Baked oatmeal is simple to make with just a handful of staple ingredients you probably already have on hand. This vegan lemon blueberry baked oatmeal recipe is packed with zippy lemon flavor and juicy blueberries – perfect for spring.
The other day I was craving baked oatmeal and decided to double check my blog archives to see if I had ever posted a recipe and found this one from 2016. I just had to make it again and give the post a bit of a refresh. This lemon blueberry oatmeal bake recipe deserves a spot in your healthy breakfast rotation!
I actually have a few baked oatmeal recipes on the blog because I love the meal prep friendly breakfast option. (It is also a great brunch recipe!) Make sure to also check out my banana bread baked oatmeal, carrot cake baked oatmeal, and vegan pumpkin baked oatmeal.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- An easy, meal prep friendly breakfast with simple ingredients that the whole family will love!
- Both fresh and frozen blueberries work well for this recipe so you can make it any time of the year.
- This recipe is also vegan, dairy free, egg free, and gluten free if you use gluten free certified oats.
What is baked oatmeal?
Baked oatmeal is essentially an oatmeal casserole. Oats are combined with milk, maple syrup, and fruit or nuts to create an almost cake-like casserole when it comes out of the oven. It makes for a great brunch option for feeding a crowd OR it can be prepped ahead of time and reheated for a super simple breakfast during the week.
You can also slice and freeze it, then reheat the individual portions when you are ready to enjoy it. If you are looking for baked oats without banana, this lemon blueberry oatmeal recipe is for you!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Old Fashioned Oats: You’ll want to use old fashioned rolled oats for this recipe rather than quick cooking. Use certified gluten-free oats if you want to make sure this recipe is gluten free.
- Plant-Based Milk: Use your plant-based milk of choice. I always have unsweetened plain soy milk on hand so that is what I used. Using soy or a pea-based milk like Ripple will increase the protein in the finished recipe.
- Flax Egg: The flax egg helps bind the baked oatmeal together. You can use chia seeds instead.
- Baking Powder: The 1 tablespoon measure seems like a typo, but I promise that is right! You need the extra baking powder to give this vegan version a lift since it doesn’t have eggs.
- Maple Syrup: You’ll use pure maple syrup in this recipe to naturally sweeten it without refined sugar.
- Lemon: You’ll use both fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest to add lots of lemony flavor to these oats.
- Blueberries: You can use fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries in this recipe. Don’t have blueberries? You could easily sub chopped fresh strawberries or raspberries instead.
Recipe Notes:
- Give this recipe the same flavor as a blueberry muffin by adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.
Step by Step
Step One: First, add your flax meal and water to a large mixing bowl and set aside to get. Then add all the wet ingredients to the same bowl as the flax egg.
Step Two: In a separate small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well.
Step Three: Next, stir in the blueberries. You can use either fresh or frozen berries for this recipe. Pour the oat mixture into a 8″x8″ baking dish greased with cooking spray and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. The mixture will look a bit liquid-y when you pour it into the baking dish, but don’t worry! The oats will absorb the liquid as it bakes and cools.
Step Four: Allow the oats to cool for a few minutes on the counter before cutting into slices and serving. I like to serve with some milk poured over top along with a drizzle of almond butter, additional blueberries or a handful of fresh berries. You could also add coconut, more maple syrup, nuts, or seeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Oats are a great source of soluble fiber which can help lower cholesterol. The soluble fiber in oats is a prebiotic so it not only helps keep you regular but it also feeds the healthy bacteria that live in your gut.
The best oats for this recipe are old-fashioned oats. Steel-cut oats do not create the cake like texture we are looking for in this recipe. If using quick oats, you may need to adjust the liquid used and the texture will be much different.
You can eat it both ways! I prefer to reheat mine for a few seconds in the microwave and serve with warm with a bit of soy milk or vegan yogurt. However, you could easily eat it cold like overnight oats.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- Freezer: To freeze, cut into individual servings and place parchment paper between stacked sliced in an airtight container. Can be stored in the freezer for several months.
- Reheat: To reheat individual servings, place in bowl in the microwave for a couple minutes til warmed through. To reheat the whole dish, cover the entire dish with aluminum foil and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for ~20 minutes.
More Vegan Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love
- Vegan Breakfast Cookies
- Healthy Super-Seedy Vegan Granola
- How to Make Vegan Overnight Oats +4 Easy Recipes
- Vegan Pumpkin Spice Granola
- Cinnamon Oatmeal
- Chai Spiced Oatmeal
- Spiced Pear Baked Oatmeal
Did you love this recipe? Make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and tag #dietitiandebbie on instagram!
Vegan Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 5 tablespoons warm water
- 1 1/2 cups plant-based milk I like unsweetened soy milk
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or coconut oil
- Juice from 1 lemon ~2 tablespoons
- Zest from 1 lemon ~1 tablespoon
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats not quick cooking
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
To Serve
- blueberries, almond butter, soy milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray an 8″x8″ glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flax seed and water and stir well. Let it sit for 5 minutes or until it starts to thicken.
- Add the rest of the liquid ingredients (coconut milk, maple syrup, lemon juice, and zest, blueberries) to the bowl with the flax and whisk to combine.
- In a second bowl, combine the dry ingredients (oats, baking powder, and salt) and stir together to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well. Stir in the blueberries.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until top of the oatmeal is golden brown and the middle no longer jiggles when you give the pan a shake.
- Allow to cool on the counter a few minutes before cutting into pieces to serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Excellent recipe! Turned out great and easy to make!
So glad you enjoyed it!