How To Make The BEST Baked Oatmeal

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If you haven’t yet tried Baked Oatmeal, you are missing out. This is the baked oatmeal recipe that gets two thumbs up every time we make it. 

Lightly spiced with cinnamon and full of sweet dried fruit, so much more exciting than your average bowl of oatmeal. Baked oatmeal makes eating oatmeal feel a little like a special treat–a treat that just so happens to be good for you.

 I’m showing you today how to make the BEST baked oatmeal. This is our family’s all-time favorite oatmeal recipe and we’ve made it so many times over the years that I’ve lost count.

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Best Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal

My oldest son Sam has been making breakfast on his own for several years now. While I occasionally miss the baby days, there’s nothing quite like having kids old enough to get a hot breakfast on the table without any help!

We enjoy this Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal in the fall, Summer Berries Baked Oatmeal in the warm months when our favorite berries are in season and even found a way to combine several of our favorite foods in Peanut Butter Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal.

This post could also be labeled “Baked Oatmeal for Beginners” since the recipe I’m sharing below is a staple oatmeal recipe that’s appropriate for any season and day of the week.

 Oatmeal Recipes

My family has a well-known love affair with oatmeal. We’ll happily eat oats simmered on the stovetop, slow-cooked in the crock-pot, baked into granola, cookies, and breads.

We like oatmeal in every way, shape, or form you can serve it. Muesli-style oats, nutty granolas, rich and creamy oats with sweet bites of fruit and melting brown sugarchewy baked oatmeal combinations; I doubt that I will ever turn down a warm oatmeal cookie.

You can find a full list of some of our favorite oatmeal recipes right here.

With all of those varieties to choose from, I can still say, beyond any doubt, that our all-time favorite way to make oatmeal for breakfast is BAKED.

Craisin Baked Oatmeal

How to Make Perfect Baked Oatmeal

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch pan with butter or coat with cooking spray. Combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Add the oil, eggs, and milk and stir to combine. Add the craisins and stir once more.
  2. Scoop the oat mixture into the greased pan and bake for 30 minutes. The oatmeal should be lightly browned, slightly crisp on top and around the edges. A knife inserted will come out mostly clean with wet crumbs. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Slice into servings or scoop servings with a spoon. Enjoy!

Freezer Meal Instructions: Let the oatmeal cool completely and then cut or scoop into portions. Store the oatmeal in airtight freezer bags or containers. Reheat in the microwave with a tablespoon of water.

Baked Oatmeal filled with blueberries is a winner

Baked Oatmeal Recipe

There is something about sweet and chewy oatmeal that is guaranteed to make you smile, whether you choose to make a simple recipe or load it up with your favorite fillings.

It’s delicious warm right out of the oven or warmed up in the microwave. We love eating oatmeal for breakfast but we’ve also been known to heat it up for a midday snack. We enjoy this oatmeal with a glass of milk, cup of tea, or mug of coffee for a dose of energy and comfort.

Some baked oatmeals, like this Biscoff Banana Bread variety, also make fantastic desserts. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and it’s as a good a sweet treat as anything.

Looking for a special Valentine’s Day breakfast idea? Heart Shaped Craisin Baked Oatmeal is too cute to pass up.

And this Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal has been my youngest son’s favorite for years now.

Peanut Butter and Bananas Baked Oatmeal is a favorite!

I love all those fancier varieties of oatmeal but at the end of the day, it’s hard to beat the simple and tasty enjoyment of this perfect Baked Oatmeal.

To make this recipe even better, it can also be made in advance then portioned into individual bags or containers for one portion meals. This is a lifesaver on busy mornings!

Looking for more amazing and easy Oatmeal Recipes? Put Overnight Baked Oatmeal with Fresh Cranberries, Pineapple and Coconut Baked Oatmeal, and Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal on your list to try next!

