A healthy, easy, and family friendly one-bowl breakfast. This Baked Oats recipe is packed with plant based protein, sugar free, and great for babies & toddlers.
Mornings with children (especially toddlers and babies), can be a really busy time. And breakfasts, such as this one, help make those mornings easier. You can bake the oats the night before, then either serve them cold, or warm them back up for 10 minutes in the oven. My kids like it either way.
Some other ideas for make-ahead healthy breakfasts are oven baked hash browns or chocolate chip banana and lentil muffins.
How healthy are baked oats?
Oats are an highly nutritious food, packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They're also high in fiber and protein. All of which make them a great food to feed your family. Their versatility also makes them a very family friendly meal option - you can please everyone!
Our baked oats also have quinoa flakes and hemp seeds added to them. We've done this for additional nutrients, and the fact that quinoa and hemp are two of a few sources of plant based complete protein. A complete protein is one that contains all 9 essential amino acids. These are the ones that our bodies can't make, and therefore must obtain through our diets.
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What you'll need
Ingredients
- Baking Powder - If you need this recipe to be gluten free, double check that your baking powder is, as it can sometimes contain gluten.
- Banana - The riper the banana, the sweeter it will be. Ideally you want you banana with brown spots, the more the better.
- Berries - We like blueberries and raspberries for this, but any berries will taste delicious.
- Hemp Seeds - Hemp seeds are a source of omega 3's which is essential for healthy brain function. These aren't essential to the recipe though, so if you want/need to leave them out then you can do. We get ours at our local health food store, but they are also easily available online. Just be sure to buy shelled hemp seeds.
- Oats - You can use rolled oats, or instant oats. It depends on what texture you want. We typically use rolled oats, but instant oats can be handy for feeding babies of weaning age as they are smaller and less chewy.
- Plant Milk - Any plant milk works in this recipe, so use what you typically have at home. Whether that's almond, soy, oat, coconut or pea.
- Quinoa Flakes - These are a brilliant way to add extra protein in to food for the kids (and yourself). Quinoa is one of the few plant based sources of a complete protein. Meaning that it contains all 9 essential amino acids - the ones our bodies can't make itself, and must obtain through food.
- Raisins - A sweet way to boost the iron content of your breakfast!
- Vanilla Extract - You can use extract or paste. It's the same quantity for either.
Equipment
- Fork
- Ovenproof dish
How to make Vegan Baked Oats
Mash the banana using a fork or masher.
Add the oats, quinoa flakes, raisins, baking powder, hemp seeds, vanilla and milk.
Mix everything together well.
Top generously with fresh berries, then bake in a pre-heated oven for 35 minutes.
Hint: You can lightly grease the sides of your oven proof dish with butter prior to baking to prevent the oats from sticking. I find that I don't usually need to do this, but it will depend on how non-stick your dish is.
Substitutions & Variations
The only limit is your imagination when it comes to toppings for baked oats. Below are a few examples of how to jazz them up:
- Nuts - roughly chop some of your favourite nuts and sprinkle them over the oats before baking. Pecans, hazelnuts and almonds would go really well with the berries. Alternatively spoon over a little nut butter of your choosing.
- Yoghurt - coconut, vanilla or berry yoghurt would taste great with this. We topped ours with coconut yoghurt, maple syrup and pumpkin seeds. There's also nothing stopping you serving it with a little ice cream as a tasty dessert.
- Mix up the fruit - ditch the berries and go tropical and add some sliced kiwi, mango and pineapple on top of the oats after baking them. Finish with coconut yoghurt and then spoon over some passion fruit.. Yum!
For dietary requirements see below:
- Gluten Free - Be sure to buy gluten free oats and use a plant milk that is gluten free.
Storage
Cover and store in the fridge for 2-3 days. We don't recommend freezing this.
Recipe tip
For an even bake, make sure to mix everything together really well before popping in the oven.
More family friendly breakfast ideas
Recipe
Healthy Vegan Baked Oats with Berries
Equipment
- Fork
- Oven proof dish
Ingredients
- 1 Ripe Banana
- 2 cups Rolled Oats
- ½ cup Quinoa Flakes
- ⅓ cup Hemp Seeds
- 1 cup Raspberries
- 1 cup Blueberries
- ⅓ cup Raisins
- 2 cups Plant Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
Instructions
- Pre-heat: Pre-heat your oven to 180c/350f.
- Mash: Using a fork or masher, mash the banana well in your oven proof dish.1 Ripe Banana
- Add: Add the oats, raisins, quinoa flakes, hemp seeds, vanilla, baking powder and milk to the dish.2 cups Rolled Oats, ½ cup Quinoa Flakes, ⅓ cup Hemp Seeds, ⅓ cup Raisins, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, 2 cups Plant Milk
- Mix: Mix everything together well.
- Top: Sprinkle over the fresh berries to create an even layer over the top of the oats.1 cup Raspberries, 1 cup Blueberries
- Bake: Place the dish in a pre-heated oven and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove: Remove the oven proof dish from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
- Top: Top with additional fresh berries, yoghurt, maple syrup and some of your favourite nuts and/or seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can lightly grease the sides of your oven proof dish with butter prior to baking to prevent the oats from sticking. I find that I don't usually need to do this, but it will depend on how non-stick your dish is.
- For an even bake, make sure to mix everything together really well before popping in the oven.
Sally says
This looks good. I’m going to try this.