Easy Amish Baked Oatmeal {Overnight Option}
This easy Amish baked oatmeal is so quick to mix up and can be made the night before to bake the next morning. Hearty and so delicious!
I have a soft spot in my heart for make-ahead breakfasts. And I also have a soft spot in my heart for oatmeal.
So it’s no wonder this easy Amish baked oatmeal is a fast favorite. For me and the kids.
Hearty and delicious, we make it often for no-fuss breakfasts before school (I assemble it the night before). And it also makes an appearance when we do breakfast-for-dinner.
Lightly sweet and texturally amazing, it’s the perfect breakfast!
Old-Fashioned Oats vs Quick Oats
This recipe works with both old-fashioned oats and quick oats. It does *not* work with instant oats or steel cut oats.
I prefer using old-fashioned (or sprouted old-fashioned) oats, because we really like the slightly piecemeal, soft granola-ish texture.
But if you like a softer, dare I say, mushier, oatmeal, go for the quick oats and bump up the milk just a bit.
All of the simple ingredients for the oatmeal get whisked together in a bowl:
- oats
- baking powder
- salt
- brown sugar + touch of maple syrup
- milk
- eggs
- butter or oil
Make it Overnight
This oatmeal is a great make-ahead breakfast.
The oatmeal mixture can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking.
If I am on top of things and make this ahead of time, I like to give the oatmeal a little stir right in the pan before baking. This prevents the layers from separating while baking (since everything settles a bit in the refrigerator).
Whether you choose to bake it right away or refrigerate for a while, I just want to warn you that it’s going to smell amazing when it finally does bake.
Like a warm oatmeal cookie.
Except healthier! And you can eat it for breakfast (ahem, because I would never ever EVER eat cookies for breakfast). wink wink
How to serve baked oatmeal
We scoop the warm baked oatmeal into bowls and add a little bit of milk. This helps cool the oatmeal down and soften it up a bit more.
Sometimes we eat it straight up plain as can be. Oatmeal + milk. Pure and simple.
Other times we pull out blueberries or slice up a banana. Occasionally the kids beg to drop a handful of chocolate chips in their oatmeal. Who am I to say no? #delicious
We don’t add extra sweeteners. It’s perfectly sweet for our taste buds with the maple syrup and brown sugar.
This easy Amish baked oatmeal is a staple recipe. And infinitely adaptable.
After loving this apple and cinnamon version for so long, I wanted a simpler, slightly plainer version for every day eating that could be adapted and experimented with depending on my mood.
Turns out, this is the only version my kids want to eat for the rest of forever. They love it.
And in case you are wondering: the leftovers are crazy good.
FAQs for Amish Baked Oatmeal
Yes, but it might be too much for a 9X13-inch pan unless the sides of the pan are extra tall. You’d probably need to split into two pans
This recipe works great with almond milk (and I’m assuming with other non-dairy milks).
Non-dairy milk works well for the milk – you’d have to experiment with an egg substitute. Perhaps the “flax egg” would work. Sometimes 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce per egg works well in baking as well.
Yes. It will make a thicker oatmeal and may require a few extra minutes of baking, but it should work. I would suggest not baking in anything smaller than a 9X9-inch square baking pan.
One Year Ago: Banana Cream Cheese Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel
Two Years Ago: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
Three Years Ago: Perfect Instant Pot Beef Stew
Four Years Ago: Southwestern Chicken Barley Chili
Five Years Ago: Cheesy Black Bean Lasagna
Six Years Ago: Whole Grain Honey Bran Muffins
Seven Years Ago: Skillet Butternut Squash, Sausage and Penne Pasta
Eight Years Ago: Chocolate Flan Cake {i.e. Magic Chocoflan!}
Easy Amish Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 3 cups (300 g) old-fashioned rolled oats (see note for quick oats)
- ½ cup (106 g) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups dairy or non-dairy milk (see note)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) melted butter or oil (see note)
- Toppings: additional milk, berries, sliced bananas, chopped nuts, etc
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (Skip this step right now if making the oatmeal overnight.)
- Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan (or smaller pan for thicker oatmeal). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
- In another bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and butter or oil.
- Add the wet ingredients to the oats mixture and stir to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake (up to 24 hours) or bake right away.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until the edges are lightly golden and the oatmeal is set. Serve warm with additional toppings.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (altered from this old favorite)
I made this recipe for a retirement brunch and it was a big hit! People were raving about the flavor and texture. I made it the night before using butter then stirred the next morning as directed. Topped with blueberries and bananas when I arrived. I make a lot of oatmeal muffins and amish oatmeal for quick, healthy weekday on-the-go breakfasts, but this was the first time I tried mels kitchen cafe recipe. Saved the best for last! Sooo good.
This recipe is wonderful! I made it in an 8×8 pan and baked 40 mins and it’s exactly what I was looking for! Thank you for posting. 🙂
I loved making this easy dish and the kids love it too! I added cinnamon which was the perfect touch.
Love baking this with my toddler! I add some frozen berries to it before cooking and it comes out delicious! Thank you!
Did you need to add baking time because of including frozen berries?
Did you bake it the same day you made it?
I did it all right then! No time to prep in this house lol
This was really good—better than I expected. It is sweet, without being overly sweet. Leftovers were just as good.
I would like to have, the homemade granola recipe. TY
Hi Robbin, this recipe post is for baked oatmeal – I’m not sure which homemade granola recipe you are referring to?
This is so amazing, it’s a favorite breakfast meal. I cut the brown sugar to 20g, syrup to 1/8 cup, and butter to 5 tablespoons and it is amazing!
Can I add chopped apples to the oatmeal before baking? I’ve been looking forever for a really good baked oatmeal recipe. Thankfully I came across yours. Do you also have a recipe for baked oatmeal bars that I could include chopped apples? Thanks.
Yes, you can add chopped apples to this oatmeal before baking!
This is one of our very favorite breakfasts. I’ve been making it for years! As I was making it this morning I noticed maple syrup in the recipe. I have never used maple syrup and I swear I follow your recipes to a T. Did you change it up or have I somehow missed the syrup all these years?? Either way, thanks for another amazing recipe!
Hi Shanah – yep, the maple syrup has been there since I posted the recipe. Are you perhaps thinking of this baked oatmeal recipe?
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/baked-oatmeal/
Sooo yummy!!!
My family loves this recipe! I’ve made this recipe several times and several ways and it’s always a hit. It’s also a great brown banana dumpster! I omit the maple syrup, reduce brown sugar to 1/4 cup and add 1c mashed banana. I’ve made it with many kinds of milk as well–almond, 1%, 2%, whole, even heavy whipping cream (oh my, super yum! Don’t judge, its all I had. But I did leave out the oil) . Such versatility in this recipe. This is for sure one to write down and pass along!! Thanks for sharing, Mel!
I am addicted to this! Although there are only 2 of us in the house, I make a pan and then just reheat by the bowlful throughout the week. My only change on this is adding dried cranberries, chopped pecans, and the zest of one orange. Scrumptious!
There’s an Amish grocery store about 1 hour away that sells baked oatmeal in their deli section and I’d always make a point to buy some because I loved it. This tastes exactly the same, gives me the opportunity to add toppings as I see fit and is ready with all of the prep bowls in the dishwasher in less time than the drive to the store! Thank you, Mel!
Brown sugar is not your friend; try replacing it with the same amount of chopped raisins, figs, dates and/or dried cranberries. Chop ‘em big or small to your preference… if you have ‘picky eaters,’ you can pulverize them with some of the oatmeal and a few nuts in a blender or spice chopper. Applesauce, pomegranate molasses & mashed bananas also work great (the blacker they are, the sweeter they are.) And if you’re really lucky, there’s rhubarb!
Using whole fruit forces your body to process the sugars naturally (slower) so your sweet tooth is satisfied but you won’t get hyper. Lower on the GI scale (glycemic index) to reduce your risk of diabetes and it’s ill’s.
