Start the morning with a cheerful breakfast. This Raspberry Baked Oatmeal is easy to bake and full of great sweet tart berries.
I had heard about baked oatmeal years ago, but I was extremely skeptical. I don’t like mushy oatmeal and I was worried that baked oatmeal would be mush. But, after hearing about it and hearing about it, and finding it in multiple cookbooks, I started to wonder, Could all of these people be wrong?
In the midst of a Pantry Challenge, I had spotted a bag of raspberries in the freezer, so I decided to give it a try. Blueberry Bake Oatmeal didn’t attract me; neither did Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal. But, Raspberry Baked Oatmeal? I could go for that!
After intense consultation with the woman I consider to be the expert on baked oatmeal, I set to work tweaking her basic recipe and making something that I absolutely love, that reheats well the next day, and that freezes very well. This raspberry and oat concoction is delicious, served with a little barely sweetened whipped cream.
Unlike Lynn’s original recipe, I do not refrigerate this overnight prior to baking — and the result is exactly what I wanted: oaty goodness, not too sweet, with dots of tart sweet berries and no mush involved.
It’s now been five years since I first made this dish, and it continues to be one of my favorites. It is so easy to mix up, I can make several batches at one time and slide the extras into the freezer for a later date. The night before I want to serve up a pan of toasty Raspberry Baked Oatmeal, I transfer the pan from freezer to fridge. By morning, it’s thawed enough to slide into the oven.
You can also bake from frozen, just adjust the time if necessary to make sure it cooks all the way through. My kids have eaten it not quite baked. Oops. And they still loved it.
How I make this good:
Whenever possible I like to cook with plain old ingredients. While the convenience of mixes and canned sauces is nice, I feel better about feeding my family just real food whenever possible. (Go here for some of my reasons on all that.)
Raspberry Baked Oatmeal is a pretty simple, from-scratch recipe. It doesn’t call for much sugar, so it’s not overly sweet. If you prefer, you can use agave, honey, or maple syrup. I forgot the sugar once; it was still edible, though we didn’t like it as much.
How to make this cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. This summer frozen raspberries went on sale for $1.50/bag. I bought dozens to stash in my freezer.
- Buy baking ingredients in bulk. I always buy a lot of baking ingredients when they go on sale.
How I make this recipe easy:
Having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I use.
- stainless steel mixing bowl – Get the biggest bowl you can find if making multiple batches
- wire whisk – I like this style with a sealed barrel. Then you can send it through the dishwasher.
- 9×13 Pyrex pan with lid – This is my favorite! These are perfect for freezer cooking!
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups raspberries fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup heavy cream whipped or plain
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a second mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce, yogurt, milk, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
- Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry, and add the raspberries.
- Fold gently to combine.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until golden.
- Serve with cream, whipped or not.
For freezing: The dish can be frozen at step 7. Simply wrap well and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe. To bake from frozen, add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time.
Promptly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.
Nutritional values are approximate and based on 1/8 the recipe.
Originally published July 29, 2011. Updated October 12, 2016.
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I can’t think of a way that I don’t like oatmeal. It’s all good!
Oats are a staple around here because of wheat allergies. We probably have oats in some form or another 75% of the time for breakfast: granola bars, granola, oatmeal, muesli, etc. I just recently started making vegan baked oatmeal (vegan b/c of allergies to dairy and egg), and we all love it! The last time, I added some farm-fresh peaches, cinnamon and cardamom. It was fabulous!
This looks amazing! I’ve tried Lynn’s peanut butter baked oatmeal and liked it, but it was a little dry for me. I’ll have to try this one and also try serving it with cream.
I don’t generally like oatmeal (too soft/mushy for me), but I love baked oatmeal! I’m definitely going to try your idea of whipping cream for with it. Most recipes I see show milk poured over it and that has never appealed to me (again- mush). And, well, you know me and raspberries. 🙂 I still have some wild black raspberries on the bushes in my backyard- they might be perfect for this!
