This easy baked oatmeal is filled with oats, maple syrup, fresh berries and fragrant vanilla. The perfect make-ahead breakfast for busy mornings. Bake it in advance and reheat portions as needed.
Put down that packet of oatmeal! I’m going to show you just how easy it is to make your own flavored oatmeal from scratch. This Berry Vanilla Baked Oatmeal is delicious and flavorful, and it requires minimal effort. It is full of fresh mixed berries and fragrant vanilla. It’s baked in the oven, which means no standing over the stove and stirring. Woohoo! Mornings just got a little easier, and a whole lot tastier. 😉
My kids love oatmeal, and I love the fact that a bowl of this baked oatmeal is a nutritious and hearty way to start the day. This is the perfect dish to make at the start of the week. Just stick the leftovers in your fridge and reheat portions throughout the week as needed. It’s always great to have a quick and healthy breakfast waiting in the fridge, especially on busy weekday mornings.
This recipe is super adaptable. I used raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries in it, but you can use your favorite combination of berries, or you can even swap some of the berries for sliced bananas. I used fresh berries, but if you’d like to use frozen, you can. Just FYI – The color from the frozen berries might bleed into the oatmeal a bit (don’t worry – it will still taste great).
This dish gets its vanilla flavor from a combination of vanilla almond milk and vanilla extract. The vanilla compliments the berries perfectly. And since this dish is sweetened with pure maple syrup, it contains no refined sugar! If you’d like it a little sweeter, feel free to drizzle the top of each serving with additional maple syrup. You can also stir in a splash of almond milk (or regular milk) to make it extra creamy.
I didn’t realize it until now, but this here is the 6th(!) oat recipe I’ve shared already this year. I love how versatile oats are. Each of the recipes that I’ve recently shared are so different. Some are breakfast worthy, some are healthy, and one in particular is decadently delicious (one my all-time faves). So, if you have any leftover oats after making this baked oatmeal, feel free to use ‘em up in one of my other recent recipes: Honey Oat Quick Bread, Nutella Stuffed Oatmeal Cookie Bars, Healthy Flourless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Almond Coconut Chai Spice Oatmeal, or Apple Oat Muffins. Happy oat-eating. 😉
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Mixed Berry Vanilla Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk plus additional for serving (you can sub regular milk or coconut milk)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil melted
- 3 cups fresh berries larger berries chopped or sliced (I used strawberries, blueberries and raspberries)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 2 ½ or 3 quart baking dish. Set aside.
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Combine oats, baking powder and salt. Place half the oat mixture in the baking dish, top with half the berries, and then top with the remaining oat mixture.
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Whisk the eggs, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and melted butter/coconut oil. Pour over the oats.Top the oats with the remaining berries. Gently shake the baking dish back and forth from side to side to allow the wet mixture to get down into the oats.
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Bake uncovered for about 25-40 minutes, until oats are tender, and the mixture is set.
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Serve immediately with a splash of milk, or cool, then cover and refrigerate to reheat later.
Recipe Notes
When reheating leftovers I stir in a splash of milk or water to make the oatmeal creamy.
This post originally appeared on Julie’s Eats and Treats where I am a regular contributor. Enjoy!
This looks amazing, a perfect breakfast!
Thanks! I agree. 🙂
By old fashioned oats, do you mean steel cut?
Hi Charlie. No, not steel cut, they would not cook fast enough. This recipe uses old fashioned “rolled” oats, similar to this http://www.quakeroats.com/products/hot-cereals/old-fashioned-oats.aspx
Thank you!
Baked oatmeal is on my must make list. This is so gorgeous!
Thanks, Megan! Enjoy!
This is perfect for the morning or for lunch! Such a pretty dish too. xo, Catherine
Thank you, Catherine!
This looks amazing!! Can I substitute almond milk with regular milk??
Yes, definitely! Enjoy!
Hello! I am thinking of making this, but can I sub honey for maple syrup? Thanks!
Hi Traci! Absolutely! Enjoy. 🙂
How long can you keep this in the fridge before it spoils?
I usually don’t keep it longer than three or four days.
If using frozen berries do they need to be thawed first?
No, they do not need to be thawed. If using larger berries (like strawberries) you might want to halve or quarter them.
So delicious! I wish I had tried this recipe months ago but it will definitely be a staple! Made it this morning before yoga and it was a perfect post practice breakfast!!
I’m so glad that you liked it! It is one of my favorite breakfasts. Thanks for stopping by!
This made such a big batch I was able to serve for a couple of breakfasts. My girls loved it and it reheated great.
Thanks, Jennelle! So glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
How do you reheat it? Should you add more milk?
Hi, Melissa! Yes, when I reheat it I stir in a splash or milk or water to make it creamy. It will firm up after refrigeration. If you’d prefer it firmer (almost like an oatmeal bar), just skip the extra liquid. I added that note into the recipe. Enjoy!
Thanks you so much for your response! Is this a good recipe to make ahead and freeze? If so, would I add milk to the top of the bake before putting it back in the oven? What would you recommend to reheat it? I wouldn’t want it to overbook and burn
I have never frozen and reheated the whole thing. I usually reheat individual portions in the microwave as needed. It will take quite a while to reheat the whole dish if it is frozen, so yes you might need more liquid. Maybe thaw in the fridge before baking? I can’t say for sure, since I’ve never tried it. Enjoy!
Can u use regular milk or coconut milk? We can’t use almond milk or any nut type of milk, my daughter has a tree nut allergy. Would love to make this think my kids would enjoy this and me too!
Hi, Deb. You can absolutely sub any other milk of your choice. Just use the same amount. Enjoy!
This turned out amazing!! Thank you for this recipe!! I used whole milk instead of almond, butter and I double the amount of vanilla extract. We really like vanilla in our family, lol!!
I’m happy to hear that you liked it. It is a favorite in our house. Thanks for stopping by!
Could I assemble it ahead of time and bake it later that day? Do you think the oats would get “too soggy” doing it this way? Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, Michelle. I would suggest mixing the dry ingredients and mixing the wet ingredients (separately) ahead of time, then combining them right before baking. If they sit too long they might get mushy. Enjoy!
Thank you so much! I’m making this for the second time this week! First time was for a group and this time I’m making it for my family because we were sad not to have any leftovers! 🙂
Have you ever tried making these into muffins? Any tips on how that might work? It sounds delish!
Hi, Liz. I haven’t tried it but it should work. I would divide the dry ingredients between muffin cups and then pour the wet mixture over each dry cup until you use all the liquid. You’ll also need to reduce the baking time. Enjoy!
Makes sense! Thank you.
Hi! Have you ever done a vegan eggless version of this? Any ideas of what you would do?
Hi, Christina. I have not done an egg free version. The egg does help bind the mixture together, you could try swapping a flax egg or two. If you don’t want to try that, here is a great vegan baked oatmeal recipe – maybe you could swap the chocolate for berries? Enjoy! http://redesignedrecipes.com/almond-butter-chocolate-chip-baked-oatmeal-bars-vegan-dairy-free-gluten-free-peanut-free/
Thank you! I am going to try a version with flax eggs and will let you know how it is!