Who doesn't want to start their day with a brownie? This Brownie Baked Oatmeal recipe will give you that hit of brownie flavors, but much lower in sugar and packed full of filling oats. Gooey and melty chocolate chips in a delicious baked oat bar. It's also gluten free and vegan too.
About Brownie Baked Oatmeal
Sweetened with mashed bananas and a little maple syrup, this baked oatmeal recipes has all the sweetness that a brownie would, and the dark chocolate chips for that chocolate hit, but a much lighter and lower sugar version.
Healthy fats, protein, fiber and complex carbs - a great way to start the day and delicious too!
We love making brownie baked oats and they are part of our weekly meal prep. It stores well (you can even freeze it) and you can serve it up with yogurt for breakfast or take out as a snack on the go. This is good enough to be dessert!
Looking for more low sugar chocolate recipes? Why not try our Chocolate Banana Brownies, Chocolate Yogurt or Chocolate Covered Dates?
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Oats - We used rolled oats as they are softer when baked.
- Baking powder - This helps to give the fluffy texture to the brownie baked oats.
- Chia seeds - An easy way to add some extra protein. You could add some flaxseeds instead.
- Cacao powder - This is where all the chocolate flavor comes from. We used cacao powder, as it is more nutritious, however you could swap it for cocoa powder instead.
- Salt - This really helps to bring out the sweetness.
- Bananas - These add a lot of natural sweetness. You need to make sure your bananas are really ripe as they will have the most sweetness.
- Nut butter - You can use any nut butter here, but using a smooth one will make it easier to mix together.
- Nut milk - To keep this recipe vegan, use a nut milk like almond milk.
- Vanilla - This adds a lovely warmth to the baked oatmeal. Make sure you are using vanilla extract and not essence.
- Maple syrup - This is where a lot of the sweetness comes from, whilst still keeping it refined sugar free. Make sure you use pure maple syrup. You can use honey, but it wouldn't be vegan.
- Chocolate chips - We use low sugar, dark chocolate chocolate chips that are also vegan. You can use any chocolate chips, but to keep this a low sugar brownie baked oats, then you need to used refined sugar free ones.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make Brownie Baked Oatmeal - Step by step
Prep: Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C/180°C(fan)/Gas 6.
One: Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl and add the milk, nut butter, maple syrup and vanilla. Stir well to combine.
Two: Add the oats, cacao powder, baking powder, chia seeds, chocolate chips and salt.
Three: Mix everything together.
Four: Grease a baking dish and pour the mixture into it.
Five: Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool fully then cut into squares.
Serving Suggestions
If you are just eating this baked brownie oatmeal as a snack, then it doesn't need anything with it. However, we serve this for breakfast and our kids LOVE it. What kid wouldn't love having chocolate for breakfast?
To make it more of a filling meal, then serve a slice of this with some Greek yogurt, berries and extra chia seeds.
If you want to add some extra toppings to the baked oats, then a drizzle of peanut butter is a delicious addition. For something a little more indulgent, why not try some whipped cream?
Storage
Store: Brownie baked oats are great for meal prep and will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freeze: These also freeze really well. Simply slice them up once cooled and then individually wrap them. You can then put them in a Ziploc bag and they will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Defrost: You can defrost them individually at room temperature in a couple of hours.
Reheat: You can eat these cold, but they are best served warm. You can put them in the microwave for a few seconds to warm up.
Top Tips
- If you wanted to make this more of a cake texture, rather than baked oats, then you can blend up all the ingredients before pouring it into the prepared dish. It makes the batter much smoother and more like a cake once cooked.
- You need to grease your baking dish well, otherwise the baked oats will be stuck in there when you try to get them out.
- Make sure you keep some extra chocolate chips for sprinkling on top as they look good and they are nice and melty too.
- Why not try adding some dried fruit into the mixture? Raisins, dried cherries or dried cranberries work well.
- Let the baked oatmeal cool before fully cutting into it, otherwise it will fall apart when you are trying to get it out.
- Ours only took 25 minutes to cook, but yours might need 5 minutes extra as every oven and dish cooks differently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, as long as you use certified gluten free oats and make sure that there is no cross contamination then these can be gluten free.
You need to make sure that the baking dish is well greased with butter so that the oats don't stick to it. You could line the dish with parchment paper too.
Yes, as long as you use a plant based milk and make sure the chocolate chips you are using are vegan, then these brownie baked oats are vegan.
Yes, to give this a protein boost, you can add a scoop of protein powder. You will need to add some extra milk to it though. You can also boost the protein by adding some chopped nuts into the mixture.
We used a 9x6 inch (22x15cm) dish and it was perfect. If you use a bigger dish your baked oats will be thinner and a smaller dish they will be thicker and you might need to cook them a little longer.
More low sugar recipes
If you’ve tried this baked chocolate oatmeal recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Brownie Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 Bananas mashed
- 1.25 cup Almond milk
- 0.25 cup Peanut butter
- 0.25 cup Maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 cup Rolled oats
- 0.33 cup Cacao powder
- 2 tablespoon Chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 0.25 cup Chocolate chips dark; vegan; low sugar
- 1 pinch Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C/180°C(fan)/Gas 6.
- Mash 2 Bananas in a mixing bowl and add 1.25 cup Almond milk, 0.25 cup Peanut butter, 0.25 cup Maple syrup and 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract. Stir well to combine.
- Add 2 cup Rolled oats, 0.33 cup Cacao powder, 1 teaspoon Baking powder, 2 tablespoon Chia seeds, 0.25 cup Chocolate chips and 1 pinch Kosher salt.
- Mix everything together.
- Grease a baking dish and pour the mixture into it.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool fully then cut into squares.
Notes
- If you wanted to make this more of a cake texture, rather than baked oats, then you can blend up all the ingredients before pouring it in to the prepared dish. It makes the batter much smoother and more like a cake once cooked.
- You need to grease your baking dish well, otherwise the baked oats will be stuck in their when you try to get them out.
- Make sure you keep some extra chocolate chips for sprinkling on top as they look good and they are nice and melty too.
- Why not try adding some dried fruit in to the mixture. Raisins, dried cherries or dried cranberries work well.
- Let the baked oatmeal cool before fully cutting in to it, otherwise it will fall apart when you are trying to get it out.
- Ours only took 25 minutes to cook, but yours might need 5 minutes extra as every oven and dish cooks differently.
Elisa says
This Brownie Baked Oatmeal recipe; looks delicious and easy to make. It's a great way to start the day with energy and nutrients. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Bobby says
Wow this is amazing. Perfect way to start the day!
TAYLER ROSS says
I made this oatmeal for breakfast this morning and it was incredible! It was almost like dessert for breakfast!
rebecca says
oatmeal with chocolate in it is THE BEST! this is such a tasty baked version
Vicky says
Brownie baked oatmeal? Count me in! Such a tasty and creative way to start the day – can't wait to make this for breakfast!