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Best Baked Oatmeal

How To Make The BEST Baked Oatmeal

4.73 from 33 votes
Warm from the oven, this mildly sweet baked delight will be sure to satisfy your morning cravings.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients 

  • cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • cup light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ cup light flavored olive oil
  • 3 eggs
  • cups milk
  • 1 cup craisins or raisins optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch pan with butter or coat with cooking spray. Combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Add the oil, eggs, and milk and stir to combine. Add the craisins and stir once more.
  • Scoop the oat mixture into the greased pan and bake for 30 minutes. The oatmeal should be lightly browned, slightly crisp on top and around the edges. A knife inserted will come out mostly clean with wet crumbs. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Slice into servings or scoop servings with a spoon. Enjoy!

Notes

FREEZER MEAL: Let the oatmeal cool completely and then cut or scoop into portions. Store the oatmeal in airtight freezer bags or containers. Reheat in the microwave with a tablespoon of water.

Nutrition

Calories: 497kcal · Carbohydrates: 80g · Protein: 10g · Fat: 16g · Saturated Fat: 3g · Cholesterol: 87mg · Sodium: 453mg · Potassium: 448mg · Fiber: 7g · Sugar: 41g · Vitamin A: 220IU · Calcium: 181mg · Iron: 2.8mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally published 1/26/16 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/28/22}

Best Baked Oatmeal Recipe
How to Make Baked Oatmeal

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  1. Kristen F. says

    I cut back the sugar slightly and subbed plain yogurt for some/most of the oil to cut back the total fat and slightly increase the protein. I also added fresh strawberries and some pecans.

    This came out just as I anticipated and very delicious. I had it at least 2 or 3 mornings throughout the week that I made it… and I shared it with 2-3 people. I baked this in a 9×13″ pan. It baked faster. Feel free to enjoy with whipped cream or milk added on top. I just like mine warm and chewy.

    Thanks for the recipe!5 stars

    • Barbara V. says

      Hi Mary,

      I am just eating my first try at baked oatmeal ever – topped with a bit of almond milk and sliced bananas . I really like it. “I don’t see how this could fail”. I baked it in a 9 1/2 in pan and it did fine, has a moist cake-like texture and it tastes like oatmeal. I substituted Earth’s Own Vanilla unsweetened almond milk. I didn’t have any lactose free milk on hand. Since I substituted, do you think I should have put a little more almond milk in the recipe or shortened the bake time to have it be a little moister. I will definitely be making this again and will try it with lactose free milk next time, but prefer to use almond milk. I would appreciate your comment on the almond milk substitution. I see all sorts of possibilities for variation regarding the yummy stuff to add. Really like this recipe. Remember folks, to read and check your measure twice and bake once.5 stars

    • Mary Younkin says

      Barbara – I am so glad you enjoyed this baked oatmeal. It is a really good recipe to add things to and scale as needed. Your milk substitutions sound just fine. Baked oatmeal is naturally a bit drier, to begin with. I would suggest adjusting by maybe 1/4 cup of extra liquid the next time if you want it to have a bit more moisture. I would not shorten the baking time. Does that make sense? Let me know how it goes when you try it again.

  2. Ron Bell says

    This Baked Oatmeal is perhaps not the worst thing I have ever tried to eat but it is a strong competitor for that distinction. I have been cooking and baking for nearly 65 years (including about 25 years cooking professionally) so I have tried many recipes and conducted many experiments so I’ve had a fair number of disappointments but this one stands out. As is my custom when trying a new recipe, I followed this recipe exactly as it is written. The result is gloppy and tasteless – so far off the mark that I struggle to think of any way to improve on it short of just dumping it in the compost pile.1 star

    • Mary Younkin says

      Good morning, Ron! As a cook with 65 years of experience, I’m floored that you found this oatmeal gloppy. As you can see in the photos, it should’ve been baked until it was firm enough to slice or easily scoop into bowls. Something was definitely off there.

      And for what it’s worth as MY opinion here? If you found it to be flavorless, perhaps with all those years of experience, you could have reviewed the ingredient list and known in advance what you were going to be making. All of the ingredients here are easily adjustable to your own tastes. It’s a very simple recipe for baked oatmeal. Perhaps not the most flavorful food around, but certainly not tasteless if made as directed in the recipe.

