This baked oatmeal is loaded with protein thanks to wholesome ingredients like almond butter, eggs, and a scoop of my favorite vanilla protein powder. Swirled with juicy berry compote, baked protein oatmeal is easy to make and great for meal prep.
If you love this cozy baked breakfast idea, also try my blueberry scones and blueberry coffee cake. You might also like these protein pancakes!
I’m putting a delicious baked twist on my morning protein oatmeal. Or, you could also say that this is a high-protein version of my berry baked oatmeal! Either way, this protein baked oatmeal recipe is easy to make, and that includes the juicy homemade berry compote swirled throughout. It’s SO good tucking into a slice of baked oatmeal alongside a morning cortado or matcha latte.
Why Protein Baked Oatmeal Is One of My Favorite Breakfast Recipes
- It’s refined sugar-free. I sweeten this baked oatmeal with a combination of date syrup (or maple syrup in the fall!) and the natural sweetness of the berries in the compote.
- Quick and easy. Mix the protein oatmeal in one bowl in minutes. You can even make the berry compote and the oatmeal in advance and then assemble it all when it’s time to bake.
- Adaptable. This recipe makes it easy to adapt the ingredients to different dietary needs. Make your oatmeal dairy-free with plant-based milk, swap the eggs for chia eggs, and customize the add-ins any way you like. More on this in a minute.
- Make-ahead friendly. Baked oatmeal is even better if you prepare it a day ahead, which makes this perfect for breakfast meal prep.
Ingredients You’ll Need For This Recipe
Scroll to the recipe card after the post for the full, printable recipe with ingredient amounts and details.
- Milk – This can be any dairy or non-dairy milk of your choosing. Oat milk, almond milk, soy, and coconut milk are all great dairy-free alternatives.
- Nut Butter – I chose almond butter, but you can opt for peanut butter, cashew butter, or a seed butter like sun (sunflower) butter to make this recipe nut-free.
- Eggs – If you’d like to make vegan baked oatmeal, substitute the eggs with flax eggs or chia eggs, see below.
- Date Syrup – Alternatively, use maple syrup or your preferred sweetener.
- Coconut Oil – Melted and cooled. Swap in melted butter if you’re not making this oatmeal dairy-free.
- Vanilla and Cinnamon – Add delicious warm flavors to the baked oatmeal. Try to use real vanilla extract or an equal amount of vanilla paste. You can swap cinnamon with another spice, like nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, or a blend, like pumpkin pie spice.
- Oats – I always make classic oatmeal and oatmeal cookies with old-fashioned rolled oats. Rolled oats hold up better than quick-cooking oats when baked, and they’re softer than steel-cut oats.
- Protein Powder – I use vanilla protein powder this time. Changing up the protein powder is an easy way to adapt the flavors in this recipe. Try a chocolate version, or any flavor you’d like. Make sure the protein powder you’re using is dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, etc., as needed.
Easy Egg Substitute
For a vegan or egg-free version, you’ll need to replace the egg with a vegan egg substitute, or you can make your own:
- To make 1 chia egg, combine 2 teaspoons of chia seeds with ¼ cup of water.
- To make 1 flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water.
After mixing, leave the “egg” mixture to sit and thicken for 5 minutes, and it’s ready to use.
Homemade Berry Compote
You can add just about anything to this protein baked oatmeal, but I love taking advantage of fresh summer berries while they’re in season. I cooked down blackberries and blueberries into a juicy compote and swirled it into the oatmeal before baking.
- Fresh Berries – I chose blueberries and blackberries, but you could swap them for strawberries, raspberries, or a combination of berries. Frozen berries work in this recipe, though you’ll need to simmer the compote for longer to reduce the excess liquid.
- Sweetener – I use date syrup because I used it in the oatmeal. Maple syrup, honey, or even brown sugar can be used to macerate the berries and sweeten the compote.
- Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed is best. Lemon juice offsets the sweetness of the berries. I also add a little vanilla to my compote to deepen the flavor.
Pro tip! Leftovers also make the BEST topping for crêpes, pancakes, and waffles.
What Else Can I Add to Baked Oats?
Instead of making the berry compote from scratch, you can simply stir fresh berries into the oatmeal instead. Or, try any of the following baked oatmeal add-in ideas:
- Replace the berry compote with strawberry sauce, homemade strawberry jam, or leftover cranberry sauce after a holiday meal.
- Stir in fresh fruit, like apples or peaches.
