Baked Oatmeal is a sturdy, sweet, slice-and-serve version of classic oatmeal that makes an especially satisfying way to start the day! Add cozy spices and your favorite fruit to make it your own for a healthy meal prep breakfast.
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5 Star Review
“This baked oatmeal was so good! I made this on Sunday night to meal prep for the week. I ended up having to have a piece for dinner because it smelled so good I couldn’t wait to have it in the morning!”
— Brianna —
This baked oatmeal is perfect for meal prep!
When you think oatmeal, you may think: creamy and in a bowl (like classic Oatmeal).
Baked oatmeal is sliceable and plate-able like a cake—basically, a completely new way to eat oatmeal. Thanks to an egg custard mixture that holds it all together, the texture is kind of like bread pudding, but with oats.
Here’s why I’ve been loving it lately:
- Highly Customizable. While I love my Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal, the flavor kind of limits you in terms of add-ins. This baked oatmeal recipe is much more suitable for switching things up. Fold in your favorite fruit, go to town on toppings, and make it your own!
- Hearty and Healthy. This is a breakfast that will fill you up without weighing you down. Like my Chocolate Oatmeal and Oatmeal Pancakes, it’s the kind of satisfying recipe that fuels you through your morning.
- Made for Meal Prep. Not only is baked oatmeal perfect for a weekend breakfast or brunch get-together, it’s also ideal for meal prep. It holds up in the fridge for a week, and it’ll freeze for up to 3 months. We’re talking easy breakfasts for daaaaays. (Need more meal prep breakfast ideas? Try my Egg Muffins and Breakfast Bars.)
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Sliced Almonds. Or pecans or walnuts—or skip the nuts altogether if you’re not a fan.
- Unsweetened Applesauce. Make my Instant Pot Applesauce or Crockpot Applesauce sans sweetener if you’re feeling ambitious, or just crack open a jar if you’re not.
- Pure Maple Syrup. Be sure to use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup. Honey or date syrup are excellent sweetener options too.
- Eggs. For binding and some added protein.
- Pure Vanilla Extract. The all-purpose flavor enhancer.
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg. Brings that cozy factor.
- Baking Powder. Baking powder helps baked oatmeal bake up into something a little bit cakey (in a good way).
- Unsalted Butter. Melt and cool this.
- Nonfat Milk. Want to make dairy-free baked oatmeal? Easy! Use almond milk or another unsweetened, unflavored plant milk and swap in your favorite plant-based butter or coconut oil.
- Old-Fashioned Oats. Quick oats won’t give you the texture you want in baked oatmeal, and steel cut oats would need to be cooked first in order to be tender. If we’re Goldilocks here, old-fashioned oats are juuuuust right.
- Blueberries. Or diced apples, strawberries, or your fruit of choice. Use fresh or frozen.
- Turbinado Sugar. Optional, for an irresistible crispy-crunchy texture on top.
- Toppings. Optional, but recommended. Nonfat Greek yogurt, nut butter, banana slices, maple syrup—you get the idea.
How to Make Baked Oatmeal
Prepare. Position a rack in the center of the oven, preheat it to 375 degrees F, and grease a baking pan.
Toast the Nuts (photo 1). Nuts go from golden and toasty to burnt super fast, so don’t walk away from the oven while you’re roasting them. They’ll also continue cooking from the residual heat on the pan, so you’ll need to remove them as soon as you pull them out of the oven.
Make the Base (photo 2). Everything comes together in one bowl!
Add the Oats and Mix-Ins (photo 3). Stir the dry ingredients into the milk mixture.
Bake (photo 4). Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared baking dish, add the turbinado sugar, and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. (You can bake it for 5 minutes less and it will have a creamier texture.)
Serve. Let the baked oatmeal cool for 5 minutes, then serve with desired toppings and ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
- Peach Baked Oatmeal. Skip the nuts and swap the berries for peeled, diced peaches, then use almond extract instead of vanilla.
- Baked Oatmeal with Apples. Baked oatmeal with apples would be delish!
- Pear Baked Oatmeal. Use sweet, ripe pears for the fruit and swap the nutmeg with cardamom.
- Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal. Swap the applesauce with mashed banana and add a generous handful of chocolate chips instead of fruit.
- Mega-Healthy Baked Oatmeal. Add superfood ingredients like hemp seeds, chia, goji berries, and cacao nibs, then conquer the world.
- Raisin Baked Oatmeal. Add raisins instead of fresh fruit. Dried cranberries are an option too!
What to Serve with Baked Oatmeal
- Fresh Fruit. There’s already fruit in this baked oatmeal, but you can round things out by adding some more fresh fruit to your plate—or even Fruit Salad.
- Something Savory. I like to pair sweet breakfast foods with something savory. Try Instant Pot Boiled Eggs or Baked Bacon in the Oven.
- A Brunch-y Cocktail. Making baked oatmeal for a brunch get-together? Don’t forget the Peach Bellinis or Apple Cider Mimosas!
Baked Oatmeal
Video
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Ingredients
- ½ cup sliced almonds or pecans or walnuts
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup nonfat milk
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 2 cups blueberries or diced apples, strawberries, or your fruit of choice, fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar or similar coarse sugar (optional)
- Optional for serving: nonfat Greek yogurt peanut butter, banana slices, an extra drizzle of maple syrup, or all of the above
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 9×9-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Spread the almonds onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in the oven until the almonds are fragrant and toasted, about 8 minutes. Do not walk away towards the end of the cook time to ensure they do not burn. Immediately transfer to a cutting board. Let cool, then set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder until smooth. Whisk in the melted butter and milk (if the butter resolidifies, warm the bowl in the microwave in 15-second increments until it melts).
