Baked Oatmeal is delicious for breakfast or as a snack bar when cooled. Baking oatmeal results in a spongy texture, much like bread pudding. It's easy to make and customize with your favorite fruits and spices.
Traditional baked oatmeal, an Amish creation, usually calls for eggs, butter, cow's milk, salt and sugar. My recipe uses none of these ingredients, and is simple, healthy, and bakes up quickly. The variations are endless when it comes to the types of nondairy milk, fresh and dried fruit, and spices you can use. The recipe does not call for any added sweetener aside from the raisins and apples, but see "Notes" below if you'd like a sweeter version.
PrintBaked Oatmeal with Apples & Raisins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4-6 (or makes 16 snack bars) 1x
Ingredients
- 2½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1¾ cups nondairy milk (or water)
- 1 large apple, cored and chopped (peeled or unpeeled)
- ½ cup raisins
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. degrees. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Stir all of the ingredients (oats, milk, apple, raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg) together in a medium bowl.
- Spread the batter evenly into the pan, and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. To serve for breakfast, spoon into bowls with a little nondairy milk, To serve as snack bars, allow to cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.
Notes
Instead of an apple, try a banana, pear, or a cup of pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, and/or blueberries.
To further sweeten this dish, blend 2 ounces pitted and quartered dates (3 to 4 Medjool or 6 to 8 Deglet Noor) with the nondairy milk before mixing.
A favorite variation of mine is to substitute 1 ½ cups of sliced strawberries and ¼ teaspoon of ground cardamom for the apple, raisins, and nutmeg.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/16 recipe, 1 bar
- Calories: 78
- Sugar: 4.6g
- Sodium: 4mg
- Fat: 1.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3g
- Carbohydrates: 14.7g
- Fiber: 2.2g
- Protein: 2.7g
- Cholesterol: 0
Above: With cinnamon and grated nuts on top, and homemade almond milk.
Above: After cooling, Baked Oatmeal can be cut into handy snack bars to take traveling, hiking or for breakfast on the run. Kids will love them!
Above: For the version in this photo I used quick oats, which results in a more refined texture (I used Old Fashioned rolled oats in the photo below); both types work great.
Above: This is the Strawberry-Cardamom Baked Oatmeal, made with old-fashioned rolled oats and cut into bars after cooling.
Above: The three most commonly used types of oats (L to R): steel-cut, old-fashioned, and quick-cooking. I've not tried steel-cut with this recipe, but if you try it, let me know how it works out. If you only have old-fashioned but you want "quick," just pulse the Old Fashioned in your food processor briefly until the pieces resemble the above "quick" oats.
Barbara Anderton
Hi Cathy, I am delighted to have found your wonderful recipes and, being Scottish, I'd live on oats if possible! I cannot thank you enough for making my journey (only just started a couple of days ago) wonderful help to make exactly the kind of food I absolutely love.
Have a wonderful holiday season from a great admirer. I think even my husband will love your recipes!!
Love and warmth from the U.K.
x
Cathy
Welcome Barbara! 🙂 Thanks for saying hello! "Being Scottish" sounds very fun! 😉
Vivien C
I made this with old fashioned oats. My oven door doesn't seal 100% so added 5mins. Result is moist, but sliceable and very tasty. Is result usually quite moist?
Cathy
It's moist at the beginning and as it cools it firm up. But feel free to adjust the liquid for more/less moistness. 🙂
Susan
Would this work as a good base for a jam bar? Baked with a jar of sugar free jelly spread on top?
Cathy
Sure! 🙂
MG
Love this recipe. How long does it last in the fridge? Can I freeze the oatmeal bars?
Cathy
Probably 5-7 days in fridge, and yes, they freeze well. 🙂 Thanks!
Grace Ferguson
I have a batch in the oven right now. My son often forgets to eat, so I'm glad to bake him up a batch that will thrill his nose as well as his pallet. The house smells amazing. I've always wanted to make a baked oatmeal, and now that there's a WFPB recipe, I think I'll be making this often. I love oatmeal.
Anyway, because I love texture and crunch, I added some pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and a scant bit of chocolate chips. Can't wait for the results.
Cathy
Yum! Sound great, Grace! 🙂
Angie
Unbelievably good! So thankful a friend passed this recipe to me. Never had baked oats before, only instant, so I expected a goopy consistency. Not even close - this is hearty and full of texture. I added apple, golden raisins, pecans, and chopped dates. Can’t wait to make more!
Cathy
So glad you liked this Angie! 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
Diane
I made this yesterday without the raisins (too sweet for me). I used water blended with prunes & goji berries. I don't have an oven so cooked it in my Instant Pot Slow Cook for 30 minutes. Very yummy. Today I added some sprinkles of unsweetened shredded coconut. Nice new way to eat my oatmeal.
Cathy
So creative! 🙂 Thanks Diane!
Mary
I just bougjt your book and this is the first recipe I tried. It is so delicious and easy!! Thank you!
Cathy
Hi Mary, Welcome! Glad you enjoyed this one! 🙂
Aemckenna@gmail.com
Hi Kathy, I’m really looking forward to making this. I’ve really gotten into oat groats recently and I’m curious — do you think one could make this bar with cooked oat groats? Or would they have too much water in them, relative to the oatmeal you’ve used here?
Cathy
I haven't tried this, but I think it would work well! Just add the liquid gradually so you don't get too much. 🙂