We love baked oatmeal. As a matter of fact, I have some cooling on the counter already this morning.
I wonder if this would work well with rhubarb? I have a ton of it stashed in my freezer, and we LOVE baked oatmeal at our house!
I don’t know. I’ve never cooked with rhubarb.
My daughter hates mushy oatmeal too. We have had some good results with baked oatmeal though. I did try freeze dried blueberries in one batch – I think the lack of juice kept the oatmeal from getting mushy and it turned the entire batch a deep purple hue – which delighted my kids. I served it with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Will have to try the raspberry version – we pick up the frozen ones at Aldi all the time.
Does it end up more like the topping to an apple (or other fruit) crisp? It looks delicious! I am going to try it – and maybe tweak the ingredients a bit so my twin infants can eat it as finger food! Thanks for the recipe.
I would liken it to a granola bar cake, but not so sweet or crunchy.
@Jessica,
They loved it! And so did I. I’m eager to try it with other fruits, too. 🙂
Oh my goodness this looks AMAZING!!! I am looking forward to hearing if this freezes well because that would be a huge bonus!!!
Do I need to thaw out the frozen raspberries first?
I didn’t.
I know what I will be making this weekend! Thanks!
I just love oatmeal! One recipe I love that is kind of unusual is Coconut oatmeal – it is cooked on the stove and involves a can coconut milk and a cinnamon stick. So good.
@Kristy,
That sounds yummy; I’m thinking of trying the baked oatmeal & just substituting the coconut milk for the milk & yogurt (I’m thinking for the consistency factor)
I freeze peanut butter baked oatmeal all the time. I have two pans in the freezer right now. I microwave it and pour a little milk over the top.
My husband will not touch oatmeal… will it last in the fridge if I am the only one eating it? Has anyone reheated it later-does it still have the same texture and keep its flavor? I would like to make it and take it to work for my breakfast each day.
Yes, we had leftover, and I thought it was fine. 🙂
Nom nom nom…! That looks amazing and even though I’m still stuffed from just eating my tea, I could so find room for a bowl of that! x
That looks and sounds amazing, but do you have any possible suggestion for an applesauce substitute? We absolutely never have applesauce in the house, but have all the other ingredients on hand most of the time. I could certainly buy applesauce for this, but that seems a bit wasteful if there’s an easy alternative. A ripe banana maybe?
I have no idea as this is the only way I’ve made it. But do a search on baked oatmeal and I bet you’ll get an idea of the different bases.
@Nicole, If you have apples on hand you can grate them and use in place of the applesauce. I used a different recipe that called for grated apples and it’s delicious!
So is this suppose to come out like a bar or is it suppose to fall apart? the reason i ask is I made it today & we didn’t have any applesauce in the house so I increased the yogurt & milk each by 1/4c to make up the difference. The only other substitution I made was craisins for the raspberries (I could swear I had another bag in the freezer) We used half & half instead of cream & once that was added the baked oatmeal fell apart. I only used about a tablespoon of 1/2 & 1/2; if that.
Wondering if I did something wrong?
It tasted fantastic, I just wish it held together a little better instead of breaking apart into little oat flakes
@Cheryl, well, I think so many substitutions will throw off the recipe, particularly the dried cranberries. Those would absorb moisture from the dish while the raspberries add moisture in. Just that change alone could change the texture of the oatmeal.
Could this be put in the crock pot overnight on low, or would that be too long to let it cook?
I don’t think so.
Made this morning with raisins. Loved it. For Weight Watchers out there…..
8 servings=8 pts each, 6 serving= 10 pts each
Great, hardy, filling breakfast!
Do I need to drain the juice out of my thawed raspberries first, or will the extra juice be okay? Don’t want it to be too mushy.
I didn’t thaw mine, so I’m not sure. I guess I’m going to say drain. But, that is a guess.
I just made this an give it a thumbs up! I could only find Greek yogurt, and it turned out great.