      At any rate, I’m choosing to be honored that the oatmeal we love so much stood out as one of your worst fails. (Do you hate oatmeal in general? Maybe this was an attempt to try it again?) I have zero clues how this particular recipe rates as one of your worst fails (my children have been making this oatmeal since they were about 6 years old) but hey, as you likely know after spending 25 years in the food industry, you will never please everyone. Better luck with another breakfast. I wish you only the best!

    • Anon says

      With all due respect Ron… err.. is there any due respect? I am a 23 year old home cook, already capable of improvising on the fly and constantly deviating from recipes. I hardly ever measure my ingredients anymore – I just have an eye for it at this point in my life. With that all being said, I have never had any baked food turn out the way you described – if I ever see a recipe that I want to try, but has questionable proportions, I adjust it according to my own judgements.

      I think the most likely scenario here is that you forgot an ingredient, or misread something and measured it wrong. You are the only commenter here who is complaining about a gloppy recipe. I would suggest that you try to remake this recipe, paying closer attention to the ingredients/instructions, and try it again. Either that, or just remove your review, as it’s hurting an otherwise good recipe’s reputation for something that is seemingly an issue on your end.

    • SW says

      I feel bad for Ron. He gave his opinion and he gets railed. Heaven for bid someone says something that is different. Authors blasts him with jabs and complete defensiveness. He was being honest on the recipe and his experience. He didn’t attack the family or anything else personal. He also said he followed it as is, but he’s being accused of forgetting an ingredient or doing something wrong. So what if he doesn’t love it like everyone else. Taste is in the mouth of the beholder. Ron, I’m going against the grain here but I don’t believe you were wrong for stating your feedback, no matter how unpopular it was.

  3. Cheri says

    This tasted delicious. Next time, I will blend up the oats first and let it all sit for about 10 minutes before baking. For this batch, I added a mashed banana and layered in fresh blueberries. Yum!5 stars

  4. Anon says

    Thank you for sharing this recipe. I was looking for a while for a good baked oatmeal recipe, and after trying a couple on YouTube and the one from Quaker Oat’s website, this one is it. It wasn’t overly sweet, which I really liked. The texture was good, and of course, it’s great for if you need to eat on the go or just want a quick breakfast while you get ready for work/daily tasks.

    The only thing I changed was changing out the olive oil for some butter, as I currently have a lot more butter than I do olive oil. :c5 stars

    • Mary Younkin says

      I’m thrilled to hear that it worked well for you! I swap butter and oil in most of the baked oatmeal recipes on this site without any issues at all. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate it!

  5. Cheri Whiting says

    I have made this twice now and love the recipe. The following are the mods that I made the second time- give the oats a light blend in the blender to make them a little smaller and place in bowl for mixing with dry ingredients. Add a mashed up banana to the blender with liquid ingredients and give a quick pulse to blend. Pour wet ingredients in with dry ingredients, stir and let sit about 10 minutes and then bake. I also added blueberries to the pan for more fruit. Thanks for the recipe!4 stars

  6. Esther Rich says

    This was excellent! Only change I made was to use Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (I started using that when my husband had diabetes & continue to use it) instead of the brown sugar and I used chopped walnuts instead of raisins. It is wonderful! It’s cooling now and then I will wrap up the pieces for the freezer. Thank you so much for yet another wonderful recipe. I have tried a lot of your recipes and they have always been great!!5 stars

    • Mary Younkin says

      I’m so glad you’ve been loving the baked oatmeal, Esther. It’s been a favorite breakfast recipe in our home for many years; happy to hear that it’s becoming a favorite in another kitchen. Enjoy the recipes, and happy cooking!

  7. Ryan W Marshall says

    I have a question when making baked oatmeal so I need to use the regular rolled oats or can I use the quick cooking rolled oats???

  8. Bruce J Duthler says

    I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I tried a very similar one and it turned out great…but then I like oatmeal. I did like the comment about subsituting plain yogurt for the oil. Will be trying this in the future. Thanks.

  9. Donna j Davis says

    OMG this was just the best thing I have eaten in a long time! I followed the directions exactly and my family “licked the platter clean”! lol Thank you for sharing this recipe. I appreciate you!!

    Donna D5 stars