- Fold in the oats, then the almonds and blueberries (if your berries are frozen, do not thaw first).
- Pour the oatmeal mixture into the prepared dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle evenly with the turbinado sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the center is moist but no longer damp and feels mostly firm to the touch and the edges are light golden brown (if your fruit is frozen, extend the baking time by 5 to 10 minutes). This will yield a moist oatmeal that's not quite set enough to easily cut with a knife; if you'd like a softer, more pudding-like texture, bake it for 5 minutes less.. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes. Serve hot with your desired toppings.
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover baked oatmeal for 5 to 7 days, either wrapped in the baking pan or in an airtight container.
- TO REHEAT: Bake the oatmeal in a 350°F oven until it’s warmed through, or simply heat it up in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze baked oatmeal for up to 3 months; you can either wrap and store the whole pan or wrap individual slices and place them in an airtight container or freezer bag for an easy heat-and-eat breakfast.
My husband made this this morning, and I am truly shocked. He does not cook. And this was better than any oatmeal I have ever made our kids. I know he used old mushy frozen banana because it’s what we had instead of applesauce and refrigerated coconut milk since we were out of cow’s. And it still turned out decadent. Like the gentle spiced warmth and barely chewy edges… I just don’t understand. I need another bowl. Another pan. My two small toddlers ate almost the entire pan.
Love that! Thank you Sharon!
Could you add protein powder to this recipe?
Hi Jill, I haven’t tested this recipe with protein powder but I believe you could. It might change the intended consistency of it but if you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Can you bake these individually?
Hi Tawana, I haven’t tried it myself but you could probably easily make it into individual portions. Enjoy!
My sister made this recipe and it was delicious! Is there something I could substitute for egg? Unfortunately, my daughter is allergic.
Hi Jillian I have’t tried it myself but you could play around with using flax eggs. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
I would like to know what you have used as an egg substitute in other recipes successfully. My family needs a sub too.
This baked oatmeal was so good! I made this on Sunday night to meal prep for the week. I ended up having to have a piece for dinner because it smelled so good I couldn’t wait to have it in the morning! I will definitely be incorporating this into my breakfast rotation!
Glad you enjoyed it, Brianna!
can you change the applesauce for bananasauce?
Hi Sandra, I haven’t tested it myself, but it seems like it could work. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Can you make this with steel cut oats and if so, how much and what kind of liquid would you add? Thank you.
Hi Mary Jane Heid! Steel cut oats would need to be cooked first in order to be tender. Old-fashioned oats work best for this recipe. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
I haven’t made this yet and I’m wondering if I could use 2% lowfat milk?
Hi Nancy! Yes, that should work. Enjoy!
Do you have any ideas on how to make a diabetic-friendly version? Thanks!
Hi Kathleen, no I’m sorry I don’t. I’m not familiar with how to adjust recipes to make them more diabetic-friendly. I’d consult a dietitian or registered nutritionist! Hope this helps!
Can’t wait to try. All I have is an 8″x8″ pan and a 9″x13″. Would the 8×8 be best?
Hi Richard! Yes, I’d probably go with the 8×8. Enjoy!
Seriously delicious! I used Kodiak Protein Oats for extra protein
Great to hear, Susie! Thank you!
This was my first time making baked oatmeal and I liked it. It’s not overly sweet, which is nice because I could drizzle a little honey when serving. My husband added peanut butter on top and said it was great that way.
So glad to hear, Veronica!
The recipe was easy to follow. I didn’t have sliced almonds so I used walnuts, and it still worked fine. The texture was soft in the middle with a little crunch on the edges which I preferred. I liked that it didn’t turn out mushy like stovetop oats sometimes do. I’m really happy with this. Thank you!
Thank you Ellie!
Honestly, I didn’t expect much because oatmeal usually feels boring to me, but this came out better than I thought. The spices gave it some flavor and it felt more like a treat. Had a slice warm with some yogurt on top and it was perfect. Thanks
So glad to hear, Chelsea! Thank you!
A breakfast dish so good that my husband says it’s better than just about any dessert. Followed recipe as-is and used frozen blueberries for the fruit. DELICIOUS. Can’t wait to try some other variations.
Great to hear, thank you Tess!
Delicious. I used a frozen berry and cherry blend because that’s what I had. I baked it the extra 10 minutes as suggested, and it turned out perfect It is such a hearty serving and so filling. I love making baked oatmeal to freeze and have over the month. I will definitely be making this one again.
So glad to hear it worked well! Thank you Doreen!
This turned out so good! I really liked that it wasn’t too sweet. I poured a bit of warm milk over mine and it was super comforting. My husband added some peanut butter to his and loved it. Definitely keeping this one.
Thank you Karen!
I’m looking for a high energy snack that I can wrap and take with me on bicycle rides. You mention reheating this recipe before serving. Would it work as a ‘to-go’ snack, eaten cold or unheated?
Sure! Enjoy!
This baked oatmeal feels like something I’d get at a brunch café. Not fancy, but really satisfying. I like that it’s not overloaded with sugar. My partner said it made the house smell like cinnamon rolls while it baked. So happy with how it turned out! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed them Barbara! Thank you!
I’m not much of a baker, so I appreciated how forgiving this recipe felt. I slightly overbaked it and it was still good. The texture was soft and cozy, and it wasn’t too sweet. Definitely something I’ll keep in rotation. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it, Elizabeth! Thank you!