These vegan baked oats are a great way to get in the benefits of oats if you don’t love the texture of regular oatmeal!
I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly going through a loving oatmeal or hating oatmeal phase. It’s the same way I feel about eggs!
For me, it’s the texture. Something about the mushy-ness of oatmeal just turns me off. That being said, I love oats in granola or muesli.
This recipe is a life changer for me. Some the simple act of blending up the oats before cooking them made the texture twenty times more bearable.
Plus, this recipe is vegan and can be made gluten-free if you purchase the right oats. I’m personally not vegan or gluten-free, but always try to make my recipes as inclusive as possible!
What makes these baked oats vegan?
These baked oats are vegan because they do not contain any animal products, including eggs and milk. Regular cow’s milk can easily be swapped out for plant based milk and there is no need for egg in this recipe.
If you aren’t vegan and want to use regular cow’s milk, then that’s completely ok as well. This recipe works well with plant milk or cow’s milk.
Tip: If you aren’t vegan you can replace the plant based milk with cow’s milk.
Are oats good for you?
Oats are super good for you! Not only is it a very satiating food (it keeps you full and satisfied for a while), they are also full of an array of beneficial nutrients.
Half a cup of rolled oats contains about 150 calories, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fat and 5 grams of protein. Along with this, rolled oats contain 4 grams of fiber, which is great for digestion and keeping you fuller for longer.
As for the nutrients in oats, they are an excellent source of selenium, phosphorus and manganese and a good source of thiamine (vitamin B1), copper, iron, magnesium and zinc.
Remember, a healthy diet isn’t about individual foods but rather your dietary pattern over time. You should aim to consume a variety of foods to ensure you are getting in all your essential nutrients. Rolled oats can be a great way to increase your overall fiber intake along with the nutrients listed above.
Ingredients for Vegan Baked Oats
The ingredients for this recipe can likely be found in your pantry already. Many of the ingredients are shelf stable, making this a great go to breakfast option.
- Rolled oats: if you are gluten-free, be sure to purchase gluten-free oats
- Bananas: this recipe works best if they are ripe
- Plant based milk: any variety will work fine for this recipe
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Toppings of choice: chocolate chips, fruit, nuts, etc.
There are so many choices for toppings/mix-ins. I encourage you to be as creative as possible. Don’t be afraid to switch it up because basically anything can taste good in this recipe!
What if I don’t have ripe bananas?
If you don’t have any ripe bananas, don’t worry. There are a few ways to speed up the ripening process.
First, you can put your bananas in a paper bag. This traps the ethylene gas produced by the banana, which will make it ripen faster.
You can also bake the bananas. This doesn’t technically “ripen” them, but it does make them softer (which is usually why recipes recommend using ripe bananas).
Simply put the bananas on a baking sheet at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. The banana skin should be black when you take them out. Then, simply let the bananas cool and peel them.
How to make Vegan Baked Oats
For this recipe, you will need a blender or food processor (to grind up the oats into a fine texture) and a glass container to put in the oven.
Step 1: Pour the rolled oats into a blender or food processor. Pulse the oats until they have become a fine powder (similar to flour or breadcrumbs).
Step 2: Add remaining ingredients (except toppings) and blend until smooth.
Step 3: Add mix-ins of choice. Fold into the dough.
Step 4: Pour into a greased glass baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Do I have to blend the oats?
You don’t need to blend the oats. But, I personally like the recipe a lot better with blended oats. To me, when I blend the oats it tastes more like a dessert compared to not blending the oats.
One of the biggest turn offs (for me) when it comes to oats is the texture. So when you blend them, they turn into something similar to a whole wheat flour. So it’s a little gritty, but a lot less going on than regular oats.
In the end, it’s really up to you. You can also do half blended, half unblended if you want a cakey texture with some whole oats (think oatmeal cookies!).
What mix-ins do you recommend for this recipe?
There are so many possibilities for this recipe! I encourage everyone to experiment with a few different toppings and add whatever you personally like. Here are some suggestions:
- Chocolate Coconut: add coconut flakes and chocolate chips
- Mixed Berry: add mixed berries like raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries
- White Chocolate Macadamia: add white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts
- Pineapple Cake: add pineapple chunks
- Red Velvet: add red food coloring and cocoa powder
This is just a small list to be creative! If you tried out a cool combination, comment below and let me know. I want to hear all your great ideas.
Is this recipe gluten-free?
This recipe can easily be made gluten-free, just make sure you purchase gluten-free rolled oats at the store.
While rolled oats don’t naturally contain gluten, they are often contaminated with gluten, which is why it’s so important to ensure you can get a gluten free variety.
If you are just sensitive to gluten, you probably don’t need to worry about cross contamination, but if you have celiac, it’s super important to ensure you are getting gluten-free oats.
Here are some examples of rolled oats that are gluten-free:
How should I store the leftovers?
If you have leftovers, simply add an airtight lid to the baking dish and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. If the baking dish doesn’t come with an airtight lid, you can try covering it with aluminum foil or transferring the vegan baked oats to an airtight container.
If you tried out this recipe and liked it, please comment below and share. Also remember to tag me on Instagram and TikTok!
Vegan Baked Oats
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 banana ripe
- 1/2 cup plant based milk
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- toppings of choice chocolate chips, fruit, nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a blender or food processor, add rolled oats and blend until it becomes a fine powder
- Add banana, plant based milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt into the blender or food processor and blend until combined.
- Add toppings of choice and fold into batter.
- Pour batter into a greased baking pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Let cool and enjoy!
