Easy Baked Oatmeal – Eating Bird Food

This baked oatmeal recipe is a yummy breakfast dish that can easily be customized with your favorite mix-ins. It comes together in 1 bowl and is perfect for meal prep.

If you haven’t noticed, I am obsessed with baked oatmeal. I love it so much that I have been sharing one recipe every month for over a year! I’ve had so much fun coming up with creative flavors and you all seem to enjoy making them so it’s a win, win! The recipe here is my go-to baked oatmeal. It’s the first recipe I ever made and it’s a great place to start if you’re new to baked oatmeal because it has a classic flavor (that anyone will like) and is super easy to make!

What is Baked Oatmeal?

Baked oatmeal is healthy breakfast dish made by combining oats with a liquid, some sweeteners and flavorings and baking the mixture in the oven until it becomes firm and golden. The texture is similar to bread pudding and it’s really tasty and a fun way to switch things up from traditional stovetop oatmeal or overnight oats. There are a couple popular variations including the style I’m sharing here with rolled oats and another viral version called blended baked oats that bakes up similar to a cake!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

I personally LOVE all types of oatmeal (see all the oatmeal recipes here on EBF), but baked oatmeal is definitely one of my favorite ways to enjoy oatmeal. Here’s why:

1. It’s the perfect meal prep recipe. Quickly whip up a batch during your weekend meal prep and reheat it for breakfast all week long.
2. You only need one mixing bowl and one baking dish. Minimal dishes? Score!
3. The flavor combinations are endless! As you can tell, I’ve shared 20+ different baked oatmeal recipes and counting. There are so many ways to switch things up so your baked oatmeal never gets boring.
4. It’s lightly sweetened with maple syrup and made with healthy, nutritious ingredients, but doesn’t taste super duper healthy (aka like cardboard).
5. It’s allergen friendly. Sensitive to dairy? You can use a dairy-free milk. Need to make it vegan? Swap in a flaxseed egg in place of a traditional egg. Gluten-free? Just be sure your oats are certified gluten-free.

Ingredients Needed

• old fashioned rolled oats – be sure to used rolled oats, not quick oats. I like using these certified gluten-free oats from Bob’s Red Mill.
• baking powder – a rising agent that helps lighten the texture of the baked oatmeal. It prevents it from becoming too dense or heavy.
• ground cinnamon – cinnamon is the perfect warming spice for oatmeal, but you can also add more spices if you’d love. Ginger and nutmeg would be nice additions.
• sea salt – to bring all of the flavors together.
• unsweetened almond milk – any dairy-free milk works, but I like to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Dairy based milk works too if that’s what you have on hand.
• maple syrup – pure maple syrup is the perfect natural sweetener to use in my opinion! Just be sure to use pure maple syrup, not the artificial kind labeled “pancake syrup” and made from corn syrup… NOT the same!
• egg or flaxseed – this helps bind everything together. You can use a regular egg or ground flaxseed. If you’re using the flaxseed, no need to make a flax egg with water, you can just mix the ground flaxseed directly in with the rest of your ingredients.
• coconut oil – to add moisture and richness to the recipe. Nutiva organic extra virgin coconut oil is my favorite. If you don’t want to use coconut oil, butter works too!
• pure vanilla extract – a nice flavor enhancer.
• ripe bananas – sliced ripe bananas will act as a binding agent while providing plenty of sweetness. You can also use 1/2 cup applesauce instead of the bananas if you prefer.
• pecans – I used chopped pecans as the mix-in and topping for this recipe, which adds healthy fats, texture and protein.

Step-By-Step Process

While there is a bit of cook time, this baked oatmeal is so easy to whip up in one bowl. Here’s the process: Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375° F and spray an 8×8 inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Step 2: In a large bowl, mix together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add in the milk, maple syrup, egg, coconut oil, vanilla and bananas. Stir to combine. Step 3: Add in 1 cup of chopped pecans to the oat mixture and mix to combine. Carefully pour the oatmeal mixture into the prepared baking dish and scatter the remaining pecans on top. Step 4: Placed oatmeal in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Step 5: Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Portion into 6 slices and serve. I love serving it with fresh berries and a drizzle of nut butter, but you can also drizzle on a little maple syrup if you want it a bit sweeter.

Notes and Substitutions

Need to change up the recipe based on your dietary preferences or what you have on hand? No problem. Here are some tips for doing so!

• Milk – Feel free to use whatever milk you have on hand… cow’s milk, soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk or cashew milk. Any of these will work.
• Egg – Almost all of my baked oatmeal recipes either call for an egg or a flaxseed to bind the dish together. Eggs also help make the oatmeal creamy. You could also use chia seeds or skip the binder all together. I’ve found that the baked oatmeal still turns just fine without using the egg or flaxseed.
• Oil – You can skip the oil or swap it with another oil, melted butter (or ghee) or even applesauce or mashed banana.
• Bananas – Don’t love bananas? Swap it with 1/2 cup of applesauce, pumpkin or mashed sweet potato instead.
• Maple syrup – Any liquid sweetener like honey, agave, brown sugar or monk fruit maple syrup will work instead of maple syrup.
• Baking powder – If you don’t have baking powder or simply want to skip it, you certainly can. I’ve made baked oatmeal before without baking powder and its turned out just fine.
• Pecans – Feel free to swap the nuts with your favorite mix-in of choice. Fresh fruit, dried fruit, chocolate chips and nuts are all great options. You can use one mix-in or a few… it’s totally up to you!

What to Serve With Baked Oatmeal

Baked oatmeal is not only a great everyday breakfast recipe, it’s also a lovely addition to a brunch spread. Here are some ideas on what to serve it with:

Can You Make Baked Oatmeal Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can totally make it ahead of time. There are a couple options that work really well.

Option 1: Bake and Then Reheat Before Serving

1. Prepare baked oatmeal as the recipe suggests. Once baked, let the oatmeal cool, cover the baking dish and place in the fridge. You can do this 1-2 days in advance. When ready to serve, take oatmeal dish from fridge, cover with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes. For individual portions, set toaster oven to 350°F and bake for 5-10 minutes or reheat in the microwave for 1 minute.

Option 2: Prep as Much as You Can Without Baking

1. Mix together your dry ingredients in a bowl, cover and let sit out on the counter until morning.
2. Mix together all the wet ingredients in another bowl, cover and store in the fridge until morning.
3. In the morning, simply mix the wet and dry ingredients together, pour oatmeal mixture into your prepared baking dish and bake as recipe suggests.

How to Store and Reheat

Baked oatmeal is perfect for meal prep because it stores beautifully. Here’s how you can store and reheat leftovers:

• Refrigerate: Allow the oatmeal to cool, then cover the baking dish or transfer individual portions to an airtight container. It’l stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freeze: Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To do this, let the oatmeal cool completely, then cut into individual portions and store in freezer-safe containers or bags.
• Reheating the entire pan: Cover with foil and reheat in the oven at 350ºF for about 20 minutes or until warm.
• Reheating individual portions: set oven or toaster oven to 350ºF and bake for 5-10 minutes. You can also reheat in the microwave for 1 minute. Once warm, add your toppings and enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal FAQ’s

More Fun Flavors To Try