Baked oatmeal crosses seasons…
Eat it hot or cold, as breakfast, snack, or lunch — it’s all delicious! And with eggs and milk baked in, you’ve got a high-quality protein boost as well.
Apple-Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
This baked oatmeal is apple-cinnamon (perfect for fall!). For another variation, try using Chinese 5-spice. Makes (1) 9” x 13” pan or (2) 8" square pans.
Ingredients
Soaking Stage:
- 6 cups thick rolled oats
- 1/2 cup acidic medium such as whey or raw apple cider vinegar (or sourdough starter, to improve the effectiveness of the soaking)
- 8 cups pure water
- 1/2 to 1 cup raw walnuts chopped, or nut/seed of choice
Baking Stage:
- 1/2 cup grass-fed butter lightly melted
- 2 cups raw whole milk
- 6 organic or pastured eggs
- 1/2 cup rapadura sucanat or palm sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 apple diced finely or shredded
- 1 cup raisins optional
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut optional
Instructions
Soaking Stage:
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Combine oats, acidic medium (or sourdough starter*), water, and nuts/seeds in a big bowl.
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Cover and let soak overnight.
Baking Stage:
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In the morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Drain oats through a fine sieve.
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Rinse and allow to drain again.
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In a big mixing bowl, whisk together butter, milk, eggs, sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
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Add oats and mix well.
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Add the apples, raisins and coconut.
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Mix in gently.
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Transfer to a greased 9” x 13” baking dish (or two 8” square cake pans).
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Smooth the top.
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Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
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Remove from oven to a cooling rack.
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Allow 15 minutes to rest before cutting into bars.
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Eat in a bowl with yogurt, kefir, or milk. Or as a bar with maple syrup and fresh fruit.
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Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
*Sourdough starter improves the soaking's effectiveness by adding phytase to reduce phytic acid, as well as organisms to accomplish an overnight fermentation. Don't worry, it won't be sour if you rinse well the next morning! Check out our Fundamentals eCourse for more information on soaking.
Do you make baked oatmeal? What are your favorite add-ins and flavors?
This post was featured in 33 Nourishing Oatmeal {and N’Oatmeal} Recipes and 39 Nourishing Postpartum Freezer Meals To Prepare While You’re Pregnant.
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Do you think this could be made either w/out eggs or with some kind of substitute, as I have one son who is allergic to eggs/
Dee — I think you could just leave them out. The oats are starchy enough to hold together pretty well on their own. (Think about leftover oatmeal, cooled, in a pot.) However, we do rinse away a bunch of starch after the soaking, but I still think this will hold together fine. I’d hesitate to use flax seed meal substitute because I think it could end up too gummy inside. But that is an option too, and I don’t know for sure.
I tried this without the eggs and it worked fine. I also modified the soak to include 2 cups raw milk, 1/2 c starter and 4 cups water and did not drain or rinse. Fast and easy and delicious!
Excellent! This look delicious and we will definitely try this. The only way I like to make soaked oats is to use the thick oats because we like our oats to have some tooth to them upon eating. And rinse well just like you say. So this will be perfect! ?
hobby baker — We love thick oats, too. 🙂
What exactly are thick oats? Are they the “regular” rolled ones vs. “instant”? Or are they steel cut (chuncks, not rolled), or am I missing the boat all together here? 🙂 I have regular rolled oats, steel cut oats and oat groats – which will work best for this?
Crystal — They’re rolled oats, more like the regular but thicker. 🙂 So use your regular rolled oats here and it will be great.
Hello from Mt. Shasta! I am a new reader here and love your site!
I’ve made baked oatmeal with bananas and vanilla. Very yummy. Fresh blueberries and/or rasperberries in season…again with vanilla…is also a hit…or canned peaches! I guess you can’t really go wrong. I home-can sliced apples, pre-spiced with cinnamon, and it is easy to dump a quart into the oatmeal in the wintertime when fresh fruits are not available.
Question: Have you ever tried this recipe with other breakfast cereal grains, like farina?
Thanks for you writing!
Shawna
Shawna — Ooh, all that sounds very good. I love how you adapt it so easily. 🙂 I have not tried this with other grains, no.
Are you saying that you use those other fruits ‘after’ the oats are baked? You’re not baking them in the mix?
