Baked Oatmeal Recipe - The Original Healthy Breakfast! (2024)

This healthy breakfast baked oatmeal recipe will quickly become one of your family’s favorite easy and delicious homemade morning meals!

The best breakfast baked oatmeal

This is the original baked oatmeal recipe that started it all.

Over a decade since I first created the recipe, you can now find many new and exciting flavors, including pumpkin, banana, and chocolate baked oatmeal.

However, even after all these years, the classic original is still our favorite.

Made with simple ingredients, freezer friendly, and perfect for guests or weekly breakfast meal prep, nutritious overnight baked oatmeal is one of the most convenient and best healthy breakfast options around.

You may also like these Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Easy baked oatmeal recipes

Apple Cinnamon: Substitute the blueberries and strawberries in the recipe below with diced apple. Add one teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

Chocolate Chip Cookie: Stir half a cup of mini chocolate chips into the batter. If desired, sprinkle an extra handful of chocolate chips on top of everything right before the casserole dish goes into the oven.

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal: Replace the strawberries with fresh blueberries instead.

Nutella Banana Bread: Use store bought or Homemade Nutella as your nut butter of choice. Use sliced bananas instead of the berries.

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal: Stir half a cup of shredded carrot and a handful of raisins in at the beginning. Increase cinnamon to one teaspoon, and add a pinch of ground cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Top with cream cheese frosting.

Amish Baked Oatmeal: Add a handful each of raisins and chopped walnuts. After baking, top with brown sugar and milk of choice.

High Protein Baked Oatmeal: Replace half a cup of the rolled oats with half a cup of your favorite plain, vanilla, chai, coffee, or other flavored protein powder.

Add leftover oats to a Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Healthy baked oatmeal ingredients

To make the simple oatmeal bake, you will need rolled oats, fresh fruit, water or optional eggs, salt, sweetener, vanilla extract, and optional nut butter or oil.

The oats can be rolled oats or quick oats. I have not tried steel cut oats or instant oats here so cannot recommend either of those. For a gluten free oatmeal casserole, use certified gluten free oats or substitute rolled quinoa flakes.

Nut butters that work well include peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter. Coconut oil tastes wonderful here. For an oil free, low fat, and low calorie breakfast casserole, the fat may be replaced with additional water.

If you wish to use frozen berries, be sure to fully thaw the berry package first. Blot excess water away with paper towels.

Sweetener options that work well include pure maple syrup, honey, or agave. If you experiment with a granulated sugar or sugar free sweetener, be sure to report back.

*If you prefer blended single serving oats, try my Baked Oats or Chocolate Baked Oats.

Step by step recipe video

Watch the baked oatmeal recipe video, above

How to make baked oatmeal

Gather all of your ingredients, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line a traditional rectangular nine by thirteen inch baking pan with parchment paper, or grease it well. Set this pan aside while you make the baked oats.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the rolled oats, salt, and cinnamon.

Whisk in the mashed banana, pure vanilla extract, sweetener of choice, nut butter or oil, and optional eggs or water.

Carefully stir in the blueberries or other berries, reserving about a fourth cup to press into the top later if desired.

Smooth the oatmeal batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Add the remaining berries, then place the pan on the oven’s center rack and bake for forty minutes.

Remove from the oven, and serve hot. Or let the baking pan of oatmeal cool for vegan baked oatmeal bars that are easy to slice.

A frequently asked question I receive is whether you can make baked oatmeal in a slow cooker. I have not tried and therefore do not have directions for that cooking method.

Storing and freezing leftovers

Allow leftover oatmeal to cool before covering.

Refrigerate for up to four days in an airtight covered container. Or slice into oatmeal squares or bars, and freeze for up to five months.

Reheat leftovers in a frying pan on the stove top, or in the microwave, toaster oven, or even an air fryer. If you prefer, you may also eat the baked oatmeal bars cold, like refrigerated energy bars.

These healthy baked oats are freezer friendly and great for meal prep, meaning you will never again have to worry about breakfast on rushed mornings!

Baked oats with no banana

If you are allergic to bananas or simply do not like the taste, this healthy breakfast recipe can easily be modified for a banana free version.

Use an equal amount of applesauce, Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, or sweet potato puree as a substitution for the mashed banana.

To make up for the difference in sweetness, increase the pure maple syrup to half a cup. Decrease the water to one third cup.

For sweet potato or pumpkin baked oatmeal, I recommend adding a teaspoon of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

Using grams instead of cups

If you would like to measure out the ingredients with a food scale, here are the amounts to use:

360 grams of oats, 360 grams of mashed banana, 120 grams of water, 80 grams of pure maple syrup, 80 grams of nut butter, 180 grams of diced fruit, and 10 grams of pure vanilla extract.

Remember to also include the salt and cinnamon.

The amount of banana is around three bananas worth. I like to buy four just in case. You can always use up the extra to make Banana Oatmeal Cookies.

Baked oatmeal health benefits

With just over 100 calories and more than five grams of protein, homemade baked oatmeal is a wonderful heart healthy breakfast recipe.

In addition to being low calorie and high protein, the whole grain oat bars can also be low fat, high fiber, dairy free, egg free, cholesterol free, gluten free, oil free, and vegan.

The banana adds potassium, and the antioxidant rich blueberries are considered one of the healthiest berries, packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, and fiber.

Also high in protein is this Protein Banana Bread

Healthy Recipes with Oatmeal

Tiramisu Overnight Oats

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Banana Muffins

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Healthy Banana Bread

Overnight Oats

Oatmeal Muffins