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This brownie baked oatmeal is your excuse to have dessert for breakfast! It bakes in under 20 minutes and uses simple, healthy ingredients.
Love baked oatmeal recipes? Try my classic baked oats, chocolate baked oats, carrot cake baked oats, and cinnamon roll baked oatmeal next.
Starting your morning with chocolate is always a good idea, especially if it’s secretly transformed into a healthy and wholesome breakfast.
My brownie baked oatmeal recipe was inspired by my oatmeal brownies. You get the staying power of oatmeal but with the gooey and fudgy texture of a brownie- how good is that!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- They are so fudgy. Not only is this recipe quick and easy, but it has the texture of actual brownies. They are thick, fudgy, and almost gooey in the middle.
- Healthy and filling. This recipe uses a touch of coconut oil instead of butter and replaces most of the added fat with unsweetened applesauce. Because oats are packed with whole grains, fiber, and protein, they will fill you up for hours. Also, they happen to be dairy-free.
- Great for meal prep. Like any good baked oatmeal recipe, you can prep portions of it and have a serving every morning.
- Hands off. Once you make the mix, put it in the oven and wait for it to bake!
Ingredients Needed
- Oats. Rolled oats are blended down into a flour-like consistency. This, in turn, will help create a lighter texture instead of a more dense one. You can use my homemade oat flour if you prefer.
- Cocoa powder. I like using Dutch-processed cocoa powder for an intense chocolate flavor. When buying powder, remember to purchase unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Salt. You need just a little salt to bring out the sweetness of the chocolate.
- Eggs. They bind everything together and also add some heart-healthy fats and protein.
- Coconut oil. We’ll use a little coconut oil to keep the brownies moist. They are a healthier alternative to butter or margarine. Opt for refined coconut oil to prevent any coconut flavor throughout.
- Unsweetened applesauce. This works as a fabulous alternative to butter or fats in baked goods. It provides moisture without excess calories.
- Maple syrup. Adds some sweetness to the baked oats without being overpowering. Also, a little goes a very long way. You can use honey or any other liquid sweetener.
- Chocolate chips. Any chocolate chips work, including semi-sweet chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips.
- Milk. Optional, but if the batter is a little too thick, I like to add a drop of almond milk or coconut milk to loosen things up.
How to make brownie baked oatmeal
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the batter. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine them to make your brownie batter. Fold in the chocolate chips gently.
Step 2- Bake the oatmeal. Pour the batter into a large pan and bake for 15-20 minutes. Stick a skewer in the oats, and once it comes out clean, remove the baked oats from the oven.
Step 3- Cool, then slice. Let the baked oatmeal cool completely before slicing and serving.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Always grease the pan or baking dish before adding the batter to prevent precious brownie bits from sticking to the parchment paper.
- Do not over-whisk your eggs. You want a brownie texture, not a cakey texture. Beat the eggs until just combined. Do not whisk them until foamy.
- Finely blend your oats. Coarse oat flour will result in unpleasant/ dry brownies. Blend your oats fine to get the perfect baked oats.
Variations
- Change the flavors. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the batter for a warm vanilla flavor. Add a teaspoon of instant coffee to bring out the intense chocolate taste.
- Amp up the protein by adding a scoop (1/4 cup) of your favorite protein powder.
- Make them vegan. Use an egg substitute like mashed bananas, flaxseeds, or applesauce instead of eggs for vegan oats. Also, use vegan chocolate chips.
- Make them gluten-free. Use certified gluten-free oats to make this breakfast suitable for celiacs.
- Use mix-ins, like chia seeds, shredded coconut, a sprinkling of toasted almonds, walnuts, or pecans. Nut butter is great, and I love the addition of peanut butter or almond butter.
Storage instructions
To store. Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for about two weeks.
To freeze. Store leftover portions in ziplock bags in the freezer for six months.
More delicious ways to enjoy oats
- Protein oatmeal
- Oatmeal smoothie
- Oatmeal cookie dough
- Protein overnight oats
- Overnight oats
- Oatmeal protein bars
- Or any of these oatmeal recipes
Brownie Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line an 8-inch square pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the oats, cocoa powder, and salt, and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, coconut oil, applesauce, and maple syrup.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients until combined. Fold through the chocolate chips.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out just clean. For gooey baked oatmeal, remove at the 15-minute mark. Let the baked oatmeal cool in the pan completely before slicing and serving.
These breakfast brownies are delicious! They hit all the marks for a gluten free and low sugar diet. They are easy to make, filling and perfect for breakfast on the run. Thanks for sharing!
I just made this and its so good. I love chocolate and brownies my mom loves it too
Have you tried freezing these?
Yes, it freezes really well!
what would you recommend if subbing the nutella? is it possible to make this without the nutella and the taste still be fairly good?
thank you!
Stephanie
Sure thing 🙂 It should be fine, just add peanut butter or another nut butter.
I will never understand the point of making such a healthy recipe just to throw it in the MICROWAVE??? Whaaaat. Completely defeats the purpose!
Interestingly, microwave cooking has been found to be no worse, and in some cases better than traditional heat cooking. Because the food is heated for less time, the nutrients are degraded as much as traditional cooking. The heat from a microwave is actually gentler on the nutrients, because it’s really just heat caused from friction of the molecules. There is no radiation, like it was thought in the very early generations of the machines. All in all microwave cooking is healthy … AS LONG AS you don’t heat or reheat in plastic containers. Use glass. And be careful of UNEVEN cooking in a microwave … your food can develop hot spots on the interior.
Sry someone said abou subbing Nutella but there no Nutella used so confused 😅
PS Typo correction … I meant to say nutrients are NOT degraded as much as in traditional heating methods. (I can’t edit my reply to you – sorry)
Hi! I’m intolerant to Soy, Lactose, gluten & high sugar.Can I use albumin powder as protein power? Thanks for the help!