Mixed Berry Baked Oatmeal (Gluten-Free, Vegan-Friendly)

Mixed Berry Baked Oatmeal – This triple berry baked oatmeal is the perfect breakfast for a crowd and makes a great healthy breakfast meal prep. Don’t miss our favorite toppings + ways to serve it below! (Gluten-Free, Vegan-Friendly)

Have you tried baked oatmeal yet?

Admittedly, I’m a big oatmeal fan as it is–I love overnight oats, steel cut oats, oatmeal pancakes, granola, and even bowls of the instant stuff, but baked oatmeal is one of my absolute favorite ways to make oats.

For starters, there’s the texture–it’s soft, fluffy, and delicious. Baked oatmeal is less like a bowl of thick porridge, and more like a breakfast fruit crisp that can be cut into slices for serving.

This healthy mixed berry baked oatmeal recipe is perfect for lazy weekends or holiday mornings, but it’s also easy enough to make on a weekday. Mix everything up in just a few minutes, then pop it in the oven. Take a shower, help kids pack lunches, or do your hair, and then it’s done and ready to serve.

Another thing to love is that it reheats like a DREAM. It can feed a hungry family or make plenty for leftovers. Unlike a standard bowl of rolled oats (which often goes gluey upon re-heating), baked oatmeal has more substance and retains its taste and texture for leftovers. (Leftovers = fewer breakfasts I need to fix = I am a happy human.)

But even more than the amazing texture and the leftovers is the flavor! Our mixed berry baked oatmeal has just the right amount of sweetness for me, and I love the combination of berries, oatmeal, cinnamon, and vanilla that makes this triple berry baked oatmeal recipe a winner every time.

And here’s all you need to get started…

HERE’S WHAT GOES INTO OUR MIXED BERRY BAKED OATMEAL RECIPE:

• Rolled Oats (not quick or steel-cut!). I use rolled oats in my berry baked oatmeal recipe. They’ll get the right amount of puff, won’t be mushy (like quick-cooking oats) and won’t be hard or chewy (like steel-cut).
• Baking Powder + Cinnamon + Salt. Baking powder helps the oatmeal puff in the oven. It helps give the berry baked oatmeal it’s distinctive, more cake-like texture. Cinnamon is so great with the berries in baked oatmeal. Then, a tiny bit of salt helps balance the flavors and wakes everything up.
• Almond Milk (Or Your Favorite!). To start out the wet ingredients for our berry baked oatmeal, I use almond milk. You can use whatever your family drinks and enjoys–dairy milk, oat milk, soy milk, coconut milk, rice milk, or anything else!
• Pure Maple Syrup. For a little sweetness, you’ll stir in a bit if pure maple syrup. I like to keep this amount fairly modest so people can add additional syrup at the end if they like.
• An Egg or Chia Egg. To bind the mixture together a bit and help give it some puff, you’ll add an egg, or a chia egg or flax egg (vegan options) to the mixed berry baked oatmeal. (I’ve got instructions for how to make a chia or flax egg in the recipe card below!)
• Vanilla. Using vanilla adds makes this taste sweeter without adding extra sugar. So nice with the berries and cinnamon!
• Mixed Berries. Last, but not least, you’ll add plenty of fresh berries. I like a trio of fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. They’re colorful, fresh, and make this mixed berry baked oatmeal BEAUTIFUL.

TOP IT OFF! HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE TOPPINGS FOR BERRY BAKED OATMEAL:

• SLICED ALMONDS. I’m a sucker for almonds + berries together, so I love sprinkling a few sliced almonds on top of my berry baked oatmeal before serving. (That crunch tho!)
• MORE BERRIES! I will never say no to adding more berries to berry baked oatmeal. They add fresh color and the contrast between fresh and baked berries is delicious to me.
• TRY A DOLLOP OF JAM. You can also go with a little dollop of jam, like these Baked Oatmeal Bars from This Vivacious Life.
• PEANUT BUTTER OR ALMOND BUTTER. Channel PB&J vibes for drizzling a little peanut butter or almond butter over your serving. Bonus points if you use crunchy!
• POWDERED SUGAR. If you want to make it pretty, you can use 1/2-1 Tbsp. powdered sugar over the whole dish before serving. A little bit goes a LONG way!
• PURE MAPLE SYRUP OR HONEY. Or, let everyone add a drizzle of syrup or honey to their bowl before diving in.
• PECANS. If almonds aren’t your jam, pecans are delightful here, too. Toast them first for even more flavor!
• SLICED BANANAS. Bananas and berries are already friends, so feel free to add a few slices of banana to the top of your berry baked oatmeal. It’s delightful!
• CACAO NIBS. I LOVE the combination of berries and chocolate, and cacao nibs add a chocolatey crunch without any added sugar. They can be an acquired taste, but I find the sweetness of the berries and oatmeal is enough to keep them from tasting bitter.

FAQ + TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE BEST MIXED BERRY BAKED OATMEAL:

VEGAN OR EGG FREE? READ THIS! I’ve found that I can easily sub flax or chia eggs in place of traditional eggs in baked oatmeal. To make a flax or chia egg, you’ll add 1 Tbsp chia seed OR flax + 3 Tbsp water per egg. Mix the chia/flax with the water and let it stand for about 5-10 minutes or so to start to “activate” or gel before mixing in with the other ingredients.

GLUTEN-FREE? READ THIS! Many people who are gluten intolerant find they can still enjoy oats, so long as they’re certified gluten free. Oats themselves don’t contain wheat gluten, but they’re often farmed or processed in a way that causes cross-contamination. Be sure to buy certified gluten free oats if you’re gluten free, like we are. We’ve had good success with  Bob’s Red Mill, Thrive Market, One Degree, and Trader Joe’s brands.

CAN I USE QUICK OATS FOR BAKED OATMEAL? I wouldn’t. You *can* use quick-cooking oats in a pinch, but I’ve found the texture can sometimes get a bit gluey and they won’t reheat as well later.

CAN I USE STEEL-CUT OATS FOR BAKED OATMEAL? I don’t recommend it. Steel-cut oats won’t have enough time to soften, so they’ll burn before they’re cooked through, which means crunchy AND burned. No bueno.

HOW LONG DOES BAKED OATMEAL STAY FRESH? Our mixed berry baked oatmeal will keep for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator. (If you don’t eat it all in one sitting!)

HOW TO RE-HEAT BERRY BAKED OATMEAL. To reheat servings of berry baked oatmeal later, just pop them in the microwave with a drizzle of milk for 30-60 seconds, or you can reheat the whole pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

CRAVING MORE? YOU’D PROBABLY LOVE:

• Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal
• 9 Ways with Overnight Oats
• Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oats +7 Flavors To Try
• Blender Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
• Pecan Pie Baked Oatmeal
• Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oats
• Strawberry Banana Overnight Oats

HELPFUL TOOLS + INGREDIENTS FOR OUR HEALTHY BERRY BAKED OATMEAL:

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