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 apple cinnamon oatmeal cups or chocolate chip baked oatmeal cups.
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. This baked banana oatmeal is a hit, too! Busy parents certainly appreciate the convenience!
And if you want even more family friendly recipes, be sure to check out this list of 30+ back to school recipes.
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. For a heavily banana-flavored version, see below!
- 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 melted 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, frittata, individual breakfast egg muffins, or my crustless vegetable quiche. (Also simple, healthy, & gluten free!).And for even more inspiration, see my complete list of 30+ healthy breakfast recipes.
P.S. The recipe below calls for banana, but for a heavily banana-flavored baked oatmeal, here is my banana baked oatmeal recipe. This one is a favorite.
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 (4 Tbsp; 56g) 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 (225g) fresh or frozen mixed berries, (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 square pan, or an 11×7 inch rectangle pan with nonstick spray. Any similar size pan that holds around 3 quarts works, though 8×8 inch square pan would be too small. The pictured dish I’m using is this white casserole dish. 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 mixture.)
- 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 & Freezing 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 Square Pan, 11×7 Inch Rectangle Pan, or Similar Size Casserole Dish | 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.
- Can I Make This in a Muffin Pan? Yes. For baked oatmeal cups, divide the batter into a greased 12-count muffin pan. If using muffin liners, spray them with nonstick spray. The oatmeal cups stick to the liners a bit regardless, so I recommend skipping them. Fill the cups all the way to the top. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and top appears set. If you added extra add-ins, you may have more batter and need a 2nd greased muffin pan.
- 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
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 256
- Sugar: 13.8 g
- Sodium: 120.8 mg
- Fat: 6.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 38.4 g
- Protein: 5.8 g
- Cholesterol: 54.9 mg
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi, this recipe looks delicious! How would you recommend to adjust the amount of milk if using frozen berries? Thank you.
Hi Elena, no adjustment to the milk necessary. Do not thaw the frozen berries first. Enjoy!
Delicious! I used oat milk, mashed banana and a combo of frozen Saskatoon berries & raspberries and fresh blueberries. It set perfectly in the 35 minute recommended baking time.
This is delicious! Great way to start the day.
If you freeze them, how do you prepare them for when they are ready to eat? Just thaw them? Microwave? Oven? Thanks
Hi Naomi, see the recipe notes for make ahead instructions and enjoy!
This is delicious and easy to make
I just made this recipe for the first time today. It’s pretty good! I would like to know what amount do you consider a serving?
Delicious and super easy. I put a dollop of vanilla yogurt on top when it was time to enjoy—and it was scrumptious.
Can I substitute sugar or brown sugar for the maple syrup?
Hi Brenda! We 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.
Would it be an equal amount of packed brown sugar?
Hi Darrin, yes, same amount.
I should have known better than to doubt Sally! The batter was soupy, and I didn’t think it could possibly bake up as shown. I was wrong – it was absolutely perfect! I made the pumpkin version (added raisins and pecans) and can’t wait to eat it for breakfast this week.
Hey Sally! I’m a young baker and I love making this for my younger siblings. I always double it, add tons of species and more vanilla, and reduce the sugar. Thank you for all your great recipes! p.s… can you make a recipe for baked alaska? Thanks!
Hi Laura, we’re so glad you and your family love this baked oatmeal! Here is our recipe for brownie baked Alaska. We hope you enjoy it just as much!
I have made this recipe multiple times and given it to several people. Always a crowd pleaser!
Love it! I made with apples we had on hand, so substituted the syrup for brown sugar and accidentally added half the amount of sugar. Also was out of eggs so substituted mashed banana. It came out lovely even with my mistakes, and I can’t wait to try again!
My son sent me this recipe and I’m looking forward to trying it. I am concerned with the carbs being on the high side since my husband and I are both diabetic. Any suggestions?
Hi Audrey, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076 Let us know if you give this recipe a try!
this recipe is one of the cornerstones of my life. I’m autistic and breakfast is a difficult meal for me. I make this ahead and freeze the portions and I look forward to eating it every morning 🙂 I do choc chips and crumbled walnuts as add ins and only use 1/4 – 1/3 cup of maple syrup. I also usually throw in some peanut butter for funsies. I’ve tried it with the mashed banana vs applesauce and prefer the applesauce version, it’s so moist and lovely.
My husband and I love this! I’m wondering about adding ground flaxseed or chia seed to the mixture. Do you have any thoughts on that?
Hi Mary-Ellen, you can add either or both with no alterations to the recipe!
I really love the texture of this dish. It’s comforting and satisfying to me. Also super easy to make.
Thank you for a great recipe.
can i use instant oatmeal packets that are whole grain for this recipe? it is what have in my pantry
Hi Mary, are there added ingredients? It’s really best to use whole oats.
Perfect for meal prep, can use so many combinations with this recipe. It’s a keeper.
Can you make them onto cupcakes? Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Mary, you can definitely use this recipe in muffin cups. Use these apple cinnamon baked oatmeal cups as a guide. Enjoy!
Would quick rolled oats work?
Hi Terra, you can use quick oats, but they soak up more moisture and can dry out the baked oatmeal. Still tasty though!
Do you think I could do puréed blueberries instead of whole? Either way I’m using blueberries and can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hi Marissa, we haven’t tested pureed blueberries before. It may take a bit longer to bake through with the added liquid, and you might try swirling it on top rather than mixing it in with the entire dish. Let us know if you try it!
Thanks! Another quick question! How much coconut oil in place of butter? Same amount? 4 tablespoons? Thanks 🙂
Correct! Same amount.
Favourite and regular in our family for more than a year now. So many variations possible and always a hit!
1 bowl baked oatmeal loved it we added blueberries strawberries and peaches love the fact that it’s not as much sugar as other recipes and the maple syrup well we are from PA and we love our syrup and I threw the nuts on top as well !
Tasty, filling and healthy. Making second batch with cherries and pecans
I substituted yogurt and water mixed instead of milk. Yummy! 2nd time making this oatcake.
I loved this recipe. One question I have is I put in the fridge just covered with tin foil. By the 3rd day is was a bit dry. Any suggestions?
I make this for my husband and I for the week. We divide it into portions and put the portions into reusable plastic containers. It stays very fresh that way!
Absolutely delicious
So so yummy. I am about to make it for the third weekend in a row. I used coconut oil instead of butter. Breakfast is super easy and all are happy.
This recipe is delicious and perfect for breakfast although it has a bit of an eggy taste, just wondering if that’s normal?
Hi Zoe, we’ve never detected an eggy taste, but you can try making it with extra applesauce or mashed banana in place of the eggs next time if you wish. (See instructions in the recipe Notes section.) We’re glad you still enjoyed it!
A healthy and easy recipe for an awesome breakfast on the go! Toddler approved too!