Breakfast Oatmeal Bake
Friday, July 22, 2011 at 1:37PM 
This post started out to be about how this is the way I will always and forever want to eat my oatmeal because, well, frankly, it was just that good. But I’ve decided to tone that down a bit. It doesn’t seem quite right to be committing oneself so completely before experiencing a substantial number of oatmeal variations. But I think I’m safe in saying that, so far, this is by far and away my fave.
And there are several reasons for that, the first being that you can make it the night before and bake it off in the morning, or you can bake it the day before and heat it up for breakfast, or you can bake it 2 or 3 days before and heat it up all week long. Most of you already know how much I love the simple, easy breakfast route, and this one rocks!
Secondly, it’s just so dang good. This totally reminded us more of a bread pudding than it did a bowl of oatmeal, and that’s always a good thing.
And thirdly, it’s so EASY to make. I’m talkin’ 5 minutes to throw together here. I’m sure there are probably lots of you out there who have been baking your oatmeal like this since 1954, but allow me just a little joy in my discovery. And for those of you who have never had the pleasure of baked oatmeal, then my work here may not have been in vain. I hope you will give it a try.
I cut back on the sugar from the original recipe. You can add more if you’d like, but it doesn’t really need it because at the end of the baking, you spread brown sugar over the top and broil it so it caramelizes and, caramelized brown sugar is a truly wonderful thing. Here’s the recipe…
Breakfast Oatmeal Bake
Click here for a printable recipe
Recipe adapted from Quaker Oats
Serves 4-6
Reheating this is really easy... just scoop out the portion you would like to serve into a bowl, add a little milk or water, cover and microwave for 30 to 60 seconds or until it's warmed through.
- 2-1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats, uncooked
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3-1/3 cups milk
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup raisins
Heat oven to 350º F. Spray 8-inch square glass baking dish with cooking spray.
In large bowl, combine oats, raisins and granulated sugar. In medium bowl, combine milk, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to oat mixture; mix well. Pour into baking dish.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until center jiggles slightly. Remove from oven to cooling rack.
Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over top of oatmeal. Using back of spoon, gently spread sugar into a thin layer across entire surface of oatmeal. Return to oven; bake just until sugar melts, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set oven to broil. Broil 3 inches from heat until sugar bubbles and browns slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. (Watch carefully to prevent burning. It may be necessary to turn baking dish.) Spoon into bowls to serve.
Patrice Berry
Here's a great variation that we love... peel and dice an apple into the oatmeal mixture and add a teaspoon of cinnamon. Bake as directed. Great with raisins!
Reader Comments (34)
I have never heard of baked oatmeal. This looks amazing.
This looks delicious!! I would love to try this soon... thanks for posting!
Recipe looks fantastic, but you forgot the eggs :)
Emma, the recipe calls for 2 eggs and I think it mentions also when to add them in. Hope you give it a try... so good!
This looks so yummy! I make breakfast for my husband on Saturday morning and this is a recipe I will have to try! Thanks for sharing!! I will let you know how it turns out!!
Thanks for sharing! I've been looking for some new do-ahead breakfasts, getting tired of the same ole' boiled egg and cereal combo! I just don't have much time in the morning but I just know if I skip b-fast I'll be starving by 10am. Then I go to the vending machine for a honeybun which inevitable makes me feel bad=/
i just recently came across your website - and am totally loving it! I was just recently on vacation in Lancaster, PA and found a pie i had never heard of..Oatmeal Pie and it maybe the ONLY pie i ever will eat again ( ok maybe not but...)! It was that good! Your recipe seems almost close to what may of been in the Oatmeal Pie its just missing coconut flakes! I will try your recipe in the morning- and i think i will toss in some coconut flakes (Bobs red mill) ..I can;t wait! Thanks for such a great and interesting site!
You're welcome, Laura. We'd love to hear back from you. Oatmeal pie sounds really good.
It mentions something early on about reheating, which makes me think; could I possibly bake portions of this recipe in a muffin tin, freeze, then pull out to reheat when needed? Obviously, it would have a different cooking time but does anyone have any input on if that wouldn't work?
I really don't know why that wouldn't work, Andrea. In fact, it sounds like a great idea. I might suggest that you make the recipe in bulk first, though, in case you want to compare the textures. But in any case, let me know if you try it.
We enjoyed this for breakfast over the weekend and loved each sweet little bite. Love how easy it is and of course, the leftovers! Thanks, Patti!
So glad you liked this, Judi! It does make kind've a lot, doesn't it??
this looks so amazing. i just prepared it and it's in the oven. i can't wait to have it for breakfast tomorrow & later this week! i think you may have forgotten to mention the raisins in the directions...but I assume that you just added them in with the oats & sugar. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thanks for letting me know, Mary. I fixed that in the directions.
