Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal
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This baked steel cut oatmeal is one of my all-time favorite recipes. The whole thing can be assembled the night before and popped in the oven the following morning. Or it can be assembled and baked immediately. It is infinitely customizable to your preferences — you can make it dairy-free, vegan, with or without nuts, and with any fruit your heart desires 🙂
Yesterday, while three movers packed away our lives into boxes, I snuck one last dish into the oven, a mixture of steel cut oats, cinnamon, maple syrup, and coarsely chopped almonds, a dish I have been addicted to in some form or another since March.
For months, I made this baked oatmeal using rolled oats and, as suggested, always mixed up the dry ingredients the night before baking, which allowed for easy preparations in the morning. But about a month ago I discovered that when steel cut oats replace the rolled oats, the morning effort disappears altogether: the entire dish — egg, milk, melted butter, baking powder and all — can be assembled the night before baking.
I love this oatmeal. When it bakes, the mixture separates into distinct layers, the nuts forming a crisp-like topping, the berries bobbing underneath, the creamy oats and custard forming the foundation. The steel cut oats, flavored with cinnamon and maple, remain firm and chewy, which along with the nuts offer the loveliest texture throughout. I could eat the whole pan in one sitting.
I love these oats with berries. I love them without. I love them freshly baked. I love them cold, straight from the fridge. I like them with walnuts. I love them with almonds. I could eat them at every meal. I like them so much that when Ben tells me he can’t make it home for dinner, I think, “Yes, I get to eat my oats!” And while these oats are the perfect kind of thing to make for a crowd, at the moment I’m not at all upset that my children don’t like them. This is the kind of dish I hope so very much you will all whisk up tonight before hitting the hay, so you, too, have something to savor, with friends or without, all Saturday morning long.
PS: Favorite Blueberry-Almond Smoothie
You can make these oats with or without berries:
I like my Pyrex 8-inch square baking dish for this one:
By mid morning the pan usually looks like this:
By noon:
By early afternoon:
Individual bowls of steel cut oats:
This is also delicious with apples:
PrintBaked Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Total Time: 1 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6
Description
Inspired by Heidi Swanson’s recipe in Super Natural Every Day via Orangette
I like my Pyrex 8-inch square baking dish for this one. You can also use six 6-oz ramekins.
If you are mixing this at night and baking in the morning, follow the recipe through step 2, omitting the fruit. Store mixture in baking vessel or in a Tupperware. In the morning, give the mixture a stir. Scatter berries (if using) into an 8-inch baking dish. Pour milk-oat mixture over the berries; then proceed with recipe.
As I noted, I like these baked oats both with berries or other fruit and without, so don’t hesitate to make them if you don’t have any berries on hand — they are so good on their own. I have used both almonds and walnuts. I do toast the walnuts. I don’t toast the almonds — it doesn’t seem to matter. The mixture can be assembled the night before, though it doesn’t have to be.
Update, Oct 2014: Almonds are my preference. Peeled, sliced apples are also my preference. I omit the cinnamon. I also now do 1/4 cup maple syrup as opposed to 1/3 cup.
If you are making individual portions, I think the easiest method is this: mix dry ingredients as instructed in step 1; spoon about three tablespoon of the dry ingredients into six 6-oz ramekins; then pour liquid over top. The liquid will reach the top of each ramekin. To prevent a catastrophe, I suggest lining a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper and placing the filled ramekins in the dish to bake.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup steel cut oatmeal
- ½ cup (60 g) almonds (sliced, untoasted are great) or walnuts halves, toasted and chopped
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, optional
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
- ¾ to 1 ½ cups (90 to 185 g) blueberries, optional—I like using 1 peeled, sliced apple
- 2 cups (475 ml) milk, 2% or whole
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup (80 ml) maple syrup, I find 1/4 cup to be sweet enough
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- See notes if you are refrigerating this overnight. Otherwise, preheat the oven to 375ºF. In an 8- or 9-inch baking pan, mix together the oats, the nuts, baking powder, cinnamon, if using, and salt. Place the sliced apples or berries on top.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, maple syrup, egg, butter, and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture over the oat mixture, and shake the pan to distribute.
- Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 55 to 60 minutes (Note: Several commenters have had issues with browning too quickly, so I advise checking after 30 minutes, and if it looks as though it is browning quickly, turn oven down to 350 and check periodically for doneness), or until the top is golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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608 Comments on “Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal”
Can you use almond milk?
Yes!
I used chopped pecans because I was out of sliced almonds and I’m not a huge walnut fan. I did put in the cinnamon because I am a huge cinnamon fan. I did have to reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees at 30 minutes so thanks for that tip. I am trying to cut back on sugar, so I think I will perhaps use agave syrup next time instead of maple syrup. Bottom line: This was really good!! I will definitely make it again.
Wonderful to hear this Meredith! I love how customizable this one is 😍
Can’t believe I’m giving oatmeal a Five star rating, but any breakfast that has my eggs-and-pancakes-only husband taking seconds deserves it. I opted for the apples and almonds version, left in the cinnamon and may add a little nutmeg, too, next time, just because I love those spices. We also drizzled a little half and half over it because we both always enjoy cold milk over oatmeal. Can’t wait to make this for my oatmeal-loving grands the next time they sleepover and will include it in our next family brunch, as well. A full 9×13 of it!
So happy to hear this, Deborah! Hope the grands love it as well … it’s a family favorite here 🙂 🙂 🙂
Absolutely elegant. I took one to a potluck brunch and everybody there wanted the recipe. Friends stayed over one night last month because of the weather and I got voted the best bed and breakfast!
So happy to hear this, Stella!
I made mine with oat/almond milk blend and sliced apples with almonds. Left in the cinnamon and cut down the maple syrup to 1/4 cup as recommended. Baked mine at 365 degrees for 50 minutes and did 10 minutes at 375 because I wasn’t going to be able to make sure it wasn’t browning too quickly during the first part of baking. Turned out amazing! Can’t wait to bring to work for breakfast this week.
Oh yay! So happy to hear this, Jillian! Love the oat-almond combo. I’ve been on a big oat milk kick.
I love this recipe and it is my new “go to” breakfast recipe for guests–however, even with the 2% milk, it is still a “6 point” recipe for WW “Blue”–so I’m going to try it with 1% milk and half the slivered almonds (or maybe with coconut milk). Good news? It gives me additional “reasons” to make the recipe. By the way, when I was in Hawaii with my brand-new grandson (first grandbaby!) I made the recipe substituting lilikoi (passion fruit) syrup for the maple syrup and chopped up fresh pineapple for the fruit…also extremely delicious–adding coconut would have probably put it over the top.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe!!
So happy to hear this Candyce! The passion fruit syrup sounds UNREAL. I love passion fruit.
I made mine with almond milk and it was delicious
I love this recipe and have shared it with many other people that like it as well.
So happy to hear this, Jenny!
Can you use the quick 3-minute Quaker steel cut oats?
Helen, you can try, but I can’t speak to how the consistency will be as I’ve never tried. I’m guessing the final texture will be a little mushier, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing … I kind of like mush 🙂 I’m sure the flavors will still be great, but again, the texture might not be quite like how it turns out when regular steel cut oats are used.
This sounds so good and I want to make for a large group of ladies. Do I need to adjust any ingredients when double the recipe for a 13×9 inch pan?
Hi Jane! No need to adjust anything, but you may need to bake it a little bit longer, though likely not much. Just keep an eye on it.
Thank you Alexandra. It turned out beautifully, they loved it! Delicious!
Hi, can I make this with rolled oats? If yes, do I need to adjust the amount of milk and oats?
Hi Ayesha, the original recipe calls for rolled oats. You can find it here: http://orangette.net/2013/03/we-have-a-rhythm/
This is in the oven now and plan to reheat individual portions for breakfast in the morning. Does this need to refrigerated after baking?
