This baked pumpkin oatmeal is a hearty and satisfying breakfast that is perfect for a chilly fall morning. It’s gluten free, vegan, requires only a few simple ingredients and will be ready in under 45 minutes!
Fall is my most favorite season (I’m an October baby after all) and I can’t wait for cozy creamy pumpkin pasta, lentil dal, and butternut squash soup galore. My heart is fuzzy just thinking about it.
Nothing is better on a chilly fall morning than a cozy bowl of oatmeal. Especially this baked pumpkin oatmeal. The smell of pumpkin spice filling the kitchen is bound to make your day better.
This is more or less a dump and forget type of recipe, meaning you can simply dump all of the ingredients together in a bowl, pop it into the oven and forget about it until the oven beeps.
Baked oats are just a special kind of oatmeal that you make in the oven instead of stovetop or microwave. The texture is more cake-like rather than creamy and there are so many flavor variations. It’s a healthy breakfast and so easy to make!
Plus, it’s completely gluten free, vegan, and refined sugar free but loaded with delicious pumpkin pie flavor. Serve it with my pumpkin spice latte for the ultimate fall breakfast! If you love this recipe, try my baked protein oatmeal next!
How to make pumpkin oatmeal
In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Add in the wet ingredients and mix to combine.
Transfer to an 8×8 baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
You can bake it for longer if you prefer a more set center, but keep in mind it will firm up quite a bit as it cools and as it sits in the fridge, so if you’re prepping this ahead of time, don’t bake for too much longer.
Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
Whisk together all of the ingredients for the cream cheese glaze in a small bowl and drizzle on top.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this baked oatmeal just as is! Drizzle on the maple cream cheese glaze, maybe top it off with some extra pecans or walnuts and dive right in!
If you use one large baking dish, you’ll want to serve it in bowls or plates, but if you use smaller baking dishes, you can serve them right out of there.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you can eat it hot or cold! It’s SO good fresh out of the oven, but if you prep it in advance and want to have an on the go breakfast, this recipe is still perfect for that!
It also thickens as it sits in the fridge and gets more of a cake like texture, which I love, so it’s delicious as leftovers.
How to store and freeze
Once prepared, this pumpkin oatmeal will keep in the fridge for about 5 days.
It reheats really well, just pop it back in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes, or until warm. You can also microwave it for about 30 seconds as well.
You can also freeze this baked oatmeal! I like to slice it up into squares, then wrap in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer safe bag and defrost individual pieces as needed.
To store baked oatmeal, you can keep it in the original baking dish and cover it with foil, or add to a container with a lid and seal it that way. Either way, keep it covered to prevent it from drying out.
DIY Pumpkin spice!
Pumpkin spice is a combination or cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. You can use a store bought pumpkin pie spice, or make your own.
To make your own, combine 4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and use 2 1/2 total teaspoons for this recipe.
The best kind of oats
I usually use rolled/old fashioned oats for baked oatmeal, but quick oats will also work. The final texture will be a little bit different, but still delicious!
I do not recommend using steel cut oats for baked oatmeal as they won’t soften enough in the oven.
Add more protein!
If you want to make this more protein rich, you can add in a scoop of your favorite vanilla protein and add in an extra 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk.
Try these recipes next!
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Baked Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal
- Caramelized Banana Oatmeal
- Baked Blueberry Oatmeal
- Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
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Easy Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Oats
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice see notes for DIY
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup chopped pecans plus more for garnish if desired
- 1 ¾ – 2 cups non dairy milk 1 3/4 for a more set center, 2 for a softer center
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tbsp nut butter I used almond
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp maple syrup more or less, to taste
Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
- ¼ cup non dairy cream cheese I used Kite Hill
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp cinnamon or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients (first 6 ingredients) and mix well. Add in the wet ingredients and mix to combine.
- Transfer to an 8×8 baking dish.
- Bake for 28-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- You can bake it for longer if you prefer a more set center, but keep in mind it will firm up quite a bit as it cools and as it sits in the fridge, so if you're prepping this ahead of time, don't bake for too much longer.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Whisk together all of the ingredients for the cream cheese glaze in a small bowl and drizzle on top.
Deb says
For me as a pumpkin anything lover, the nut butter takes away from the pumpkin flavor of this dish. It was a great baked oatmeal, and I will make again without the nut butter. Could you tell me why it was included in the recipe? Extra protein perhaps?
Claire Cary says
Personally, I love the combination of flavors and it helps add moisture to the recipe without needing extra oil. You can definitely leave it out if you prefer.