We eat a lot of oats and I had decided my Lenten practice was going to be expanding our breakfast options. I was very surprised when my soon-to-be-four-year-old complained that we were not having oats often enough! The other kids complained, a little too loudly, that we had oats today when I made them just for her. I think I will try this as it is a little more coffeecake like. I think I will pass it off as oatmeal coffeecake. I’ll let you know what I think. Rather, what THEY think.
This looks really yummy. I’ve been experimenting more with breakfast meals and I’d love to try this one! Where do you get the thick rolled oats from? Is it probably in a health food store or can I get it in the regular grocery store?
Nicole — I think you can usually find them in the bulk section marked as such. Or you can have a health food store/dept special order them. I can get them through two natural food warehouses around here and the brand is Grain Millers.
Made it this morning for easter breakfast and it was amazing! I halved the recipe for my small family and I made some apple cinnamon yogurt to go on top. With a little milk, honey and more fresh diced apples on top this was a major keeper! My husband and 2 year old gobbled it up! This will be in my recipes to make when I have guests for sure! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Yum!! I’ve made Oatmeal Bake before with mangos and pineapple. SO good! I really like your recipe, will give it a try!
Marilyn — Yumm! 🙂
Oh forgot to say I also used macadamias with the bake too, but not anymore. Too expensive.
we must be on the same wavelength!!
http://www.frugalfreebiesanddeals.com/2011/04/baked-oatmeal-cups-with-apple-and-blueberry.html
Just posted my recipe tonight!!
I did mine in muffin cups- perfect portions!!
jen
Jen — Too funny! I love your idea to use muffin cups. 🙂
We have made soaked baked oatmeal before but never rinsed the oats…we just soak them in the milk and whey overnight…Is rinsing them more beneficial? Oats are not always agreeable with me, so far, soaking them helps me greatly, but would rinsing them be even better? We like to use maple syrup as the sweetner in our recipe. I haven’t tried adding to many add in other than blueberries or cranberries. So many great ideas in the comments!
Oh depending on where you live you can get thick rolled oats from Frankferd Farms.
Toni — In this recipe you’ll have extra liquid if you do not drain off. The rinsing is optional — however, I include it because most people think oats are too sour when soaked with sourdough starter or vinegar. Kefir is more mild, in my opinion, and I think you could just drain without rinsing and be fine.
My husband and I love http://www.nourishedkitchen.com ‘s recipe for Baked Oatmeal. Jenny uses steel cut oats, which we prefer, maple syrup and dried fruits. I take out the dried fruits and just use unsweetned coconut. We like ours with almonds baked in, and topping it with a dollop of greek style yogurt and fresh fresh fruit is really great! Thanks for sharing this recipe – I may try to slip some apples in the next batch I make.
We eat it every morning! I guess one could say we are addicted. I make enough for the one week at a time. Our favorite add on is maple syrup and walnuts topped with yogurt and fresh fruit and ground flaxseeds. Yum Yum can not wait for morning! I enjoyed reading some new ideas. Thanks Wardee!
I can’t wait to try this recipe and love how you said to rinse the oats after soaking. We’ve been soaking our oats in buttermilk overnight for oatmeal breakfasts, but sometimes it turns out a little too sour for our liking. Will try the rinsing this weekend for sure. ~Lisa 🙂
My first exposure to baked oatmeal was one out of an Amish/Mennonite cookbook that was made with brown sugar and quick oats. We’ve always loved it, but I was disappointed that it came out loose, not cakey, and have been looking for a version that is more like that in consistency…and since I began our real food conversion, I’ve been trying to find one that isn’t sour. I’ve soaked oats once, and they were too sour for my taste. I want to soak, but we just haven’t developed the tastebuds for that sour flavor that often accompanies it. And yes, I did rinse after soaking! Not sure if I did it wrong or if we just have sensitive tastebuds…but I want to try this recipe! It sounds so delicious and nourishing! Thanks for sharing (:
This was a hit at our house! We even used oat groats (it’s what I had on hand) and zucchini instead of apples (again, what I had in the fridge). Half the pan disappeared this morning. 🙂
So NICE!
I was just thinking I needed to make some baked oatmeal, but wanted to try it with soaked oats. Lo and behold! Who should have a recipe just waiting for me?! Thanks and can’t wait to try!
