Baked oats sweetened with maple syrup and topped with more maple syrup… I know that doesn’t sound healthy but it sure is delicious! Gluten-free baked oatmeal is an amazing, healthy breakfast option that is quick and easy to make! I love having baked oatmeal for breakfast because it is sweet, filling, and healthy. Yes, I do consider this breakfast healthy because it is naturally sweetened and the ingredients are wholesome and heritage. This baked oatmeal recipe contains anti-inflammatory ingredients, is dairy free, and will help you start your day right!

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Modern Pioneer Recipe

Gluten-free baked oatmeal is a modern pioneer recipe, however, it is kind of like a spin off of some heritage pioneer recipes. The early pioneers would often use ingredients like roughly milled corn flour or regular flour and mix it with sorghum or molasses to make cake like treats, muck like this baked oatmeal recipe uses oats and maple syrup.

I feel like oats are the modern pioneer equivalent of corn and other heritage grains. They can be used or ground into a flour to use in recipes. They are also fairly inexpensive and the organic, gluten-free oats are naturally anti-inflammatory. Gluten-free oats are a staple in my modern pioneer kitchen!

I know there are lots of healthy breakfast options out there, but baked oatmeal is a healthy breakfast that is both quick to make and eat. You can grab a bar to go or take the time to sit down and enjoy it with some tea or hot cocoa. Either way, this baked oatmeal is delicious! I love baked oatmeal because it is…

• dairy-free
• gluten-free
• refined sugar free
• nut free
• anti-inflammatory
• corn free 

Compared to a lot of other quick and easy breakfast options, baked oatmeal is the way to go for staying healthy and keeping to a low inflammation diet. If you are trying to stay away from oats or are on a grain free diet, you may want to check out my post on 50 Healthy Ways to Eat Eggs for some quick and easy egg recipes.

Or, if you are like me and absolutely love having oats for breakfast (or snack), then make sure you check out this gluten-free peanut butter granola recipe or these delicious quick oat cups!

How to Make it Quick & Easy

I’ve been calling baked oatmeal a quick and easy breakfast option a lot in this post, and you may be wondering how something ‘baked’ can be so quick and easy. Let me tell you just exactly how you can make this breakfast quick and easy. 

#1. Mix Together

First of all, you can make this recipe up to 48 hours ahead of time! Just combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl, spread the batter into a baking dish, cover, and refrigerate until you need to bake it. I usually make mine up the day before and keep it in the fridge overnight so all I have to do in the morning is uncover it and pop it in the oven. 

#2. Simple Ingredients

It helps that this baked oatmeal calls for only a few simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand. Mixing up the batter only takes a few minutes and doesn’t require a whole ton of dishes. 

#3. Pre-Heat Ahead of Time

Baking the oatmeal in the morning can be speeded up too! Set your oven on a timer the night before so that it starts pre-heating before you get up and have to put the oatmeal in. That way your oven is all pre-heated. 

#4. Speed Bake

You can also put speed-bake on or turn your convection on if you have a convection oven. This will cut the baking time almost in half. Be warned, you will have to keep on eye on the oatmeal when speed-bake is on so that it doesn’t burn. 

#5. Pre-Bake and Re-Heat

The fastest way to make this a quick and easy breakfast would be to bake up the baked oatmeal the day before! Then, in the morning you can either have it cold, at room temperature, or heat it up for a few minutes in the toaster oven! 

#6. Multi-Task

If you do choose to bake it the morning you want to eat it, I always like to do other things while the oatmeal is baking. Some ideas might be to get a shower or do chores!

There you have It! Several ways to make this a quick, easy, and healthy breakfast! My family likes to have baked oatmeal on Sunday mornings, before we get ready to go to church. Baked oatmeal also makes a great camping meal if your camper has an oven. Or you could bake it up ahead of time and pack it on road trips, hikes, or camp outs!

