17 Baked Oatmeal Recipes for Weekday Breakfast Fun
No matter how you slice it (or flavor it!) — from simple blueberry to cinnamon roll or chai — TikTok's baked oatmeal trend is basically license to eat cake for breakfast
Could I ever have predicted that I’d be learning to cook via TikTok? No. Does it matter? Not really! A recipe is a recipe is a recipe, whether it’s sanctioned by the likes of Julia Child or posted by @kingramenivan.
What’s more — given the medium, my teen is more likely to want to make one of these recipes herself.
So, I have a social media platform to thank for dalgona coffee, baked feta pasta, ramen hacks, and yes, deliciously cakey baked oatmeal, in all its breakfast-meets-dessert (or dessert-meets-brunch?) splendor.
Here’s everything you need to know about the best baked oatmeal recipes, even if you don’t yet have a TikTok account.
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Basic baked oatmeal recipes >>
Vegan baked oatmeal recipes >>
Banana baked oatmeal recipes >>
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What is baked oatmeal?
Simply put: cake for breakfast! And the only thing better is how impossibly easy baked oatmeal is to make.
Oats — notably, rolled oats — have a bad rap for being bland and texturally unappealing. Healthy, yes. Full of fiber, yes. Gluten-free, yes. But when served in the traditional fashion? On par with, say, wet newspaper. (It’s true!)
But that’s pre-TikTok thinking.
Enter: baked oatmeal. A typical recipe blends together oats, eggs, and various other baking ingredients, such as baking powder or baking soda, then gets baked until cake-like and springy. And just like your morning oatmeal, baked oatmeal can be cooked in the microwave for almost instant gratification. To serve, top with all your favorite oatmeal toppings.
Baked oatmeal tips
Want to try making your own? Read these handy tips before you get started.
How to make your own baked oatmeal
For one popular style of TikTok baked oatmeal, you transform the texture of traditional oatmeal with the power of your blender, until the oats become something completely different: light, airy, and smooth.
"I love the concept of taking something I always make for breakfast and slightly changing the preparation to make it a novel new idea," food blogger Yumna Jawad, of Feel Good Foodie, told TODAY.
In Yumna’s recipe, you pulverize the oats in the blender first, then add all the other ingredients: mashed banana, egg, maple syrup, baking powder, salt, and should you choose, cocoa powder. (And who wouldn’t choose?) For those with dietary restrictions, there are ways to change things up with non-dairy milk or a flax egg. Note: Be sure to use rolled oats, old fashioned rolled oats, quick oats, instant oats or oat flour — not steel cut oats.
Once everything has been incorporated, you bake the oatmeal in individual ramekins at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. (Alternately, you can use a baking dish). Then, let each one cool slightly, and top however you desire.
Other baked oatmeal recipes skip the blender completely, which saves a step, sure. The results are not quite as airy or cake-like, but still easy and delicious.
How to make baked oatmeal in an Instant Pot
For those who are so inclined, baked oatmeal also works in the Instant Pot. Instant Pot oatmeal is nothing new, clearly. But this is “baked.” And it’s a slightly different approach.
This version, from The Foodie Eats, doesn’t require the blender. And it features butter, brown sugar, and chocolate chips — so win-win-win. The end result is denser than Yumna’s approach, but equally delicious. And you serve it by the slice.
Start by mixing the wet ingredients — melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and milk — then fold the oat mixture into the dry ingredients (quick oats, baking powder, and salt). And then, of course, mix in the chocolate chips.
To “bake,” empty the batter into a 7-inch cake pan of your choosing and place it on a trivet in the Instant Pot. After 60 minutes at high pressure, quick release and then let sit for 10 minutes.
How to store baked oatmeal
Baked oatmeal is typically best consumed warm, while the texture is still light and cake-like. A baked oatmeal cake — or baked oatmeal muffins, which are also a fine choice — will still be great at room temperature for 1 or 2 days, especially if you plop them in an airtight container. Just be aware — the texture may change. They’ll last up to a week in the fridge.
To reheat, pop individual servings or slices in the toaster, or reheat in the microwave. Some baked oatmeal chefs suggest adding a bit of water to keep them moist.