Back in the old days, brown sugar was the leavings from making molasses & was a much less processed version of (white) sugar, and it was healthier. Not anymore; it’s cheaper to mix molasses with white sugar and that’s what they do. Brown sugar is basically the same GI as white sugar (64, medium high) where figs and ripe bananas are down to 51 GI (low) and dates are low as 43 GI!
So there’s the healthy reason, but just do it for the flavor boost you’ll get as a side benefit! Tastes better & it’s better for you!
Brown sugar is a much cheaper and readily available option for many families than having nuts and dates etc. on hand.
And it’s pretty amazing that when sugar enters our bodies, our bodies recognize it as sugar, no matter what source it came from
Having sugar in moderation can very much be included in a healthy diet.
I really appreciate the ideas of things to add in addition! Sounds delicious!
Coconut sugar is a great 1-for-1 substitute for brown sugar.
I love baked oatmeal and looking forward to trying this but I’ve never made this larger quantity and wanted to ask if this can be frozen?
I haven’t tried freezing, but I think it should freeze pretty well after it’s been baked.
I make a double recipe in a 10×15 pan, cut into squares and flash freeze, then store them in a large ziploc bag. It stores and reheats wonderfully and is a favorite breakfast around here. We reheat for a minute or two, add a splash of vanilla creamer and some fruit (usually frozen blueberries). Yum!
Such a great idea! I’m going to do that for sure for this school year!
So easy and the kids like the texture of this more than the stovetop oatmeal I make. This recipe has joined the breakfast rotation in our house.
YUM! This is so, so good! I used maple syrup for all of the sweetener (i didnt use any coconut sugar) and added cinnamon and frozen blueberries on top before baking. Tasted so delicious and comforting. Definitely a go-to breakfast for cold days. Will make again! 🙂
This was yummy! I added about 3/4 cup or so of chopped pecans and 1/2 cup craisins (was out of raisins_ and it was delicious! Thanks, Mel
Oops realized that I forgot to say that I left the maple syrup out entirely and it was still plenty sweet.
This was so easy and so delicious. My kids loved it with some fresh fruit on top.
Made this today and it was sooo good! I am not a huge fan of oatmeal, and I would highly recommend this!
This has become my go-to base recipe for baked oatmeal. I’ve made PB & B oatmeal, apple cinnamon oatmeal, pumpkin pie oatmeal…one day I realized that I just wanted a plain ol’ baked oatmeal that would be accepting of a variety of toppings–or none at all. This is that baked oatmeal.
In full disclosure, I will mention that I’ve tweaked the recipe a few times to arrive at my personal version of perfection. So if anyone else out there is wondering if this recipe still works with less sugar and less oil, I can assure you that it does. I cut the brown sugar, maple syrup, and oil in half and found it to be absolutely delicious, but still too sweet for my tastes. At 3 Tbsp. oil (Limoncello-flavored olive oil is fantastic in this!) and 2 Tbsp. ea brown sugar & maple syrup, I have a baked oatmeal that is phenomenally delicious. Nutrition stats are impressive, too: just a smidge over 6 g of added sugar per square.
Thank you from my heart and my belly for sharing this recipe!
I made this for the 4th time this morning. The first 3 times I used old fashioned rolled oats (Scottish rolled oats as they’re called where I live) and although most of us liked it, my husband was never sure about the chewy texture. This morning I used instant oats (porridge oats) instead, and everyone agreed they love the softer texture even better. This is a firm favourite in our house! Thank you so much for your recipes Mel!
MEL!!! Such a simple recipe, and yet so delicious. I’ve made it 3 times so far, with no end in sight. It’s not soggy and porridge-y like regular oatmeal can be. It’s absolutely sweet enough written as is, and I was surprised I liked it that much. I’m kind of an over the top person, so just the way it was made…was perfect….:and surprising to me. Figured I’d need additives. I absolutely love it exactly how you’ve written it. Superb! Thank you so so so so so much!