Vegan Baked Oatmeal

Packed with fresh blueberries, creamy bananas, and hearty oats, this vegan baked oatmeal is a wholesome way to start your day! Drizzle it with maple syrup for an extra decadent treat. 

I love oatmeal--whether as a stick-to-your-ribs breakfast or for a later-in-the-day snack, the combination of its sweet, creamy taste and fiber-rich oaty goodness always kicks my hunger to the curb. The problem is, it is not a very portable option and as a mom, sometimes you just need to eat on the go, you know?

Enter: Baked Oatmeal.

Think of this dish like creamy oatmeal casserole meets a soft and chewy granola bar. It's similar in flavor to classic stovetop oatmeal, but has a heartier texture and can be easily cut into slices, turning this breakfast option from a bowl-and-spoon scenario to one that you can enjoy while on the move. 

I love to make this recipe as a meal prep option and will sometimes put together a big batch of baked oatmeal over the weekend in advance of an especially busy week coming up. You don’t have to be busy and on the go to enjoy this recipe though. Enjoying a wedge of this stuff straight from the still-warm baking dish on a lazy Sunday morning is (more than) acceptable too!

Ingredients for Vegan Baked Oatmeal 

• Ripe bananas - Bananas serve as a natural sweetener and help bind the other ingredients together. You’ll need 2 medium bananas, ripe enough to mash but not overly so! 
• Rolled oats - Also known as old-fashioned oats, rolled oats work best for this recipe. Other oat types such as steel cut or quick oats will end up cooking very differently, so I do not recommend swapping them in. 
• Baking powder - Helps to make your vegan oatmeal bake just a bit more fluffy and airy. Without this rising agent, the baked oatmeal would be too dense, and we're looking for a sort of cakey consistency here. 
• Soy milk - Keeps your baked oatmeal creamy and moist while providing the necessary liquid that oats need to soften. You could use another type of plant based milk here, almond milk or oat milk would also work nicely. 
• Maple syrup - I always put some in the baked oatmeal mixture and have some extra on hand for drizzling on top! 
• Vanilla extract - Enhances the overall flavor with a nice floral sweetness.
• Blueberries - Fresh or frozen blueberries work well in this recipe, providing a refreshing fruity flavor and pop of color. In addition to the 1 cup of blueberries that goes into the oatmeal bake, I like to have some extras for topping and serving alongside. 

How to Make Vegan Baked Oatmeal

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Slice ripe bananas into a bowl. 
2. Mash. Use a fork to smash the bananas into a creamy paste. If a few lumps remain, that’s a-ok. 
3. Add ingredients. To the mashed banana, add all of the remaining ingredients: rolled oats, baking powder, soy milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and blueberries. 
4. Mix. Use a rubber spatula or spoon to stir until the mixture is well-combined.
5. Transfer and sit. Transfer the oatmeal mixture to your prepared baking pan. Sprinkle a few more blueberries on top if desired, pressing them down slightly into the surface of the oatmeal mixture. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to thicken slightly. Letting the oatmeal sit allows the oats to absorb the liquid and helps give the baked oatmeal a more cake-like texture. 
6. Bake. Place the baking pan in the preheated oven and bake your oatmeal mixture for about 30 minutes. When the mixture is completely firm to the touch and golden brown on top, it’s done! 
7. Slice and serve! Remove your baked oatmeal from the oven and portion it as desired. I like to cut mine into thick rectangles and serve the pieces with an additional drizzle of maple syrup and a few more fresh blueberries on top. 

Watch Us Make Vegan Baked Oatmeal

Chef Tips 

If you want to make this vegan baked oatmeal but your bananas aren’t quite ripe yet, there are a couple of tricks to help:

1. If you have a day or so before making this recipe, place the bananas in a paper bag with any other ripe fruit--such as a peach, apple, avocado, or melon--and seal the bag by rolling the top. The gas produced by the ripe fruit will help the bananas to ripen faster. 
2. If you don’t have that much time, you can bake the unpeeled bananas on a parchment paper lined baking sheet at 300℉ for 15-30 minutes, depending on how underripe they are. The peels will blacken, but the fruit inside will soften and become more mashable. This method however will not work to sweeten the bananas very much so if the bananas are quite green and tart, I don’t recommend this. 

How to Store 

Refrigerating. Leftover vegan baked oatmeal can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Freezing. Vegan baked oatmeal freezes well! After baking and slicing the oatmeal, let it cool completely before wrapping each slice in plastic wrap and placing them in a freezer-safe, airtight container. Frozen baked oatmeal can be kept for up to 3 months.

Thawing. Simply transfer the frozen baked oatmeal to the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight. 

Reheating. When ready to eat, place your baked oatmeal in a 300℉ oven until warmed through. You can also reheat the vegan baked oats in the microwave in 20 second increments, but it may come out a bit more soggy when reheating this way.

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