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This Chocolate Baked Oatmeal is seriously chocolatey, loaded with gooey oats, and topped with chocolate chips. Easy to make ahead of time or bake fresh for weekend breakfasts! Vegan, Gluten-Free Option.
This Vegan Baked Chocolate Oatmeal is a lot like my Chocolate Overnight Oats and my Chocolate Oatmeal recipes. It’s still an incredibly chocolatey and wholesome breakfast, but made almost entirely in the oven! You can either make it ahead of time for a fuss-free breakfast or bake it fresh right before serving a crowd.
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A Chocolatey Way to Start Your Day
Oats always have my back when I want to get a head start on breakfast. They hold up well, become nice and gooey after they’re cooked, and always fill me up! It’s no wonder that I always have jars of overnight oats in the fridge or a batch of baked oatmeal in the oven.
Speaking of wholesome make-ahead breakfasts, this Chocolate Baked Oatmeal Recipe has been my go-to when I’m craving dessert first thing in the morning. It’s sweet but not too sweet, while a mix of cocoa powder and vegan chocolate chips makes every bite oh-so-chocolatey. Who needs chocolate cake when these hearty baked oats taste pretty much the same?
Bake the chocolate oats days before serving them, or bake them fresh for a special weekend breakfast or brunch. From the gooey oats to the pools of melted chocolate, it’s a recipe you’ll want to make again and again!
Ingredients for Chocolate Baked Oatmeal
You only need 12 simple baking staples and one big bowl to make this delicious chocolatey breakfast:
- Oats: just like with most of my oatmeal recipes, I used a combination of rolled oats and quick-cooking oats here. The rolled oats make the baked oatmeal nice and hearty, while the quick oats give it a soft and creamy texture. Feel free to use only rolled oats if you’d prefer.
- Ground Flax Seed: crumbly baked oatmeal just isn’t it, so we need to rely on some ground flax seed to bind everything together. If you don’t have flax seed, use ground chia seeds instead.
- Espresso Powder: this is optional, but it will turn up the volume on those rich, dark chocolate flavors. Instant coffee powder should work well as a substitute, although the flavor will be slightly different.
- Cocoa Powder: for that luscious chocolate flavor, of course! You can use natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder here.
- Applesauce: the applesauce plays a few different roles here; it slightly sweetens the oatmeal, adds moisture, and helps everything stick together.
- Milk: this recipe works with any non-dairy milk you like, such as oat, soy, or cashew milk. If you want to go all-out, make the dairy-free milk yourself.
- Maple Syrup: make sure it’s real grade A maple syrup for the best results.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: I’m a chocolate lover through and through, so I’m going to top these oats with as many vegan chocolate chips as I can get my hands on! You can also omit them from the recipe or replace them with another topping you like (I included some ideas in the Variations section below).
How to Make Chocolate Baked Oatmeal
- Combine the oats, flax seed, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt in a baking dish. Sift the cocoa powder over the oats, then mix everything together.
- Add the applesauce, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla to the baking dish. Mix to combine, then spread the oats into an even layer.
- Bake until the oatmeal looks set in the center. Remove it from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.
- Serve the baked oatmeal right away or let it sit for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- No cocoa clumps here: Sifting the cocoa powder over the oats, then mixing them together until the oats are fully coated, will prevent clumps from forming when the cocoa is combined with the wet ingredients.
- Getting the right oat consistency: The oats will be nice and gooey after coming out of the oven. If that’s how you like them, serve them right away. Or, if you prefer a firmer consistency, let the baked oats sit for 10 minutes to give them a chance to firm up. And if baked oat bars are more your thing, allow the oatmeal to cool completely before slicing it into bars.
- For a sweeter chocolate oatmeal, increase the maple syrup to 1/2 cup.
Serving Suggestions
A batch of this chocolate baked oatmeal comes in handy for easy make-ahead breakfasts, special weekend brunches, and meal prep. For a simple breakfast, serve a scoop of baked oats with a dollop of vegan yogurt, fresh berries, and a drizzle of peanut butter on top. And when you’re really hungry, pair it with this protein-packed Chocolate Hemp Smoothie or these Vegan Blender Waffles.
If you’re looking for more easy vegan baked oatmeal recipes, you’ll also love this Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal, this Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal, and this Maple Pecan Baked Oatmeal!
How to Store Baked Oatmeal
Once the baked oatmeal is cool, cover the baking dish or transfer the sliced oat bars to individual airtight containers. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the pre-sliced portions in a freezer bag or container for up to 2 months. Allow the leftovers to thaw before reheating.
You can warm up the leftover or pre-made baked oatmeal in a 350ºF oven for 10 minutes or until it’s warmed through.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-Free Variation: Not all oats are naturally gluten-free since many are still processed with wheat products. Make sure you use certified gluten-free oats to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Maple Syrup Substitute: Swap the maple syrup for an equal amount of agave syrup, cane sugar, or brown sugar.
- For a Protein Boost: Increase the milk to 3 cups and stir 1 to 2 scoops of vegan chocolate protein powder into the oat mixture for baked protein oats. If the protein powder is sweetened, omit the sweetener from the recipe.
- Chocolate Chip Substitutions: Top the oats with a chopped dark chocolate bar, chopped nuts (like walnuts, pecans, or peanuts), hemp seeds, or fresh raspberries (after they come out of the oven) instead.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend combining the quick oats with rolled oats or only making the baked oatmeal with rolled oats. Quick oats aren’t quite as hearty and tend to become mushier when baked with the wet ingredients.
Yes, an equal amount of cacao powder will work as a sweeter-tasting substitute for the cocoa powder.
The oats will look firm in the center when they’re done. My oats were set in the middle but still moist and gooey on the inside after baking for around 25 to 30 minutes.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Chocolate Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats (or sub with more rolled oats)
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional, for a dark chocolate flavor
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 1/2 cups non-dairy milk of choice
- 1/4 cup grade A maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Dry Ingredients: Add the rolled oats, quick-cooking oats, flax seed, espresso powder (if using), baking powder, and salt to a 9×13 baking dish. Sift the cocoa powder over the oats, then use a spatula or spoon to mix everything together until evenly combined.
- Wet Ingredients: Add the applesauce, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla to the baking dish. Mix well until combined, then use a spatula to make sure the oats are spread out evenly across the baking dish. (Note: if you’d like to mix in a few extra chocolate chips with the oatmeal, add them here!)
- Bake: Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the oatmeal looks set in the center. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the surface of the oatmeal; the residual heat from the baked oats will melt the chips slightly and help them stick to the surface.
- Serve & Store: Let the baked oatmeal sit for 10 minutes to fully set before serving. For softer/warm oats, serve immediately after and top as desired. If you would like to slice the baked oats into bars, I would recommend letting the oatmeal cool completely in the baking dish before slicing. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze pre-sliced portions in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Recipe Notes
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free certified oats to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup can be swapped with equal parts agave, cane sugar, or brown sugar.
So yummy! 6 weeks pregnant with my third and this was sooo good. The melted chocolate chips on top were my favorite part. We didn’t have applesauce so I used baby mango puree and that worked fine!
My almost 3 year old liked it with extra chocolate chips. My one year old liked it, too.
Thank you! I’ll definitely be using this again!
So happy you enjoyed!