Cath says
I would like to try this dish. It looks very healthy. I don’t have oat milk. Can I substitute cow’s milk?
Claire Cary says
Yes, any milk will work!
Linnea says
Looking forward to making this. Curious about adding some vanilla protein powder for some added protein. Do you think it will wreck the consistency?
Claire Cary says
That should work just fine!
Rachel says
Made this for me and my kiddos ahead of time, easy reheat for breakfast before school and we love it.
Could you clarify the portion sizes? The directions initially state 4, but the nutrition facts state 6.
Claire Cary says
Sorry about that, it is 6 servings!
Susie says
Can you use instant oats?
Claire Cary says
Yes that should be fine, just watch the bake time!
Nubia says
Loved it!!!! I have made it a couple of times already, thank you so much for the recipe
Morgan says
These were incredibly delicious! I did end up freezing some of the bars, and they froze really well, so that is an option if needed!
Claire Cary says
Oh perfect! That’s good to know.
Nicole says
I made this for breakfast while the kids were playing in the snow. Perfect easy breakfast for days like this! I didn’t have vegan cream cheese but otherwise made it as the recipe stated. Definitely making this again.
Claire Cary says
Sounds like the perfect morning! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Andrea says
I just made this last night and am thoroughly enjoying for breakfast right now! It is a delicious oatmeal bake that is nice and gooey. I did the full 2 cups of almond milk, knowing I wanted that texture based on Claire’s recommendation.
I am not vegan, but found this on Pinterest when looking for a pumpkin oatmeal bake that was healthier (i.e. maple syrup vs sugar, flax meal, etc.). It is beyond delicious and I don’t feel guilty knowing it’s full of good whole grains, fiber, etc. I didn’t even do the glaze and it’s so yummy alone. Since I’m not vegan, I threw a piece in the air fryer to toast/reheat, and threw a dab of cream cheese on it.
Thank you so much, this will be a go-to fall recipe going forward!
Claire Cary says
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the feedback!
Rosalie says
This was delicious! We’re not vegan, so we used regular cream cheese that we had on hand, and used walnuts because we didn’t have pecans, and it came out great!!! The glaze is a must! Really completes the dish. Will add to our regular rotation now. Thank you for this!!
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Rosalie! The glaze is my favorite part! So happy you liked it.
Susie Luense says
Can I make it the night before and leave it in the fridge u til morning?
Claire Cary says
Yes! It keeps well in the fridge. I’d just heat it up back in the oven or microwave
Susie Luense says
I didn’t clarify my question! Can I make the oatmeal the night before uncooked and leave it in the fridge over night then cook it in the morning?
Claire Cary says
It will thicken quite a bit while it sits in the fridge, so you will need to add extra milk in the morning, but it should be ok. I haven’t tested this myself so I can’t say how it will turn out!
Chris says
I mix it up the night before and bake it in the morning, then slice to serve. It turns out great; oatmeal meets cinnamon roll! A favorite of ours!
Dominique says
Can I freeze separate servings? How long will the frosting last in fridge? Is it okay to just make a little bit of frosting at a time? I just would not want to waste a lot of vegan cream cheese if I did not have to
Claire Cary says
Hey Dominique! I have not tried freezing it, so I’m not sure how well that would turn out. The texture may be a bit off when you defrost it, but let me know if you try it! You can definitely cut the frosting recipe in half or just make a little bit if you want, it should keep in the fridge for about a week. Just give it a good stir before you use it if you’re storing any extra!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! What a great breakfast meal prep for the fall!
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great way to spice up your morning oatmeal!
Kathleen says
How is this gluten with oatmeal and vegan with cream cheese?
Claire Cary says
Oats are naturally gluten free and I clearly mention to use non-dairy (vegan) cream cheese 🙂
Sarah says
If I’m not vegan can I use 1 egg instead of the flax egg?
Claire Cary says
Yes that should work! Just be sure to whisk it up really well before adding it to the batter. Let me know how it turns out!
Ariel says
I doubled the recipe and made this for a breakfast potluck and it was a big hit. I did some brown sugar instead of all maple syrup. It would be delicious both ways. I’ll make it again for sure.
Claire Cary says
Thanks Ariel! Sounds delicious with the brown sugar. So happy you liked it 🙂
Tina says
I made this for my family and they loved it. Thank you for your great blog
Terrie says
What size dish do you use?
Claire Cary says
I would suggest either an 8×8, 9×9 or oval baking dish around that size.