Baked Oatmeal
Updated December 01, 2022
Quick Summary
Baked Oatmeal- this easy oven baked oatmeal recipe is delicious, nutritious, and super satisfying! Make in advance and reheat all week for a quick and healthy breakfast!
Baked oatmeal is one of my all-time favorite breakfasts. If you’ve never tried baked oatmeal, let me fill you in. Instead of cooking oatmeal on the stovetop or in the microwave, you bake the oatmeal in the oven.
The oats are soft, creamy, and chewy. The texture reminds me of bread pudding that isn’t overly sweet. The oatmeal is super satisfying and will keep you full for hours.
I especially love it during the winter time. You can’t beat a bowl of baked oats on a cold morning, so cozy and comforting!
This recipe is super easy to make and can be made in advance. Reheat and eat all week! I love breakfasts that you can have ready to go; such a lifesaver on busy mornings.
Plus, the entire family loves baked oatmeal, especially when they can customize their bowls with their favorite toppings! Everyone is happy when baked oatmeal is on the breakfast menu!
Ingredients
The ingredients are super simple and can be customized to your dietary needs.
- Oats– I recommend using old fashioned oats instead of quick oats. They are larger and heartier and texture. You can use gluten-free oats.
- Brown sugar– a little to sweeten things up! You can use coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, or honey.
- Cinnamon– a must for oatmeal!
- Baking powder– to help the oats rise in the oven.
- Salt– a little salt for flavor.
- Milk– I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but you can use your favorite milk (soy, oat, cow, rice, cashew, etc).
- Unsweetened applesauce– to keep things on the healthier side, I use unsweetened applesauce instead of a lot of butter. The applesauce adds moisture to the oats.
- Butter– I do add in a little bit of melted butter for flavor (2 tablespoons). You can also use melted coconut oil or your favorite neutral oil.
- Egg– adds protein and binds the oats together! If you need the recipe to be vegan, you can use a flax egg.
- Vanilla extract– I love adding a splash of vanilla to my oatmeal!
- Dried fruit– you can use raisins or dried cranberries. If you don’t like dried fruit, you can make plain oatmeal or add in some fresh or frozen berries.
How to Make Baked Oatmeal
It’s so easy and your house will smell amazing!
- Preheat the oven and grease an 8×8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, combine the milk, applesauce, melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract.
- Add the milk mixture to oat mixture; stir well. Stir in raisins or dried cranberries. Pour the oatmeal mixture into the prepared pan and bake until the oatmeal is set and golden brown.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
- If you want to double the recipe, make it in a 9×13-inch pan and double the ingredients.
Topping Ideas
I love setting out a variety of toppings so everyone can customize their bowl of baked oatmeal. A few favorites include:
- Berries
- Banana slices
- Maple syrup
- Whipped cream
- Greek yogurt
- Brown sugar
- Chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, or candied pecans (can also stir nuts into the baked oatmeal before baking)
- Nut butter
- Toasted coconut
- Chocolate chips
What to Serve with Baked Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a very hearty and filling breakfast so you don’t technically need anything else, but if you want to serve a full breakfast spread, here are some recipes that go great with baked oatmeal.
- Smoothie
- Eggs (scrambled, baked, fried, over-easy)
- Breakfast casserole
- Hash Browns
- Bacon or sausage
- Fruit Salad
Tips for Storing & Reheating
How to Store: After the oatmeal has cooled, you can store it covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
How to Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or cover and warm up in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through. I like to add a splash of milk to make the oats extra creamy.
How to Freeze: To freeze, make sure the baked oatmeal is cooled completely. Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. I like to cut the oatmeal into individual portions, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store in a freezer bag or container. This makes it easier to thaw and reheat. You can thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
More Baked Oatmeal Recipes
- Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal
- Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Baked Peach Almond Oatmeal
- Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
- Peanut Butter Apple Baked Oatmeal
Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk, any milk will work
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup raisins or dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, combine the milk, applesauce, melted butter, egg, and vanilla.
- Add the milk mixture to oat mixture; stir well. Stir in raisins or dried cranberries. Pour the oatmeal mixture into prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until oatmeal is set and golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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looks delicious! I also have a few baked oatmeal recipes that I love.
Can you use quick oats as substitute for old fashioned oats?
I prefer old fashioned, but quick oats will work!
Great recipe thanks for sharing. I finally made it this am.
I came here via Simplebites and just wanted to say that I think this sounds really great. I’ll be bookmarking it for future mornings.
Looks delicious and nice and toasty!
I have oatmeal for breakfast almost every day yet I’ve never tried baked oatmeal. I’ll have to try your recipe soon.
Great recipe for baked oatmeal!
This looks so good, perfect on a Saturday morning. YUM!
