These baked oats take the popular TikTok recipe and give it a chocolate twist. Better yet, it’s not just baked oatmeal, it’s basically cake for breakfast and it’s prepped entirely in the blender! This version is also vegan and gluten-free. You’re going to LOVE this recipe!
*This post is sponsored by Cacao Bliss. All content and opinions are my own.
Apparently, #bakedoats became a thing on TikTok recently.
I say apparently because I don’t have a TikTok account and refuse to join so I only know this through others and from whatever spilled over onto Instagram.
I’m sure my stance on TikTok is showing my age but I don’t care. You couldn’t pay me $1 million to join another social media platform right now.
That said, I’m not gonna lie and say I’m annoyed at this TikTok food trend. I think the tomato feta pasta one was overrated but not baked oats.
It’s basically like eating cake for breakfast except it’s actually nutritious and if you do it right (which this chocolate baked oats recipe does), will keep you satisfied for hours until lunchtime.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BAKED OATS AND BAKED OATMEAL?
When I first heard about this #bakedoats trend this was my exact question.
Because I’ve done lots of baked oatmeal before from turmeric baked oatmeal to baked apple oatmeal and many in between that never made their way onto the blog, baked oatmeal and I are no strangers.
Baked oats, however, are different.
And the main difference is that with baked oats, all of the ingredients are processed in a blender before baking.
Yep, not only is this method amazing because of the pure ease but it makes clean up a cinch and also cuts way down on total time to assemble.
And, the best part, blending everything into a smooth puree before baking turns the texture into something seriously similar to cake.
I don’t know about you, but I’m always down for some cake for breakfast.
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE CHOCOLATE BAKED OATS
For selfish reasons only (heck, I really wanted to eat this) I decided to take the traditional TikTok version of these baked oats and make it both gluten-free and vegan.
The gluten-free part is easy, just use gluten-free oats.
The vegan part required a little bit of playing around to replace the eggs.
But, I think the combination of chia seeds and ground flax seeds works perfectly in this vegan version of baked oats.
Because everything is pureed in the blender, those substitutes actually work incredibly well to bind everything together instead of eggs.
You’ll need the following:
- gluten-free rolled oats
- Cacao Bliss (more below on this!)
- ground flax seed
- chia seeds
- baking powder
- Himalayan pink sea salt
- milk of choice (obviously, plant-based for vegan)
- unsweetened applesauce
- maple syrup
- creamy almond butter
- vanilla extract
- chocolate chips + coconut oil (optional)
APPLESAUCE VS. BANANA IN BAKED OATS
The other ingredient I decided to switch up in this version of baked oats is the banana.
Instead of banana, I chose unsweetened applesauce.
I find there’s a lot of people out there that don’t love banana in their baked goods so I wanted this chocolate baked oats recipe to be accessible to all.
Using the applesauce in place of banana also keeps the flavor profile more distinctly chocolate instead of fighting that unmistakable banana undertone.
Bananas are great but anytime they’re used in a baked good or smoothie, they’re undeniably obvious in the flavor.
In this version of baked oats, you taste one flavor: chocolate.
If you prefer a banana flavor to your baked oats or just don’t have applesauce on hand, feel free to use it.
The other ingredient that would work well as a substitute would be pumpkin puree. I might have to make that version next!
USING CACAO BLISS INSTEAD OF REGULAR CACAO POWDER
I also chose to supercharge the cacao powder in this recipe by using Cacao Bliss.
Cacao Bliss (use code GINA for 15% off) is a superfood blend that combines raw cacao with turmeric, black pepper, MCT powder, cinnamon, monk fruit, coconut nectar, lucuma, mesquite and Himalayan salt.
It takes unsweetened cacao powder to the next level with all those power players in there and makes indulging in chocolate goodies, guilt-free!
It’s also USDA organic, vegan and friendly for gluten-free, keto and soy-free diets. There are no added sugars or dairy.
I’ve used it in smoothies like my chocolate cashew butter banana smoothie and chocolate espresso coconut smoothie and loved it so baking with it was the logical next step! It’s also great in these chocolate waffles.
It really takes these chocolate baked oats to the next level and combines really well with the optional use of maca powder and unflavored protein powder in this recipe.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE BAKED OATS
The beauty of baked oats (besides it’s cake-like texture) is the easy blender preparation.
To make this chocolate version, simply add everything to the blender like your would for normal baked oats and blend until smooth.
For optional extra chocolate flavor, melt 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/4 teaspoon coconut oil together in a small bowl. Stir until smooth then add it to the blender.
Blend again until smooth.
Pour the batter into a greased 8×8 or similar sized baking dish.
Top with optional dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (using a vegan friendly chocolate if desired) and bake at 375°F for 45-55 minutes.
Check the center of the baked oats with a toothpick. Once it comes out clean, it’s done.
Let the dish cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
This is important, if you try to slice before cooling, you’ll tear the cake-like oats up and have a mess on your hands.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Oats – Don’t use steel cut oats, it just won’t work. Quick cooking oats, rolled oats, oat bran or oat flour are all fine. Use gluten-free oats if desired and I always recommend organic as well since oats are a heavily sprayed crop.
Cacao Bliss – you may substitute unsweetened cacao powder but I highly recommend grabbing a bag of Cacao Bliss!
Flax seeds/chia seeds – If you want to make a non-vegan version, just use 2 eggs like the original baked oats recipe calls for.
