The perfect healthy breakfast or snack, my oatmeal bake makes use of the fresh, sweet berries of the summer season. Prepared with rolled oats, juicy blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, plus non-dairy almond milk, maple syrup and a crunchy mixture of sliced almonds and walnuts, this oatmeal bake recipe is a tasty and unique way to enjoy your oatmeal!
A Scrumptiously Unique Way to Enjoy Your Oatmeal
Friends, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to enjoy a classic recipe.
And seeing as we’re big fans of traditional oatmeal in our household (my hubs makes some every morning to enjoy for breakfast), when I heard about an oatmeal bake (or baked oatmeal), my ears perked up!
Prepared in a baking dish, an oatmeal bake recipe basically cooks the oats in the oven, along with any other added ingredients, creating a moist and tender, spoonable texture that is scrumptious served up nice and warm, similar to a fruit crisp. Or, baked oatmeal can be enjoyed room temp or even cold, with a dollop of cool yogurt or whipped cream, if desired!
Because I love making creative use of all the fresh berries of the summer season, I thought coming up with my own mixed berry infused oatmeal bake would be a terrific way to go, and offer us a new twist on how we enjoy our morning oatmeal.
Quick to mix up, pour into a casserole dish and bake up, this fruity oatmeal bake recipe makes for a fantastic breakfast or afternoon snack, whether enjoyed while hot and fresh out of the oven or spooned up and reheated, or even enjoyed cold!
My Recipe for Oatmeal Bake with Mixed Berries
When preparing an oatmeal bake, you can use use a couple of different methods to mix things up…
You can either mix up all the dry ingredients (including the oats) together in a bowl, sprinkle some of the fruit on the bottom of the baking dish, then sprinkle those dry ingredients over the fruit and pour the wet ingredients over top to moisten.
Or, you can mix everything up nicely in one bowl, which is how I prefer to do it!
I like to mix up all the dry ingredients in a large bowl first, then whisk up my wet ingredients separately.
Then, I pour those wet ingredients such as whisked eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, melted ghee and almond milk directly into my oat, nut and berry mixture, then gently combine with a spatula before turning out into my baking dish. I just feel this combines the ingredients better, distributes everything a bit more evenly, to ensure a better oatmeal bake.
And while I’m opting for unsweetened vanilla almond milk here, as well as ghee for richness and maple syrup for sweetness, you can use regular milk or another non-dairy alternative, regular melted butter or even coconut oil, and another type of sweetener such as honey, apple sauce or mashed bananas. There’s so many options to choose from!
Here’s a sneak peek at my oatmeal bake recipe with mixed berries: (or just jump to the full recipe…)
- To get started, I mix up my oats and other dry ingredients in a large bowl, and add in most of my berries, reserving some to sprinkle over the top of my oatmeal bake before baking it.
- Next, I whisk up my wet ingredients, and pour those into the dry ingredients and gently combine the two to incorporate.
- I then spoon the mixture into the baking dish, smoothing out the top, and sprinkle over my reserved berries and reserved nuts.
- I bake the oatmeal for about 40 to 45 minutes until soft and plush in the center (45 minutes works perfect for me).
- When done, I and allow to cool for 5 minutes before spooning out and serving just as is, or dolloped with Greek yogurt or whipped cream.
Recipe
Oatmeal Bake with Mixed Berries
by Ingrid Beer
This healthy oatmeal bake with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries is a sweet, juicy and delicious way to enjoy your morning oatmeal!
Category: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Yield: Serves 8
Nutrition Info: 333 calories per serving
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup chopped strawberries
- ½ cup raspberries
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of your choice)
- ½ cup organic, dark maple syrup
- 2 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup ghee or butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon raw turbinado sugar, for sprinkling over as topping (optional)
- Greek yogurt or whipped cream, optional topping
Preparation:
- Begin by gathering and prepping all of your oatmeal bake ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
- Preheat the oven to 350°, and lightly spritz a 9 by 9 inch ceramic or aluminum baking pan, or 2 ½ quart baking dish, with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, combine the sliced or slivered almonds with the chopped walnuts, and reserve ¼ cup to sprinkle over top of the oatmeal bake before baking.
- Add the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and the ¾ cup of remaining nuts into a large bowl, and toss to coat and combine.
- Next, place all the berries into a bowl and toss to combine, and reserve about a scant ½ cup to sprinkle over top of the oatmeal bake before baking. Add the remaining berries into the dry oat mixture.
- Prepare the wet ingredients by whisking together the eggs, almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla. Pour this over the oat mixture, and then pour in the melted ghee or butter. Using a spatula, gently mix or fold the ingredients together just until well combined.
- Pour the oatmeal mixture into your prepared baking dish, gently smoothing out the top a bit. Sprinkle over the reserved berries and nuts.
- Bake the oatmeal bake, uncovered, for 40 to 45 minutes (mine was perfect at 45 minutes), then remove from oven and sprinkle with the raw turbinado sugar, if using. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve the oatmeal bake warm, just as it is, or topped with Greek yogurt or whipped cream.
Tips & Tidbits for my Oatmeal Bake with Mixed Berries recipe:
- Fresh mixed berries, or even frozen in a pinch: Because making use of fresh, sweet summer berries is something I adore, I love to use those for this oatmeal bake recipe—they can’t be beat! But you can absolutely use frozen berries in a pinch, or when fresh are not in season, just don’t thaw them. And use whatever combo of berries you like, or use just one, such as blueberries or strawberries, whichever you prefer.
- Old fashioned rolled oats: Make sure to use old-fashioned, rolled oats here, not quick cooking, for texture purposes. You need the rolled oats to hold up a bit and not become too mushy.
- Regular dairy, or non-dairy alternatives: Because we like to watch our dairy intake from time to time, I’m opting for non-dairy milk, using unsweetened vanilla almond milk in place of traditional. I’m also using melted ghee, but feel free to us regular melted butter, or even coconut oil, if preferred.
- Pure maple syrup for sweetness, or other options: Maple syrup is a lower glycemic index option, which is why we love it so much in our household. But feel free to use brown or regular sugar, apple sauce or mashed bananas, honey, or your preferred type of sweetener.
Hungry for more comfy-cozy breakfast recipes? Check out this Breakfast Potato Casserole, this Homemade Breakfast Sausage, these Breakfast Potatoes, this Vegetable Frittata, this Brioche French Toast Casserole, this Shakshuka, or these Hash Brown Potato Cakes!
