I love to experiment with plant-based recipes for both health and nutritional reasons. This strawberry baked oatmeal is a simple, make-ahead dish using basic pantry items — and you’d never know it’s vegan! A touch of brown sugar helps recreate that classic, boxed-oatmeal taste, however, the recipe is just as good without the added sugar. You can change up the strawberries for most any fruit you have on hand — fresh and frozen fruit both work well.
I like to serve strawberry baked oatmeal warm, topped with milk and a drizzle of maple syrup. Though it reheats well, room temperature or even cold vegan baked oatmeal is still tasty. Another option is to try baking the oatmeal a bit longer than called for to dry it out, then slice and eat as a handheld snack.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and lightly grease an 8-inch (20-cm) round or square baking dish with dairy-free butter or coconut oil. Set aside.
Add the milk, applesauce, flax meal, and vanilla to a measuring cup. Whisk everything together with a fork to combine.
Once mixed, set the milk and flax meal aside.
Add the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
Make a well in the middle of the oats and pour in the milk mixture.
Stir everything together until well mixed, making sure to incorporate any bits of dry ingredients into the milk.
Add the sliced strawberries to the bowl and gently stir everything until the strawberries are evenly spread throughout the oats.
Pour the strawberry baked oatmeal mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Using a fork, spread the mixture evenly into the pan — you may have to redistribute some of the strawberries. The oatmeal may seem very wet but don’t worry! The oats and flax meal will absorb the liquid as the oatmeal bakes.
Place the strawberry baked oatmeal in the preheated oven and bake it for 28 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden, the oatmeal is set, and the edges are starting to pull away from the pan.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve vegan baked oatmeal warm, topped with plant-based milk and a drizzle of maple syrup, or anything else you like.
Notes & Tips
To make strawberry baked oatmeal ahead of time simply make the recipe as written but don’t bake it! Once the oatmeal is spread out in the baking pan, cover the pan and place it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, remove the dish from the fridge and proceed with baking as per the recipe instructions. I recommend using a metal baking dish as glass or ceramic could shatter in the oven if still cold.
Feel free to get creative with whatever toppings you have in your fridge or pantry. Jam, dairy-free ice cream, or coconut whipped cream are all great options.
Eat strawberry baked oatmeal room temperature or even cold if you prefer.
To reheat vegan baked oatmeal place a serving into a bowl and top it with milk before microwaving for 30 to 45 seconds.
Store sliced servings of strawberry baked oatmeal in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
To freeze vegan baked oatmeal wrap individual slices gently but snugly in foil. Store the wrapped oatmeal portions in the freezer for up to one month. To reheat the oatmeal slices, either defrost at room temperature then microwave until warm, or gently defrost from frozen in the microwave.
To make oatmeal bars to eat as a handheld snack, bake the oatmeal longer, until the top feels dry and springs back when pressed with the tip of your finger. Cut out a small portion and check the bottom of the oatmeal for dryness too. If it’s still wet, continue to bake in 5 minute increments until dried throughout. Cool, slice, and serve.
Substitutions
Quick oats can be substituted for large flake rolled oats, however, the texture will be different. Quick oats may also bake faster so keep your eye on the oatmeal for doneness as per the recipe instructions.
Homemade chai spice is a nice alternative to cinnamon, however, because it can be fairly spicy, consider reducing the amount to 1 teaspoon.
I have tested this recipe with both fresh and frozen strawberries and both are great.
If you don’t have strawberries on hand, swap in an equal amount of any other fruit you like.
Substitute cow’s milk for the plant-based milk if you want.
More Oat Recipes
Nut-Free Granola With Honey & Sesame Oil
🖨 Recipe
Strawberry Baked Oatmeal (vegan)
Equipment
- 8-inch (20-cm) square or round baking dish
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Liquid measuring cup
- Fork
- Large mixing bowl
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat milk, or other plant-based milk
- ⅓ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup flax meal
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups strawberries, fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and lightly grease an 8-inch (20-cm) round or square baking dish with dairy-free butter or coconut oil. Set aside.
- Add the milk, applesauce, flax meal, and vanilla to a measuring cup. Whisk everything together with a fork to combine. Set aside.
- Add the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Make a well in the middle of the oats and pour in the milk mixture. Stir everything together until well mixed, making sure to incorporate any bits of dry ingredients into the milk.
- Add the sliced strawberries to the bowl and gently stir until the strawberries are evenly spread throughout the oats.
- Pour the strawberry baked oatmeal mixture into the prepared baking dish. Using a fork, spread the mixture evenly into the pan — you may have to redistribute some of the strawberries. Place the oatmeal in the preheated oven and bake it for 28 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden, the oatmeal is set, and the edges are starting to pull away from the pan.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve the vegan baked oatmeal warm, topped with plant-based milk and a drizzle of maple syrup, or anything else you like.
Bernice Hill says
I love a good baked oatmeal. This one looks perfect for right now. I must give it a try as we have a giant bag of oats and some frozen strawberries to eat up.
Kristen says
Definitely pinning this for later, it looks spectacular.
Colleen says
This looks so good. I’ve never tried this, so now I must remedy that and make this recipe for baked oatmeal. Can’t wait to try. Thanks for sharing.