Mixed Berry Vegan Baked Oatmeal

It’s gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free!  The vegan baked oats work great for meal prep and they freeze well.  The recipe uses simple wholesome ingredients and it’s easy to make for a healthy breakfast.

For more vegan baked oatmeal recipes try chocolate-baked oatmeal with peanut butter or apple vegan baked oatmeal.  For more recipes with frozen berries try mixed berry cheesecake overnight oats or frozen fruit overnight oats.

Recipe features

• Uses simple ingredients!
• It’s plant-based, gluten-free, and oil-free!
• Easy to whip up and great for meal prep!
• Freezer friendly!
• Great for kids, adults, and the whole family!

Ingredient notes and substitutions

This vegan baked oatmeal recipe calls for simple ingredients to make a wholesome breakfast.  Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and exact measurements.

Old-fashioned oats - For the main ingredient use rolled oats for the best texture, not quick oats or steel-cut oats.

Ground flaxseed - This is used as a binding agent to make baked oatmeal without eggs.  Mix ground flax seeds with water to make a gelatinous mixture. For leftover ground flaxseeds, try dairy-free overnight oats or flaxseed pudding with strawberries.

Ground cinnamon - Add to the oat mixture for more flavor. Pumpkin pie or apple pie spice can also be used.

Baking powder - The baking powder helps the baked oatmeal rise in the oven.

Salt - Just a little to enhance the overall flavors.

Non-dairy milk - Any plant-based milk can be used to keep the oats dairy-free.  Try it with unsweetened almond, cashew, soy, or oat milk.

Unsweetened applesauce - The baked vegan oats can be made without bananas by using unsweetened applesauce.  It adds moisture to the oatmeal but can be replaced with ½ cup of mashed ripe banana.  If you substitute the unsweetened applesauce with a ripe banana this may make the oats sweeter, depending on how sweet the banana is.

Maple syrup- Adds sweetness and can be substituted with agave syrup.  If you find the oats too sweet, the maple syrup can also be reduced to 2 tablespoons.  If you leave it out completely the cooking time may be less.  After baking, if the plant-based oatmeal isn’t sweet enough try drizzling maple syrup on top.

Vanilla extract - Adds more flavor to pair well with berries and cinnamon.

Frozen mixed berries - Use 1  ½ cups of a mixed frozen berry blend.  Don’t thaw them, just mix them in once everything else is stirred together.  I enjoy a mix of different berries, but I’m sure any single frozen berry will work.  If you do frozen strawberries then opt for sliced or quartered, not whole ones.

Fresh berries also work well, I would check the oatmeal about 5 minutes earlier than the normal baking time.  If it needs more time, then let it continue baking.  I tested with a mix of fresh raspberries and blackberries.  If you do strawberries, I would quarter them first.  

Walnuts or pecans - They add a little crunch.  They can be substituted with sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or they can be left out if needed.

Tips

• Be sure to use ground flax seed to make the flax egg and let it gel with the water for about 10 minutes.
• If you don’t use a glass baking dish, then lightly grease the baking tray with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.  In my case, the oats came out fine whether I greased the glass baking dish or not.  Both ways the pan needed to be soaked before being cleaned.  So if you want to prevent that, use parchment paper.

Instructions

The baked vegan oatmeal is easy to make and just requires one bowl. First, preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C).  You can lightly grease an 8 x 8 glass baking dish, or not. 

The cooked oats don’t normally stick for me when using a glass baking dish.  If you don't use a glass dish, then I would suggest spraying it with non-stick cooking spray or line the baking dish with parchment paper.

Next, make the flax egg by mixing the 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 4 tablespoons of water.  Let it sit and gel for 10 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients. Then mix the rolled oats, ground cinnamon, baking powder, and salt, in a large mixing bowl.

Next, mix in the dairy-free milk, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla, and flax egg into the oat mixture.

Fold in the frozen berries and walnuts (or pecans).

Pour the mixture into an 8x8 glass baking dish and spread the mixture out so it’s even.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the middle is set and the edges have firmed up. Let the dairy-free baked oatmeal cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. It’s soft right out of the oven but firms up as it cools. Enjoy it warm or cold. 

Frequently asked questions

Serving suggestions

The vegan baked oatmeal can be eaten warm or cold (my personal favorite is cold).  It will be a little soft while still warm.  Once completely cooled they firm up, especially after being refrigerated.  

• I like to top the oatmeal with vegan yogurt and banana slices.  
• Almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter, or sunflower seed butter can also be used to top the vegan baked oats.  They can also be eaten without any toppings.
• Make it into a dessert with fresh fruit, a drizzle of vegan nutella, and/or coconut whip.
• Serve the baked oatmeal by itself or serve it with vegan fruit salad with lime juice or summer berry salad.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerator: Cool baked vegan oatmeal completely and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  

To freeze: They can also be frozen; let the oats cool, then store them in the refrigerator for them to firm up (this makes it easier to get nice slices).  

Slice the baked oats, then line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Place the slices on the lined cookie sheet and freeze.  They’re now frozen separately and can be placed in a freezer-safe container.  Alternatively to freezing separately, layer parchment paper between slices so they don’t freeze together.  Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Reheating:  The baked oatmeal can be eaten warm or cold.  Heat refrigerated oatmeal in the microwave until heated through.  If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then heat in the microwave until warmed through.

Related recipes

• Mixed berry cheesecake overnight oats
• Banana cinnamon overnight oats
• Cherry overnight oats
• Chia seed pudding with oat milk
• Chia seed breakfast bowl

I hope you enjoy the recipe! If you did feel free to rate and leave a comment.