Brownie Baked Oatmeal

Breakfast at a Glance

• Prep Time: 10 minutes (+ bake for 30 minutes)
• Planning Ahead: Prep it completely ahead of time or prep it first thing in the morning and enjoy a warm breakfast about 30 minutes later
• Morning Effort: Can be made entirely ahead of time or takes about 10 minutes hands on in the morning
• Protein: 27 grams per serving
• Fiber: 10 grams per serving

Nessy's Note

Let's be real- sometimes a girl just wants to eat a brownie... for breakfast.

But sometimes, that same girl also wants a breakfast that actually keeps her full and energized all morning instead of leaving her crashing by 9am (the way High Protein Breakfast Casserole holds her over!).

So, she sets out to create a baked oatmeal that's balanced with protein, fiber and healthy fats but that gives some brownie vibes.

Okay, you got me. That girl is me. And this brownie baked oatmeal is the solution to my brownie for breakfast predicament. Hopefully it will be for you too!

• Rolled Oats- I usually use large flake rolled but instant or quick oats should work as well.
• Protein Powder- I most often use pea protein isolate for this recipe but have tested it with brown rice protein as well. I suspect any plain, unflavored protein powder should work. If you use a flavored/sweetened one, you may need to adjust the recipe and I haven't tested this.
  • Substitution: If you prefer, you can replace this with oat flour. Just pulse about ⅔ cup of oats in the blender until flour-like. The recipe still has about 17 grams of protein per serving with this swap.
• Cocoa Powder- The key for giving these oats that chocolate brownie vibe! Natural or dutch process will work as well as cacao powder.
• Ground Flaxseed- This adds some fiber to the baked oatmeal as well as helps with binding.
  • Substitution: You can replace it with additional rolled oats (replace with ⅓ cup of oats) if needed.
• Water- I opted for water in this recipe to keep it easy.
  • Substitution: If you would like to bump up the protein a bit (about 2 grams per serving), you can use dairy milk instead.
• Honey- This can be reduced to ¼ cup for a less sweet baked oatmeal and increased up to ½ cup to make it sweeter. I recommend melting it before adding it for easy mixing.
  • Substitution: Maple syrup also works well.
• Almond Butter- This helps to make the baked oatmeal more dense and fudgy (like a brownie) as well as adding some healthy fats and protein to make it filling.
  • Substitution: I opt for almond butter because the flavor works well with chocolate but any nut or seed butter you like would work.
• Eggs- These help bind the oats and add a bit of protein.
  • Substitution: I haven't tested it but I suspect that this recipe would work with flax eggs as well.
• Salt- Just a pinch balances the flavors. Any type of salt should work.

My Notes for the Best Brownie Baked Oatmeal

• Bake right away. Don't let the batter sit as the oats and flax will soak up liquid and change to texture. Mix and then bake.
• Customize the sweetness. You can reduce the honey to ¼ cup for a less sweet version or increase up to ½ cup if you prefer it sweeter.

More Baked Oatmeal Recipes...

• Baked Oats for One
• Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal