Chocolate Baked Oatmeal

This Chocolate Baked Oatmeal recipe is unbelievably delicious. Made with nutritious oats and lightly sweetened with brown sugar for a filling breakfast that everyone will love. A go-to for busy mornings and loved by even our pickiest eater.

Love oatmeal? Me too! Be sure to try some of my other favorites like my Peaches and Cream Oatmeal, Carrot Cake Oatmeal, and Maple and Brown Sugar Oats.

light blue bowl sitting on a wooden cutting board with a white baking dish filled with chocolate otas in the background. The blue bowl is filled with chocolate oatmeal and raspberries with a spoon

Recipe Features

Family Favorite: Not only is this a quick breakfast idea, it also is loved by everyone in our home, even the picky eater!
Quick and Easy: Combining the ingredients into one dish and baking makes this incredibly easy to make.
Easy to Customize: Use your favorite milk, different fruits, or baking spices to jazz up the flavor.

This oatmeal is SO DANG GOOD. It is like a mix between a cookie and a brownie and it is delicious. Slightly adapted from my classic baked oats, but with the addition of both cocoa powder AND chocolate chips! The perfect way to start your day any time of the year.

It even gets the stamp of approval from my husband, who isn’t’ a fan of oatmeal for breakfast. He had TWO giant helpings and claims that this is almost like cake for breakfast. Win win.

silver mixing bowl filled with quick oats sitting on a wooden cutting board with a side of bananas and a teal napkin

Chocolate Baked Oatmeal Ingredients

The flavor of this oatmeal is light, sweet, with the perfect amount of chocolate. Added banana helps give it moisture with the added bonus of even more sweetness. You can’t go wrong with this recipe.

Quick Cooking Oats: Rolled oats won’t soak up as much of the egg and milk mixture, leaving you with a slightly tougher finish.
Brown Sugar: Optionally, you can substitute this with maple syrup. We prefer the traditional brown sugar oatmeal flavor.
Baking Powder and Salt: Be sure to double check the expiration date of the baking powder. Using fresh ingredients will make a difference.
Cocoa Powder: We’ve made this recipe with both classic cocoa and Dutch processed with delicious results.
Eggs: Large eggs give structure to the filling, and help provide that light sponge cake texture.
Milk: 2% is our go-to, however you could always substitute this for your favorite milk variety.
Butter: Another optional, but extremely tasty addition.
Bananas: Adding smashed, overripe, bananas to this recipe helps to increase the sweetness as well as adding moisture.
Chocolate Chips: Optionbal, but such a great add in.

white baking dish filled with unbaked oatmeal being spread into an even layer sitting on a wooden cutting board with a teal napkin off to the side

Chocolate Baked Oats

Once baked, this oatmeal is more crumbly, but still moist, like a cookie. The best way to serve is warm with a splash of milk and fresh fruit. Leftovers last for days which also lands this in our “meal prep” category.

PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and mist a 9 inch pan with baking spray.
MIX: Stir together the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cocoa, eggs, 1 cup milk, melted butter, and bananas and spread into the prepared pan.
BAKE: Sprinkle with chocolate chips and bake the mixture for 40 minutes, or until the center is set.
SERVE: Serve with a sprinkle of sugar if desired, additional milk, or fresh fruit!

Helpful Tools

9 Inch Pan: You can technically bake these in a 9×13 pan, but I love it a smidge thicker. A 9″ baking pan (affiliate) is key. This one comes in a set of 2 WITH lids. Which is amazing for quick storage of leftovers.
Silicone Spatulas: If I can only recommend one kitchen tool, it would be a set of silicone spatulas (affiliate). These are so versatile and used daily in our kitchen. Great for baking AND cooking.
Baking Spray: This oatmeal will stick to the pan. It’s important to prep by either greasing with butter or spray. I like to use either avocado spray (affiliate), which has no added flavor, or baking spray (affiliate).

spoon holding up chocolate oatmeal over the top of a white baking dish with more oats

Recipe Notes:

Can this oatmeal be made in a muffin tin?

Yes. Follow the recipe above, adding 1/4 cup additional milk to the mixture. Divide the oats into a cooking spray misted 12 cup cupcake tray. Bake 20 minutes, or until the center has set.

Can you freeze oatmeal?

This is a huge time saver in the mornings. When you need a quick, filling, and somewhat healthy dish… All you need to do is stick this in the microwave and you are ready to chow!
1. Spoon your cooked oatmeal into freezer safe bags. Squeeze as much air as possible out and seal shut.
2. Label with the recipe name and date. Frozen oatmeal will stay fresh up to 6 months in the freezer.
3. When you are ready to eat your oatmeal – Transfer to a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals until warm.

How long does baked oatmeal last?

Bake the oats according to the recipe. Let the leftovers cool completely then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. When ready to eat, simply heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and serve topped with milk.

Can baked oats be made in advance?

Absolutely, however I suggest adding just a 1/4 cup more milk to the mixture. Mix as directed and pour into the prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake as directed.