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
I loved this easy recipe. I used mashed banana (vs applesauce), and fresh blueberries and red raspberries. I have a sweet tooth – next time I’ll use a little more maple syrup – or drizzle more on top (that way others can control the sweetness).
So, if I am making this with frozen berries should I leave them frozen and just bake them??
Correct!
I made this recipe and it turned out to be a good and nutritious breakfast. I will make this again as part of of our normal rotation of breakfasts
I made this recipe this morning. Couldn’t have been easier, and it was – is! – absolutely delicious. But I must have done something incorrectly and would love some help from you baking geniuses. 1)After about 30 minutes cooling time in the pan, I attempted to turn out the baked oatmeal in one piece so that I could cut it into the 9 proscribed squares, and it really did not hold together well. 2) When I cut myself a piece to taste, I found the bottom to be decidedly slimy. Even after resting for another 2 hours (the oatmeal and me…), the bottom was still slimy (just the oatmeal’s). I’d be so grateful for your best guest as to what this octogenarian beginning baker did wrong. Thank you in advance for your help, and many thanks for yet another terrific recipe.
This is delicious! Except it takes 60 min to cook fully (I have a baby and don’t want her to get sick since it contains eggs). I wish it was more forward in noting that.
We love this recipe! I love the flexibility of the recipe … using whatever fruit I want, using brown sugar or maple syrup, nuts, etc. I freeze them in slices as you suggested and they disappear quickly!
I really want to make this with maple syrup! Do you recommend Grade A pure maple syrup?
Hi Mariam, grade A or grade B maple syrup will work just fine here. Enjoy!
Someone asked about WW points. I figured 6 points per serving, at 9 servings per batch.
Hope this helps someone.
Hi Sally, thanks for this recipe. It’s great that you include the nutrition information! But it’s per serving, and I don’t see where it says how many servings the recipe makes. Am I missing something?
Hi Jeanne, this recipe serves 9.
I cannot believe I found such an absolutely WONDERFUL baked oatmeal without having to buy extra ingredients or stand on my head to make it! Quick, easy and DELICIOUS!
I love making this for my son. It’s his favorite breakfast item or snack. We add some yogurt and/or peanut butter on top, it’s delicious. I’m gonna try using grated carrot and raisin next time see how it works.
I wanted to start a family tradition on Sunday mornings to make the Lord’s day extra special and I chose this casserole to do it with! I have been making it for months now and it is my family’s favorite. I make it with the smashed banana instead of applesauce and it adds the perfect amount of sweetness. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
While the flavor is delicious, I used a frozen mixed berry blend and cooked it for 35 minutes. When I served it, I noticed the egg mixture near the berries was still raw (pretty sure it was due to the frozen berries not allowing those sections to fully cook at the same rate due to the ice). I got several spots that I spooned out that had the clear egg gel. I stuck in the microwave and the egg finished cooking. Passing along in case others use frozen berries… you may need to cook significantly longer to make sure the eggs fully cook.
This is one of our favorite recipes that I make on the regular! I top it with some vanilla greek yogurt and it takes it to a whole new level of yum!
The recipe says to use fresh or frozen berries and to see the note about not thawing. I can’t find the note? I am probably missing it somehow. Can you let me know how to prepare with frozen? Thank you!
Hi Courtney, the note is regarding other 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.” To use frozen berries, do not thaw the berries before adding to the batter. Hope you enjoy it!
This recipe is amazing! Great flavor and a nice new edition to breakfast time. I used blueberries and substituted honey for the maple syrup. Delicious! Will make again for sure.
I tried this a couple weeks ago and couldn’t stop thinking about it so I’m making it again today!
I’ve been making this for my husband’s work week breakfasts for months now and he can’t get enough of it! He loves it! I switch up fruits used in the recipe each time I make it for a nice change. It’s quick and easy and very tasty!
So good i am making it again…
I just want plain baked oatmeal with no sugar or dairy. Can I just mix oatmeal and water per serving he directions? Maybe blueberries…
Sure, you can do that.
Like everything else I’ve tried from this site, the oatmeal bake was delicious. I’ve been trying to incorporate ground flax seed into my baked goods for the omega-3’s but wasn’t sure if I needed to reduce the oats by the same amount.
Hi Beth, you can add some ground flax seed to the oatmeal batter—no need to reduce the oats. So glad you enjoyed this one!
I made this recipe with frozen berries. The berry mix had whole frozen strawberries and bigger than average raspberries so I cut them up to avoid them being gooey and raw like once baked. I used quick oats and muesli because I tried to stretch it and didn’t have enough of the oats/muesli so I used both. I also added 2 tbsp chia seeds. I baked it in large size muffin tins so I didn’t have to cut them. I tasted the batter before baking and it tasted good. I can’t wait until it is done.
Great recipe! Filling and practical for a quick breakfast that I look forward to eating. I reheat the oatmeal in my air fryer as I like it to be a firmer texture and it toasts the nuts and oatmeal.
This is a fantastic recipe!!! I am picky and a good cook. I loved the ingredient list, and went for it. I used half almond milk/ half skim…. I used the mashed banana over the applesauce… I topped mine with sliced almonds. Very moist and delicious. My husband raved!! I may back off just a tad on the maple syrup amount. This will be in our constant breakfast rotation. Thank you for the recipe Sally!!!!
I made this as a double batch in a hurry before church today- it was a spectacular success! So beautiful and very tasty!! I did use half coconut milk and half oat milk, as well as substitute half of the maple syrup for sugar. A recipe I plan to use many times!!
Delicious recipe! I also added 1 honey crisp apple chopped to the mix and my husband loved it. We enjoyed our serving with some vanilla yogurt on top.
I add 2 tbsp choa seeds amd don’t change anything else. I might add am extra splash of milk for the chia and hemp though
Do you know if this would be keto friendly?
Hi Peg, 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
This is so yummy and so satiating! I added 3T each of ground flax seed, chia seed and hemp seeds. Served with a drizzle of almond butter and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, very tasty!
This was absolutely delicious. Even better the next day
I really want to try this recipe but do you have idea what Weight Watcher points it would?
Hi Robin, 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
I think my mom has made this before, so I’m just gonna give it five stars and try it again for breakfast (I’m gonna call it healthy and not think about the maple syrup).