These scrumptious vegan baked oats are such an easy breakfast to make! With healthy ingredients and lots of options to choose from, you’re definitely going to please the crowd!
Especially for those busy mornings, it’s ideal because this healthy breakfast idea can be prepared ahead, so you have more time to get ready while the oats are baking in the oven. Easy done!
I will show you different ways, the best ways to be precise, and how to make this vegan baked oatmeal recipe! Plus 6 different variations to mix things up. More flavours, more fun ;)!
If you own a blender, you can make the blended version of this baked oats recipe. And if you don’t, you can either make the traditional oats recipe or use oat flour! See, I told you: options, options!!
Now, grab your oats and let’s get readyyy!
Ingredients
For these healthy baked oats, I prefer to use wholesome ingredients while keeping the recipe as simple as possible. You’ll have plenty of alternatives to choose from, too (see ‘substitutions’ and ‘variations’).
- oats (traditional rolled or quick oats)
- plant-based milk (such as almond milk or oat milk)
- mashed banana
- maple syrup
- baking powder
- sea salt
(see recipe card for quantities)
Optional Ingredients (see ‘variations’ for recipe inspiration)
- fresh berries
- nut butter (almond butter or natural peanut butter)
- vegan chocolate chips
- cocoa powder
- spices (cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, etc.)
- coconut flakes
- vanilla extract
Oats: I prefer traditional rolled oats over quick oats as they’re more on the wholemeal side—the less processed the better. Steel-cut oats work as well but you have to mill them into flour first.
If you want to make the blended version but don’t have a blender, oat flour works just fine! It might be slightly chunkier this way (depending on how finely you mash the banana) but still, YUM!
Plant-based Milk: To be honest, I just use water. It’s cheaper and I don’t think it makes a huge difference in taste. If you prefer, you can of course use almond, oat or soy milk.
I love adding a few spoonfuls of vegan yoghurt, too. This adds a bit of a tangy flavour and helps raise the oats mixture due to the lactic acid reacting with the baking powder.
Banana: Choose a ripe banana that is soft enough so that you can easily mash it. An overripe banana will do, too! We need it for flavour and sweetness.
Maple Syrup: And if the banana isn’t sweet enough for your taste, don’t worry, that’s why we add maple syrup! For sugar alternatives see ‘substitutions’.
Baking Powder: You want to make sure to use fresh baking powder, so your vegan baked oats rise well. Alternatively, you may also use bicarb/baking soda and a dash of lemon juice.
Salt: Everything tastes better with a sprinkle of salt. I prefer sea salt or rock salt as these are the most natural salts and they’re not iodised.
Equipment
For the blended vegan baked oats, you’ll obviously need a blender or a food processor. Any will do, you won’t need a special kind. It just has to be large enough to fit all of the ingredients.
You’ll also need a small baking dish (mine is 21 x 13 cm / 8.2 x 5.1 inches) or several ramekins to make this recipe. It’s up to you which one you choose, however, the baking time will be different!
Instructions
Blended Vegan Baked Oats
Step 1. Preheat your oven to 160 °C/ 320 °F. Grease the baking dish or ramekins with a little bit of oil or vegan butter.
Option 1: Place the oats in your blender first and pulse a few times to grind the into a coarse or fine flour (that’s up to you and your liking). Then, you add all the remaining ingredients.
Option 2: Skip blending the oats first and add all ingredients into your blender or food processor at once. If you don’t know which option to choose, do this one and see how you go with it.
Step 2. Blend all the ingredients into a smooth batter. It’ll be slightly runny and will thicken quickly. If the batter’s fairly thick to start with, add a little bit more plant milk or water.
Step 3. Pour the batter into a small baking dish or a few ramekins (you’ll probably need anywhere between 6-10, depending on the size). Leave enough room on the top as the oat mixture will rise a bit.
Step 4. Stir through optional ingredients such as vegan chocolate chips or fresh berries and leave some to place on the top.
Step 5. Bake for about 30 minutes, if using a baking dish. If using ramekins, it’s probably more like 20-25 minutes. The crust should break slightly and should feel springy and firm to the touch.
It does happen, that the oats mixture doesn’t turn golden brown (as you can see in the pictures). This depends on the ingredients you use and doesn’t mean your creation didn’t turn out!
Step 6. Enjoy your healthy baked oatmeal warm, and with some fresh fruit and yoghurt if you like.
Traditional Vegan Baked Oats
Step 1. Preheat your oven to 160 °C/ 320 °F. Grease the baking dish or ramekins with a little bit of oil or vegan butter.
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (oats or oat flour, baking powder and salt) first, before adding the wet ingredients (mashed banana, plant-based milk or water and maple syrup). Combine well.
Step 2. Pour the oat mixture into a small baking dish or a few ramekins (you’ll probably need anywhere between 6-10, depending on the size). Leave enough room on the top as the mixture will rise a bit.
You’ll notice that the oat mixture will be quite runny. Wait for about five minutes or so and let the oats soak up the liquids to thicken.
Step 3. Stir through optional ingredients such as vegan chocolate chips or fresh berries and leave some to place on the top.
Step 4. Bake for about 30 minutes, if using a baking dish. If using ramekins, it’s probably more like 20-25 minutes. The crust should be golden brown and feel a little dry.
Step 5. Enjoy your healthy baked oats warm, and with some fresh fruit, nut butter and yoghurt if you like.
