Fudgy Chocolate Baked Oats
Chocolate Baked Oats that are fudgy and perfect to meal prep in advance for breakfast through the week. Easy to make, healthy and only one bowl needed.
Chocolate is a big mood booster for me. And I love adding it to nourishing meals and snacks because it just makes food more fun and delicious. So you’ll catch me adding chocolate to granola, muffins, blondies, and to make my favorite spreads.
So I knew it wouldn’t be long before I added it to some baked oats, and oh my goodness is it good! But I didn’t want just any of the regular chocolate baked oatmeal recipes I see…I wanted some fudgy chocolate baked oats. I wanted those baked oats to be decadent, loaded with chocolate, with that intense chocolate flavor that makes me feel like I’m having a brownie, but for breakfast. So let’s make it!
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Baked Oatmeal
- Breakfast that tastes like dessert. A great way to try oats if you don’t like the texture of traditional oatmeal. They come out fudgy, super decadent and have a cake like texture you’ll love.
- Easy to make. These oats are made in just one bowl and no other fancy equipment is needed.
- Great to meal prep. A delicious recipe to prep in advance for an easy work week breakfast.
- A healthier sweet treat alternative. Loaded with fiber, protein, and much less sugar than traditional sweet treats, but still tastes rich and decadent.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oats: Use rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)! These oats will not work with steel-cut oats as they will not cook all the way through.
- Cocoa Powder: For a brownie like flavor and taste, I do recommend using Dutch-processed cocoa. You can use regular cocoa powder, but do note that your oats will be a lighter brown color and might not be as intensely chocolatey in flavor.
- Ground Flaxseed: This is our egg replacer. You can substitute them for some chia seeds.
- Maple Syrup: Our sweetener of choice. You can use another liquid sweetener like agave syrup if desired.
- Peanut Butter: I love using peanut butter because it is cheaper than other nut butters and gives the oats a more fudgy texture. You can replace with a more neutral nut or seed butter based on preference just make sure it is natural (just the nut/seed with salt).
- Chocolate Chips: Make sure they are dairy-free by looking at the ingredients. For a rich chocolate flavor, I tend to use dark chocolate chunks or chips.
How to Make Chocolate Baked Oats
This whole breakfast tray can be made in just one bowl. For extra decadence, heat up your milk in the microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave, add 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips and whisk together to melt them down into the milk.
To the bowl, add in espresso powder, ground flaxseeds, cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla, salt, maple syrup, and peanut butter. Whisk everything together until smooth and then add in your rolled oats and the remainder of the chocolate chips.
Fold them into the batter and then pour your batter into a greased 8-in x 8-in ceramic baking dish and bake until the oats have cooked through.
Expert Tips
- If not a fan of peanut butter, you can try a more neutral nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter, or try an nut-free option like sunflower seed butter.
- Use rolled oats. You can do a mix of rolled oats and quick oats, but avoid using steel cut oats as they will not cook through with this method.
- Do not overbake your oats. This will cause your oats to dry out and not retain that fudgy texture.
- Use espresso powder for more chocolate flavor. You just need to use a little bit of it, but adding it will help to intensify the chocolate flavors in your chocolate baked goods. Do not worry, it will not make your oats taste like coffee!
Frequently Asked Questions
Allow the baked oats to cool before storing. You can cover the baking tray or cut the baked oats into individual pieces and place in airtight storage containers to place in the fridge for up to 5 days.
They can! Heat them up in a microwave safe dish in your microwave for 30 seconds to help warm the chocolate chips through. This also works for 2-3 minutes in a toaster oven or until warmed through to your liking.
Yes. Place the oats in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you want to enjoy it, remove the oats from the freezer and allow to completely thaw. You can also reheat them in the microwave or a toaster oven until warmed through.
The ground flaxseed is our egg replacer in this recipe. You can replace this with ground chia seeds, 3 tablespoons of applesauce or 1 mashed banana. Just note, if you use banana, it will give the oats a banana flavor.
Yes! This is a popular trend on social media where you can blend your batter in a high speed blender and bake it to get a nice cake like texture. You can absolutely blend the batter smooth and bake it up if you are not a fan of the texture of rolled oats.
How to Serve
For more fiber, I recommend serving a portion of these oats along with a serving of fruit. I love using fresh berries like strawberries or raspberries. You can add additional protein by serving the oats with some high-protein vegan yogurt and a sprinkle of hemp hearts on top.
To make these extra decadent, you can also drizzle some extra melted chocolate on top or serve with a scoop of vegan whipped cream.
More Easy Vegan Breakfast Recipes to Try
- Easy Blueberry Chia Pudding
- PBJ Overnight Oats
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Breakfast Polenta Bowl with Smoky Air Fried Tempeh
- Black Bean and Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
Fudgy Chocolate Baked Oats
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Chocolate Baked Oats that are fudgy and perfect to meal prep in advance for breakfast through the week. Easy to make, healthy and only one bowl needed.
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened soy milk or oat milk
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp of dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1 tsp espresso powder, optional
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 7 tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup peanut butter (or almond butter for a more neutral flavor)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F and prepare an 8-in x 8-in ceramic baking dish. Add your milk to a bowl and place in the microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds or until the milk is warm (not boiling). Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips and whisk it into the milk to melt it down.
- To the milk bowl add the espresso powder, flaxseed, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, maple syrup, peanut butter and vanilla extract then whisk well to combine.
- Pour in your oats and the remaining chocolate chips and fold them into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes before cutting into it and serving.
Notes
If not a fan of peanut butter, you can try a more neutral nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter, or try an nut-free option like sunflower seed butter.
Use rolled oats. Avoid using steel cut oats as they will not cook through with this method.
Do not overbake your oats. This will cause your oats to dry out and not retain that fudgy texture.
Use espresso powder for more chocolate flavor. You just need to use a little bit of it, but adding it will help to intensify the chocolate flavors in your chocolate baked goods.
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
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Hi quick question. In the first step you melt a couple tbsp of choc chips in the milk and for the rest of the instructions there’s nothing saying what to do with the milk. Do i mix it in with all the other ingredients?
Apologies if it wasn’t clear, the rest of the ingredients should be added to the bowl of chocolate chips and milk. That was the bowl referenced in step 2. I clarified so now it should say milk bowl. Hope you enjoy!
Can almond mike be used as a substitute for soy or oat milk?
Yes! Feel free to use the milk you like. 🙂