I think it’s probably fine to leave out over night for 1 night, but typically I would advise to refrigerate overnight if you have the time/space.
Great recipe! I had bits of different fruits that were getting soft, so my version got two sliced bananas, and a handful of blueberries and strawberries. The only nuts I had were pecans, so I toasted them. De-lish!
So happy to hear this, Janice!
do you have a vegan version of this. I tried with a chia egg but after 40 min still hadnt set. I think its too much milk without an actual egg.
I wonder if an aquafaba “egg” would work? Many people use non-dairy milks here all the time with success. Have you used aquafaba before? You have to whip it till it looks like whipped egg whites — I have one post: Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Aquafaba.
Here, I would use 3 tablespoons whipped aquafaba. I haven’t tried, so I can’t say for sure, but it’s worth a shot.
Hi @ Ana, I just tried making this vegan and thought I’d share my notes in the event they are helpful to you and others. In advance I’ll disclose it was a fail (but I still ate it!).
Notes:
– Walnuts: I did not toast and chop the walnuts but it likely would have been better if I did (was too hungry morning of make!)
– Ground cinnamon: I’m a big fan of cinnamon however it seemed to detract not add to this particular recipe
– Salt: After I added the prescribed amount, I realized that my vegan butter (Miyoko’s) was pre-salted and so I’d definitely omg next time unless using an unsalted vegan butter.
– Blueberries: I used the larger amount – 1.5 cups – but they were a bit too prolific for me (and the end result looked like a blueberry bomb!)
– Milk: I substituted this ingredient with Mooala Oatmilk Unsweetened Coconut (this is a very thick saturated plant milk and didn’t really offer it’s hydration to it’s fellow ingredients, I’d probably go with homemade almond milk next time)
– Maple Syrup: I used the lesser amount – 1/4 cup – and it was still slightly too sweet for me. I’d reduce to a 1/5 cup next time.
– Butter: as mentioned, I used Miyoko’s vegan butter. In other applications it seems to work better as the flavor was very overpowering whereas (I remember) butter unifying the ingredient collective but not playing a standout roll. Perhaps it was the double salt but it felt like more. If I were to use this specific butter again I’d reduce the amount to 2 Tbsp.
– Egg: I tried leaving this ingredient out but the mixture didn’t set, it just become hot soup. I’d definitely find a way to replace it’s binder qualities wither using an “aquafaba” egg as Alexandra suggests below or a flax “egg” (for a legume free option)?
I’m going to think through how to solve some of the vegan shortcoming this weekend and try again next week!
Hi Skoora! Thanks so much for sharing such detailed notes — so helpful for others. Bummer the vegan version didn’t work out. I’m thinking a flax egg or vegan egg replacement like Ener-G might work? Not sure what your thoughts are on those sorts of ingredients.
Ok, I’m back with a second attempt and round of recipe notes!
Recipe Notes:
– Ground cinnamon: I went with Alexandra’s recommendation this time and omitted, definitely better (imo)!
– Salt: I omitted the salt given that the vegan butter I used (Miyoko’s) is pre-salted, again definitely better.
– Blueberries: I reduced and used the lesser amount – 3/4 cups – this seems to be the right blueberry-to-other ingredients ratio.
– Milk: I wanted the oats to soak up more liquid and maximize the chance of this dish setting, and so used half Mooala Oatmilk Unsweetened Coconut (a very thick saturated plant milk that doesn’t really readily offer it’s hydration to it’s fellow ingredients) and half water (ideally I would have made a thinner homemade almond milk but it was too late last night when I started the recipe), and this modification worked well.
– Maple Syrup: this ones really completely subjective based on the amount of sweetness sought however I reduced it to a 1/5 cup and it worked out great for me.