What a great twist on oatmeal!
What a great way to enjoy oatmeal!
Hi,
This recipe sounds great. How long can this last in the fridge? Is it firm enough to be like a breakfast bar? The reason I’m asking is because oatmeal is so filling and a quarter cup of dried oatmeal (cooked in a slow-cooker overnight) yields enough for about 3 servings for me. But if this firms up into a bar, then it would be great as a snack and could probably go a lot quicker. Any help in this would be great!
Thanks.
Anna-you can keep the oatmeal in the fridge for about 5 days. Just reheat. Sometimes I add a little milk or water to freshen it up. It doesn’t hold up as a bar though.
looks great! I am a HUGE baked oatmeal fan…posted about it last week! 😉 Have a great day!
I just whipped up a batch and O my word this is amazing!! I definitely recommend! Perfect breakfast for the approaching cold mornings : )
Glad you enjoyed the baked oatmeal!
This looks so good. I’m going to try it this week.
We are trying this tomorrow! The kiddos are so excited! TFS!
Has anyone put it together the night before and baked it in the morning? Sounds soooo good, but I’m not sure if the oats would get mushy if made to far in advance before baking. Seems like a great weekday breakfast. Must try!
I haven’t made it the night before, but I have reheated it the next day and it is still tasty. I will have to try it the night before. If you do, let me know!
I do it all the time and it works perfectly. I usually add more liquid as the oats have soaked up a lot.
I just made this. It is so good! Thank you for sharing the recipe. I added raisins, dried cranberries, coconut and slivered almonds to it. Next time I’m going to chop up an apple or two and add it. Added bonus, my kids love it too!
DELISH!!! My daughter got ahold of the cinnamon and added another one or two tsp when I wasnt looking but it just added to the yum factor 🙂
Do you know the nutritional value; Mores so, the caloric intake. Thanks
Made a double batch in the 9×13 yesterday for part of my Christmas brunch…my guests loved it! One even suggested cutting the leftovers into bars and freezing for snacks. Thanks for the recipe!
Hello, I just made this and baked for 20 minutes per the instructions, but the oatmeal wasn’t set in the middle. Not sure what I did wrong. I put it back in for an additional 5 minutes, so hopefully it doesn’t overcook. I’m about to eat my arm off it smells so good and I want to get it in my belly! 😉
Just scraped my cereal bowl to get the last of the delicious baked oatmeal topped with yoghurt and nuts. Delicious! This was the 18th different breakfast dish that I have tried since starting a gluten free diet in 18 days and it was one of my favourites. Thanks for a great recipe which will become a regular feature in my early morning routine.
I am a huge fan of steel cut oats and in fact reference your steel cut oatmeal recipe when my mind blanks on the liquid-oat ratio. Do you think steel cut oats would work if I increase the liquid a bit and maybe let it sit overnight? Do you have a baked steel cut oatmeal recipe? Thank you for all your goodness here!
Hi, thanks for the recipe. I made it this morning as it’s a cold, blustery day. Instead of dried cranberries, I used whole ones, used a flax egg and almond milk. I did find it to be rather sweet so next time I would leave out the sugar entirely and just add a drizzle of maple syrup on top.
I am going to make your steel cut oats recipe next.
Trish
I’ve been making this the last month. My husband and I like it. Always add chopped walnuts. Yummy!
This was really good! I did prep it the night before, then put it in the fridge. In the morning, I baked it straight out of the fridge for 38 minutes and it was perfect. I used a 2.5 at 8in diameter Pyrex dish for it. I sprinkled done extra cinnamon and brown sugar over the top. It melted in transit to the brunch I brought it too and was delicious. I will totally be making this to keep in the fridge for quick breakfasts for my son, who also loved it (and he is really picky). I didn’t have cranberries, so I just used extra raisins.
Eating this baked oatmeal right now. Highly recommend! For my taste, I reduced brown sugar to 1/4 c. With the raisins it was plenty sweet for me. I have never been disappointed in any of your recipes. Thank you for sharing.
It took 40 minutes to set at 350F for me. (And yes, I have an oven thermometer and the oven really was at the right temperature!) At 20 minutes, it was still extremely wet in the middle. It was delicious when it was done, but just be aware that you may need to increase the bake time up to double what the recipe calls for.
Anxious to try this yummy recipe.I have always added a couple of jiggers of sourmash bourbon to my family’s old oatcake recipe, and it does give it more flavor.I wonder how it would mix here…
Mixed up it night and put it in the oven this am. So good. Took longer to bake. Hubby says make again. I has an extra egg yolk to use and mixed it in. I will try with spends next time as Hubby is diabetic. I used chunky applesauce, crasins, and toasted pecans.
I would love to know the calories per serving?
