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.
Email Me the Recipe!
From time to time, we'll send you Well Plated emails. You can unsubscribe anytime. Have an account? Log In.
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
Email Me the Recipe!
From time to time, we’ll send you Well Plated emails. You can unsubscribe anytime. Have an account? Log In.
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.
SO good! Love the texture, like coarse, moist cake, or bread pudding. Didn’t have any applesauce, but did have frozen overripe bananas–they added the moisture that would have come from the applesauce, and somehow did not add a bunch of banana flavor. This recipe will get me to eat more oatmeal, even in summer. Thanks!
So glad to hear, Lala! Thank you!
I have tried many baked oatmeal recipes from other sources, but this one is by far the best in terms of taste ( sweet, but no overly so) and texture – not too hard, not too soft. This one is a keeper.
So glad to hear, Lucie! Thank you!