Meal Prep
To save you time on those busy mornings, you can prepare these vegan baked oats ahead. Proceed until step 4 for the blended version and step 3 for the traditional version.
Cover the baking dish with a beeswax wrap or plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. This is similar to overnight oats. Alternatively, you can also pour the mixture into a container and store it in there overnight.
If you’re only cooking for one, you can make this whole batch as meal prep and only bake a quarter of the batter per day in a ramekin dish. By the way, I’ve got a single-serving recipe for baked oats here on my blog, too!
Substitutions
Gluten-free: Make sure, the oats you’re using are certified gluten-free. If you want an alternative, you can also try quinoa flakes. But I reckon you’ll need to sweeten them more, plus use less liquids!
Banana: If you hate bananas or are allergic to them, no problemo! This recipe can be easily made with flax eggs or chia seeds instead.
To make a flax egg, you combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds with 2 tablespoons of water and stir well. After a couple of minutes, you’ll see it thicken.
For chia eggs, combine 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water. Wait for 3 minutes and stir again to avoid clumping. Wait another 10 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.
Another great alternative for mashed banana is ⅓ cup (80 g) of either pumpkin puree or unsweetened applesauce!
Plant-based Milk: As mentioned earlier, just water will do the trick, too. Or mix a few tablespoons of yoghurt in. Canned coconut milk can also be used and will make the baked oats creamier.
Maple Syrup: Any other liquid sweetener is fine! You can even substitute it with coconut sugar or brown sugar if you prefer. I wouldn’t use more than a ¼ cup (50 g) though.
Variations
Blueberry & Lemon: Add about 4 handfuls of blueberries (fresh or frozen) and about 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Coconut: Use coconut milk as milk (or instead of water) and add ½ cup (45 g) of desiccated coconut or a couple of handfuls of coconut flakes.
Peanut Butter Chocolate: Add ¼ cup (60 g) of peanut butter to the mix and stir through 3 tablespoons of vegan chocolate chips (or vegan chocolate chunks) or 2 tablespoons of cacao or cocoa powder. With this version, I do like to sweeten these vegan baked oats with a bit more maple syrup!
Apple Pie: Cut an apple into small pieces or grate it. Replace the bananas with ⅓ cup (80 g) of unsweetened applesauce and add a teaspoon of cinnamon. Maybe some raisins too!
Pumpkin Pie: Add 250 g / 1 cup of pumpkin puree and 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. You can also add some vegan chocolate chips! Or visit my Vegan Pumpkin Baked Oats Recipe Post!
Banana Bread: Add one more banana and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the mixture. Optionally, add a handful or two of vegan chocolate chips or chopped walnuts. Slice another banana and put the slices on top.
Storage
You can store leftovers in an airtight container or leave them in the baking dish and cover it with beeswax or plastic wrap. Leftovers will keep for at least 5 days in the fridge.
Yes, you can also freeze these vegan baked oats, in an airtight container, for up to 3 months.
Top Tip
In case you’ve missed it, this healthy breakfast can be easily turned into a meal prep for the week (see ‘Instructions’ and scroll down to ‘Meal Prep’).
Also, this yummy oats recipe makes a delicious and healthy dessert!
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- 1 blender or food processor (for blended version only)
- 1 small baking dish (21 x 13 cm / 8.2 x 5.1 inches or smaller)
Ingredients
- 160 g / 2 cups rolled oats or quick oats
- 2 ripe bananas
- 250 ml / 1 cup plant-based milk or water; maybe more if needed
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup or more for sweeter
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Optional Add-Ins
- 3 handfuls fresh berries or frozen
- 50 g / ⅓ cup vegan chocolate chips
- 60 g / ¼ cup nut butter almond or peanut butter
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds may need to add more liquids!
- 2 tablespoon dairy-free yoghurt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Blended Vegan Baked Oats
- Preheat your oven to 160 °C/320 °F. Grease the baking dish or ramekins with a little bit of oil or vegan butter.
- Option 1: Place the oats in your blender first and pulse a few times to grind the into a coarse or fine flour. Then, you add all the remaining ingredients.Option 2: Skip blending the oats first and add all ingredients into your blender or food processor at once.
- Blend all the ingredients into a smooth batter. It’ll be slightly runny and will thicken quickly. If the batter’s fairly thick to start with, add a little bit more plant milk or water.
- Pour the batter into a small baking dish or a few ramekins (you’ll probably need anywhere between 6-10, depending on the size). Leave enough room on the top as the oat mixture will rise a bit.
- Stir through vegan chocolate chips or fresh berries and leave some to place on the top.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, if using a baking dish. If using ramekins, it’s probably more like 20-25minutes. The crust should break slightly and should feel springy but firm to the touch.
- Enjoy warm, and with some fresh fruit and yoghurt if you like.
Traditional Vegan Baked Oats
- Preheat your oven to 160 °C/320 °F. Grease the baking dish or ramekins with a little bit of oil or vegan butter.In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients first, before adding the wet ingredients. Combine well.
- Pour the oat mixture into a small baking dish or a few ramekins (you’ll probably need anywhere between 6-10, depending on the size). The oat mixture will be quite runny. Wait for about five minutes or so and let the oats soak up the liquids to thicken.
- Stir through vegan chocolate chips or fresh berries and leave some to place on the top.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, if using a baking dish. If using ramekins, it’s probably more like 20-25minutes. The crust should be golden brown and feel a little dry.
- Enjoy warm, and with some fresh fruit, nut butter and yoghurt if you like.