I eat oatmeal nearly every day. I enjoyed this recipe very much….I like that it’s toasty around the edges, but just soft enough inside to be “oatmeal-like.” I add in some chopped pecans and craisins but reduce the sugar by about 2tbs. Loving this new twist on my oatmeal habit!
I don’t keep milk in the house often and was wondering if I could make this with soy milk?
I’m so glad I discovered your website. I’ve used a number of your recipes, and have loved all of them. Thank you for posting!
Here in Tennessee we add a jigger of Jack Daniels & maple syrup in place of sugar.Very nutritious.
Delicious recipe! It’s my go-to for baked oatmeal.
I made this this morning. It was quick and delicious. I added lemon zest and a few blueberries I needed to use. My husband is a plain oatmeal lover and he said this was very good.
I would like to make this but was wondering if anyone has a suggestion for substituting the applesauce?
Sooooo good! What a hearty and healthy breakfast option! Even my teen and his friend gobbled it up!!
As a former runner returning to running, I’ll definitely be adding this to my meal prep rotation. I loaded it with cinnamon (my love for cinnamon is REAL people!) and got really excited by the suggestion to use apples. I chopped up one Granny Smith for a double batch. I’ll probably chop two for the next run.
Thank you Maria!
So good! Made it tonight but added mini chocolate chips and pecans. I think I could of baked a little longer because it was pretty mushy and I liked the top and corners best. Still so good!
Perfect! Glad you loved the baked oatmeal!
Thank you, Maria! LOVE all your oatmeal recipes!
I am so glad!
Loved this! Easy to make. Had all the ingredients. Such a great texture. Very filling too.
Delicious for a winter morning in Wisconsin!
This is a great baked oatmeal! I’ve done dried cranberries with dark chocolate or frozen fruit, really anything you can think of. I have one baking right now with a chocolate, peppermint, marshmallow combo I found at Wal-Mart. The ideas for mix ins for this are endless.
Have made this baked oatmeal a few times now and I so look forward to it as my new and favorite way to enjoy oatmeal… I have added raisins, Blueberries, strawberries, banana and chopped pecans on top. Absolutely delish!
Mind-blowing with a drizzle of pure maple syrup. Heavenly
This baked oatmeal has become a staple in our house. I make this ahead of time and we eat it throughout the week. It’s so easy to make and insanely delicious!! We add frozen blueberries and sometimes chopped pecans. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
You are welcome. We make it all of the time.
Can you make this in muffin cups, and if so, how long to bake them? Thanks
Yes! Try 20-25 minutes, it will depend on your oven. Check early to be safe.
The best!
It really is the best!
Delicious! I made it for tomorrow’s breakfast. But I couldn’t wait to taste! It’s going on the rotation. Definitely.
Yahoo!
Maria, this recipe was great! I really appreciate all of your comments about substitutions for dietary needs. I substituted 2 tbsp coconut sugar, 2 tablespoons peanut butter for butter, 1 flax egg for regular egg, 1 can full fat coconut milk it was absolutely easy and delicious! Thank you so very much!!! Andrea
My favorite!!
Everyone enjoyed this great recipe — I added fresh strawberries and walnuts. I can’t wait to try more variations.
I am so glad you loved it! We make it all of the time.
I don’t like oatmeal due to mushy texture but I have this a chance since I have surplus of rolled oats right now I got from Amish store. Both my husband and I loved this and we are not big oatmeal lovers. The texture was like bread pudding and I used toasted walnuts and diced fresh apples. My homemade vanilla and farm fresh eggs. When he said I would even eat this before I go to work I was like wow that is a big compliment. Thanks so much for this great base recipe I can put in our rotation of meals. You’ve made this homesteader happy!
Yay! I am so glad you love the recipe!
I was glad to hear you used walnuts; I topped the oatmeal with thinly sliced almonds. It gave a nice little crunch to the bread pudding-like texture. But I think I’m going to use your idea of adding chopped apples next time. That really sounds excellent!
I switched up the oatmeal by adding nutmeg, nectarines and blueberries. It’s a great combination.
Yum!
Cold, snowy October morning. Needed something different, something like comfort food. Made this recipe and put a wild blueberries & cream compote over it, and it was a huge hit. This recipe is definitely a keeper!!
It is the perfect breakfast for a chilly morning.
I made this and it was so yummy! I didn’t have applesauce or dried fruit . I substituted the apple sauce with plain Greek yogurt and cut up apple into tiny pieces , coated in cinnamon and mixed in. So yummy!
Perfect! Thanks for sharing!