….along the same lines…i was wondering if you’ve been able to come up with a soaked oatmeal cookie…preferably gluten free? i’m a Weston A. Price and Jordan Rubin fan already!
thanks~
OH sweet mercy is this delicious! I added a bit more sucanat…we’re a family coming out of too much refined sugars and still have a bit of a sweet tooth 😉 but not a whole lot more. I halved the recipe (next time I may double it LOL) so I used a heaping quarter cup of sucanat. I also used sourdough starter to soak the oats, they’re not overly sour, but there is some tartness there for sure. I rinsed them very well (or so I thought anyway). I’m eating this right now, just plain (I was going to make some vanilla yogurt to put on top but just haven’t got to it yet) and it’s fabulous! AND, my 16 yr old stepson, who is not really what you’d call “on board” the real food train I’ve embarked upon, says it’s really good. Of course, I didn’t tell him how good for him it is or why. This recipe is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for in baked oatmeal…THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! 🙂
(oops…sorry….I just did this after I posted the last comment) I just drizzled some fresh, raw cream on top…I’m pretty sure I’ve died and gone to glory….seriously, this has totally made my day <3
OH, I do have a question though…some instructions for soaking oats say to add wheat flour to it, others don’t. I’ve always been under the impression it is necessary to add the flour because oats lack something needed to adequately break down the phytase…does it matter either way? I love that I can use sourdough to soak with, and it seems the flour in the starter would do the job of adding flour if you used buttermilk or something else to soak with…am I thinking correctly?
Dawn — Using sourdough starter is like a step up from adding acid or a grain with phytase. The organisms which perform a fermentation over night take care of reducing the phytic acid. I’m unclear how dependent they are on the presence of phytase and I suspect they produce it themselves — but if using a whole wheat or rye starter there’s phytase present anyway. I hope this helps!
I am so excited to have found your blog!
How long will this keep for if I make it?
Thanks again for this blog!
Brandy – I have kept it in the fridge for up to a week — could be longer but it is usually gone by then. 🙂
Fabulous! I like bulk baking when I can. Good to know I can bake it and have breakfast for the week. I dig the muffin idea!
This has become a weekly staple for us. It multitasks as breakfast and snack (and dessert!) I’ve made it without fruit and nuts, and it was still great. Next I’m going to try banana and peanut butter, my middle child’s favorite add-ins. I love that it’s delicious cold–a great defense against boxed cereal this summer. Oh, and It makes perfect finger food for the baby.
Thanks for a great recipe. We took it on a trip and avoided the hotel “buffet” and ate in our room. It was much more satisfying then the fake food they were serving. This recipe is in regular rotation now.
I just saw a show on tv about a place in New York that serves baked oatmeal as one of their signature dishes and it looked delicious. So, I have been looking for recipes that sound good and came across yours. I was wondering if you could use steel cut oats as they are better for you than rolled oats. Just curious. Thanks.
Heather — Sure, you can! If steel cut oats take more water than rolled, adjust accordingly. 🙂
Our family loved these so much, I’ve featured the recipe link on our site’s “In the Kitchen” page.
Thank you, Rebecca!
Where is the 5 spice variation posted?
Nicole — I’ve added it to my menu plans, but it is not posted on the blog currently.
This Thanksgiving morning, I put together one with apples, cinnamon, coconut milk, pecans and Cream Cheese. I also drizzled a bit of maple syrup on the top because we just won’t have enough sugary foods (including naturally sweet foods) in our diets today!
i just made this and am enjoying a bowl of it now! i added some smashed organic bananas to the mixture to sweeten it up. this allows you to use less sugar/sweetener and you get the perks of the nutrients from the bananas! and it’s frugal, too… my store in colorado frequently puts organic bananas on the “quick sale” shelf for 34 cents a pound!
question about adding nuts to the soaking mixture: does this eliminate the need to use crispy nuts that have already been soaked and dehydrated? just wondering if doing this will properly prepare them or if i should do that beforehand.
thanks for your site, yummy recipes, and free webinars! i have learned a ton on this journey of replacing seemingly/semi “healthy” foods with real, traditional, whole foods. i appreciate your advice!
We love this recipe. I have made it several times for my family and my parents. My mom has adopted it as well. La-la-la-love it! Thanks for sharing Wardee!
We had baked oatmeal every Sunday until my family burned out on it. I never added any sweetener but served it over fresh apple sauce (just pureed apples in my Vitamix). We enjoy sweet things but didn’t miss the sugar in the oatmeal at all! I think I’ll try this recipe tomorrow morning.
