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You’ll be blown away by the flavor of this healthy baked oatmeal! It’s so easy to make and endlessly versatile: a true go-to recipe.
Here’s a recipe that’s so full of cozy-spiced flavor, you’ll wonder where it’s been all your life. Meet this incredible easy and healthy baked oatmeal! Here’s that perfect breakfast or brunch recipe you search for when you have house guests to impress. But guess what? It also works for quick mornings! Bake up a pan in advance and then grab a square to go. The combination of the cinnamon, allspice and maple makes magic. In fact, we could not stop eating it. Here’s what you need to know about the basic recipe, and a vegan variation, too.
Want other flavors? Try Banana Baked Oatmeal, Blueberry Baked Oatmeal, Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal or Apple Baked Oatmeal.
Ingredients in the best baked oatmeal
This baked oatmeal recipe is pretty ideal, if you ask us. First of all, it uses all ingredients we normally have in our pantry and fridge. It’s gluten free, and we’ve got a vegan variation too. We also created this recipe to taste like our favorite Maple Pecan Granola, so there’s that. It’s got just the right cozy-spiced flavor, gooey but set texture, and the apple is the perfect fruit for baked oatmeal (in our opinion). The main ingredients for this healthy baked oatmeal are:
- Rolled or old fashioned oats: Do not substitute steel cut oats, as they have a much different texture! Instead, go to Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal.
- Pecan pieces or other nuts
- Cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla
- Baking powder
- Egg
- Milk
- Maple syrup
- Apple or other fruit (see below)
Use any type of fresh or dried fruit!
Here’s the great thing about baked oatmeal: it’s endlessly customizable! You can make it with any type of fresh or dried fruit. Over here we think apples are perfect for baked oatmeal because they meld into the texture well and enhance the overall flavor. We’re not raisin fans in our baked oatmeal, but we’ll leave that up to you! You can use 1 cup of any type of fresh or dried fruit for your oatmeal, like:
- Chopped apples
- Chopped pears
- Sliced bananas
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Sliced strawberries
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries
- Dried cherries
Use any nut (or omit)
You can also use any type of nut in your baked oatmeal recipe! We prefer pecans because it reminds us of our favorite maple pecan granola: but you can leave the nuts out and it’s just as good! It’s nice to have a crunch and the added plant-based protein, though. Here are a few other ideas for nuts or seeds to use in baked oatmeal:
- Pecans
- Almonds: chopped, slivered or sliced
- Walnuts
- Pistachios
- Pumpkin seeds
The secret to this healthy baked oatmeal: allspice
This healthy baked oatmeal has just the right blend of spices! There’s the ever-present cinnamon, of course. But the kicker? Allspice. It’s got just the right hint of intrigue that makes taking each bite irresistible. If you don’t have allspice on hand, it’s worth getting for this recipe: trust us!
Don’t want to make a trip to the store? You can omit it, or use the same amount of ground ginger. Just make sure to try it with allspice the next time, ok?
Vegan variation
On its own this recipe is a vegetarian breakfast idea, and it’s easy to make into vegan baked oatmeal! Here are a few simple swaps you can make to make this into a vegan breakfast:
- Use a flax egg instead of egg. A flax egg is simple to make with ground flax seed and water, a trick used in lots of vegan baked goods.
- Use your favorite non-dairy milk. Almond milk and oat milk are the most common in our refrigerator.
- Use coconut oil instead of butter. Pour over a little melted coconut oil and maple syrup for the final flavoring.
Make ahead instructions for baked oatmeal
Here’s one thing to note about this healthy baked oatmeal recipe: do not make the entire pan in advance and refrigerate overnight! Some recipes like overnight oats call for this, but don’t attempt it here. The problem? The oats will absorb all the liquid and be much too dry. You can mix up the wets and dries separately and store in separate containers (with the wets refrigerated), then pour them together in the morning and bake.
The easiest way to make this for healthy breakfasts throughout the week? Make up a pan on a Sunday night, then refrigerate it for eating off of throughout the week. You can refrigerate leftovers for up to 1 week, and re-warm them in a 300 degree oven or the microwave.
More oatmeal recipes
Oatmeal is our whole grain breakfast of choice around here, if you haven’t noticed! If you love this baked oatmeal recipe, here are a few more of our basic oatmeal recipes to check out:
- Best Oatmeal Here’s the very best oatmeal recipe that we make every day (or try these vegan or pumpkin variations).
- Steel Cut Oats It takes just 25 minutes to make an easy creamy bowl of oatmeal: the ideal healthy breakfast.
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal or Easy Banana Oatmeal Delicious variations on a theme.
- Overnight Oats You don’t even have to cook! Mix up the oats the night before and refrigerate.
- Easy Instant Pot Oatmeal Pressure cooker oatmeal is an easy breakfast! Made with rolled oats, toasted until fragrant then cooked for just 3 minutes.
- Savory Oatmeal Opt for savory toppings instead!
- Oatmeal Pancakes Eat your oats in flapjack form: outrageously fluffy and delicious.
- Easy Oatmeal Bars or Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars A fun and different way to eat oatmeal: just peanut butter, honey and oats!
- Peanut Butter Energy Balls Roll up energy balls with oats, PB and honey.
- Cherry Baked Oatmeal or Carrot Cake Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal Delicious, simple to make, naturally sweet, vegan, and gluten-free.
This baked oatmeal recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, see the swaps below.
PrintEveryday Baked Oatmeal
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
Description
You’ll be blown away by the flavor of this healthy baked oatmeal! It’s so easy to make and endlessly versatile: a true go-to recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup pecan pieces (optional)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 apple, cut into small cubes (or 1 cup blueberries, raspberries, raisins, or dried cranberries)
- 1 large egg (or flax egg for vegan)
- 2 cups milk or non-dairy milk
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup, plus 1 tablespoon for drizzling
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon salted butter (coconut oil, for vegan)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.*
- Butter an 8 x 8″ or 9 x 9″ pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the rolled oats, pecan pieces, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and kosher salt.
- Dump the dries into the prepared pan. Add the diced apple in a layer on top.
- In the same bowl, whisk the egg, then add the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Drizzle the milk mixture over the oats. Use a fork to lightly stir so it gets evenly incorporated.
- Bake 40 to 45 minutes until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes (or more for the texture to fully set).
- Before serving, melt the butter with the remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup (in the microwave or on the stove). Drizzle the butter evenly over the top and serve. Store leftovers refrigerated for up to 1 week: reheat in a 300 degree oven or microwave until warm.
Notes
*Make ahead instructions: do not make the entire pan in advance and refrigerate overnight because the oats will absorb all the liquid. You can mix up the wets and dries separately and store in separate containers (with the wets refrigerated), then pour them together in the morning and bake.
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Baked oatmeal, Healthy baked oatmeal
I made this yesterday and warmed it up this morning for breakfast. Wow! So good! It surprised me that is was so cake like. I made some boiled cider recently and drizzled that over it, adding to the apple flavor. What a great healthy breakfast (or snack) item! I love it and will make it again for sure!
So glad you enjoyed!
I even had some for lunch time dessert!
Blah. I’m sure it will provide a lot of fiber, but doesn’t have much flavor.
★★★