Easy vegan baked oatmeal brightens the day with a gluten-free oatmeal 'cake' designed for a healthy quick fix and grin-provoking semi-sweet flavors.
This whole-food, plant-based delight is powered by oats, using simple ingredients, with minimal-fuss cooking. It contains no refined sugar, is made without oil, and is naturally gluten-free. So, what are you waiting for? ‘Break the fast,' with healthy ingredients that taste like cake.
This post contains helpful tips and tricks to ensure success on your first attempt. Below, you'll find a handy table of contents with links. But if you're in a rush, please use the link at the top to jump to the recipe card at the end!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
There is a lot to love about this recipe. You don't need fresh fruit, although a nice side of banana slices, orange, or pomegranate rounds it out nicely.
Cater to your own preferences by mixing and matching any combination of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit that you like. Switch up the spices, beyond cinnamon and nutmeg, by grabbing the allspice or pumpkin pie spice.
Breakfast is yours. Take it back!
Another best part of this recipe is meal prep. Have it baked and ready to slice into individual servings on the go. You can also prep all the ingredients a day before, then bake while you're picking out your clothes. Draw the whole family to the table with enticing aromas of baking and the promise of a healthy vegan breakfast that delivers.
📋 Key ingredients & notes
Rolled oats – Rolled oats (old-fashioned oats) yield the best texture. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but sometimes they are processed with ingredients that are not. Be sure to check the labels. Quick oats or instant oats are more highly processed than rolled oats and don’t bake the same. I’ve not used steel-cut oats, which are sliced, not rolled, oat groats.
Baking powder – Baking powder is the leavening agent (the lifter). That’s what creates a light ‘cake’ texture. Don’t confuse it with baking soda. It won’t yield the same result.
Flax seeds – Flax seeds, when mixed with water, mimic the behavior of eggs for baking. Importantly, when making a flax egg, be sure to use ground flax seeds. You can always use a spice grinder if you only have whole flax seeds.
Apple sauce – For plant-based baking, applesauce is often used in place of oil. Use applesauce that doesn’t contain added sugar or puree a fresh apple in a pinch. We like the apple flavor, but ripe bananas also work as a substitute or if you are going for a banana bread flavor.
Peanut butter – Use unsweetened peanut butter if possible. Smooth mixes more evenly than chunky, but it all depends on the texture you are aiming for. If your peanut butter has salt, you may want to leave added salt out. Nut butter binds the ingredients. Substitute almond butter or cashew butter if desired. Because there is no added oil, like coconut oil or vegan butter, this is the primary source of fat. So go for good quality.
Maple syrup –Maple syrup compliments the unsweetened applesauce and spices. Date paste is another healthy option. You can also use an equal amount of coconut sugar or brown sugar.
Vanilla extract – Any excuse! I used a whole teaspoon.
Plant milk – Oat milk or almond milk are go-to, not dairy milk preferences, although soy milk is always an option. Coconut milk might be too thick or rich.
Chopped nuts and dried fruit – Use ½ a cup of your favorite fruits and nuts. This recipe uses cranberries and walnuts, but the options a nearly limitless. You might even consider vegan chocolate chips.
Pro Tips
- Make the flax eggs first. You need 15 minutes for the ground flax seeds and water to set. That’s plenty of time to gather the rest of the ingredients and preheat the oven.
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Chop the walnuts and add them to the cranberries in a small dish.
- Even at room temperature, peanut butter can be stubborn to blend smooth. For this reason, I recommend adding the peanut butter, apple sauce, and maple syrup to the bowl with the flax eggs. Grab a whisk and smooth it out.
- Once you measure out the plant milk, mix in the vanilla. Ah, vanilla milk!
- Add the peanut butter mixture to the oat mixture. Then start adding the milk. Once all the ingredients are mixed, add the cranberries and walnuts.
- Mixing doesn’t take long, so you can start preheating the oven to 375 F (190 C) after making the flax egg. I’ve always used an 8 x 11- inch glass baking dish for baked oats, and it's never stuck to the bottom. You can use a square baking dish or cake tin of a similar size. Avoid using a larger baking dish so that the batter isn’t super thin.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best substitute for ground flaxseed in flax eggs is ground chia seeds. Use the same amount, 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water to replace 1 egg.
If you are looking for a healthy sweetener, consider using date paste or other fruit pastes. You can easily make fruit paste by soaking the fruit then pureeing it in a blender or food processor.
If you want to skip the peanut butter or other nut butter, sunflower seed paste is a good option. You can also use pureed chickpeas.
Either leave the vanilla out entirely or consider adding another flavor such as almond or perhaps coconut.
Serving Suggestions
A slice of baked oatmeal makes an easy and healthy breakfast straight from the baking dish. It also makes a lovely addition to your favorite brunch recipes, like vegan bacon or sausage, or with a simple mixed fruit salad.
Storage
This healthy baked oatmeal can be stored at room temperature. It stays fresh for 4 days, which is the longest we’ve ever had it around. Simply cover the baking dish and try not to keep cutting pieces every time you come into the kitchen.
You can also keep individual servings in an airtight container for a healthy breakfast for busy mornings when you are on the go.
Related Recipes
👩🏻🍳 Recipe: Vegan Baked Oatmeal
Easy vegan baked oatmeal brightens the day with a gluten-free oatmeal 'cake' designed for a healthy quick fix and grin-provoking semi-sweet flavors.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 6 tablespoons water
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted peanut butter)
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup dried cranberries or raisins
- ½ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups plant milk
Instructions
- Make flax eggs. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds with 6 tablespoons of water. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven. Set the oven temperature to 375 F (190 C) and place the rack in the middle.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, if using.
- Combine wet ingredients. Add the applesauce, peanut butter, maple syrup, and flax egg to a small bowl. Mix until it is smooth. Measure out the milk in a separate cup and stir in the vanilla.
- Make the batter. Add the peanut butter mixture to the oats and stir. Then add the milk and mix until all the ingredients are moist. Stir in the cranberries and walnuts.
- Prepare and bake. Add the oat batter to an 8x11-inch baking dish and place it in the middle of the oven. Bake the oats for 30 minutes. It should be slightly brown on top and firm in the middle.
- Set. Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Cut and serve!
Notes
- Be sure to use ground flax seeds for the eggs. You can also substitute ground chia seeds in the same amount.
- Applesauce is used as an oil replacement for this recipe. You can make your own by pureeing a fresh apple.
- If you need to substitute peanut butter for something nut-free, consider sunflower seed paste or mashed chickpeas.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 241
- Sugar: 9.1 g
- Sodium: 118.6 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.5 g
- Protein: 6.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: vegan baked oatmeal, oat cake, flax egg, plant-based, whole food plant-based
Adam
Is there a way to make this with steel cut oats? Precook them a little? Bake longer?
Denise
I've not tried this recipe with steel-cut oats, but I think you could soak them first. That would help the texture. I do think they might take a bit longer to bake (maybe another 10 minutes). I'd like to give steel-cut a try next time I have some. You've piqued my curiosity. Thanks. 🙂
LS
It turned out great! I'm on a a Daniel fast and we cannot have anything with a rising agent, so I omitted the baking powder and swapped raisins for dried prunes as that's what I had on hand. I also substituted date syrup for maple syrup and it was very tasty. Due to no baking powder, I baked the dish for an extra 15-20 mins and it still turned out great. Next time I'll try banana or apple.
Denise
I am so grateful that you shared this! I know it will be helpful to others who want to omit baking powder. This is a great 'base' recipe that can be modified, but knowing that it takes a bit longer without a raising agent is such a great test. Thanks!
Alexandra
easy and good
Denise
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