This oatmeal bake stirs together quickly with or without mix-ins, making it versatile and customizable. I like to use fresh blueberries and a handful of chopped walnuts for a balance of fruity and crunchy. The mix-in options are truly endless and only limited by your imagination. Almost any combination of fresh or frozen fruit and nuts makes for a delicious oatmeal. Or, sweeten things up by adding chocolate chips or serving with maple syrup! For more breakfast recipes, try my waffle recipe, hash browns, or blueberry muffins.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Whole Milk – whole milk adds essential moisture to this recipe and adds delightful richness to the oatmeal. You can also substitute 2% milk or oat milk. Brown Sugar – light brown sugar gives a classic and comforting oatmeal taste. Lightly pack the sugar in the measuring cup. Alternatively, use pure maple syrup to sweeten. Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats – this recipe works best with old-fashioned rolled oats (also known as “old fashioned oatmeal”), not instant or quick-cooking oatmeal. Baking Powder – this ingredient is key to giving the oatmeal a little lift and preventing an overly dense texture. Always use baking powder with a good expiration date for the best baking experience. Mix-Ins – while optional, mix-ins make this recipe customizable and allow you to add variety to your breakfast. Try using 1-1½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries, chopped apples, chopped pecans or walnuts, dried cranberries, or raisins.
How to Make Baked Oatmeal
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×9-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray. In a large bowl, add the milk, applesauce, brown sugar, eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
- Whisk the wet ingredients until well combined.
- Add the oats, baking powder, and salt and stir until the dry ingredients are well coated.
- Add any desired mix-ins, like frozen blueberries or walnuts.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle with more nuts or fruit if desired. Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is almost set. For a drier, firmer oatmeal, cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer. Let the oatmeal cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with greek yogurt and more fruit or nuts, if desired.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
Use old-fashioned oats. This recipe works best with old-fashioned rolled oats, sometimes also labeled as simply “rolled oats.” Do not use quick oats or steel cut oats. Try different mix-in combinations. One of the best things about this recipe is that you can change it up with different mix-ins every time you make it. Try using fresh sliced strawberries or whole raspberries and slivered almonds, diced apples and dried cranberries, or a family favorite of mashed banana and chocolate chips. For an extra nutty kick, stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons of nut butter in with the wet ingredients. Whole milk alternatives. You can substitute other dairy milk or non-dairy milk alternatives (like almond milk, oatmilk, or soy milk) for this recipe. Note that some milk alternatives will change the flavor of this recipe if sweetened and flavored. If using coconut milk, be sure to use the beverage variety sold in the refrigerated aisle with the other kinds of milk, not canned coconut milk or coconut cream. When using nuts, toast them for extra flavor. Toasting nuts before using them in a recipe will deepen and enhance the flavor. If you’re new to this process, see my instructions on how to toast pecans or my recipe for toasted walnuts. Let the oatmeal sit for 10 minutes before serving. The baked oatmeal will continue to set after it is removed from the oven. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes before cutting or serving.
If you’ve tried this baked oatmeal recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
