These one-bowl chocolate baked oats are one of my family's favorite baked oats recipes. It tastes like a warm brownie, but is made with just 10 wholesome ingredients like whole-grain oats, cacao powder and ground flaxseeds.
Along with my mixed berry baked oatmeal and cinnamon apple baked oatmeal, I love how easy these baked oats are that they are great for food prep!
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"Smells just like brownies when baking! I really like this recipe. Very good with some peanut butter on top. Great for breakfast or midmorning snack." - B.Wooster
Recipe at a Glance
- 🍫Taste & Texture: Hearty, yet soft-baked oats that taste like a brownie and will smell like brownies while in the oven.
- 🕰️Prep & Cook Time: 10 minutes to prep, 35 minutes to bake.
- 🥛Dietary Notes: Nut-free, gluten-free and dairy-free friendly and can easily be made vegan.
- 🍽️ Servings: 9 servings
- 💚 What makes these different: No blender, no banana, naturally sweet and added nutrients from flaxseeds and cacao powder.
Why You'll Love These Chocolate Baked Oats
- Easy - One bowl and no blending required for this chocolate baked oatmeal.
- Better-for-you ingredients - These chocolate bakes oats are lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup and made using cacao powder and flaxseeds. Flaxseeds add fiber, plant-based protein, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, while cacao is known for its high amount of antioxidants and magnesium. Both are true superfoods.
- No banana - Many baked oatmeal recipes call for a banana, but not this one. If you're not a fan of banana flavor, these are definitely for you (and if you like banana, these are still for you🙂) !
- Kid approved - Both my girls love these chocolate baked oats. Tastes like you're eating a warm brownie for breakfast, but this recipe is so much better for you!
Build a balanced breakfast with these chocolate baked oats using real-food toppings and protein pairings.
These chocolate baked oats have a rich chocolate flavor, are lightly sweet, and packed with whole grains, fiber, and antioxidants. It's an easy, nutritious breakfast that can be made ahead of time and reheated throughout the week.
Love healthier brownie recipes? Check out my healthy oat flour brownies for a classic brownie recipe or my protein brownie bites for a healthy afternoon snack.
And if you love oatmeal like me, don't stop with just this chocolate baked oatmeal recipe. Try my protein overnight oats, raspberry overnight oats, overnight oats with frozen berries, and blueberry chia overnight oats.
Or check out my collection of clean eating breakfast recipes for more!
Ingredient Notes
- Rolled oats - Use rolled oats/old fashioned oats for best texture. Quick cooking oats will get too mushy.
- Milk - Any type of milk can be used to make these chocolate baked oats. I use almond milk since I'm mostly dairy-free.
- Cacao - I prefer using cacao powder as it's less processed and retains more enzymes and antioxidants vs. cocoa which is highly processed. However, you can use cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder (they will both result in the same flavor). You can also try my easy vegan chocolate mousse with cacao.
- Ground flaxseeds - Ground flaxseeds are added simply for the nutritional benefit they provide. If you don't have them, you can omit.
- Coconut oil - I use unrefined coconut oil, but refined can be used as well. You can also use avocado oil.
A complete list of ingredients and the amounts can be found in the recipe card below. Specific notes and substitutions are listed above.
Variations and Substitutions
- Add-ins: Chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds for a nice crunch would be delicious. Or, you can never go wrong with some shredded coconut.
- Double chocolate baked oatmeal recipe: Add ¼ cup chocolate chips into the batter and sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top before baking.
- Dairy-free: Use plant-based milk. I recommend almond milk (I like Malk, Three Trees and Elmhurst as they are made with just water and almonds and have a very mild flavor).
- Vegan: Sub flax-eggs, or other egg substitute and use dairy-free milk.
- Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free oats. Oat are naturally gluten-free, but can become contaminated during processing.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, melted coconut oil, and pure maple syrup. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl.
- Step 2: Fully mix the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients.
- Step 3: Transfer the oat mixture to a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle with chocolate chips if desired.
- Step 4: Bake at 375 degrees F for 35-40 minutes, or until the middle has set. Do not overbake.
Sara's Tips for the Best Chocolate Bake oats
- Double the recipe and freeze half for later! If doubling the recipe, you can make in a 9x13 pan.
- Let the batter rest for 5 minutes before baking. This allows the oats to absorb some of the liquid, resulting in a softer texture.
