Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal

Soft, chewy and easy to meal prep, this Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal is the perfect breakfast recipe. All the flavors of a gooey cinnamon roll mixed into a flavorful baked oatmeal.

Close up of a slice of baked oatmeal topped with icing and pecans.

I feel like baked oats are the solution for those that just don’t like regular stove top oatmeal. Baking your oats gives them more of a delicate muffin/cake like texture that is just way more enjoyable. And combine that with all the things I love about a good cinnamon bun, it’s heaven.

Each bite of this Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal is perfectly chewy with gooey cinnamon sugar. It’s my remedy to the winter blues at the moment.

Why You’ll Love These Baked Oats

  • Great for those that don’t like gooey oatmeal. This oatmeal has more bite and chew to it, so it really feels like you are having some cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
  • Easy to make and can be mixed all in one bowl. Minimal clean up required and hands on time required to make, which makes this perfect for those that need an easy make ahead breakfast.
  • This recipe is vegan and gluten-free and loaded with nutrients to keep you energized in the evening
Serving a square of baked oatmeal on a plate with icing and pecans on top.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Oats: I use a combination of rolled oats for the chew and quick oats to get the more cakey texture. Especially for the flavor and texture of these oats, I highly recommend using the two different varieties. You can make your own quick oats by pulsing them in a food processor until it is more chunky.
  • Cinnamon: We definitely want the cinnamon flavors to be prominent in this one. Make sure your cinnamon isn’t too old. Fresh ground cinnamon is way more flavorful and will definitely enhance this dish.
  • Brown Sugar: I recommend using brown sugar as it will make this more gooey with each bite similar to the feeling of biting into a cinnamon roll.
  • Cashew Butter: I love using nut and seed butters in my baked oats as it does two different things. It helps to bind everything together, but also makes this nice and chewy and soft at the same time. If you can’t do cashews, a creamy almond butter works as well as sun butter for those that are allergic to nuts.
  • Flax Egg: If you’ve never heard of a flax egg, it is a combination of ground flaxseeds with water that yields a binder to help replace how eggs would normally function in a recipe like this. Extra bonus is that it provides us more fiber and omega-3s which are especially good for the heart.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal

In a bowl combine your dry ingredients including the pecans and mix them well. Now add in your wet ingredients and give another good mix.

Place the wet oat batter into an 8-in x 8-in baking dish. With a spatula, spread and pack the batter evenly into the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with some reserved brown sugar and then place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes.

Allow the oats to cool and prepare your glaze. When serving, drizzle with some of the mixture and enjoy.

Tips for the Perfect Baked Oats

  • The best part about these oats are how soft they are. In order to keep this soft and gooey texture, make sure to avoid overbaking your oats. 25 minutes is all you need and the softness will maintain itself even after it cools.
  • Add a nice sprinkle of brown sugar over top of your oatmeal before popping in the oven. As the oats bake, the brown sugar will create a lovely gooey texture for the baked oats and keep them nice and soft.
  • Wait until your oatmeal cools before adding the icing. If you add it right after taking out of the oven, your icing will melt into the oats.
Baked oatmeal out of the oven and topped with icing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this be made with steel cut oats?

The measurements for this recipe were made for the specific use of rolled and quick oats. If you use a different style oat like steel-cut oats, you will not get the same result. Steel-cut oats require more liquid to cook, and baking for the time allotted would not cook the oats long enough to soften. That is to say, please stick to the recommended ingredients for this recipe for best results.

Can any plant based milk be used for this recipe?

Yes! I used almond milk because it was what I had on hand, but a number of different plant based milks can work. Just make sure it is unsweetened to match what was used in this recipe. If you use one that is already sweetened, it will change the taste/sweetness of the oats.

Is there a replacement for the flaxseeds?

You can leave the mixture out, but note that your oatmeal might be more crumbly when serving. Since flaxseed is providing healthy fats, you can also add 1 extra tablespoon of nut butter if needed.

Are baked oats healthy?

Oats are filled with fiber, b-vitamins, iron and zinc. Combining with some healthy fats like the cashew butter and flax egg help to add some other vital nutrients like omega-3s and some protein as well.

Can baked oats be meal prepped?

Yes! Just make sure to prepare the oatmeal as instructed without the glaze. You can slice and store your baked oats in individual airtight containers for easy grab and go meals throughout the week. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also place in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, thaw the oats out and place in the microwave to warm through.

How to Serve

This oatmeal is perfect to enjoy as is, but can be used as a Christmas brunch option along with some hot chocolate. This can also be enjoyed any time of the year as an easy breakfast meal prep.

When ready to serve, it can be enjoyed with some vegan yogurt, and some additional berries and fruit to compliment your meal.

More Baked Oatmeal Recipes to Try

Taking a forkful of oatmeal from the baked square on a plate.
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Baked oatmeal out of the oven and topped with icing.

Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Catherine Perez
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Soft, chewy and easy to meal prep, this Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal is the perfect breakfast recipe. All the flavors of a gooey cinnamon roll mixed into a flavorful baked oatmeal. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 4 tbsp water
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp brown sugar, reserve the 1 tbsp to sprinkle
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup cashew butter
  • 1 1/4 cup almond milk

Optional Glaze

  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp almond milk

Instructions

  1. Set oven to 350F. In a small bowl combine ground flaxseed and water then allow to sit and gel for about 5 minutes.
  2. In a bowl, stir together your oats, pecans, baking powder, cinnamon, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt.
  3. Add in the cashew butter, almond milk, vanilla and flax egg and stir well with a spatula until well mixed.
  4. Spoon your mixture into a greased 8-in x 8-in baking pan and press the oats down evenly over the bottom of the baking dish using the spatula.
  5. Sprinkle the top of your oats with the remaining tablespoon of brown sugar then place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. During this time you can prepare the optional glaze. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and almond milk. Once smooth, pour your sugar glaze over top of the oats before serving.

Notes

The best part about these oats are how soft they are. In order to keep this soft and gooey texture, make sure to avoid overbaking your oats. 25 minutes is all you need and the softness will maintain itself even after it cools.

Add a nice sprinkle of brown sugar over top of your oatmeal before popping in the oven. As the oats bake, the brown sugar will create a lovely gooey texture for the baked oats and keep them nice and soft.

Wait until your oatmeal cools before adding the icing. If you add it right after taking out of the oven, your icing will melt into the oats.

If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.

 Catherine

This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase from those links. I only recommend and share products that I know, trust and personally use myself!

5 Comments

  1. I haven’t tried it yet, but I am this weekend. Do you think you can swap cashew butter for peanut butter and pecans for walnuts?

    1. As long as you don’t mind the peanut butter taste, this will absolutely be delicious with peanut butter (as I have tried it and still tastes great). And walnuts are a perfect substitute. 🙂

  2. Amazing! I made this to meal prep for the week. Super easy to make—I didn’t have cashew butter so I used peanut butter. I also made double the icing.. Super delicious and it definitely is great for a holiday brunch!






  3. This recipe is fantastic. I love it so much that I’ve already made it 4 times and every time it’s gone, I want to make another batch. It’s just so warm, gooey, hearty, and comforting. It’s like a warm cinnamon hug for breakfast and I wish I could eat it every day!






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