– Butter: I reduced Miyoko’s vegan butter to somewhere between 1.5 and 2 Tbsp. and it definitely wasn’t overpowering this time however I just don’t think I like the taste of this actual ingredient (independent of this recipe) and so I’d likely leave out next time and/or maybe try coconut oil???
– Egg: I tried making/using one flax “egg” but it didn’t seem to have any binding effect and so, since I’m a fan of flax seeds anyway, I added two additional Tbsp. of ground flax seeds.
– Night Before: I used the night before method to give the steel cut oats a little extra time to load up the liquid.
So how did it turn out, definitely better but the consistency still didn’t come together for me. Perhaps an “aquafaba egg” is the secret or sometimes not every recipe can be veganized and hit the same mark! If anyone else has any additional culinary experience and thoughts I’m open!
Thank you again for all of your thoughts re veganizing this recipe!
Eating Bird Food blog has a recipe similar to this but doesn’t use egg. Still 2 cups almond milk. I have to bake it about 1 hour and 5-10 mins
Great tip, Joy! Thank you 💕
Alexandra, you’ve done it again! This recipe is wondrous! I made it with a little less than 1/4 cup maple syrup, apples, cinnamon, and almond milk, as well as some unsweetened coconut flakes. We had to resist not eating it all in one sitting. Thanks a bunch!
So happy to hear this, Hina! Love the idea of adding coconut flakes, and I could totally see reducing the maple syrup 💕💕
This is exactly what I have been looking for…can’t wait to try it!! I do have a question…do you have the specifics for this recipe? Serving size, calories, nutritional info, etc?
So happy to hear this, Jan! I don’t have the nutritional info, unfortunately, but I know you can plug it into sites like My Fitness Pal Dot Com.
OK, thx!
Fantastic! We followed the recipe basically as written but did 3/4 cup raisins and approx 1 cup of pecans instead. Baked at 350 for 1 hour. Will definitely make again!
Wonderful to hear this!
Well, I woke up to more of Ali goodness! Eating this right now. Yowza! So, so, so good! Used a bit cinnamon, sliced almonds, and sliced apples. OMG. No problem burning whatsoever. Signing off to get some more…Ali, what have you been eating/obsessing over in recent weeks?
Oh yay! I’m so happy to hear this, Lisa 🎉🎉🎉 I have been obsessing over re-making a favorite noodle dish, Rad Na, without using oyster sauce. Also a kale salad with bread crumbs. Also Joanne Chang’s egg sandwich … so many things I’ve overwhelmed 😂😂😂 Hoping to post about all of the above ASAP.
Oooh – looking forward to hearing all about it! I’ll be trying your noodle dishes soon. There are a couple of them I’m eyeing (is that even a real word? A proper sentence?). Overwhelmed, for sure! I don’t know what I’m gonna do when I don’t have people around to eat food all day long!
Oh – I can’t have oyster sauce, so I’m especially looking forward to your Rad Na recipe!
Oh yay! It’s up: Rad Na Thai Noodles … can you have fish sauce??
I ran out of maple syrup. 😩 can I sub brown sugar?
Yes!
Is it possible to use applesauce or a combo of brown sugar and applesauce? Would you need to adjust the quantity?
Lorraine, I am sure you can, I just don’t know how to advise as I’ve never done that here. Absolutely the brown sugar can replace the maple syrup. Are you looking to omit something by including the applesauce or do you just want to add applesauce?
I’ve made this twice – it’s delicious but both times mine turned very brown on top, i think from the cinnamon, and also I can see bits of cooked egg throughout the oatmeal. Am I doing something wrong? The taste is great and I like that it has more texture compared to the version with traditional oats.
Hi Elise! You can lower the temperature if the oatmeal is browning too much. You can also cover in foil. Or you could omit or reduce the cinnamon. Maybe try beating your egg alone before adding it to the wet ingredients… I’m not sure what explains the bits of cooked eggs. Hope that helps!
