I'll be the first to admit that I hit the snooze button way too often. But this delicious and easy recipe for strawberry baked oatmeal is the best breakfast to wake up to in the morning! You'll be jumping out of bed even before that alarm goes off! Top it all with fresh strawberries and a generous drizzle of homemade caramel sauce or maple syrup.
I like to think of baked oatmeal as the ultimate breakfast hack. It's super quick to mix all the ingredients, and then you can go about your morning routine while the oats bake in the oven. In less than one hour, you have scrumptious strawberry baked oatmeal, ready to be devoured!
And if you love baked oats as much as I do, be sure to also try my baked apple oatmeal. Or for mornings that are a little more rushed, it's helpful to have pumpkin pie overnight oats on hand. And if you're still wanting oats after breakfast, try savory caramelized mushroom oatmeal for dinner!
Over the past few years, I've experimented with making homemade caramel sauce, and I've finally perfected the recipe! You won't be able to tell the difference between traditional caramel sauce and this delicious beginner version. It's thick, sweet, and rich. Best of all, caramel tastes incredible paired with baked strawberry oatmeal!
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- There's only about 10 minutes of prep time needed to make this recipe - the rest of the time is just waiting for the oats to bake!
- Baked oatmeal is a quick and easy way to cook oatmeal without having to watch it on the stove.
- Only 11 ingredients are needed, and this recipe is versatile with lots of substitution options.
- It's easy to freeze or refrigerate leftovers for an easy meal prep at the ready.
Ingredients
- Oil - coconut oil and olive oil work well in this recipe; you could also use melted butter
- Peanut butter - any creamy or crunchy nut butter or seed butter of your choice will work well
- Caramel sauce - Optional topping; you can substitute maple syrup or honey
- Milk - I usually use oat milk, but you can use any regular or dairy free milk
- Vanilla extract - brings out the flavors of the other ingredients
- Baking powder - helps the oats rise a little while baking
- Ground cinnamon - adds a warm, spiced flavor
- Salt - brings out the flavors of the other ingredients
- Oats - old fashioned rolled oats, quick cooking oats and instant oats all work well
- Chocolate chips - optional to add little pockets of chocolate throughout the baked oatmeal
- Fresh strawberries - adds a sweet, fruity flavor and soft texture
How to Make Strawberry Baked Oatmeal
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish with coconut oil, olive oil, or cooking spray.
- Wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted coconut oil, peanut butter, caramel sauce or maple syrup, dairy free milk, and vanilla.
- Dry ingredients: Add the baking powder, cinnamon, salt, oats, chocolate chips, and sliced strawberries. Mix it all together until the oats are completely covered in the mixture.
- Bake: Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the oats are golden brown and begin to pull away from the edges of the baking dish.
- Enjoy: Allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Top with extra sliced fresh strawberries and caramel sauce.
Tips and Variations
- For extra strawberry flavor, mix freeze dried strawberry powder into the baked oatmeal mixture before it goes into the oven.
- If you're using frozen strawberries instead of fresh strawberries, bake the oats for a few extra minutes.
- If you don't want to make caramel sauce from scratch, you can top your strawberry baked oatmeal with maple syrup or melted white chocolate.
What to Serve with Baked Oatmeal
- Nut butter like peanut butter or chocolate almond butter
- Shredded coconut
- Almond cashew chocolate granola
- Sliced fruit or fresh berries
- Chocolate chips
- Chopped nuts
- Homemade caramel sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Bake Instant Oats?
For this particular baked oatmeal recipe, I like to use rolled oats, which have been rolled into flakes. They provide a chewier texture.
You can bake instant oats too, which are cut into smaller pieces, so they cook faster.
Do You Need to Cook Oats Before Baking?
One of the many great things about baked oatmeal is that you don't have to soak or pre-cook the oats. Just mix everything together, spread it in a greased casserole dish, and bake it.
How Do You Tell if Baked Oats are Done Cooking?
The easiest way to tell if your baked oatmeal is done cooking is with a quick visual test. If the sides of the oatmeal are golden brown and pulling away from the edges of the baking dish, then it's done!
What Fruit is Best for Oatmeal?
Fresh or dried berries, apples, pears, mango, pumpkin puree, and bananas all taste great in oatmeal. The world is your oat-ster! (like oyster, but oats, get it?)
Can I Prep Baked Oatmeal Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can mix everything together in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Store it in the fridge until you're ready to bake it in the morning.
What to Add to Oatmeal to Make it Taste Sweet?
Oatmeal has a very mild flavor on its own. It's more like the sheet music on which you can write a symphony, rather than the music notes themselves. You can add fruit, caramel, maple syrup, honey, chocolate, or sugar to sweeten it.
Storing
- Fridge: Allow the oats to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Allow the oats to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight
- Reheat: Reheat baked oats on a microwave safe plate in the microwave for about 30 to 60 seconds.
More Recipes Featuring Oats
Hungry for more oat recipes that aren't oatmeal? Try these:
- Homemade Oat Milk
- Apple Crisp
- 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls
- Cowboy Cookies
- Almond Cashew Chocolate Granola
Strawberry Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil (or substitute olive oil)
- ½ cup peanut butter (or substitute any nut butter or seed butter)
- 2 tablespoon caramel sauce or maple syrup (plus more for drizzling on top)
- 1½ cups milk (or substitute dairy free milk)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2½ cups rolled oats
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips
- 1½ cup fresh strawberries, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.Grease an 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish with coconut oil, olive oil, or cooking spray. Make sure you grease both the bottom and up the sides.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut oil, peanut butter, caramel sauce or maple syrup, milk, and vanilla extract.Add the baking powder, cinnamon, salt, oats, chocolate chips, and sliced strawberries. Mix it all together until the oats are completely covered in the mixture.
- Spread the mixture evenly into the greased baking dish. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the oats are golden brown and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the baking dish.
- Allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. The longer it cools, the better it will hold its shape when sliced. Top with extra sliced fresh strawberries and more caramel sauce. Enjoy!!
Notes
- If you're using frozen strawberries instead of fresh strawberries, bake the oats for a few extra minutes.
- Store leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
foodinbooks
How delicious that looks! Perfect way to use strawberries.
Humbly Homemade
Thank you! Yes, especially since strawberries are in season! Do you have any favorite early summer fruits/veggies? 🙂
foodinbooks
Tomatoes and watermelon!
Humbly Homemade
Yummy!!! ðŸ…ðŸ‰
Azilde Elizabeth
I've been wanting to make something with strawberries and totally going to make this! 🤤
Humbly Homemade
Yay!! Let me know how it turns out! My husband has been asking me to make more and more ever since we first tried it! 😅
Azilde Elizabeth
I am hopping to make this weekend! I can't wait!
Humbly Homemade
Yay!! Let me know how it turns out for you! 🥰
Azilde Elizabeth
It's on my list for this week! I have to get on a better routine. I'm on the baby's routine lol I keep looking at the recipe and 🤤
Humbly Homemade
Hahaha! How is your baby by the way?! 💖💞
Azilde Elizabeth
She is doing good thank you. Getting big and eating lots! She's amazing! 💕 🥰
Azilde Elizabeth
I finally made them! Amazing! I'm having one as I write this 😆 I plan to serve this for breakfast tomorrow 😋 and a nice cold glass of milk 🥛 thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
Humbly Homemade
OMG YAYYY! I'm so glad!! I want to make another batch for myself now! 😅🤣
Azilde Elizabeth
😆 me too! I am going to make another batch this weekend. They were so good and healthy too! My husband and kids loved them! They didn't even last a whole day 😆 I am saving the recipe 😃 thank you!!