Baked Oatmeal Recipe - Cooking Classy (2024)

FAQs

How do you make oatmeal nicer? ›

Why did my baked oatmeal turn out soggy? All of my baked oatmeal recipes are a bit soft, but shouldn't be too soggy. If a recipe calls for mashed bananas, make sure the mashed bananas aren't overly ripe or that could add extra liquid. If yours turns out gooey or soggy, you might need to cook it longer.

Tips for making baked oats

The difference between baked oatmeal and baked oats is all in the texture. And getting that cake-like texture comes from adding the egg, but also blending the ingredients well.

Is baked oatmeal healthy? Yes! Our baked oatmeal recipes are packed with wholesome, nutritious real-food ingredients including oats, eggs, and flax seeds, and sweetened naturally with fresh fruit or pure maple syrup.

High-sugar toppings like chocolate, syrup, and dried fruit

As Best points out, "some of the worst ingredients that are mistakenly added to healthy overnight oat recipes include chocolate sauce, sugar, syrup, and dried fruit."

Soaking not only softens the oats, but it also makes them more tender, quicker to cook, and easier to digest. In a side-by-side comparison, we found that unsoaked oats lacked that fluffy, creamy texture soaked oats provide. So, from here on out, we'll be soaking. Once they're soaked, it's time to cook.

if you want to double the recipe, make it in a 9×13-inch pan and double the ingredients. Feel free to add nuts or use fresh or frozen fruit instead of the dried fruit. Store the baked oatmeal in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover baked oatmeal for 5 to 7 days, either wrapped in the baking pan or in an airtight container. TO REHEAT: Bake the oatmeal in a 350°F oven until it's warmed through, or simply heat it up in the microwave.

Oatmeal's high fiber content and prebiotic qualities may benefit your body in more ways than one. Making oatmeal a regular part of your menu can potentially lower your disease risk, help your gut health thrive, make bowel movements easier and keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Studies show that oats and oatmeal have many health benefits. These include weight loss, lower blood sugar levels, and a reduced risk of heart disease. Oats are among the healthiest grains on earth. They're a gluten-free whole grain and a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.

Which oatmeal is best for baking? ›

Old Fashioned: Also called rolled oats, old fashioned oats are flat and flakey. They absorb more water and cook faster than steel-cut oats — usually in about 5 minutes — and are the oat of choice for granola bars, cookies, and muffins.

The intensity of heat while cooking is the contributing factor, lower the heat better the nutrient availability. When you soak the oats overnight, it's almost like you're cooking them, but the process is much longer and slower, and it's done without heat. Hence, it is more nutrient rich than cooked version.

Cooking does help break down some of the cellulose in raw oats, making it more easily digested, but raw oats have more fiber. The protein content remains the same. The fat-soluble vitamins are also the same as they don't break down in cooking.

Complex carbohydrates, like oats, take longer for your body to digest. They don't cause the same swings in blood sugars as simple carbs like white bread or sugar. Plus, oats deliver nutrients like magnesium and phosphorus.

Fresh fruit will add fiber, vitamins, minerals and some sweetness to your oatmeal. Fruit's fat-soluble vitamins like A, E and K will best absorb if you add in a fat source like nuts, which will also add extra fiber and protein.

Cut up some apple, add sweetener, some water (so it doesn't burn/stick), spices like cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, etc. After the apples are semi-cooked through, add in the oats, water/liquid, and any other additions like sweeteners/spices. You can also add a bit of fat like butter or coconut oil.

Add Real Fruit

Fresh fruit will taste much, much better than the dried up fruit or fruit flavoring you'll find in an instant oatmeal packet. You can cut up basically any kind of fruit to top your oatmeal, from apples to berries to something more tropical, like mangos.