Milk – any plant-based milk (I used homemade almond milk) will work here. If you don’t care to keep the recipe vegan, dairy milk is also fine.
Unsweetened applesauce – you may use a banana like the original recipe calls for instead. Or, while I haven’t tried it (yet) pumpkin or sweet potato puree would also likely work.
Maple syrup – can be replaced with honey. I have not tried this recipe with any sugar substitutes like stevia or monk fruit nor any granulated sugars (regular, brown or coconut).
Almond butter – any creamy nut butter will work here. Peanut butter would obviously give it a nice chocolate peanut butter vibe reminiscent of my peanut butter stuffed black bean cookies and cashew butter would be delicious! Make your own maple roasted vanilla almond cashew butter and then use it in this recipe!
Protein powder – while optional, I always add some unflavored plant-based protein powder or unflavored collagen peptides to my baked oats to up the protein content. This helps tremendously with satiety in balancing out the healthy carbs and fats in this recipe.
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER BAKED OATS
Since this recipe makes six servings, it’s perfect for breakfast meal prep!
I store the leftovers right in the baking dish with some plastic wrap covering them.
Or, I’ll portion servings out individually into glass storage containers for an easy breakfast that’s ready to go.
Baked oats will last up to five days in the refrigerator.
To warm up the baked oats after refrigeration, simply microwave for 30-45 seconds. You can do this right in the glass containers which is why I love using them as opposed to plastic.
I suggest serving with a splash of (almond) milk which I also warm up with the baked oats.
HOW TO SERVE BAKED OATS
You could easily eat a slice of this right out of the oven (well, after it’s cooled!) and call it a day.
But I like to glam up my baked oats with some other ingredients to really make a meal out of it.
I’ll usually put a slice of the baked oats (aka breakfast cake!) in a bowl with a generous splash of milk and then add my toppings.
Toppings for baked oats:
- fresh fruit/berries
- chopped walnuts, pecans, etc.
- pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
- hemp hearts
- dollop of nut butter
- dollop of coconut butter
- maunka honey
Honestly, these are my toppings of choice for almost any breakfast especially my smoothie bowls and traditional oatmeal recipes like strawberry oatmeal or apple cinnamon oatmeal.
So, it’s no surprise I love them on baked oats too.
With this amped up chocolate baked oats recipe and these toppings, you won’t be hangry anytime soon!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I bake this individually?
Yes, you can. Just like I do in my triple chocolate steel cut oatmeal recipe, you can use personal sized ramekins. You’ll have to adjust the baking time too. I’d start checking doneness around the 20-25 minute mark with small ramekins.
Do I need a high-speed blender?
Blending the ingredients until smooth and pureed is the key in producing the cake-like texture baked oats are famous for. If you don’t have a Vitamix or other high-powdered blender, just make sure the ingredients are really well processed.
Can I make other flavors?
If you prefer a vanilla version, omit the Cacao Bliss/cacao powder and any chocolate chips. You can always use white chocolate instead if preferred.
For a funfetti version, add rainbow sprinkles (mix these into the batter by hand, don’t blend!)
Dried fruit or even frozen berries would also be great stirred into the batter (again, not blended) before baking.
Play around with extracts for different flavor profiles too. Almond and coconut extract would be delicious.
If you’re looking for a more traditional base recipe try these baked oatmeal bars. They’re gluten-free (not vegan) and I love the fruit spread on top!
MORE OAT BASED RECIPES TO TRY:
Sweet potato oat bars
Apple butter carrot cake oatmeal
Slow cooker chocolate cherry steel cut oats
Almond joy oats
Cherry almond baked steel cut oats
Chocolate Baked Oats
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats, use GF if necessary
- 1/4 cup Cacao Bliss, or unsweetened cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt
- 2 cups milk of choice, dairy or plant-based
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup smooth almond butter, or other nut butter of choice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips + 1/4 teaspoon coconut oil, *optional
Optional add-ins:
- 1-2 teaspoons maca powder
- 1/3 cup protein powder, unflavored
- chocolate chips/chopped chocolate for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and grease an 8×8 or similar sized baking dish.
- Combine all ingredients except the 1/4 cup chocolate chips and coconut oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- If using, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small bowl. Stir until well combined. Pour into blender and process again until smooth.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish. Top with additional chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the dish comes out clean.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes on a wire rack before slicing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Mine had no flavor.
Hi Ashley- I’m really not sure how that’s possible if you followed the recipe. There’s flavor from chocolate, maple syrup, vanilla and the nut butter.
It basically felt like I got to eat a brownie for breakfast! But I can’t believe all the healthy ingredients in it! Next time maybe I’ll share with my kids. lol
Everything about this recipe is divine! Easy to prepare, and rich in its decadent chocolaty goodness. Thank you!
Omg these baked oats tasted just like a chocolate brownie!! Now that’s something I can wake up for in the morning! :)
Omg these baked oats tasted just like a chocolate brownie!! Now that’s something I can wake up for in the morning! :)
I have been seeing recipes for this out there. Finally decided to try one. I can see why everyone likes them. Very tasty!
That looks like a beautiful cake. Can’t believe that it’s oats.
Basically….
So. Basically a healthy cake I can eat for breakfast? And it’s vegan too? #runstothekitchen
I love that this tastes like a dessert but is so much better for you!