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Home / Recipes / Breakfast / Oatmeal / The Best Baked Oatmeal

The Best Baked Oatmeal

50 mins
| 17 Comments |
5 from 16 votes
Jump to Recipe 06/28/20 | Updated: 06/28/20 | by Nora
Baked Oatmeal Image Pin

There’s nothing better than a breakfast that basically makes itself! This baked oatmeal recipe comes together in a snap and tastes amazing.

pouring maple syrup over baked oatmeal in a white bowl with fresh fruit

I don’t use the term “the best” lightly, but this baked oatmeal? It really is the best. I have tried so many basic baked oatmeal versions and pretty much all of them were mediocre at best: Too thin, too mushy, too much fuss, too sweet, not sweet enough…

In the end, I decided to create my own recipe combining all the features I want in my baked oatmeal, and of course I had to share it with you here.

This baked oatmeal

  • comes out thick, fluffy and cake-like
  • is sweet enough to be delicious, but not too sweet – definitely still breakfast appropriate (I mean it is for me, if you’re very cathartic about your breakfast… maybe try my blueberry baked oatmeal without any refined sugar?)
  • has just the right texture – not dry, not mushy, nope… just right, like the little bear’s bowl in the Goldilocks story
  • is definitely 100% fuss-free to make, pinky promise

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

ingredients for baked oatmeal on a marble surface
Ingredients in baked oatmeal: Oats (I mean, obviously), milk, eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Ingredient notes

  • Oats: This recipe works best with regular rolled oats. If you’re using old-fashioned, I recommend to let them soak for at least one hour. Quick oats come out too mushy. Please do NOT make this with steel cut oats, they need a lot more liquid and this recipe will not work. (Seriously, it doesn’t. If you try and it fails… You’ve been appropriately warned.)
  • Milk: Use whatever milk your heart desires. Whole, 2%, 1%, skim, almond, giraffe… Well, maybe the giraffe milk is a bit too difficult to find, but I’m assuming it would actually work.
  • Butter: You can use oil instead of the melted butter. The butter definitely makes it taste more luxurious though. And a little luxury for breakfast makes all the difference for those not-so-morning people among us.

Step by step photos

Ok, got all of your ingredients? Then let’s get this party started. (And yes, baked oatmeal is indeed a reason to party.)

First, you’ll add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Really, use a bowl large enough or you’ll curse yourself and the mess you made on your counter later.

dry ingredients for baked oatmeal in a glass bowl

Then, stir them well. This is important so you evenly distribute both the salt and the baking powder.

P.S: I definitely posed this “stirring” photo and I’m not actually stirring but holding the spatula very still. My husband says I’m crazy, but I prefer to call myself normalcy challenged.

stirring dry ingredients for baked oatmeal

Anyways, moving on:

Add all remaining ingredients (aka the “wet ingredients”) to the bowl. Yep, you can just add them all to the dry ingredients without needing to combine them in a separate bowl first. Less dishes, always.

pouring melted butter into bowl with eggs and oats

Finally, stir the mix very well. It’s going to take a little bit of effort to break up those egg yolks and distribute them evenly.

(This is where the “large enough bowl” comes into play – if you’re cursing yourself right now because your counter is covered in unbaked oatmeal? Sorry to say, but I told you so).

stirring ingredients for baked oatmeal

Last but not least, pour everything into a greased baking dish and… Well, bake your oatmeal. You can also cover and refrigerate it up to overnight at this point, if you want to make your oatmeal ahead and bake it later!

female hands holding baking pan with raw oatmeal

And once it’s baked and cooled a little (yes, you do need to let it cool it a little… sorry, I know, it’s the hardest part of this recipe)… Slice it…

overhead view of sliced baked oatmeal

… and serve with all the fixin’s!

Serving ideas

While you can just slap a bar of this into your kids’ hands (and call it an oatmeal breakfast bar) while you’re hurrying them out of the house in the morning… You can also be classy about it and make it a sit-down breakfast.

Serve the oatmeal slices in bowls with extra milk, fresh fruit and maple syrup for everyone to add themselves.

(This exact classy scenario is also how my 3 year old once dumped an entire bottle of maple syrup over a single slice of oatmeal while I was trying to wrangle the baby into his carrier. Ah, the joys of motherhood.)

close up of stacked baked oatmeal slices with fresh berries

Make ahead instructions

In case you skipped over the step by step photos (come on, we both know 95% of you did)… here are the make ahead instructions again, plus some more:

To prep the oatmeal now and bake later:

Make the oatmeal up to adding the mixture to the baking dish. Cover and refrigerate up to overnight.

Bake in the morning, uncovered, as directed in the recipe. You’ll need to add around 10 minutes to the baking time because the oatmeal is very cold from being in the fridge all night.