Baked Oatmeal Toppings

Another thing I like about baked oatmeal is how versatile it is! You can have it plain by itself and it’s delicious, or you could pile on the toppings and it would be delicious that way too!  For simplicity’s sake, my family always likes to have our baked oatmeal with pure maple syrup and organic, grass-fed butter. It’s delicious! However, there are a bunch of other toppings to choose from! Here are just a few to get you started:

• Pure maple syrup 
• Raw honey
• Organic, grass-fed butter
• Dairy-free whipped cream (I like SoDelicious brand)
• Dairy-free milk 
• Peanuts or other nuts and seeds
• Peanut butter
• Melted chocolate (like a Lily’s chocolate bar)
• Chocolate chips 
• Homemade carmel sauce (check out my pretzel crack recipe) 
• Fresh, organic berries or fruit (I especially like banana with mine!)

Also, this baked oatmeal doesn’t just have to be limited to breakfast time! It can be used as a healthy snack bar to provide energy and staying power to get you through your day! Once cool, the baked oatmeal bars hold their shape nicely so they are easy to pack and transport for on-the-go snacks.

Another baked oatmeal variety that I absolutely love is this gluten-free carrot cake baked oatmeal!

About the Ingredients

To keep this breakfast recipe healthy I tried to choose the most simple, wholesome ingredients to include in this baked oatmeal. Here are just a few key ingredients and why I used them.

• Gluten free oats- what’s oatmeal without oats!? Gluten-free oats are anti-inflammatory, high in fiber, and are a good source of plant-based protein.
• Ground flaxseeds– these seeds are a good source of healthy fats and help give the baked oatmeal a wonderful, soft texture
• Organic, pasture-raised eggs- add protein to the baked oatmeal and helps keep the oatmeal together
• Coconut milk- is the perfect dairy free substitute to help keep the oatmeal moist
• Maple syrup- provides the perfect all-natural sweetener
• Organic molasses (optional)- gives the oatmeal a darker color and a sweet hint of molasses taste 
• Coconut oil- is the perfect dairy-free butter substitute that is also a good source of healthy fats

Recipe Tips

This baked oatmeal recipe is about as simple as you can get! Mix all the ingredients up in one bowl, smooth the batter into a pan, pop it in the oven, and you have a delicious, easy breakfast all ready to be devoured! To make this process as simple and successful as possible, here are a few tips:

• Get out all of your ingredients and utensils while your coconut oil is melting over the stovetop to help save time. 
• It doesn’t matter too much in what order you put the ingredients in, so if you are in a hurry, just mix everything together quickly! 
• Make sure you use room temperature eggs OR cool your coconut oil before combining the eggs and oil. 
• If you do not have cold eggs, add them to the batter second to last. So add all of the other ingredients, including the melted coconut oil, then add the eggs and milk. 
• Instead of coconut milk, you can use any other dairy-free alternative, even water works well too! 
• I have not tried making an egg free version of this baked oatmeal yet, so I don’t know how an egg substitute would work in this recipe. 
• You can use raw honey in place of the maple syrup in this recipe.
• Make sure you are using whole, rolled oats. I have not tried this recipe with quick oats, oat grouts, or any other form of oats.  

Gluten free baked oatmeal is a wonderful breakfast recipe that is both simple to make and quick to create! I love having baked oatmeal for breakfast and the leftovers work great as a snack too! The soft texture of warm baked oatmeal combined with the sweet flavor of cold maple syrup is amazing! 

Where to Find the Ingredients

• Bob’s Red Mill gluten free oats
• Bob’s Red Mill ground flax seeds
• Pacific organic coconut milk
• Simply Organic vanilla extract
• Nutiva coconut oil
• Supplies: 8×8″ glass baking dish

Gluten-free baked oatmeal brings back so many fond memories for me of family breakfasts and special vacation meals. I love that my whole family enjoys this breakfast. This is one gluten free, natural sweetened, anti-inflammatory meal that I can serve knowing my whole family is enjoying it too! Serve warm, cold, with toppings, or without toppings, this baked oatmeal can be adapted to whatever kind of breakfast is needed at the time! It’s the perfect modern pioneer breakfast option that the whole family will enjoy!

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by Alexa