Protein Baked Oats

Dessert for breakfast? Yes, but healthy and high protein with this baked oatmeal recipe. Here’s everything you need to know on how to make Protein Baked Oats with protein powder. In 5 different ways!

Many people know baked oatmeal because of TikTok. In early 2020, blended oats went first viral and ever since then they’ve been trending on all social media. But actually, they aren’t a TikTok invention. People had been baking their oats long before their popularity.

Myself included. Back in 2016, chocolate protein baked oatmeal was one of my favorite breakfasts. I used to make it overnight and keep in the fridge until the next morning. Trust me, it was literally like eating cake before school, but healthy.

Today I’m bringing together years of experience to write the ultimate guide on how to make protein baked oats. In 5 different versions!

Ingredients and substitutes

From topping to filling, there are many ways how you can make protein baked oats. Nevertheless, the basic recipe is very simple. Here are all the ingredients you need, together with details and substitutes.

• Banana: for the best result, choose a ripe banana. For baked oats without banana, replace with applesauce.
• Oats: I recommend rolled oats but also quick oats are okay. Another option is oat flour, but in this case the recipe instructions will slightly change.
• Protein powder: for soft and fluffy baked oats, I recommend vegan protein powder, casein or a mix of casein and whey. If you only use whey, instead, the texture will be pretty dry and rubbery. That always happen when heating whey protein.
• Maple syrup: replace with honey, agave syrup, date syrup, coconut sugar, brown sugar or any other sweetener of your choice. Use erythritol for a sugar-free and calorie-free alternative.
• Milk of choice: you can make baked oats with either dairy or nondairy milk. My favorites are soy, pea and oat milk.
• Baking powder: this helps the oatmeal rise.
• Pinch of salt: this enhances the flavors and balances the sweetness.

In addition, some recipes require an egg. But since this is a vegan protein baked oats recipe, this one doesn’t.

Additional ingredients

As we have just seen, the basic recipe for protein baked oats is pretty minimalistic. But this should not limit your creativity! With cocoa powder, peanut butter or cinnamon, you can have a different baked oatmeal every day.

And if you feel uninspired, here are some ideas!

• Cocoa powder: add unsweetened cocoa powder and it will be like eating chocolate cake for breakfast. But healthy!
• Nut butter: peanut, cashew, almond, hazelnut butter or tahini (not a nut butter, but it tastes great).
• Chocolate chips: dark or white, pick and choose the chocolate chips you like the most.
• Nuts and seeds: for more taste, crunchiness and nutrients.
• Spices and flavors: ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, nutmeg and ginger are the most common.
• Jam: perfect for PB&J baked oats!
• Other ideas: desiccated coconut, mini cookies, Oreos, dried fruits or even protein bars to name a few.

And if you want to level up your breakfast experience, try your oats with about 2 tablespoons of protein pudding inside. What’s better than cakey baked oats with a creamy filling?

Which oats for baked oats?

When baking oatmeal, many people wonder which oats are best. In reality, as they all get blended, both rolled oats, quick oats and oat flour work. The result will be nearly the same, but the preparation method not.

• Rolled oats and quick oats: combine everything into a blender and process until smooth.
• Oat flour: as it is already flour, in this case you don’t need a blender. Mix the ingredients in a bowl until you get a good batter.

What is the best protein powder for oatmeal?

For soft and fluffy baked oats I recommend vegan protein powder or casein. When heated, these do not alter the texture of desserts. On the contrary, whey tends to dry and give cakes a rubbery consistency. But don’t worry, you can still make protein powder baked oats with whey. Just keep in mind that the result may be quite disappointing.

The protein powder flavor is up to you. Vanilla, chocolate, cookie dough or even unflavored, pick and choose the one you prefer. Mine are vanilla and chocolate!

Recipe variations

• Cookie dough: add peanut butter and chocolate chips.
• Chocolate: add cocoa powder and chocolate chips.
• Banana bread: mix in nut butter, cinnamon and vanilla extract.
• Blueberry muffin: after blending, fold in blueberries.
• Raspberry white chocolate: stir raspberries and white chocolate chips into the batter.

What ramekin for baked oats?

One of the most asked question on how to make protein baked oats is what baking dish to use. For my recipes I always use a dessert ramekin that I purchased from Amazon. And if you want more details, here are two requirements for the baking dish.

• It has to be ovenproof – check if the bowl has an oven symbol underneath.
• Ideally, the size of the ramekin should be about 11 cm or 4.5 inches in diameter and 300 ml or 10 oz.

How to make baked oats with protein powder

The recipe instructions will chance based on the type of oats used. If for rolled oats you’ll need a blender, with the flour a mixing bowl is enough.

Baked Oats with Rolled Oats

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until the batter is smooth. After blending, stir in any additional ingredient you like and transfer the to an 11 cm (4.5 inches) ramekin. Bake in hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes at 180ºC (350ºF).

Baked Oats with Oat Flour

Start by mashing the banana in a bowl. When it is mashed, add all the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Finally, transfer the protein batter to an 11 cm (4.5 inches) ramekin and bake in hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes at 180ºC (350ºF).

Alternative cooking methods

“And what if I have no oven?”

Well, maybe you still didn’t know that you can make baked oats in the microwave or air fryer! Both cooking methods are very simple and much faster than the oven. However, the result won’t be the same.

When you bake the oats in the oven, they turn out more like a cake: soft and less creamy. If you make air fryer oats, they will be creamier inside and slightly “burned” on the top. When you microwave oatmeal, instead, it will have a quite soggy texture.

How to make protein baked oats in air fryer

Preheat the air fryer to 150°C (300°F) and air fry the oats for 12 to 16 minutes. The less you cook them, the creamier the inside.

How to make baked oats in microwave

Microwave at maximum speed for 2 minutes to 3 minutes, or until the oats reach the desired consistency. But be careful that your protein cake may overflow while cooking. If this happens, stop, let cool and restart the microwave until ready.

How to meal prep and store

After baking, let the protein baked oats cool. Once cooled, place in an airtight food container or wrap the ramekin and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Before serving, reheat in hot oven for a couple of minutes or microwave for around 30 seconds.

Recipe tips

• Don’t skip the banana! Besides adding sweetness, the banana will make your oats soft and fluffy.
• Use vegan protein powder or casein. Avoid whey because it will make your baked oats dry.
• Use flavored protein powder. They will enhance the taste of your breakfast.
• Don’t forget the pinch of salt! It is just a pinch, but it will make the difference.
• Blend very well! Place everything into a high speed blender and process until the oats have become flour. The finer the oats, the more they will taste like cake.
• Don’t over-bake! After 20 minutes, remove from the oven and check how the baking is going. Only if still raw inside, bake for additional 5 minutes.
• Enjoy warm. For the best experience, eat your baked oatmeal warm. Straight from the oven!

FAQ – Frequently asked questions

More protein oatmeal recipes

• Chocolate protein cake
• Protein oatmeal cookies
• Oatmeal protein bars
• Apple protein baked oats
• Oat flour protein banana bread
• Macro-friendly overnight oats