Chocolate Baked Oats

These chocolate baked oats are vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and have no egg or banana. They make for an easy, healthy breakfast packed with protein and chocolate flavor. You can make a single serving for one or double the recipe and make more for later! These oats taste like dessert for breakfast, but they're healthy.

You don't need any excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast, but the healthy ingredients in these oats give them lots of protein and fiber to keep you full until lunch. That's better than eating cocoa puffs and being hungry 20 minutes later!

These oats are famous on TikTok for a reason, but these chocolate protein pancakes are worth giving a try, too. You can never have too many chocolate recipes!

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love These Oats
• Ingredient Notes
• Equipment
• Step By Step Instructions
• Ingredient Substitutions
• Oatmeal Variations
• Expert Baking Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Storing And Freezing
• More Chocolate Recipes
• Chocolate Baked Oats

Why You'll Love These Oats

• Easy to make - These baked oats are SUPER easy to make.
• Chocolate flavor - Who doesn't love having chocolate for breakfast?!
• Few ingredients - You only need 8 ingredients to make this recipe!
• Very quick - Your oats will be ready to enjoy in just 25 minutes.

Ingredient Notes

One of the things that make these chocolate baked oats so easy to make is the simple ingredients! You probably have most of them in your pantry already.

Here are some notes on a few of the ingredients:

• Flax egg - Using a flax egg makes these chocolate oats vegan. Just mix one tablespoon of ground flax seed with three tablespoons water and let it set up for 5 minutes.
• Rolled oats - Use gluten-free rolled oats to make this gluten-free baked oatmeal.
• Plant milk - Any unsweetened plant milk will work in this recipe.
• Maple syrup - You can use honey instead of maple syrup if you aren't vegan.
• Cacao powder - The cacao powder is what gives the oats their chocolate taste! Cacao powder is packed with antioxidants and nutrients that most cocoa powder lacks.

See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients.

Equipment

You only need a couple of things to make these oats:

• Blender (or food processor) - Forget using mixing bowls and spoons! You just need a blender to mix the oatmeal ingredients.
• Small ramekin or bowl - Use an oven-safe ramekin or small bowl to bake the oats in the oven.

Step By Step Instructions

Making the chocolate oatmeal is seriously so easy! I promise I'm not lying.

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a small ramekin with non-stick cooking spray.

STEP 2: Make the flax egg. Combine one tablespoon of ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of water. Stir it and let it set up for 5 minutes.

STEP 3: Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend the ingredients on medium speed until you have a smooth, thick oatmeal mixture.

STEP 4: Transfer to the ramekin. Use a rubber scraper to scrape the oatmeal off the sides of the blender and into your ramekin or bowl.

STEP 5: Add chocolate chips. Sprinkle your favorite dairy-free chocolate chunks or chocolate chips on top of the oatmeal if desired.

STEP 6: Bake the oatmeal. Place the oatmeal in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 18-20 minutes. The oats should rise and the top should have a cake-like, fluffy texture.

TIP: If you're not sure if the oatmeal is done baking, insert a toothpick into the center. It should come out with moist crumbs. This is how you know it's ready!

STEP 7: Remove from oven and add desired toppings. When the oatmeal comes out of the oven, use a spoon to gently press on the chocolate chips so they melt and spread around the bowl. Consider adding other toppings like chopped nuts, fresh berries, peanut butter, or more chocolate chips.

Ingredient Substitutions

These oats are vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, oil-free, and refined sugar-free, but they taste incredible. Here are some notes on how to substitute ingredients if you need to:

• Egg - A flax egg makes this recipe vegan, but you can use a real egg if you prefer.
• Milk - Any unsweetened plant milk works best in this recipe. You may also use water or dairy milk instead.
• Maple Syrup - You can replace the maple syrup with honey if you aren't vegan.
• Oats - Be sure to use rolled oats or old-fashioned oats for best results. Steel cut oats will not work in this recipe. If gluten-free, ensure the oats are manufactured in a gluten-free facility.
• Cacao Powder - You can use dutch-process cocoa powder or another dark cocoa powder variety instead of cacao.
• Chocolate Chips - Use dairy-free chocolate chips, chunks, or cacao nibs. You can use white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips, too!

If making ingredient substitutions, please don't try to change more than one ingredient at a time. When you change too much, I can't guarantee the recipe will turn out as well.

Oatmeal Variations

Here are some more delicious ways to make these chocolate oats:

• Protein Baked Oats - These oats already have a lot of protein, but if you want to add more, add 1-2 tablespoons of chocolate protein powder and an additional tablespoon of plant milk.
• Chocolate Orange Baked Oats - Replace the vanilla extract with orange extract and add freshly sliced oranges on top for delicious chocolate-orange oatmeal.
• Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal - Add 2 tablespoons of creamy, natural peanut butter when blending the ingredients. This makes for super delicious chocolate peanut butter oatmeal!
• Fudgy Chocolate Oats - For a delicous fudge texture, bake the oats for 16-18 minutes. Slightly underbaking them gives them a fudgy consistency in the center.
• Cake-Like Chocolate Oats - For thick, fluffy, cake-like oatmeal, bake the oats 21-23 minutes. Slightly overbaking gives you the texture of a chocolate mug cake!

Check out these protein overnight oats for another delicious, healthy oatmeal option.

Expert Baking Tips

• Don't blend too long - Blend the ingredients until just combined. Blending for too long can make the oats too smooth and chewy.
• Use old-fashioned oats - Old-fashioned oats have more nutritional benefits than quick oats. Remember, steel cut oats will not work in this recipe.
• Grease your bowl - Since these baked oats are made without oil, it's important to grease your bowl with non-stick cooking spray so it doesn't stick.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing And Freezing

Store the baked oatmeal in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days, if not enjoyed immediately.

You can freeze fully baked oatmeal in an airtight container for up to 30 days. Allow the oats to thaw for at least an hour before reheating and serving.

More Chocolate Recipes

Check out these recipes for more healthy chocolate baking:

If you made this recipe, don't forget to leave a review and star rating below! I'd love for you to post a photo on Instagram and tag me so I can share it. Follow me on Pinterest for more recipe inspiration, and join my email list to stay updated with new recipes and exclusive content each week.