Have you tried the flax seed + water substitute for the eggs in baked oatmeal?
I have not tried that. Sorry I can’t help!
WHen baking in muffin tins, how long did you bake it?
I think it was about 25 minutes, but I need to redo to be sure.
Is the baking time different when you bake it in muffin tins? Have you tried freezing the “cakes” after they are baked or just before baking?
It is shorter. I have to do it again because we’re out and because I can’t find my note. But, I think it was 25 minutes.
Hey! I’m a hard core berry picker, and this looks like another great way to use up some of those frozen wild raspberries of mine! Gonna make two tomorrow, one to feed to the crazy kiddos & one to freeze! Thanks Jessica!
I made this for breakfast this morning, except I used apples and cinnamon instead of raspberries(only because I didn’t have any). Everybody loved it. I can’t stand the texture of regular oatmeal. I’m so glad that I found this recipe. It was the perfect thing for a Saturday morning. Thank you for sharing.
Yummy! I’ve been wanting oatmeal for breakfast, but the warm mornings just don’t mix with hot oatmeal. I threw a handful of sliced almonds and a dash of cinnamon into the batter and it is delicious. It turned out kind of like a light muffin- not as dense as a quickbread or cake, but more fluffy than a chewy granola bar. I plan on warming it up for breakfast for the next few mornings. My hubby approves of it, too!
@Kelly, that’s a perfect description! I imagine that it’s great with nuts, but with a nut allergy in the house, we’ve avoided it. Thanks for sharing your tweaks!
Thanks for the delicious recipe. We have been enjoying this for a couple months now. I usually make it with frozen strawberries since I rarely have raspberries. This morning’s version is baking with strawberries and blueberries. My kids and my husband (a traditional oatmeal hater!) love it. Thanks again!
Do we have any idea on the nutritional value? I use my fitness pal and trying to add this
I don’t. Sorry.
Was great with raspberries earlier this year – time to try it with blueberries! Got to get those school morning breakfasts in order! One new baby due any day is also motivation to stock my freezer! Thanks Jessica!
@Paula, that’s great! Congratulations!
Thank you for the recipe!
My family enjoyed every bite even without the cream. I had manacotti cooling from the oven while this baked and the kids chose to have the oatmeal for dinner instead. (They’re little, so manacotti is less appealing…we froze most of it in smaller portions for my husband to take to work).
Thanks again! Your recipes are great 🙂
@Demetria, aww, shucks. Thanks for the kind words. Glad to hear y’all liked the baked oatmeal!
I loved this! There was enough for one left over and I ate it (three days later) and it was still delicious!
Just thought I’d add that this works beautifully as muffins. I get 12 good-size oatmeal cakes from this recipe. They also freeze great for a quick single-serve breakfast! About a minute in the microwave, top with a smidge of butter, enjoy delicious hot breakfast on demand! I made it with frozen blueberries last time and it was yummy.
@Kelly, yes, it does. We love them that way as well. I posted that method here: http://lifeasmom.com/2012/03/cinnamon-apple-oat-cakes-urs-grains.html but with apples.
I have this baking in my oven right now and I cannot wait to taste it! I’ve never made baked oatmeal before, but I have no doubt it’s going to be AWESOME!
This looks so good but i was wondering if i could half the recipe and bake in maybe an 8×8 since there is only me eating it and just want to try it out
Yes, that is fine. Or you could make them in muffin cups, bake, and freeze. Method is explained here: http://lifeasmom.com/2012/03/cinnamon-apple-oat-cakes-urs-grains.html
This has become my go to recipe for baked oatmeal. It’s excellent!!!!!!!
How should I store leftovers if I don’t want to freeze them? Thanks! This is so good, by the way! We decided to phase out cereal and my kids chose this over cereal everyday this week!
I usually just cover and refrigerate, but I’ve also left it on the counter (covered) for a day or two.
Can these be frozen after they are baked and cut into squares?
Yes, the texture won’t be as good, but you can definitely do that.