornings need!
Complete your breakfast! Serve baked oatmeal with Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, or my crustless vegetable quiche. (–> also simple, healthy, & gluten free!)
Craving Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal?
I love turning this into pumpkin baked oatmeal! Here’s what I usually do: Reduce milk to 1 and 1/2 cups, remove the applesauce and 1 egg and replace with 3/4 cup of pumpkin puree, add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, keep the cinnamon in the recipe, leave out the berries and replace with chopped nuts, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or leave plain. You’ll love my pumpkin baked oatmeal cups, too.
1 Bowl Baked Oatmeal
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: serves 9
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This baked oatmeal combines simple ingredients that can be adapted for any allergies or flavor preferences. It’s like bread pudding for breakfast– creamy, soft, chewy, and delicious all in one! Make ahead and enjoy all week long. Try my baked oatmeal cups, too!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) milk (dairy or nondairy)
- 2 large eggs*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup*
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled*
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana
- 3 cups (255g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups mixed berries, fresh or frozen (do not thaw)*
- optional for topping: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9×9 inch or 11×7 inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Any similar size or shape pan works, though 8×8 inch would be too small. See recipe note for 9×13 inch pan.
- Whisk all of the ingredients together in 1 large bowl. Pour into prepared baking pan. Top with nuts, if desired. (Or stir into the oatmeal.) Bake for 35 minutes or until the center appears *almost* set, which gives us a soft oatmeal as pictured above. For drier and more solid baked oatmeal, bake until center has set.
- Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon or slice and serve with yogurt, if desired. Cover leftovers tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Bake the oatmeal, cool completely, and store in the refrigerator all week for easy breakfasts. Reheat in the microwave or cover and bake in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10 minutes. To freeze, bake and cool oatmeal. Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Warm to your liking. I love cutting the cooled baked oatmeal into bars or servings and freezing them individually for a quick breakfast to thaw. Wrap each in plastic wrap and place in a large freezer bag or container.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×9 Inch or 11×7 Inch Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk
- Don’t: Do not make oatmeal batter ahead of time. The oats will soak up all the liquid! Whisk it all together, then bake right away. See make ahead instructions above for alternative.
- Eggs: Eggs bind the casserole and add wonderful flavor. If needed, you can replace the eggs with 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana.
- Sugar: I recommend pure maple syrup because the flavor is outstanding and the baked oatmeal is extra moist! You can also use packed brown sugar, coconut sugar, or honey.
- Butter: What wonderful flavor! The baked oatmeal can taste rubbery without it. Don’t replace with a non-fat alternative. Melted coconut oil is a wonderful dairy-free substitution.
- Oats: Whole oats give you the best texture. Quick oats soak up more moisture and dry out the baked oatmeal. If using steel-cut oats, soak the oats in the milk for 20 minutes, then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
- Add-ins: Instead of berries, try the same amount of peeled chopped apples, peaches, pears, bananas, or other fruit. Or 1 cup chocolate chips, dried cranberries, nuts, or raisins.
- 9×13 inch Pan: Double the recipe for a 9×13 inch pan. The baked oatmeal will be extra thick and require at least 10 extra minutes in the oven. Tent with aluminum foil if the edges are browning too quickly.
- Nutrition Information per Serving (with unsweetened applesauce and unsweetened almond milk using Spark Recipe Calculator): Calories 227, Total Fat 8g, Carbohydrate 34g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 15g, Protein 5g.
Keywords: baked oatmeal
Hi! How much high would you fill an 8×8 pan with the batter? I only have an 8×8 and was wondering if I could just put a certain amount of batter in the pan and the rest of it in a muffin tin? Thank you!
Hi Cassie, you can fill the pan pretty high, because there are no leaveners in this recipe, so the batter won’t rise while baking. Hope this helps!
I have made this recipe savoury. Instead of fruit I add in diced sauteed zucchini, carrots & green onions. I cut back a tad on the syrup and add in salsa. It is delicious!
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Haven’t made but it sounds absolutely wonderful. The unfortunate part, I take Prednisone and have high blood sugars so 34 grams carbs is too much for me at breakfast. I will try to think of a way to cut down the carbs and still get enough food in my tummy to take Prednisone.
Love your recipes!
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I have to make this recipe every 10 days for my husband, he cannot start his day without it. Been this way for about 6 months. We love it, as is, thank you.
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Great recipe and great way to prep quick breakfast and snack for my toddler in the beginning of the week. I only wish I had read the comments prior to making as I followed authors suggestion to double recipe for 9 x 13 pan. Most reviews said they adjusted it by 1.5 instead of double and I wish I had done the same. When I doubled it all it was far too soft and mushy despite the four nicely browned edges and overall high. Next time will 1.5
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Can you use dried mix berry instead of fresh or frozen?
Yes, you could use freeze-dried berries in here as well.
Could I use nut butter instead of butter? I want to limit my cholesterol intake. Thank you!
Hi Theresa, we haven’t tested it that way, but it might work–if you try it, please let us know how it turns out!
The baked oatmeal is easy & best of all, delicious & good for you! Followed directions exactly. May use less maple syrup next time.
★★★★★
Made this with frozen berries so had to bake about 10 minutes longer. Also, melted butter hardened with frozen berries, so next time I will use room temperature milk, eggs, slightly cooled melted butter, mix and then fold in frozen berries. I fished out hardened butter and remelted what I could. It looks ok. . Plan to take it to community breakfast tomorrow morning. Hopefully it will be ok.
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I just made this and it was so delicious! I will definitely make it again. I wonder if this would work in the crockpot? I would love to make it for work when we have our breakfasts. Thank you so much for this recipe!
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Hi Michelle, we haven’t tested it in a crockpot, but let us know if you do!
I make this every week – 1 1/2 the recipe and adding 1 cup of cooked quinoa for more protein in a 9×13 pan. My go to breakfast every day. I love it. Healthy, low fat, and delicious
This is so delicious and feels healthy! Plan to serve Easter brunch, might add a light caramel sauce for the occasion. Thx for the recipe!
★★★★★
This recipe is so easy and versatile. The best part is it reheats beautifully. One of my favorites.
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I made this baked oatmeal for my daughter-in-law and grandsons. They absolutely loved it. I used a muffin pan to bake it in, it made 17 regular sized muffins. They were gone the same day. Great recipe. Thank you.
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The baked oatmeal is fantastic! I make it once a week and it’s a great breakfast.
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