These easy Chocolate Baked Oats are the perfect healthy breakfast when you're craving something sweet! They're made with just 10 simple pantry staples and take just 10 minutes to throw together before baking! A great option for weekend brunch, weekly meal prep, or a delicious heathy dessert.
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📋 About the Recipe
- Easy to reheat! If you have any leftovers, simply splash with a tablespoon of milk and microwave until warm.
- Make these oats on Sunday and enjoy them all week long as a quick, nutritious breakfast. Or try my Baked Oats for One for easy single serving oats!
- Achieve a fluffy and soft oatmeal texture without the need to stand over the stove and stir.
- Super simple prep - no blenders or other appliances required. All you need is 1 mixing bowl and a baking dish.
- No banana! - Many other versions of chocolate baked oats online include a mashed banana. Mashed banana can be an overly powerful flavor, so if you don't love banana, this version is for you!
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Oats - I recommend using old fashioned oats in this oat bake. Instant quick oats are too processed and will be too soft in this casserole. Steel cut oats will turn out undercooked.
- Milk - Any milk you have on hand will work here, including non-dairy milks like almond milk. If using non-dairy milk, I recommend using unsweetened varieties so your bake isn't overly sweetened.
- Coconut oil - Helps keep these oats extra moist and soft! Coconut oil does not taste strongly of coconut once baked, however, if you really do not enjoy coconut, substitute with refined coconut oil or even melted unsalted butter.
- Maple syrup - Sweetens the oats without the need for refined cane sugars. If you're out of maple syrup you can substitute honey or agave nectar.
- Applesauce - Another natural ingredient that helps keep these oats moist! I recommend using unsweetened applesauce, so you can control the sweetness.
- Eggs - Help bind the oats together so they're more cake-like and add a nice boost of protein!
- Cocoa powder - Gives these oats their rich, chocolate-y flavor! Make sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder without any added sugars - the only ingredient should be cocoa.
- Chocolate chips - An essential ingredient in chocolate oats that makes these baked oats just as suitable for dessert! Any kind of chocolate chips will work well, however I like to use semisweet.
📓 Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the old fashioned rolled oats, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- Add in the milk of choice, unsweetened apple sauce, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Mix together until the wet ingredients are evenly distributed into the dry oats.
- Add in the chocolate chips and stir to evenly distribute.
- Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 9 baking dish and spread evenly in dish. If desired, press additional chocolate chips into the top of the oats, then bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the oats are golden in color on the top and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Once slightly cooled, slice the chocolate baked oats into 6 even rectangles and serve warm with an additional drizzle of maple syrup over top, if desired.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
- These baked oats are fairly flexible in terms of substitutions. Feel free to use any milk of choice, increase or decrease the amount of chocolate chips to your liking, use cacao powder instead of cocoa powder, and use honey or agave instead of maple, if desired.
- It is important to note, however, that the type of oats called for in this recipe should not be substituted. For the right texture and end result, it is important to use old fashioned rolled oats, not steel cut or quick (instant) oats.
- If you are out of nonstick cooking spray, grease the baking dish with coconut oil or unsalted butter. You can even line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
❄️ How to Store
These baked oats will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. For optimal freshness, transfer the oats from the casserole dish into an airtight container, or alternatively, tightly cover with saran wrap.
Yes! Oatmeal freezes surprisingly well. To freeze, allow to cool completely after baking then slice in individual servings. Wrap each individual square in saran wrap, then store together in a larger freezer safe bag or container. Thaw squares completely in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat the oats in the microwave until warmed through. I recommend adding a splash or two of milk when reheating to keep them from drying out.
🔍 FAQs
Yes! Baked oatmeal is naturally gluten free - just be sure to use oats that are processed in a gluten free facility (it will say so on the bag!).
No, baked oatmeal is soft and chewy in texture, but it is not mushy. It is more of a cake-like texture than your traditional oatmeal. To ensure your oats are not mushy either, be sure to use old fashioned oats, not instant or quick oats!
This baked oatmeal is a larger serving size for families, however if you'd like to make a single serving, make sure to try my Baked Oats for One recipe! It has 5 flavor variations (including chocolate) and cooks in a single serve ramekin.
If a toothpick comes out clean from the center, the baked oats are done (with the exception of some melted chocolate from the chocolate chips)! The oats will also be golden brown on the top and start pulling away slightly from the edges of the casserole dish.
💭 One More Tip
Make sure to eat a warm square straight from the oven! It's best warm while the chocolate is still melty and gooey!
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Baked Oats
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cup old fashioned rolled oats NOT quick or steel-cut
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups milk of choice
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips plus extra for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together oats, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Add milk, applesauce, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
- Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Smooth the top and press additional chocolate chips into the top, if desired.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cut into 6 rectangular pieces. Serve warm with an additional drizzle of maple syrup over top.
Notes
- You can also add in some mixed berries for additional fruity flavor.
- Make sure to use old fashioned oats. Quick cooking oats will result in a mushy baked oatmeal, while steel cut oats will not cook properly and become tough.
Nutrition
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Tam
I made a few changes, used chocolate almond milk (looking for a way to use it), reduced the maple syrup (since the milk has sugar) and then added sliced almonds and coconut and created almond joy oatmeal. Super delicious. Great base recipe.
Alana Lieberman
Sounds like some great variations! Thanks for giving it a try.
Lexi
One of my favorite breakfasts!
Alana Lieberman
Mine too, so quick and easy!