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Vanilla Berry Baked Oatmeal

by:
July 20, 2015
4.8
4 Ratings
Photo by Mark Weinberg
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Makes 4 generous or 6 small servings
Author Notes

A new spin on oats, this baked dish comes together with only a few stirs and less than an hour of time but feels like a special and indulgent breakfast. Vary the fruit with the seasons, and make a batch on Sunday so that you can cut slices and enjoy it through the week. It's lovely either hot or cold. If you're gluten-free, be sure to use certified GF oats. —Gena Hamshaw

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Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax meal
  • 3 tablespoons warm water
  • 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean, scraped (or substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup, plus more for serving
  • 2 1/4 cups almond or soy milk, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil or melted coconut oil
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh mixed berries, plus a few extra for topping
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds or chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
  • Jam and/or nut butter, for serving (optional)
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F and lightly oil an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish. Mix the flax meal and the water together in a small bowl. Allow them to thicken for a few minutes.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the rolled oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla powder or vanilla bean (if you're substituting vanilla extract instead, add it to the wet ingredients).
  3. Whisk together the prepared flax mixture, the maple syrup, almond milk, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the oat mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the berries.
  4. Turn the mixture out into your baking dish. Top with a few additional berries. Transfer the oatmeal to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the almonds or pecans and brown sugar over the top and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the oats are spongy, but solid. Allow them to cool.
  5. You can serve the baked oatmeal either warm or cold. Cut the oatmeal into squares and drizzle with additional non-dairy milk and some fresh jam or maple syrup, if desired. A schmear of almond or cashew butter is also delicious!
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40 Reviews

Write a Review
Kris July 29, 2020
I usually add a scoop of protein powder and that usually thickens this up. Then I can cut it into squares and freeze. Depending on my mood I will eat it like a cake with coffee or add some milk
TAM February 3, 2019
This has entered my permanent rotation. I confess to using frozen fruit, skipping the topping, reducing the maple syrup, preferring almond extract, and 1-bowling it - you can let the flax soak while you assemble the other ingredients, put in everything except the oats & milk & fruit & mix, then add oats and mix, then add milk and mix, finally mix in fruit.
Jenna M. October 24, 2017
Making this for the bazillionth time. I LOVE this recipe SO much. It's been a staple for the last few years since I came across it for the first time. If I don't have the exact ingredients, it has adapted well to whatever fruit I have on hand (I love it with apple and some cardamom/nutmeg/ginger added in with the cinnamon; or peaches with cardamom/cinnamon/nutmeg). It's worked with quick cooking steel cut oats too. Thank you, Gena!
Ellen November 3, 2018
I prefer steel cut oats. Do you cook them first?
Maritza August 9, 2017
I like it with some yougurt on top! Thank you for sharing
Lesley L. July 14, 2017
I just made this baked oatmeal exactly as written and it turned out perfectly! I topped my bowl with additional sliced berries and some coconut milk (with a bit of maple syrup & vanilla stirred in) and it was delicious! I like my oatmeal creamy and this sure is! There is enough for several breakfasts for my husband and I. Definitely a keeper!
Paula H. March 7, 2017
Has anyone made this recipe straight up? I would like to read how the thing came together before everyone started monkeying with the recipe. I get it that we all don't like the same things, but as a rule, I try to make the reciped as described the first time, and THEN make adjustments.
Elizabeth A. March 7, 2017
I have! It is really good---it can be a bit runny right when it comes out of the oven but firms up over time. The only reason I ended up changing anything was for simplicities sake (ex: vanilla extract rather than vanilla beans), it tastes wonderful as is...
Stef_art July 25, 2016
this did not work for me - we found it stodgy and charmless. I made it "non vegan", i.e. using one egg and whole full milk. still, it is nice to experiment.
tranquility July 24, 2016
Just made this for breakfast this morning and it was pretty darn delicious. However, the next time I make it I'll reduce the amount of maple syrup since it was just a tad too sweet for me.

I used oat milk, since it's my preferred non-dairy milk, and bilberries (commonly known as blueberries where I live).
JoAnne L. July 8, 2016
I make a version of this using coconut milk and chai spices that are simmered in the milk before mixing into the oats and baking. I toast pecans before adding them to the mix and baking for 35 minutes or so. It's fantastic!
Lora August 13, 2016
Sounds delicious. Do you mind sharing the recipe?
suziqcu June 7, 2016
Just made with the addition of some shredded unsweetened coconut, chopped dates, mashed bananas and some frozen blueberries. Its very wet going in....I doubled the recipe but stopped at a little less than 4 c of almond milk. Hope i didn't mess it up!!! Topped with brown sugar and sliced almonds.
Elizabeth A. January 30, 2016
Made this today and the entire family loved it! The only substitution I had to make was I used whole organic flax seeds as I didn't have ground flax. It worked just fine. I had blackberries and raspberries on hand so those went in and we finished the dish between 3 people (yes, we probably over-ate a bit lol). I think you could decrease the sugar a bit based on the sweetness of the berries you use. Will definitely be adding this to our breakfast rotation! Thank you Gena!
WHB November 2, 2015
Very tasty. This recipe seems like a veganized version of a (steel-cut) baked oatmeal recipe on Alexandra Stafford's website, Alexandra Cooks. She mixes the nuts/seeds in with the wet ingredients, but the flavors are very similar. This one has a different texture and cooks more quickly because it uses rolled oats.
Lizzie D. October 3, 2015
This is the way to brighten a bleak morning. I used frozen blackberries and pecans, and my baked oatmeal tastes wonderful. Thank you.
Melissa August 30, 2015
I just made this and I'm a fan! Has anyone tried to freeze leftovers?
purljamr December 31, 2015
I cut up & freeze all kinds of things like this & they all come out well, just cool, cut & put in freezer bags or small containers. Microwave what you need later.
Sujatha August 17, 2015
I do something similar but even easier. For 5 workdays worth of breakfasts I combine 1.5 c old fashioned oats plus 5 T oat bran with sprinkle of salt. Bring 3 c water to boil, add oats + bran, stir, cover and turn off heat. Let mixture steam several (6?) hrs at room temp. It will be solid enough to cut into 5 wedges, which I then portion out into small Tupperware containers. In morning I microwave contents in a covered bowl w abt 1/2c milk, 1 T nuts, cinnamon, saffron for 1-2 min -- let steam a few min, then add 1 T ground flax and whatever fruit I have. Takes about 10 min up front without heating kitchen, 5 min to portion out, and 3 min each morning to make a good breakfast.
Luci Z. August 17, 2015
I just made this- delicious! I used no-fat skim rather than almond milk and added a 1/2 teaspoon of almond oil. And regular old-fashioned oats. I used a little less maple syrup and cut the nuts, topped it with a little brown sugar mixed with cinnamon and about 2 teaspoons of finely chopped pecans. [for Weight Watchers folks, I calculated it to be 6 pt per large serving and 4 pts for a smaller serving.]
SophieL August 9, 2015
This was easy, fast and delicious. Had it for breakfast three mornings, and we still had a little left, so I added the final bit to strawberry-banana-blueberry smoothies, blended it with some yogurt and protein powder and we had another healthy breakfast. Good to the last drop!
mackenzie August 7, 2015
Would this bake easily in small mason jars for individual servings?
Anna August 5, 2015
Can I use an egg instead of the flax seed?
Julia D. August 21, 2015
The first time I made this, I substituted an egg for the flax seed + water and it turned out great.
Anna July 29, 2015
I'm eating this right now! :D So good, thanks for the recipe!