Whip up this healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Bake for a breakfast the whole family will enjoy! You can prep ahead the night before – so easy and convenient! Serve it with Greek yogurt for an extra filling and protein-rich meal.
This recipe is Trim Healthy Mama friendly (THM E), low fat and gluten free (if using certified gf ingredients!).
Baked oatmeal is one of my favorite easy breakfasts – it’s healthy, filling and everybody eats it (I mean, it’s basically cake for breakfast).
But also: I can prep it the night before!
Which comes in handy when the 3 year old is more exhausting than the newborn ?
How to Make Blueberry Baked Oatmeal:
It’s as easy as:
1: Mix everything except for the berries
2: Layer in a baking dish with the berries
3: Chill overnight
4: Bake and serve!
What’s in baked oatmeal?
The ingredients for baked oatmeal are very simple:
Oats, almond milk, unsweetened applesauce, egg whites, a little oil (optional but worth it!!), walnuts if you want, some sweetener and a few spices.
And blueberries, of course – fresh or frozen both work.
I usually don’t stir the berries in but sprinkle them over the oat base, to keep our breakfast from turning into a grey blob.
How can I make this super economical?
I mean, oats already ARE quite cheap… But show of hands: Who’s always looking for ways to lower their grocery budget? ??♀️
When there’s a few kids who seem to be hungry all day long, the money I leave at the grocery store tends to pile up.
So I use a few tricks here to make this a super cheap breakfast:
- Buy in bulk: Oats and nuts are easy to buy in bulk. Store the nuts in the freezer and they won’t go rancid!
- Use frozen blueberries: Frozen berries are usually cheaper than fresh ones. Frozen works just fine for this oatmeal! Sometimes I buy up lots of fresh berries when they’re on sale, wash them, dry them and freeze them myself!
- Be mindful of measurements: Sure, we can all eyeball. Sometimes better, sometimes worse (looking at you, peanut butter!). But for expensive ingredients like sweetener blends, be sure to use the exact measurements given in the recipe. Otherwise you’ll be wasting money!
Does it need to be chilled overnight?
So… You forgot to make this ahead? Been there, done that – many times!
But it’s easy to make this oatmeal bake without an overnight chill:
Make sure to use quick-cooking oats, let the assembled casserole sit on the counter for 10 minutes while you preheat the oven, and live with the fact that it’s a little less cake-like ?
How to Make This Blueberry Oatmeal Bake a Great Trim Healthy Mama Breakfast:
This is a wonderful E breakfast if you serve it with a generous helping of low fat cottage cheese or Greek yogurt for added protein.
Peeps who aren’t looking to lose weight can of course pile on the walnuts for a healthy crossover.
More THM E Breakfasts You’ll Love:
Blueberry Oatmeal Bake
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats use gluten free if necessary
- 3/4 cup milk unsweetened almond is a great choice, see notes for substitute
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts optional
- ½ cup egg whites about 3 large, see notes for substitute
- 3 tablespoons Stevia blend like Gentle Sweet, see notes for substitute
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups blueberries fresh and frozen both work
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients: Add all ingredients (except for the blueberries if using frozeto a large bowl. Mix well.
- Add to a casserole dish: Lightly grease a 7×11 inch rectangular baking dish and spread the oat mixture in it. (If using frozen berries, add half the oat mixture to the dish and sprinkle with half the berries, then repeat layers.)
- Chill the dish: Cover the casserole dish (you can use either plastic wrap or even a towel). Chill in the fridge overnight.
- Bake the dish: The next morning, remove the dish from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 350°Bake until set and golden on top, about 30-35 minutes. Rest the casserole dish on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes, then slice to serve.
Notes
- Leave out the walnuts to keep it very low in fat.
- Instead of unsweetened almond milk, we also like using local raw cow’s milk. (I skim the cream off the top to use that in S meals!)
- Instead of egg whites, you can also use 2 whole eggs if you’re not concerned about making the bake super low fat.
- Instead of the Stevia blend (something like Truvia or the THM Gentle Sweet), you can use 1/8 teaspoon pure stevia extract OR 1 tablespoon THM Super Sweet Blend. You can also use 1/4 cup maple syrup OR 1/4 cup brown sugar, or more if that’s how you roll.
- If you’re not a planner, you can let the mixed oats sit on the counter for 10 minutes and then bake it straight away. It will be a little chewier and less fluffy, but still delicious.
Morgan says
Are there any possible substitutes for the unsweetened applesauce?
Nora says
Morgan, yes absolutely. You could use mashed banana or fat free Greek yogurt – the yogurt version would probably be a little less sweet though. Hope that helps!
Heather says
How do you store it once it’s baked and cooled? 🙂
Nora says
Heather, I store the baked oatmeal well covered. in the fridge for up to 3 days. Hope that helps!
Cathy says
Can I substitute lactose free milk for almond milk….. due to allergy. This looks delicious can’t wait to try it!
Nora says
Cathy, absolutely!
Jen S. says
I never leave reviews, but this recipe is so delicious and easy to make! I ended up using 1 cup fresh blueberries and 1 cup fresh raspberries. So, so good! I will definitely be adding this to my regular rotation for the winter months.
Angie says
Can’t find an 11×7 baking dish that goes from fridge to oven. I can’t even find an 11×7 pan. Recommendations? Size substitution?
Nora says
Angie, sorry for the late reply. You could bake this as 12 muffins instead. Baking time should be 15-20 minutes.
Rachel says
From the ingredients it’s clearly healthy but do you have the nutritional information like calories and fat per serving?
Nora says
I will try and add them later today, but I might not get to it until later this week. I’ll do my best!
Lori Markus says
Absolutely delicious. I don’t like oatmeal (porridge). This is a fantastic choice for breakfast!!
Erin says
Hi- Do you have to let it set overnight? Would it work to let it set for an hour or two?
Nora says
You can absolutely leave it for just a couple of hours. I sometimes bake it after 10 minutes! It just comes out more dense and less risen, but it’s still perfectly delicious.