- Add in chocolate chips, dark chocolate, or cocoa nibs.
- Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the baked oatmeal, or stir them into the batter.
Success Tips
- Choose the right oats. Make sure you’re baking with old-fashioned rolled oats. Avoid quick or instant cooking oats as they’ll turn out mushy.
- Let the oats rest before baking. Similar to why you might rest the batter for pancakes and muffins, resting the oatmeal allows the oats to soak up more liquid. The result is better-tasting, evenly baked oatmeal.
- Cool before serving. For pretty, clean slices, it’s important to cool your protein baked oatmeal at least to room temperature. Even better, refrigerate it overnight before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Chilling your baked protein oatmeal in the fridge overnight will yield the cleanest slices. It’s a great excuse to make breakfast ahead! Serve this baked oatmeal drizzled with extra almond butter and a fresh fruit salad or yogurt on the side.
A slice of baked oatmeal is perfect with a smoothie on a busy morning, or you can serve it at brunch with crispy bacon and a slow cooker veggie omelette. Life is all about balance, so don’t forget a mimosa!
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- 8-Inch Square Baking Dish – If you’re doubling the recipe, use a 9×13.
- Small Saucepan – Ideal for simmering that quick berry compote without scorching.
- Mixing Bowls – You’ll need a couple for wet and dry ingredients.
- Whisk – To get the wet ingredients nice and smooth before folding in the oats.
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Prepare for baking. Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
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Make the compote. Combine ¼ cup of blueberries, ¼ cup of blackberries, maple syrup, water, and lemon juice in a saucepot. Simmer over medium heat, stirring, for 8 minutes. Add the remaining blueberries and vanilla extract, and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the compote from the heat. The compote will thicken as it cools down. Set it aside.
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Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk milk, almond butter, eggs, date syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, and salt.
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Add the oats and protein powder. Stir in the rolled oats and vanilla protein powder. Make sure it is well combined. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes.
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Assemble. Pour the oatmeal into the baking dish and top it with dollops of berry compote and any cooking juices.
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Bake. Bake the oatmeal for 35-40 minutes or until the center is set.
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Cool and serve. Remove the oatmeal from the oven and cool it completely before slicing and serving. Ideally, cool it overnight in the fridge for clean slices. You can drizzle the baked oatmeal with some extra almond butter before serving.
- Do not use instant or quick cooking oats, as you will not end up with the same results.
- If you do not feel like making berry compote, just stir some fresh berries with your oatmeal and add some on top.
- For extra crunch, you can add chopped pecans to or on top of your oatmeal.
- If you do not have date syrup, use maple syrup or a desired sweetener.
- Allow the oats batter to rest for a few minutes before baking so it can soak up some of the liquid.
Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 367mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Baked Protein Oatmeal
Whenever I’m expecting a brunch crowd, I’ll often bake this oatmeal the day before. Or, I’ll simmer the compote and mix the oatmeal a few hours ahead, and keep them covered in the fridge. This way, everything is ready to assemble and bake once friends or family arrive. I’ll show you the steps!
First, Make the Berry Compote
- Combine. Start by combining half of the blueberries in a pot with the blackberries, maple syrup, lemon juice, and water.
- Cook. Bring the pot to a simmer over medium heat. After 8 minutes, stir in the rest of the blueberries, then the vanilla, and keep simmering for 6 minutes or so. Stir often along the way so the berries don’t stick.
- Cool. Take the compote off the heat and leave it to cool and thicken.
Prepare and Bake the Oatmeal
While the compote cools down, here’s how to mix up the oatmeal base and then assemble everything in the pan in a few easy steps:
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the milk with almond butter, eggs, date syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
- Add the dry ingredients. Next, stir in the rolled oats and protein powder. Let the oatmeal rest for a few minutes while the oven preheats to 375ºF.
- Assemble. Transfer the oatmeal mixture to a greased 8-inch baking dish. Dollop the berry compote on top of the oatmeal, and then pour over any leftover juices.
- Bake! Bake at 375ºF for 35-40 minutes until the baked oatmeal is set in the middle (use a toothpick tester to be sure). You’ll want to let the oatmeal cool completely before slicing, either on the counter or overnight in the fridge.
How to Store
- Refrigerate. Keep this baked protein oatmeal covered in the fridge. You can serve leftovers cold, at room temperature, or warmed up in the microwave.
- Freeze. If you’d like to freeze the baked oatmeal, wrap it or store it airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