How long does baked oatmeal last?
You can freeze baked oats before or after baking. Baked oatmeal will typically keep, frozen, for up to 3 months.
Basic baked oatmeal recipes
When in doubt, keep it simple. These baked oatmeal recipes are straightforward, healthy, and dead-easy — the perfect way to try #bakedoats for the first time.
Baked Oatmeal
“Baked Oatmeal is one of the easiest breakfasts I make, and luckily, it’s loved by every member of the family,” writes Mary Younkin of Barefeet in the Kitchen. She sometimes makes the batter the night before, leaves it in the fridge, and puts the cake pan in the oven the next day without even the need to preheat.
Brown Sugar & Molasses Baked Oatmeal
From Food Faith Fitness, this baked oatmeal recipe has two surprising secret ingredients: butter-flavored extract and apple cider vinegar. Don't knock it before you try it.
Baked Oatmeal Muffins
Baked oatmeal really lends itself to individual servings. And bananas and chocolate chips lend themselves to anyone with a sweet tooth.
Amish Baked Oatmeal
Before TikTok, there was Amish Baked Oatmeal. The trick to this straightforward recipe? “You need just enough time for the oats to soften, absorb the liquid, and plump up,” says Ann of The Fountain Avenue Kitchen.
Chai Baked Oatmeal
It’s all about the spices in this otherwise unfussy recipe from The Adventure Bite — spices for Chai flavor, and eggs and Greek yogurt for a punch of protein.
Vegan baked oatmeal recipes
Vegans, rejoice! Baked oatmeal is one of the most flexible, healthy breakfast recipes around.
Baked Oatmeal
Rolled oats are naturally gluten free (which, incidentally, makes them a secret ingredient in one of my all-time favorite meatloaf recipes). But this baked oatmeal recipe from Sweet Roots takes it further — no dairy, no eggs, no nuts. Coconut milk, coconut oil, bananas, and chia seeds do most of the work here.
Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal
The cinnamon-date paste in this recipe from Salted Plains is the secret culinary weapon you didn’t know you needed.
Vanilla Almond Vegan Baked Oatmeal
Just six ingredients, folks. Easy-peasy.
Banana baked oatmeal recipes
Bananas and oatmeal are a natural combo — and even better when baked together.
Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal
“This recipe is naturally sweetened with bananas so it contains no added sugar and it’s easily customizable,” says Elysia of Haute and Healthy Living.
Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
The thing about oatmeal is that it’s not only healthy and filling — it’s cheap. And in this baked oatmeal recipe with frozen blueberries and bananas from Budget Bytes, they break down exactly how cheap.
Banana Baked Oatmeal Cups
Individual servings FTW! And these banana baked oatmeal cups from The Merchant Baker are somewhere between muffins and an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. For breakfast. Yummy.
Baked oatmeal with apples
Another natural pairing — especially when you add cinnamon.
Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal
This Yummly original recipe for baked oatmeal does not hold back. Just watch that generous pour of maple syrup. Thanks, Sara Mellas!
Caramel Apple Baked Oatmeal
And if maple syrup doesn’t faze you, perhaps the salted caramel sauce in this recipe from The Breakfast Drama Queen will.
Baked oatmeal with berries
Berry good!
Baked Berry Oatmeal
Once you get the hang of baked oatmeal and find a recipe or style that you like, there are endless ways to riff. In this recipe from Apple of My Eye, frozen mixed berries (and pecans!) take center stage.
Blackberry Peach Crisp Baked Oatmeal
This summery baked oatmeal recipe features fresh fruit and is naturally sweet — with just a pinch of coconut sugar, which has low glycemic carbohydrates that won’t spike your blood sugar.
Strawberry Vanilla Baked Oatmeal
Says Danae of Recipe Runner, “Summer may not be the best time to share a recipe that involves turning the oven on, but I promise, it’s worth it for this Strawberry Vanilla Baked Oatmeal.”
PB&J Baked Oatmeal
Peyton of Choosing Balance says this recipe is childhood remade. And the flavors will indeed take you way back, but the ingredients — unsweetened almond milk, coconut sugar — are decidedly modern.
More fun breakfast ideas
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