Ingredients list baking powder but instructions don’t 😳🤷🏽♀️
My mistake!!!
just want to say that this recipe has kept my family going for many years, and now especially it has been a lifesaver for our pre-dawn meals during Ramadan – it keeps us full for SO long during the day, and I love that we don’t have to worry about getting up even earlier than usual to make a pot of steel cut oats (which take FOREVER!!). my daughters (6 and 4) also love it–literally, my 6yo will eat huge bowlfuls at a time–and i’m SO much happier to give them this for breakfast compared to instant oatmeal packets, which are full of sugar and really are not that good for you. i have been making this recipe every other day for the last 3 weeks, alternating between the apple version and the blueberry version; both are amazing. one quick note: we have been using quick-cook steel cut oats, because that’s what they have at costco, and it seems to work out exactly the same as regular steel cut oats.
thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Oh Sara! It’s so nice to hear all of this. Thanks so much for writing. I love hearing that your daughters love it, too. And thank you for the tip re quick-cooking steel cut oats. I have always wondered. Have a wonderful weekend 💕💕💕
Hi! Do you recommend frozen or fresh blueberries? Thanks!
Either! Fresh might have a leg up on flavor, but both work fine here.
This is one of my favorite go-to recipes that I have been making for a few years now. I have made it so many times with different fruit (sometimes strawberries) and nut variations–whatever is plentiful and in the freezer! I love it for meal prep when I need to bring breakfast to work with me. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing this delicious, flexible creation!
Wonderful to hear this, Megan! Thanks so much for writing 💕
I love this recipe, can you make it with almond milk?
And I agree, it doesn’t need the cinnamon and I prefer almonds over walnuts.
Thank you
emmett fox
Hi Emmett! So nice to hear this. And yes, almond milk will work.
This is very good! I’ve made it before (a different recipe) and used rolled oats. I like it much better with steel cut oats. It has a better texture. I used the cinnamon with apples and almonds as I love cinnamon. It is also good for you as it helps regulate your blood glucose. I will definitely make this again and again! Thanks for posting the recipe.
Wonderful to har this Anita! Thanks for writing 😍
Thank you so much for this recipe! I had been searching for a healthy and hearty baked oatmeal recipe and had tried about 10 of them before finding yours. Yours is by far the best and has been my go-to for breakfast for several months now. I make a double batch, cut it into squares, freeze the squares, and heat one up each morning. Brilliant!
Oh I love this, Libby! Thanks so much for writing and for sharing your freezer tip. So helpful for others.
Question: why baking powder? Isn’t that a leavening agent to help things rise?
Hi Liz! It does help leaven/lighten this recipe a bit. If you don’t include it, everything kind of sinks/becomes very dense.
My daughter hates the texture of a bowl of oatmeal, how does this compare?
It doesn’t feel like oatmeal at all and that’s why I love it. The steel cut oats and nuts give it a chewy texture.
My husband and I absolutely love this recipe. Made it for the first time this year today because my husband asked when I’d start making it again. It’s something I make regularly in the fall and winter. I don’t add any fruit to it when I make it because my husband has different ideas about fruit in his oatmeal, but I always add some blueberries or other frozen fruit we have and a little milk when I warm it up in the morning for me. So delicious!!
So nice to hear this, Sara! I love it with blueberries, too 🙂 Apples, too! I often also make it without fruit, however, to please the other people in the house. Thanks for writing!
Do I need to make any adjustments to the recipe if I’m leaving out the nuts?
Nope! Sorry for the delay here. Hope it worked out.
No problem. I haven’t made it yet and my husband just picked up some sliced almonds. Will see what they look like when he gets home and will decide if I want to use them or not. Will let you know how it comes out. It looks beautiful & yummy in your pictures. Hope I can achieve the same results.
Wonderful. Keep me posted!
Do I need to spray lightlyIn bottom of glass baking dish?
Nope! Just go for it 🙂
My latest simple pleasure. Delicious. Thanks for sharing.
So nice to hear this, Trish 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for writing.