Bake

Vanilla Berry Baked Oatmeal

by:
July 20, 2015
4.8
4 Ratings
Vanilla Berry Baked Oatmeal
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

What You'll Need
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

Kris
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
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.
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
Ellen November 3, 2018
I prefer steel cut oats. Do you cook them first?
 
Maritza
Maritza August 9, 2017
I like it with some yougurt on top! Thank you for sharing
 
Lesley L.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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
Lora August 13, 2016
Sounds delicious. Do you mind sharing the recipe?
 
suziqcu
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.
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
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.
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
Melissa August 30, 2015
I just made this and I'm a fan! Has anyone tried to freeze leftovers?
 
purljamr
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
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.
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
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
mackenzie August 7, 2015
Would this bake easily in small mason jars for individual servings?
 
Anna
Anna August 5, 2015
Can I use an egg instead of the flax seed?
 
Julia D.
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
Anna July 29, 2015
I'm eating this right now! :D So good, thanks for the recipe!
 
Sam S.
Sam S. July 28, 2015
Can I substitute regular milk in this?!
 
Gena H.
Gena H. July 29, 2015
Sam -- sure!
 
Sami
Sami July 27, 2015
My mixture was very milky/liquidy... is this correct?
 
Gena H.
Gena H. July 28, 2015
Sami, it should be a little milky right after baking, but as it sits the extra liquid will soak into the oats so that they remain super moist, but not liquidy. I hope this helps!
 
Suzy
Suzy July 27, 2015
Do you think steel cut oats could be substituted for the rolled oats? Wondering if I would need to increase the amount of almond milk...
 
island M.
island M. July 27, 2015
Are used half steel cut oats and half rolled oats. I love the steel cut oats so go overnight the second time I made the recipe and the texture was much better.I soak them in water then Squeezed the excess water out before using in the recipe
 
Gena H.
Gena H. July 28, 2015
Suzy, I tend to find that steel cut oats are thirstier, so you might need to increase the liquid. Let me know if you have success!
 
Milehighlori
Milehighlori July 26, 2015
I made it this morning, topped each piece with a little yogurt and it was delicious. Hubs and I are going Hut camping at 11,000 for the next several days and we are taking this with us. This could easily feed six to eight people. Thanks!
 
Gena H.
Gena H. July 28, 2015
Glad you liked it!
 
Emily L.
Emily L. July 26, 2015
currently making these and have had them in the oven at least 10 minutes longer than the suggested 25 minutes! concerned i did something wrong...they are still very liquidy
 
Gena H.
Gena H. July 28, 2015
Hey Emily,

They're not supposed to get totally dry, like a loaf -- it's supposed to be really moist, and then as they rest after baking the excess liquid will absorb. I hope you had good results!
 
Jean
Jean July 24, 2015
For 4 servings this is almost 500 calories, without including all the plus more for serving items. Too many for the start of the day for me.
 
JessicaHansen
JessicaHansen July 23, 2015
This looks delicious. Everything here is in my pantry except for the flax meal. Is that a necessary ingredient? Does it provide structure or just flavor/nutritional value? Thanks for your input -- I've never used flax meal before.
 
Devyn
Devyn July 23, 2015
In this case, the flax is being used as an egg substitute, so I imagine is provides structure and acts as a binding agent. The same ratio of chia seeds to water would probably work!
This is not my recipe, but I am just speaking from experience using this technique :)
 
Gena H.
Gena H. July 28, 2015
Yep, it's a binding agent! The recipe will likely survive without it, but it does help with texture.