- Bake until just set. Over baking can result in dry baked oats.
- Perfect for meal prep. Bake once and store in individual sized glass containers, reheat, and enjoy an easy and healthy breakfast.
How to Serve
- For healthy fats, drizzle your favorite nut butter, like almond butter or peanut butter.
- Try it as a granola substitute! I love crumbling baked oatmeal over Greek yogurt and fresh fruit for an easy, real-food breakfast or snack.
- You can also drizzle with a little pure maple syrup, top with fresh fruit, berry chia jam, or coconut whipped cream.
- For added protein
- Make it a meal and serve with this dairy-free frittata or sweet potato crust quiche.
- Or, enjoy with a healthy smoothie, like this easy peach banana smoothie or kale fruit smoothie.
How to Store
- Fridge: Allow to fully cool and then store in an airtight container in the fridge. These will stay good for up to 5 days when stored in the fridge.
- Freezer: You can freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. If freezing, I recommend cutting into single serving sized squares. Allow to fully cool before freezing.
Recipe FAQs
Naturally, yes, oats are gluten free. However, during processing they can become contaminated with gluten. So if you are needing these to be 100% gluten free, you need to use certified gluten-free oats.
It depends what you define as "healthy." But yes, I consider these healthy. They are made with whole grains and are a good source of fiber. In addition, I added flaxseeds and use cacao, which both provide antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals.
Absolutely! These chocolate baked oats are perfect for food prep! I will make these over the weekend and keep leftovers in the fridge for the week. They are great warmed up in the microwave.
Steel cut oats are much more dense and require longer cooking times, so they won't turn out the same in this baked oatmeal recipe. I do not recommend using them.
Baked oatmeal is more of a casserole and is made up of oats, milk, eggs and your favorite mix-ins. It bakes up to be soft and hearty and is more like a quick bread compared to oats that are made on the stovetop or in the microwave.
More Breakfast Recipes to Enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please let me know what you think! I would so appreciate you leaving a star rating and/or comment below. And don't forget to share a photo on Instagram or Facebook and mention @CleanPlateMama!
Eat Clean.Be Well!
-Sara
Chocolate Baked Oats
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Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 square baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups milk of choice
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup (see notes)
- 2 eggs (room temp)
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats (certified gluten free if needed)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt
- ⅓ cup cacao powder
- ⅓ cup ground flaxseeds
- ¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease either an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish and set aside (you could also line with parchment paper for easy clean-up).
- In a large bowl, whisk the milk, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and coconut oil.1 ¾ cups milk of choice, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract, ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- Add the remaining ingredients (rolled oats, baking powder, salt, cacao powder, and ground flaxseeds) to the bowl and then fully mix until ingredients are combined.2 ½ cups rolled oats, 2 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. fine sea salt, ⅓ cup ground flaxseeds, ⅓ cup cacao powder
- Pour oat mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with chocolate chips if desired.¼ cup chocolate chips
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until middle of oats have just set. If using a 9x9 pan, be sure to check between 30-35 minutes.
- Allow to slightly cool. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- This isn't overly sweet, which I like, but if you think you'd like a little sweeter oatmeal, you could increase increase maple syrup to ⅓ cup, or add in ¼ cup coconut sugar as well.
- For softer baked oats, let the batter to rest for 5 minutes before baking. This will allow the oats to absorb some of the liquid before baking.
- Bake until the center is just set. To avoid dry baked oatmeal, don't over bake.
Nutrition
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B. Wooster says
Smells just like brownies when baking! I really like this recipe. Very good with some peanut butter on top. Great for breakfast or midmorning snack.
Sara says
Ah, it totally does... and you can't beat the smell of fresh baked brownies! So glad you are enjoying this recipe... thanks for sharing 🙂
Tayler says
Chocolate for breakfast? I’m sold! Definitely making these for breakfast tomorrow!
Sara says
Nothing beats chocolate for breakfast... enjoy!
Toni says
I really loved this! Such an amazing day starter!
Dannii says
We loved baked oats, but I was looking for a version without banana and this was perfect. I loved the texture.
Sara says
Yay, so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
Andrea says
Look at all the chocolatey goodness. These baked oats are calling my name! Yummy!
Angela says
This is so good! My kids devoured it. Love anything chocolate in the morning!
Sara says
We love anything chocolate in the morning too... just can't go wrong!