Omg, so good, new fave! I’m not the healthy bowl of oatmeal type. Yuck, like gruel! But love my oatmeal apple cookie recipe. This is like a healthy oatmeal cookie in a casserole. Didn’t feel like making applesauce, so used other reviewer’s suggestion of Greek yogurt and minced apple. Wasn’t sure if apple would add too much bulk so used fewer rsisins. Topped with walnuts. Result was good but needed a tad more sweetness for my tastes so drizzled maple syrup. Next time will soak raisins in maple syrup or use sweet fresh fruit. Think soaking will also keep raisins from clumping in the mixture. Thanks again!
You are welcome!
Fantastic. I tried it the first time but I haven’t any 8×8 pans, and it cooked much faster than 30 minutes in my 9×9 pan. Second time I increased all ingredient amounts by 25% (except the egg, used the largest one I found), and in my 9×9 it cooked in 30 minutes and have enough for 5-6 days. Delish
Such a great breakfast!
I was looking for a new way to eat oatmeal and you sent me this recipe and one of the emails I received from you and I am so glad that I tried it this is the most delightful dish I have ever had with oatmeal. I read the comments after I made the meal and I will put some of their ideas into my recipes too. I did try it with a little of the maple syrup and a little honey I did prefer the maple syrup over the honey. Thank you to this new addition to my menu.
You are welcome. It’s such a great breakfast!
Cook time: 20m
Place in oven for 35 minutes
This went over with my family WAY better than I was expecting, and really hit the spot even though I think I underbaked it just a hair. Going into the regular winter rotation of hot breakfasts with a big scoop of vanilla yogurt. Just wow. Thank you!!
I am so glad your family loved it.
Such a delicious easy recipe! Not too sweet but enough to feel comforting on a cold morning! Thank you for sharing!
You are welcome!
We loved this recipe. Very easy, very tasty.
Our mix-ins of choice were dried cherries and chocolate chips.
Husband ate half the pan and both toddlers ate it (not a guarantee these days).
We’ll be making this again.
Love your mix-ins! So glad you loved the oatmeal.
Question – I would like to try to increase the amount of protein per serving by adding protein powder. The powder that I use for one serving is 34g which is about 2Tb. How would you suggest I add the protein powder and how much? Thank you! Either way I’m giving this recipe a try!
You can add a few tablespoons of protein powder, mix it in with the oats.
My grandkids and I love this recipe. At their suggestion, I added one chopped apple to the batter and it was even more delicious!
Yay! Glad you all loved it.
Has anyone used steel cut oatmeal with this?
Steel cut oat has a different texture. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Love this recipe! I made it for a friend who is going through chemo and it’s perfect for her. I added fresh blueberries and raspberries which worked well for her. I’m wondering about adding protein powder and how much I should add? I’ve never baked with it so am unsure. Thanks for the recipe and the great alternative mixings!
So sweet of you. Sending my best to your friend. You can add a scoop of protein powder.
I’m in love with this baked oatmeal! I made it earlier this week for myself, and it came out so nicely that I made a double batch to share with my coworkers for breakfast this morning. I went super basic and only added pecans and some chocolate chips, and it’s wonderful! The little zing of chocolate is so nice. And OMG, this is such a filling breakfast without having to eat a lot.
I am so glad you love the recipe.
Love it!! Can finally get the family to eat oatmeal! Thanks!
Yahoo!
It seems in the past your PIN button was available at the top of a post, on a picture within each post, or on the recipe card. Now I find I have to search through the entire post to find it, to me it seems now hidden at the bottom. I can appreciate you having a way to save it to our own file within your blog but I prefer to use Pinterest and I imagine there are others who would agree. Could you please put the PIN option somewhere more obvious? Thanks!
Ok never mind… in my haste to print this baked oatmeal recipe, which I’m looking forward to BTW, I found the pin button at the top… remove my post from this morning… sorry!
Can this recipe be made using a 9 inch cake pan? I don’t have an 8×8” pan. What would the baking times be?
Yes, that should be fine.
Don’t often review but it’s a keeper! Made for deer camp guys and doubled in a 9 by 13. Used our maple syrup (1/2 cup) so it’s not too sweet and a large chopped fine apple instead of apple sauce which I didn’t have. Walnuts and raisins and baked 35-40 minutes to perfection! Thank you for a simple recipe with no weird ingredients just kitchen staples. I’ll be making this often! God bless you for sharing your talent! Happy Thanksgiving
Thank you for taking time to leave a review! I am so glad you loved the oatmeal!
Just made this today and it was wonderful! I love the way the cinnamon floated to the top like a nice topping. I did used less sugar, no dried fruit, 1 T oil vice butter, and almond milk for dietary reasons, but the texture was perfect, and the flavor was outstanding. I am going to bag up the dry mix, with an applesauce cup, so it’s ready on the shelf for these cold mornings. A great recipe.
Glad you loved it!