Hi,
Have you tried to freeze these?
Have you tried to freeze these?
My family loves, loves, loves this recipe. I’ve added another apple & also subbed some of the rolled oats for steel cut. Yum! Thank you!!
I don’t soak mine because I’ve been buying sprouted GF oats. Should I just substitute another liquid for the acid medium? Or doesn’t it really need the extra liquid since you’re rinsing it the next day anyway?
This is the kind of recipe I’ve been looking for. My children (and I) rebel against hot oatmeal when it’s 80 degrees by breakfast time, but we could eat cold bars!
Thank you!
This sounds delish – can’t wait to try it! I have some raw milk that’s been sitting in a mason jar in the fridge for a few weeks, and it’s separated now – whey at the top, milk solids at the bottom. Is that the whey you’re talking about? Although I suppose using raw apple cider vinegar would add some extra flavor, too.
Hi Melody,
Yes, that’s the whey. Wardee has a great video all about whey: https://traditionalcookingschool.com/2011/07/20/free-video-whey-what-it-is-how-to-get-it/
Millie
GNOWFGLINS Support Team
Thanks for the info! Could you also use other fruit with this recipe according to what’s in season, maybe just alter the seasonings to taste?
Yes! I’ve made it with pears, blueberries and no fruit at all. 🙂
I have a sourdough starter
Does it have to be active bubbly to add to oats, just trying to figure out how it can be active each night
Thanks
I’ve been dehydrating homemade cereals and want to try dehydrating this. Thanks for the sourdough suggestion for the soak – love the idea/ notes. Any comments against dehydrating?
Dehydrate?
This recipe has been a lifesaver for my large family; we eat it often and love it. I’d just like to clarify one thing, if I may:
you wouldn’t really use an entire 1/2 Cup of vinegar in the pre-soak, even if you were going to rinse it afterward… would you?
1/2 C of vinegar has to be so MUCH stronger than 1/2 C whey or sourdough… I would think it would be more like 2 Tablespoons vinegar (or lemon juice would work) with enough water to equal 1/2 cup. That should be plenty for effectiveness (tastes fine, even without rinsing) and would cost MUCH less.
We love using (and not rinsing) “discarded” sourdough for this recipe, so I’m happy either way, just thinking people without it (or without whey) might miss out if the amount of acid is so large.
Thanks again and again for the recipe!
And someone please correct me if I’m wrong about this… Thanks! 🙂
* when I wrote “sourdough”, I meant “Sourdough starter”, of course… 🙂
I make a quinoa bake from the Daniel Plan with a few alterations (I add nuts, coconut, flax, homeade dried fruit and extra egg) and we use it for snacks and my husband takes it to work for his sweet tooth!! I am definitely going to try this….thanks. Would steel cut oats work??
Does the sourdough need to be one in it’s “active” state or fed in the past 12-24 hours? I have been making this using raw acv and now that I have an active einkorn sourdough starter, I would love to try using it in this recipe. When I make this recipe for our breakfast at church and everyone loves it! Thank you so much & God bless you!
Lynn – It doesn’t need to be in its active state. Just fed within the last 12 to 24 hours. 🙂
I found this recipe via postpartum freezer meals post. You mentioned at the end of the recipe to refrigerate, but to freeze it, I wanted to see if you have any tips. I just made it tonight and it’s in my fridge awaiting my next move. This is perfect for a nursing mom, so thank you for sharing!!
Hi Andrea,
I think you could freeze these bars just fine. You could wrap each bar separately or the entire pan in an airtight packaging.
I would think they would be good for 3 – 6 months in the freezer.
~ Vicki, TCS Customer Success Team
Thanks! And how about tips on reheating?
I would allow it to thaw slightly then reheat.
Here are our reheating (without a microwave) tips:
https://traditionalcookingschool.com/food-preparation/reheating-foods-without-a-microwave/
https://traditionalcookingschool.com/food-preparation/reheat-food-instant-pot-aw047/
~Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team
Does this freeze well? If so, prepare as described and freeze before baking?
Hi, Nicole: From some of the other comments, it looks like others have had the same question — and maybe given it a try. Next time you make it, maybe try freezing some to see how it does. And then let us know! 🙂 —Sonya, TCS Customer Success Team