We love this strawberry baked oatmeal recipe! Make it in the morning or prep it the night before and bake the next day. Perfect for meal prep or feeding a crowd.
We first shared this recipe for baked oatmeal years ago, and it’s still one of our most-loved recipes. I usually make a batch and portion it out for easy breakfasts all week, but it’s also a total winner for brunch or when friends come over.
We love this recipe just as it is (with strawberries, banana, and a little chocolate), but you can totally make it your own. Take a look through the comments to see all the fun ways people have switched it up! If you’re feeling fancy, try our blackberry baked oatmeal with caramel sauce. It’s pretty delicious.
Key Ingredients
- Oats: I love old-fashioned rolled oats for this (just like the ones we use in our everyday oatmeal recipe). Instant oats work, but the texture will be different. Steel-cut oats work for baked oatmeal, but the milk-to-oats ratio and baking time need to change a bit. You’ll find tips below the recipe to help you adjust.
- Fruit: I love a mix of strawberries, bananas, and a touch of orange zest, but you can easily swap in your favorite fruits!
- Milk: Use any milk you like. Dairy or non-dairy works great.
- Egg or Flax Egg: An egg helps firm up the center, but you can skip it or use a flax egg as a substitute.
- Sweetener: I add brown sugar or maple syrup, and the recipe gives a range so you can adjust it to your liking. Honey or other sweeteners are also great.
- Baking Powder: This gives the oatmeal a little lift, but it is optional.
- Spices: I love Chinese 5-spice in this recipe, but cinnamon is an excellent substitute if you don’t have it.
- Chocolate Chips and Walnuts (Optional): My son loves the chocolate chips in this, and the walnuts add a nice crunch, but feel free to omit them or use other nuts if you prefer.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Baked Oatmeal
Tip 1: Mix the dry ingredients in your baking dish. I like to mix the dry ingredients right in the baking dish (hooray for fewer dishes to wash later). Add rolled oats, sugar, spices, and half of the strawberries, walnuts, and chocolate chips to your baking dish. Give it all a good mix. The rest of the strawberries, walnuts, and chocolate chips (plus banana slices) will go on top later.
Tip 2: Whisk the wet ingredients together. In a bowl or measuring jug, whisk milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. If your milk is really cold, the butter will start to harden into little balls, but don’t worry, it will melt again once the baked oatmeal is in the oven.
Pour the wet mixture over the oats in your baking dish. I like to give the dish a little shimmy to help the milk work its way around all the oats.
Tip 3: Top with fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips. Here’s the fun part! Scatter the remaining strawberries, walnuts, and chocolate chips over the top. I also like to add some banana slices. Then, bake until set and golden on top (about 30 minutes).
For a caramelized top, sprinkle a little sugar over everything (especially the bananas) then broil for a minute to melt the sugar.
Make Ahead Tips
Baked oatmeal is perfect for making in advance. To do it, assemble as normal, but leave off the bananas as they will brown, cover and refrigerate. In the morning, uncover, add your banana slices, and bake. Another option is to add the banana slices to the bottom of the baking dish to prevent oxidation.
More Crowd-Friendly Breakfasts
Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
- PREP
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- TOTAL
Our strawberry baked oatmeal with fresh strawberries, bananas, and chocolate is such a crowd-pleaser! You can make this in the morning, or if you’re short on time, prepare it the night before and bake it in the morning. For substitutions, check the key ingredients section of the article or scan through the comments to see what others have done (so many great ideas)!
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 cup sliced strawberries, 6 ounces (170 g)
½ cup chopped walnuts, optional (57 g)
⅓ cup chocolate chips, optional (56 g)
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (226 g)
2 to 5 tablespoons (13 g to 52 g) brown sugar, depending on taste
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice or cinnamon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 medium banana, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices
2 cups milk, dairy or non-dairy (470 ml)
1 large egg, see tips
3 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, melted (42 g)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter or spray a 2-quart baking dish, then place it on a baking sheet.
2Set aside half of the strawberries, walnuts, and chocolate chips to use later. Then add the remaining strawberries, walnuts, and chocolate to the baking dish, along with the oats, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, Chinese 5-spice, and salt, stirring well to combine.
3Scatter the reserved strawberries, walnuts, chocolate chips, and the sliced banana over the oat mixture.
4In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour the milk mixture over the oats and fruit in the baking dish. Shimmy the baking dish back and forth to distribute the liquid throughout the oats.
5Bake until the top is golden brown and the oatmeal has set, about 35 minutes.
6For a golden caramelized top, sprinkle a tablespoon of brown sugar over the baked oatmeal (especially over the banana slices). Place it under the broiler for 20 to 30 seconds, watching carefully to avoid burning. Let it cool slightly before serving.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Store the baked oatmeal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or a warm oven.
- Make the night before: Mix the ingredients the night before and bake in the morning. We recommend placing the bananas on the bottom of the baking dish to prevent browning. Or add them in the morning before baking.
- Instant oats: No changes are required, but the texture will be different.
- Steel cut oats: Reduce the oats to ¾ cup (105 g) and increase the baking time by 20 minutes or until they are cooked. You may need to cover the baking dish with foil halfway through cooking so that the top does not over brown.
- Egg-free baked oatmeal: You can leave the egg out altogether. The oatmeal will be a little looser when baked. You can also substitute with a flax egg.
- Gluten-free oatmeal: Use certified gluten-free oats and ensure all other ingredients are GF certified.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We assumed 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and included chocolate chips.