I just made this and I love it! So easy, and I always have those ingredients (-raisins) on hand. I added a lot of cinnamon, & a splash of nutmeg because that's how I like my oatmeal. I'm thinking of adding pumpkin next time??? I hope my 3 and 1 year old boys like it, so I can make this monthly. We aren't big breakfast eaters around here, and I hate that the only thing my 3 year old will eat is frozen waffles Uggghhh.
I just made this and it is AMAZING! I used pecan chips instead of raisins and it is sooooo yummy!!
Love this idea! Does anyone know whether it would work with steel cut oats? I'm thinking it might just need longer cooking time. Or would they need to be slightly pre-cooked?
I think this would work great with steel cut oats, April. I would just par cook them a little beforehand. Let us know how it comes out!
Ok, I tried it with steel cut, parcooked, refrigerated overnight, and cooked in the morning. It's good, but I imagine it would be better with rolled oats. Since they're so dense, the oats kid of all sunk to the bottom, most of the egg/milk is on the top. I definitely want to do this again soon, and I'll stick to your tried and true recipe this time!
Oh, darn, April. I was so hoping that would turn out. Thanks for letting us know and I hope you enjoy the old tried and true version.
I have never heard of baked Oatmeal until I saw this on Pinterest. The first time I made it I used raisins (family didn't dig it, but I did). I have made it a total of 4 times in three weeks! We love it, I have used Chocolate chips once. I love cinnamon and nutmeg in oatmeal, so I added that each time. I used sliced almonds and almond extract today. So versatile! Holy Moly! This is my new favorite go to breakfast dish! Thank you so much for sharing :)
You're welcome, Stephanie, and I love how creative you've been with it. I've got to try some of your additions!
I would love to make this in the morning, but I don't have the old fashioned oats. Can I use quick cooking oats? If so, what changes will I need to make? Thanks
I'm sure you could make this with the quick oats, Jennie, but it's not going to have much texture. The quick oats will probably just break down faster, but give it a try and let us know how it turns out. I don't think you would have to change anything in the recipe, unless you wanted to cut back on the milk just a little.
I found this recipe on Pinterest last night and was eager to try this recipe so I made it for breakfast this morning. My daughters' school was canceled due to a "Snow Day" here in Southeast Michigan so what better way to start our day than by eating a warm delicious breakfast. We're not big fans of raisins so instead I used dried cranberries and small pieces of walnuts. It turned out awesome! This recipe is now a favorite in my house...next time I want to try the chocolate chips (as one reader suggested) with walnuts. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
So glad you liked it, Jen. Thanks for letting us know... I love the variations that people are coming up with!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I had this at a friend's house YEARS ago, and have been looking for the recipe since! Can't wait to try it out!
I just found this pinned on Pinterest and mixed up a batch which is now in the fridge waiting for the oven in the morning. We're not fans of raisins, so tonight's recipe is naked. I can't wait to try other dried fruits like blueberries and cranberries. I did sprinkle some flax seed into it, as well. We love oatmeal and this is a nice change from the usual stovetop version we prefer. Thanks!
Made a 1/2 recipe today and baked it in a muffin tin. Since it would be in muffin tin, I had to spoon the solids in first and then pour the liquid over. They were FULL! Bake 24 minutes. They were firm, no juggle. Made 6.
Oatmeal texture is firmer and slightly chewy, exactly what I remember my mother made. Perfect!!
(Hers were stove top in a pot. This wash up is a lot easier!)
Next time, I'll add cinnamon and nutmeg.
Found on Pinterest.
Thanks for letting us know that we can make this in muffin tins! Great idea!
This is by far the best baked oatmeal I have eaten. You won't believe you are eating something that is actually good for you! This is my first recipe of yours I have tried and I will definitely will try more.
So glad you liked this, Julie! We had it for breakfast this morning too... our favorite way to eat oatmeal! So nice to hear from you!
Found this recipe on accident, and decided to try it since I'm so pressed for time in the mornings. Made it in a Wilton's jumbo cupcake/muffin tin, and the recipe made enough liquid for 12 jumbo muffins but only enough dry ingredients for 9. I filled mine with 4 "little" spoons (the kind you use to eat) of the dry ingredients which filled them about halfway before pouring the wet ingredients on top, and baked them for 25 minutes before putting the last of the sugar on. The sugar didn't melt quite as well as I thought it would, and I did get a little impatient and just stuck it under the broiler :P They seem to want to fall apart when I try to take them out of the pans (which were greased with Pillsberry baking spray), so I put them in zip-loc baggies and froze them. They're perfect when reheated in the microwave with a little water, though I think I added too much fruit to mine which is why I needed the water- I had dried apricots, apples, and golden raisins in them. Delicious though!!
I like the idea of making this in muffin tins, Eva. Perhaps it would have been easier to mix all of the ingredients together before filling your tins and baking them off. Thanks for the great idea!