If you think you don’t like oatmeal, this recipe for The Best Baked Oatmeal is about to change your mind. It’s like the bread pudding of oatmeal. Deliciously sweet with just a hint of cinnamon. Served with a splash of milk and a pinch of brown sugar, it can’t be beat…Unless, of course, you put a few fresh berries on top. Oh.my.goodness….SO GOOD!
I still can’t get over the way my kids gobbled up this baked oatmeal. Who am I kidding, I can’t get over how I gobbled up this baked oatmeal…I didn’t think I even liked baked oatmeal. Turns out I could eat this every day.
A couple of weeks ago my sister sent me a couple of recipes that her family has been loving lately. One of them was this baked oatmeal recipe from our sister-in-law Becky. All these years and I had no idea that my sister-in-law was sitting on The Best Baked Oatmeal recipe in all the land. My sister loves it because she has multiple children and a husband who eat a gluten-free diet. So this works great for their family.
What’s extra great about this recipe is that I can almost guarantee you have everything in your pantry to make it right now. Such simple and basic ingredients!
When my sister sent the recipe she also mentioned that she usually sprinkles raisins on half and chocolate chips on half before she bakes it. I decided to keep things pure, but next time I might try a few mini chocolate chips on top. I won’t be adding raisins though…I’m not a huge fan of raisins in my oatmeal.
How to Make The Best Baked Oatmeal
The sweet, slight cinnamon smell in your house while this bakes is amazing. Every one of my children followed their noses to the kitchen to ask what I was making. And every single one of those children also had seconds. This is a new go-to at our house.
It’s so simple to mix together. You can mix it up the night before or even just a few hours before you want to bake it. You do need to mix it ahead of time though, to give the oatmeal time to soak up the milk mixture. The first time we had it we ate it for lunch. I mixed it up around 8:00 in the morning and baked it at 11:30. It came out awesome!
Other Family Favorite Breakfast Recipes:
- Copycat Diner Style Pancakes
- German Pancakes
- Crustless Quiche Egg Casserole
- Whole Wheat Waffles
- Down Home Biscuits and Gravy
- Caramel Apple Baked French Toast
Frequently Asked Questions About The Best Baked Oatmeal
Can I Freeze Baked Oatmeal?
Yes, you can freeze this after it has been baked. Let it cool completely and then cover it tightly with foil and then plastic wrap. When you are ready to serve it, take it out and let it defrost, then reheat it in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 275 degrees.
Can I substitute BUtter or Coconut Oil for the Canola oil?
Yes, butter or coconut oil would make a great substitute. The butter will give the oatmeal a very rich taste. If you do choose to use butter or coconut oil, make sure they are melted first and let them cool so the hot melted butter won’t start cooking the eggs when you add them.
Can I double the Recipe?
Yes, of course. You will need to bake it in a 9×13 if you double the recipe. It may also need a little extra cooking time as it will be thicker doubled and baked in a 9×13. The other option is to divide the double batch into two pie pans or 8×8 baking dishes. This way you could do one plain and one with chocolate chips. 🙂
Should I REFRIGERATE the leftover Baked Oatmeal?
Not necessarily, this recipe is made out of similar ingredients to cookies. Like cookies, you can choose to refrigerate them or not. They will stay fresh longer if refrigerated. For the oatmeal, you can decide. If you want it to last all week, yes, put it in the fridge. If there is only a little left and you think someone will eat it the next morning for breakfast, it is fine to sit out on the counter at room temperature.
Will this baked oatmeal work with quick oats and/or old-fashioned oats?
I recommend quick oats for this recipe. They give it a great consistency and absorb the milk mixture better than old-fashioned oats do. If you choose to use old-fashioned oats you will definitely want to make it the night before so it has plenty of time to absorb the liquid before baking.
Do I need to Bake this in a Pie Pan?
No. An 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish will work great. You could probably even distribute it between 5 or 6 ramekins to make individual servings if you wanted to.
I hope you’ll try this recipe asap! I can’t even tell you how simple and quick it is to throw together! It is delicious and sure to be a new favorite for you and your family. I never thought I’d be waxing poetic about baked oatmeal, but here we are!
I really enjoyed eating mine with fresh berries, but most of my kids just wanted a little brown sugar and milk. My sister likes to drizzle half and half or evaporated milk on hers. We had some whole milk in the fridge and that tasted great on it. Basically do what feels right…maybe that’s berries or maybe it’s chocolate chips. I really don’t think it’s possible to go wrong with this.
Shoot me a comment or tag me in a picture if you make it, I’d love to hear what you think!
Other Oatmeal Recipes
- ¾ cup granulate sugar
- ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 cups quick oats
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon (I just do a few shakes)
- Optional: You can sprinkle the top with a handful of raisins or chocolate chips
- Add the granulated sugar and oil together in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well.
- Beat in the eggs, and then add the milk, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well blended and add the oatmeal. Mix well.
- Spray a large pie pan, or an 8x8 or 9x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- Pour the oatmeal mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle the top with 2 tbsp of brown sugar. Then sprinkle or shake ½ tsp of cinnamon on the top as well.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least three hours.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
- Serve warm with fresh berries, brown sugar, half and half, or milk.
Baked Oatmeal recipes from other bloggers That look yummy!
I am making it tonight! I am excited!
Yay! It’s so dang good! I’m so glad you shared this recipe!
We have some form of oatmeal every Monday for breakfast and this is one of my favorite ways to make it. I go back and forth between using quick oats and rolled oats, but I much prefer the quick oats like you use in the recipe. Rolled oats are good as well, just a bit more hearty and chewy. I’m eating a bowl of it right now. Yum! Thanks Maria! #marchgiveaway
We had this this weekend and I forgot how dang good it is! I prefer the quick oats too. My kids have been begging me to make this again.
#augustgiveaway
I wonder how it would taste if I switched the oil in the recipe with coconut oil?
I think that would work really well!