My principal (yucky us!) made this for our staff on the last day of school, and it was so delicious I asked for the recipe. As a vegetarian, I am always on the lookout for main breakfast dishes to share and this one meets every one of our taste requirements. Thanks a bunch! I’m looking forward to reading other comments with baking or ingredient tips…
I just put mine into the oven and I made a smaller one in an 8×8 inch glass pan because it’s just for me and the bigger size would be too much. I wanted to know if you covered yours before putting it into the oven. I didn’t cover mine because I didn’t see anything about it in your recipe but I’m scared the bananas might get burned. This is the first recipe of yours I’ve tried. I can’t wait until it’s ready. I added freshly grated nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of orange extract because I didn’t have an orange to zest. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe.
Has anyone tried to make this without any grains? I cannot tolerate grains. So even GF oats are out.
This recipe is great! Fed us through the breakfast-to-afternoon snack time period 🙂
Just made this for breakfast prep this week… did not have walnuts on hand, so just added 6 oz of blueberries that I had on hand instead and it turned out sooooo good! Was not expecting it to be so yummy. I didn’t even have an orange for zest, so I’m curious how it will be with orange zest next time I make it. 11/10 will be making again and again!
I’m so happy to hear you loved the baked oatmeal recipe! That’s a great idea to add blueberries instead of walnuts, and I’m glad it turned out so yummy. The orange zest definitely adds another layer of flavor, but it’s wonderful that it was delicious even without it. Thanks for sharing your substitutions and feedback – I’m sure it will inspire others to try the recipe too!
I can not thank you enough for your wonderful website and great culinary talent in the kitchen. Everything is perfectly well explained and ALL the recipes that I have tried from you so far have not disappointed. This makes me to want to try more and more of your yummy and succulent meals and desserts very often. God Bless You!
I have made this half a dozen times now, I love it! I made the original recipe the first time, but I can never leave well enough alone. Some of my variations: I have used pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon instead of 5 spice; added coconut flakes; omitted the chocolate chips; used pecans instead of walnuts and it’s in my oven right now with blueberries instead of strawberries. The addition of coconut was genius, it gives a chewier texture almost like a cookie. Yum! Thanks for the recipe guys, FIVE STARS!
I just made this today for breakfast. It is delicious! Love the sweetness of the chocolate chips. This recipe was like eating dessert for breakfast.
sounds yummy
This is my go to oatmeal recipe for meal prep, to eat for the week for breakfast or even a fast lunch. It is delicious and I make it often! Thank you!
Does this work well with frozen fruit or is it best to use fresh?
Frozen fruit will work.
Hi! This recipe sounds delicious. I just wanna ask – if i baked it and ate some, could I then seperate it into portions then put in freezer? To take out and eat as and when. Or would it become gross somehow?
Yes, absolutely.
I just made this and it’s delicious! I substituted oat milk and added blueberries, along with the strawberries and banana, to make for a Fourth of July brunch. It was a little sweet so I scrambled some eggs with some hot sauce, and the combination of sweet and savory made this the perfect dish. Thanks for this scrumptious recipe!
Can I substitute the melted butter with any oil? One of my kids is allergic to cow’s milk protein. Thanks!
Coconut oil would be my preference, but you can also try a fruity olive oil.
What can I use to replace the milk and butter for a more healthier version due to severe health conditions? The fats are the problem!!
Hi Pamela, You can reduce or leave out the butter completely. As for the milk, you can use skim milk or a non-dairy milk. Water would also work, but you will lose out on some flavor.
Will steel cut oats work just as well?
They will work, but the liquid might need to increase. I’m planning on testing this soon and will update the recipe notes section with our tested suggestion (I’m assuming it will be closer to 3 cups of liquid instead of the 2 cups required for rolled oats).
Hi i”m a diabetic would it be possible to use other types of sugar and how much .
Hi Alexandra, Yes, you can use alternative sweeteners. I’d go based on your tastes. You could always leave out the sweetener altogether and then sprinkle the baked oatmeal with something (honey/stevia/whatever you usually use) based on your tastes.
I just made this using 1/4 cup coconut brown sugar and 1/4 cup erythritol, which is a bit less sweet than sugar. It was delicious. Reminded me of the Quaker strawberries and cream packets I used to like as a kid, but more rich in flavor and wholesome (we avoid processed and convenience foods when possible). I also didn’t use chocolate chips or bananas. Only strawberries and pecans, because I didn’t have walnuts at home. I’d like to try it with bananas next time.
If I want to bake this in individual ramekins, will the bake time change much?
Hi Megan, The bake time will be a bit less. I’d keep an eye on them while in the oven and take them out when the oatmeal has set.
This is one of my favorite recipes!!! We always make this before a weekend of skiing – it makes getting up really early so much easier. 🙂 If I mix it up the night before and leave in fridge to cook in the morning. Should I reduce the cook time? Does consistency change a lot?
Nothing should change if you make it the night before.
Can this be refrigerated after cooking and warm up individual portions later?
Absolutely. The baked oatmeal should last 4 to 5 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Could I substitute steel cut oats if I soaked it overnight?
Hi Dianne, This should be fine.
Hi, How long would this last in the fridge after it is baked? Thanks!
If covered, the baked oatmeal should last up to 3 days.
Tried it almond milk and it was delicious! Next, will try without the egg. Thanks for the recipe!
I was wondering if I doubled this recipe would it fit in a 3quart glass cake/brownie baking dish?
Hi Katrina, You should be fine.
I have never liked oatmeal, except for oatmeal cookies, But I am certainly going to make this! Thank you for your delicious creativity! Funny thing about Walla Walla… I recently came into possession of a converted hippy school bus camper/motor home, with the home location of Walla Walla painted on the porch in the rear! Yep! Creative people out your way!
So glad you are trying out the oatmeal and how funny that Walla Walla was painted on the porch!