Healthy and Easy Strawberry Baked Oatmeal Recipe
Many mornings I feel like I’m running a diner. What would you like, sir? Oh, second breakfast? Of course. This morning it was bagel sandwiches with eggs and bacon for some but not others. Well, I love a morning when there’s something like a big batch of overnight french toast or even a frittata or baked oatmeal. This friends, is just that.
Set your alarm for just a bit earlier on the 14th so you have time to put together this simple yet beautiful breakfast then serve it warm. It’s best served the day it’s made with fresh strawberries. I opted for healthier options here like greek yogurt and almonds. Then again, there’s heavy cream because, balance.
I’m not so sure you can compare store bought strawberries to freshly picked but when looking to make something sweet and red in February, this is it. Try this recipe again in May, June and July with juicy strawberries for an easy breakfast the whole family will love.
All About Oats
In trying to spread out our egg consumption I love to have oats as an option a couple mornings a week. I can easily enjoy overnight oats, but not everyone in my family is on board. Steel cut oats work perfectly in the morning in the instant pot and we also like this brand of sprouted oats that I stock up on.
I’m now aware of how important it is to get organic oats when possible so your oats aren’t sprayed with harmful pesticides. Thankfully buying food with ingredients we can not only pronounce but from companies we trust has become more common!
Make sure you get regular organic old fashioned oats if possible, not quick oats in this case.
Can I make this ahead?
While I haven’t tried this myself, there’s no reason I see why you couldn’t make this the night ahead. The only thing is I’d leave out the strawberries until the morning of to help with their color and freshness.
Once mixed, store the assembled oats in your fridge in it’s casserole dish covered with plastic wrap overnight. In the morning of the next day, take the dish out as you’re preheating your oven and be sure to add a few more minutes if the mixture is very cold going into your oven and they appear to not be fully cooked.
While the oven preheats you can add your fresh berries. Other options are endless, as noted below.
Various Options for your Oats
While this recipe calls for making a 9×9 dish of oats, I’d easily double this and make a 9×13. This is a great recipe and the perfect make ahead breakfast to last you more than just a day. Leftover oatmeal bake would taste fine 4-5 days later simply heated again in the microwave.
When you’re considering berry options, I’d recommend doing half strawberry, half blueberry. If you made this ahead as recommended above it would be a great meal prep idea for a Sunday afternoon.
There are so many ways you can turn the base recipe of an oatmeal bake into your own. You could add chocolate chips and drizzle it with peanut butter. You could switch out the milks if needed, using a plant-based milk in place of the regular milk and maybe coconut cream in place of heavy cream.
You could top them with banana slices or swirl in some nutella. I’m sure you have simple ingredients at home that would add the best flavor, even some delicious jams or jellies swirled in!
Individual Servings?
If you like to portion out your breakfast I’d recommend getting a silicone muffin pan and placing the wet ingredients in portions. I haven’t done this myself, but I’d recommend filling everything to about three quarters full and checking them after 15-20 minutes.
A fun thing about doing individual portions is you could really come up with many different ways you have your oats. Some could be peanut butter and chocolate, others strawberry and others blueberry. You could experiment with topping some with bananas before baking or even chia seeds.
Will you try this?
Overall this is such a healthy breakfast option for the whole family. I love trying new recipes like this myself and think it’s a great way to have breakfast ready not just on special occasions, like Valentine’s Day, but for those busy mornings. Being able to serve my family wholesome ingredients is something I love to do. I hope you too love this perfect make-ahead breakfast!
Healthy and Easy Strawberry Baked Oatmeal Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats not quick oats
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 cups sliced or chopped strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a 9×9 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a bowl mix together the oats through salt.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the cream through maple syrup.
- Spread the oat mixture on the bottom of the pan and pour the milk mixture over top. Spread the strawberries on top evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes and enjoy warm on its own, with some powdered sugar, or with more maple syrup on top!
