Vegan Baked Oats (with Apples)
These vegan baked oats are a quick and easy way to make a large dish of delicious oatmeal for the whole family. Perfectly cooked oatmeal in the oven with apples and cinnamon baked in and topped with a crunchy vegan crumble topping.
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Apple recipes like vegan apple cake, dairy-free caramel apples, apple crisp, and vegan apple pie are perfect for fall, and this apple oatmeal is no exception.
Why make baked oats
My family loves oats, but they don’t like the mushy texture of oatmeal cooked on the stovetop. This vegan baked oatmeal is more like a moist coffee cake, with the perfect texture. It bakes up in a large casserole dish, making it perfect for holiday breakfasts and family brunches.
This baked oats recipe is super versatil,e and you can make it your own by swapping out the apples for other fruits or berries like peaches, blueberries, or strawberries. You can also adjust the sweetness to suit your taste.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Oatmeal – I use whole oats for this recipe, but quick oats will also work. Be sure to use gluten-free oats if needed.
- Flaxseeds – these help bind the oatmeal together, much like an egg in traditional recipes. If you don’t have any, you can use chia seeds as an alternative or simply omit them from the recipe.
- Sweetener – you can use any vegan sweetener of your choice. I like organic brown sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup.
- Spices – I like to use cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. You can also use pumpkin pie spice as an alternative.
- Plant-Based Milk – any vegan milk that you have will work well, like oat milk, soy milk, or almond milk. You can also use water instead.
- Apples – Apples work perfectly in this baked oatmeal; however, you can swap them out for equal amounts of other fruits or berries.
- Crumble Topping – (optional) A crumble topping takes ordinary oatmeal and makes it something special. For this, you will need vegan butter, flour, more oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
Helpful tools
- Casserole Dish – any medium-sized baking dish will work well.
- Blender – for blending whole oats. ( You can also use half oat flour and half whole oats if you don’t have a blender.)
- Large Mixing Bowl – to mix the batter.
How to make vegan baked oats
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 350° F (176°C). Add 1 cup of oats to a blender and blend for 30 seconds until it turns to oat flour. (You can also use 1 cup of oat flour instead of whole oats.)
Step 2 – Add the cup of blended oat flour to a mixing bowl along with a cup of whole oats, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Then, mix well.
Step 3 – Peel, core, and dice 2 cups of apples into bite-sized pieces. Then add the apples to the oatmeal mixture and stir well.
Step 4 – Add 2 cups of your preferred plant-based milk and mix well. Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish, then set aside while you prepare the crumble topping. (This allows the milk to soak into the oatmeal and soften it a little before baking.)
Make the vegan crumble topping (optional)
Step 5 – In a small bowl, mix the vegan butter, flour, whole oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until well incorporated and crumbly. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the oatmeal. (optional)
Step 6 – Bake at 350°F (176°C) for 35 minutes, until dry and slightly browned on top. Allow the dish to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
How to serve baked oats
Allow the baked oatmeal to cool a little after baking. This helps it to firm up a little and allows you to cut it into pieces. Serve the oatmeal on a plate with fruit or berries and drizzle it with some maple syrup, vegan salted caramel sauce, or vegan butterscotch sauce.
You can also bake the oatmeal in muffin tins like I do in my blender oat cups recipe.
Pro Tips
- You can adjust the amount of sweetener used to suit your taste. I find that 1/3 cup makes it mildly sweet, which works well when drizzling with extra syrup.
- You can also make this dish without apples or other fruit. If you are going to omit the fruit, add an extra 1/4 cup of vegan milk to account for the moisture that the fruit provides.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: Leftover baked oatmeal can be stored on the countertop for up to 24 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. (You can store leftovers in individual sealed containers so they’re ready to pop in the microwave for quick grab-and-go breakfasts.)
Freeze: You can also freeze the oatmeal in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat a serving of the baked oats in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or cover with foil and bake at 300°F (148 °C) for 10 minutes, until warm.
More vegan breakfast ideas
If you enjoy oatmeal, consider trying vegan oatmeal cookies, oatmeal mug muffins, or berry cheesecake overnight oats.
- Tofu Scrambled Eggs
- French Toast with Chickpea Flour
- Dairy-Free Cream Cheese and Bagels
- Chickpea Crepes
- Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches
- Just Egg French Toast
- Vegan Breakfast Casserole
Vegan baked oats recipe
Vegan Baked Oats (with Apples)
Ingredients
For the baked oatmeal
- 2 cups whole oats, (you will grind 1 cup and leave 1 cup whole) us GF oats if needed
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups apples, diced (or other fruit or berries)
- 2 cups oat milk, or any plant-based milk
For the crumble topping (optional)
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/2 cup flour , (gluten-free flour works well too)
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 dash nutmeg, optional
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (176°C). Add 1 cup of oats to a blender and blend for 30 seconds, until the oats have been ground into a fine oat flour. (You can also use 1 cup of oat flour instead of whole oats.)
- Add the cup of blended oat flour to a mixing bowl along with a cup of whole oats, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Then, mix well.
- Peel, core, and dice 2 cups of apples into bite-sized pieces. Then add the apples to the oatmeal mixture and stir well.
- Add 2 cups of plant-based milk of choice and mix well. Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish, then set aside while you prepare the crumble topping. (This allows the milk to soak into the oatmeal and soften it a little before baking.)
Make the crumble topping (optional)
- In a small bowl, mix the vegan butter, flour, whole oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until well incorporated and crumbly. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top of the oatmeal. (optional)
- Bake at 350°F (176°C) for 35 minutes, until dry and slightly browned on top. Allow the dish to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
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- You can adjust the amount of sweetener used to suit your taste. I find that 1/3 cup makes it mildly sweet, which works well when drizzling with extra syrup.
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- You can also make this dish without apples or other fruit. If you are going to omit the fruit, add an extra 1/4 cup of vegan milk to account for the moisture that the fruit provides.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Can I use a 9×13 or 8×8, I don’t have a casserole dish. Thank you.
Either will work, it will need a little less time baking in a larger dish since it will be thinner. Enjoy.
Monica, thank you for this recipe! Years ago I had one similar and lost it. I cannot stand gluey oatmeal either. 🙂 I do not use nutmeg as it gives me a headache, but this baked oatmeal is great without it for me and my husband. I have added some chopped up Medjool date pieces and that is good, about 10 dates, and cut back the sweetener to 1/2 cup. Just to share, my stovetop oatmeal when I make it on the stove is not gluey unless it sits too long. For 2 people, bring 2 3/4 cups of water to a boil in a pot, add 1/2 tsp Himalayan Pink salt, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 2 Tbsp maple syrup, and 1 1/2 cups thick rolled oats. Stir just to mix everything, cover, set off the heat for 20 minutes. The oatmeal is done perfectly and not gluey. Or slimy or whatever people call it :-). Sometimes I add sunflower seeds in also. It is delicious either way. Thank you for all your hard work.
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing Marie!
Looks yummy. Please edit the recipe card to include the apples in the ingredient list.
Oh, thanks, fixed.
Thank you! 🙏
Your welcome!
Looks and sounds delicious! Could this recipe be made up the day before and be refrigerated overnight??
Yes, it’s great the next day to, but I think that it’s best fresh out of the oven. You could mix up the crumple topping and keep it in the fridge, then mix up the dry ingredients and set aside, and then put it together quickly and bake it in the morning too.