To store the baked oatmeal:

Let the oatmeal cool to room temperature, then cover (or place the sliced oatmeal in a container with a lid). Place in the fridge for up to 3 days. Gently reheat in the microwave, if you like.

To freeze the baked oatmeal:

Let the oatmeal cool to room temperature. Slice into bars and wrap each well in plastic wrap. Either place in freezer bags or in freezer-friendly containers. Label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months).

To defrost, remove the oatmeal from the freezer bag or container. Let sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes, until you can remove the plastic wrap. Place the oatmeal bars on a wire rack and defrost on the counter for a couple of hours. Reheat in the microwave, if you like.

baked oatmeal and fruit in a bowl with milk

And that, my friends… Is the very lengthy story of my baked oatmeal recipe.

tl;dr: Stir everything together in a bowl. Add to a baking dish and bake. Eat way too hot, burning the roof of your mouth, because you can’t resist the delicious smell. Or maybe that’s just me… The end.

(Just in case it wasn’t perfectly clear, this is humor in the sentence above. Obviously, do not eat the oatmeal way too hot. Eat it at a safe temperature for your precious mouth. Please.)

More baked oatmeal recipes

  • Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
  • Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
  • Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal
  • Chunky Monkey Baked Oatmeal Cups (Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut)

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

Printable Recipe Card
close up of stacked baked oatmeal slices with fresh berries
Pin Recipe

The Best Baked Oatmeal

There's nothing better than a breakfast that basically makes itself! This baked oatmeal recipe comes together in a snap and tastes amazing.
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
5 from 16 votes
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 10 mins
Cook 40 mins
Total 50 mins
Difficulty Easy
Servings 12 servings
Nutrition 363 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 6 cups rolled oats uncooked
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 stick butter melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
  • Combine oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla and mix very well.
  • Spread in prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until set. Let cool for 5 minutes, then slice into bars to serve.
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Notes

To prep the oatmeal now and bake later:
Make the oatmeal up to adding the mixture to the baking dish. Cover and refrigerate up to overnight.
Bake in the morning, uncovered, as directed in the recipe. You’ll need to add around 10 minutes to the baking time because the oatmeal is very cold from being in the fridge all night.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 363kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 10gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 345mgPotassium: 403mgFiber: 4gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 539IUCalcium: 182mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Suitable for: Vegetarian
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

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Comments

  1. Anna says

    May 11, 2022 at 3:46 am

    5 stars
    My pickiest eater loves this stuff. Mom approved.

    Reply
    • Nora says

      May 11, 2022 at 1:42 pm

      I’m so glad, Anna!

      Reply
  2. myrto says

    June 16, 2021 at 4:17 pm

    Could you add metric? in grams???

    Reply
    • Nora says

      June 18, 2021 at 5:48 pm

      Done 🙂

      Reply
  3. Susan says

    May 21, 2021 at 10:39 pm

    5 stars
    I added blueberries, yummy.

    Reply
    • Nora says

      May 24, 2021 at 3:48 pm

      I’m so glad, Susan!

      Reply
  4. Devorah says

    March 11, 2021 at 12:03 am

    Can this be made with steel cut oats? Perhaps by preparing the night before (which is always a great morning shortcut!) so it can soak up liquids?

    Reply
    • Nora says

      March 13, 2021 at 12:17 am

      Devorah, I have never tried baked oatmeal with steel cut oats, so unfortunately I cannot advise on this.

      Reply
  5. Maxie B says

    March 04, 2021 at 6:20 am

    5 stars
    Delicious!

    Reply
    • Nora says

      March 05, 2021 at 6:05 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed the oatmeal, Maxie!

      Reply
  6. Carolynne says

    February 24, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    5 stars
    this was great and produced a high yield! I only had chocolate oat milk that was dairy free in the cupboard but it worked well. I also subbed half the sugar for peanut butter which also worked as I thought this was a lot of sugar.

    Reply
    • Nora says

      February 27, 2021 at 1:26 pm

      I’m glad it worked out well with your substitutions, Carolynne!

      Reply
  7. Dee says

    February 08, 2021 at 5:56 pm

    Did I miss the measurements of ingredients?.

    Reply
    • Nora says

      February 08, 2021 at 8:10 pm

      The measurements are in the printable recipe card. Just click “jump to recipe” at the top and it will take you right there. Hope this helps, Dee!

      Reply
  8. Jennifer says

    October 10, 2020 at 11:34 am

    If I half the recipie, how long will I bake for ?

    Reply
  9. Amy Forgione says

    September 23, 2020 at 6:31 pm

    Question: When you say to soak the old fashion oaks, am I soaking them in the milk from the recipe or separate from the liquid that’s called for?

    Recipe sounds delicious

    Reply
    • Nora says

      September 24, 2020 at 10:47 am

      Amy, you soak them in the liquid from the recipe!

      Reply

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Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

More about me →

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