This Vegan Baked Oatmeal with Cherries is a delicious breakfast or snack. It's healthy but my kids think it's a dessert. This easy recipe is sweetened with maple syrup instead of refined sugar. It's perfect to make any time of year since frozen cherries work very well in this recipe.
This is also a great way to get your kids to eat their fiber. We like to eat this vegan baked oatmeal by itself but it's also delicious with a little peanut butter or almond butter on top.
Ingredients
This baked oatmeal is made with wholesome ingredients.
- Oats - Old fashioned oats give the best texture.
- Bananas
- Cherries - While I usually prefer baking with fresh fruit, it's easier to use frozen cherries instead of fresh cherries as the pits are already removed. I chop each cherry in half or in fourths if it's large.
- Unsweetened non-dairy milk - I use soy milk but almond milk or oat milk would be delicious.
- Maple syrup
- Oil - I use vegetable oil but melted coconut oil would be great in this as well for some added flavor.
- Almond extract
- Chia seeds - You can also substitute with ground flaxseed
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Salt
Options
This recipe if very versatile and can be made many different ways.
- Fruit - You can substitute your favorite fruit or berry for the cherries. I love fresh blueberries in this. If you change the fruit, you might also want to substitute vanilla extract for the almond extract depending on the flavor you're looking for.
- Nuts - For some added nutrition and crunch, add some nuts. Slivered almonds would be the perfect nut to use in this baked oatmeal. But chopped pecans or walnuts would work well too.
- Chocolate - Cherries and chocolate are perfect together! So go ahead and add some vegan chocolate chips. You probably don't need more than ½ a cup.
- Dessert - Make this into more of a dessert by topping with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream or some vegan whipped cream.
Making the Vegan Baked Oatmeal
To start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray your 9"x9" baking dish with nonstick oil spray. Then, prepare your fruit. Mash up your very ripe bananas and set aside. Next, chop up your cherries.
Next, in a large mixing bowl, combine the unsweetened dairy-free milk, oil, maple syrup, almond extract and mashed bananas and mix very well.
Next, add all the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add in the oats, chia seeds, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and mix well. If you don't have chia seeds, you can use ground flax seeds instead.
Stir in the chopped cherries into the oat mixture and pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes.
Take the baked oatmeal out of the oven and let it rest for about 10-20 minutes. If it doesn't get to rest, it won't be as solid as you're cutting it. (We don't mind if it's piping hot but falling apart a little.)
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
FAQ
Can I make this oil-free?
Yes. You can just leave out the oil if you prefer to make this oil-free.
Can I use coconut milk in this?
Yes, but it will give the baked oatmeal a coconut flavor. You can use any kind of plant milk in this recipe.
Is this recipe gluten-free?
Yes! Just check the packaging on your oats to ensure they are gluten-free.
Do I have to use regular old fashioned oats?
For best texture, use old fashioned oats. Steel cut oats make this very chewy and quick oats don't give enough texture.
Is traditional baked oatmeal vegan?
No, traditional baked oatmeal contains eggs and regular milk. But it's very easy to make baked oatmeal vegan with a few substitutions.
Summary
This healthy baked oatmeal is one that the whole family loves. While they aren't always in the mood for regular oatmeal or overnight oats, they are always excited for this baked oatmeal. It's quick to put together and it can be baking while everyone is getting ready in the morning.
We love it as an afternoon snack or even a healthy dessert with an extra drizzle of maple syrup. Try out this vegan baked oatmeal recipe for yourself and let me know what you think.
Looking for other recipes using oats? Check out:
Vegan Baked Oatmeal with Cherries
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds (or ground flaxseed)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped cherries, fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Prepare a 9"x9" baking dish by lightly spraying with a nonstick oil spray.
- Prepare the fruit. Mash the very ripe bananas in a small bowl and set aside. Chop the cherries and set aside. I often use frozen cherries which are even easier to slice while frozen and already have the pits removed.
- In a large bowl, combine the unsweetened non-dairy milk, oil, maple syrup, almond extract and mashed bananas. Mix very well.
- Add the oats, chia seeds (or ground flaxseed), baking powder, salt and cinnamon and mix well.
- Stir in the chopped cherries and pour batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Take the baked oatmeal out of the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes before serving.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Notes
- I use unsweetened soy milk for all my baking and cooking.
- Use any kind of neutral oil.
Jill says
My whole family loved this recipe. I had some frozen cherries already so this was a great recipe to use some of them up. My kids already asked for me to make it again ! Thanks.
jencardenas says
Glad your family liked it. Thanks for leaving a comment!
Kate says
In both set of directions the recipe calls for adding maple syrup but it is not listed with the ingredients. Could you please add the amount to the ingredients list? Much thanks for sharing this, am so looking forward to making it!
jencardenas says
Hi Kate. Thanks so much for catching this. It's 1/4 cup of maple syrup. I'm adding it to the recipe card now. Thanks again!