Chocolate Baked Oats

Turn your morning oatmeal into these fudgy chocolate baked oats. This single serving breakfast or snack is made without banana, turns out cake-like and works whether you prefer blended or unblended baked oatmeal. Read the full post for tips and variations plus microwave and air fryer directions.

Jump to:

• The Ingredients
• The Method
• Leftovers and Storage
• Make it Your Own
• Blended vs Unblended Baked Oatmeal
• What to Serve with Baked Chocolate Oatmeal
• Tips for the Best Baked Oatmeal
• And if you liked this recipe...
• Recipe Card
• Comments

Most mornings, my breakfast involves some sort of oats.

Whether in the form of a classic bowl of oatmeal, granola or oatmeal protein muffins, they are one of my favorite ways to start the day.

But my latest oatmeal breakfast kick has been baked oatmeal. Especially chocolate baked oatmeal (I'm always looking for ways to eat chocolate!). You'll love them because:

• Wholesome Ingredients. Made from oats, naturally sweetened with maple syrup, gluten-free and dairy-free, you'll love the simple ingredient list.
• High Protein. With the addition of pea protein isolate powder, each serving of this chocolate baked oatmeal packs 23 grams of protein to keep you full. But if you prefer to skip it, you can simply add more oats.
• Quick and Easy. All you have to do is mix or blend the ingredients, put in a ramekin and then let the oven do the work. Or make them in the microwave or air fryer for an even quicker option.
• Fluffy, Cake-like Texture. These oats seriously take on the texture of cake (or a cake-y brownie!). Perfect for an exciting breakfast or for a healthier treat for your chocolate cravings. (Here are More Chocolate Recipes You Could Totally Have for Breakfast!).
• Customizable. You can change it up by including nut butter, mix-ins (such as coconut) and extracts (such as mint) for all sorts of variations.
• Single Serving. This recipe is designed for one serving, but is easily scaled for many.

The Ingredients

• Rolled Oats- You can use large flake or quick oats for this recipe. If needed, use certified gluten-free. Don't use steel cut.
• Protein Powder- I like to include pea protein isolate or brown rice protein (those are the ones that I have tested in this) in order to make the recipe more filling. You can replace it with additional oats instead.
• Water or Milk- Just a quarter of a cup of liquid provides moisture. It is imperative that you don't add too much or the oats won't turn out cake-like. I usually just use water since it is such a small amount but any milk of choice will work as well.
• Egg- Adds some extra protein and helps to bind the baked oats. For vegan baked oats, you can replace it with an additional ¼ cup of water. The oats turn out just slightly crumblier.
• Maple Syrup- You can replace with any sweetener of choice (see this list of Maple Syrup Substitutes) and adjust depending on your desired sweetness.
• Cocoa- Adds the chocolate flavor.
• Baking Powder- Gives the oats lift in order to have a light, cakey texture. For best results, make sure that yours is fresh.
• Sea Salt- Just a bit balances out the flavors.

The Method

1. Mix. Add all of the ingredients to a high powered blended and blend on high until smooth.

Or, for unblended oats, whisk together all of the ingredients until combined.

2. Bake. Pour the chocolate oat mixture into a lightly greased 10-12 ounce ramekin. Stir in any mix-ins if using.

Bake at 350 F for 22-28 minutes until just set on top. *The bake time will vary depending on your ramekin- a wider ramekin will bake faster.

3. Rest. Allow the oats to cool for 5 minutes to set.

4. Enjoy!

Leftovers and Storage

To Store: Allow baked protein chocolate oatmeal to cool to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

To Reheat: If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Rewarm in the microwave, in the oven at 325 F for 8-10 minutes or in the air fryer at 300 F for 5-8 minutes.

Make it Your Own

• Add a Nut Butter Center- Spoon a tablespoon of your favorite nut butter into the middle of the batter before baking for a molten center. (I especially like to use peanut butter for this because chocolate + peanut butter = perfection).
• Omit Protein Powder- Leave out the protein powder and increase the oats to ½ cup if you prefer.
• Include Mix-ins- After blending, stir in 2 tablespoons of your choice of mix-ins such as:
  • chocolate chips
  • chopped nuts
  • shredded coconut
• Add Extracts- Experiment by adding ¼-1/2 teaspoon with different extracts such as mint to add more flavor.
• Make a Bigger Batch- You have two options.
  • If you have multiple ramekins, you can multiply the ingredients by the number of ramekins (increase the serving size in the recipe card) and then divide the batter between the ramekins. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet for easy placement and removal and bake as directed.
  • Or, you can multiply the recipe by 4 (increase serving size on the recipe card to 4), mix and bake in an 8x8 or 9x9 inch baking dish for 22-28 minutes.

Blended vs Unblended Baked Oatmeal

If you don't have a high powered blended or just don't want to dirty a dish (sometimes I'm not up for cleaning a blender!), these baked oats can be made without blending as well.

If you decide to skip the blending, you have two options:

1. Use rolled oats and simply stir everything together. They still turn out pretty cake-y with a bit more oat texture.
2. Use oat flour (you need ¼ cup packed to replace the ⅓ cup of oats). This will result in baked oatmeal that looks more fluffy as though they have been blended.

What to Serve with Baked Chocolate Oatmeal

• Fruit: Top your baked oats with sliced bananas or berries (I love chocolate + strawberries). Or serve it alongside fruit salad.
• Greek Yogurt: Add a couple of dollops on top for "frosting" or have a bowl alongside.
• Nut Butter: Drizzle some of your favorite nut or seed butter, such as peanut, macadamia or pepita over the baked oats.
• Seeds and Nuts: Add some texture by sprinkling some roasted nuts, such as peanuts or almond, or seeds, such as hemp or flax, overtop.

Tips for the Best Baked Oatmeal

• Don't Underbake. Ensure the chocolate oats are fully cooked through by baking them until they're set in the center and then allow to rest for 5 minutes. Underbaking can result in a mushy texture.
• Add Just Enough Liquid. Use the amount of liquid specified in the recipe and not more. Too much liquid can make the oats overly wet and mushy.
• Bake Immediately. Once the ingredients are mixed, bake the oats immediately because allowing the mixture to sit for too long before baking can affect the texture and rise as the oats soak up liquid as it sits.

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And if you liked this recipe...

...you might also like:

• Chocolate Oatmeal
• Protein Baked Oatmeal Cups
• Baked Oats for One

Recipe Card