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This baked oatmeal recipe is a warm, satisfying breakfast made with oats, honey, and your favorite fruit. Baked in a small baking dish, it’s perfect for one and easy to customize with different fruits, spices, or toppings.
Featured Comment
I have made this many times! Delicious! I also added peaches with the blueberries.
– Cathie
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: Ready in minutes with simple ingredients.
- Customizable: Add your favorite fruits, spices, or toppings.
- Nutritious: A good source of fiber, protein, and essential vitamins.
- Great Texture: Soft and chewy, like an oatmeal cookie.
- Easily Doubles: Make one or two servings as needed.
I love this baked oatmeal because it’s simple, comforting, and a great way to start the day.
I layer fruit in a small baking dish, top it with oats and a warm blend of milk, butter, vanilla, egg, and honey, then bake it until golden. It feels like something special, even though it’s so easy to make. Whether you top it with yogurt or enjoy it just as it is, it’s one of those recipes I turn to again and again.
Try more easy single serving breakfast ideas like banana bread for one, cheesy baked eggs, avocado toast for one, or a sweet fruit quesadilla.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small batch baked oatmeal recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Oats: Use old-fashioned oats for the best texture. Leftover oats can be used in recipes like small batch oatmeal raisin cookies, a single strawberry crisp, blackberry crisp for one, or small batch gingerbread granola.
- Cinnamon and Salt: Cinnamon adds warmth; salt enhances the flavor. Try nutmeg or allspice for a variation.
- Milk: Use any milk you like, dairy or plant-based (such as almond, soy, or coconut).
- Butter: I use salted butter for added flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds subtle sweetness and enhances the flavor.
- Egg: Helps bind the ingredients.
- Honey: Lightly sweetens the oatmeal. Adjust to taste or use maple syrup if preferred.
- Fruit: Blueberries are a great choice, but any fresh or thawed frozen fruit works well.
Recipe Variations
Try one of these easy variations to change up the flavor of your baked oatmeal:
- Tropical: Use coconut milk and add pineapple chunks and shredded coconut.
- Apple Cinnamon Raisin: Stir in grated apple, raisins, and an extra pinch of cinnamon.
- Mocha: Add 1 teaspoon instant coffee and chocolate chips for a mocha flavor.
- Savory: Leave out the fruit and sweeteners. Add chopped spinach, crumbled feta, and black pepper.
- Pumpkin Spice: Replace some of the milk with pumpkin purée and add pumpkin spice.
How To Make Baked Oatmeal
These photos and instructions help you visualize how to make a single serving of baked oats. See the recipe below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, stir together the oats, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
- Whisk Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, melted butter, honey, and vanilla extract.
- Prepare the Dish: Add your chosen fruit to the bottom of a 5×5-inch baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
- Add the Oats: Spoon the oat mixture over the fruit, creating an even layer.
- Smooth the Top: Gently level the oats to ensure they bake evenly.
- Combine and Bake: Pour the whisked liquid mixture over the oats and fruit.
- Bake and Serve: Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the oatmeal is set and golden on top. Let it cool slightly, then enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Essential Formula: The key to single serving baked oatmeal is a simple formula: 1/4 cup of oats, 1/4 cup of liquid, one egg, and about a tablespoon of honey for sweetness.
- Experiment with Spices: Swap out cinnamon for nutmeg, cardamom, or even allspice to change up the flavor.
- Milk Options: Use any milk you prefer, from cow’s milk to almond, soy, or coconut milk.
- Adjust Sweetness: Keep the recipe lightly sweetened, and add toppings like fresh fruit or a dollop of vanilla yogurt to customize the flavor.
- Fruit Choices: While blueberries are popular, feel free to try sliced bananas, diced strawberries, or chopped apples.
- Serving Suggestions: Enjoy your baked oatmeal warm, topped with milk, yogurt, or a drizzle of honey for added flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can bake it in advance and reheat it in the microwave or oven when ready to eat.
No, for best texture use old-fashioned oats.
To make baked oatmeal for one, use a 5×5-inch baking dish. This dish holds about 1.5 cups and has an area of 25 square inches. A 4×6-inch dish has an area of 24 square inches and will work as well. For best results, use a dish of similar size.
Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven before serving.
Yes, double the ingredients and use a 6×8-inch baking dish to make multiple servings.
RELATED: 20 Breakfast Recipes “For One” That Are Worth Waking Up For
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this “Baked Oatmeal For One” or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!
RELATED: 40 Easy Recipes For College Students
Baked Oatmeal For One
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup old fashioned oats
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon salted butter -divided
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup blueberries (Line the bottom of your baking dish with fruit. Use up to 1/2 cup if needed to cover the bottom evenly.)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 350°F (177°C). Butter the inside of a 5×5-inch baking dish with ½ tablespoon of butter.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, stir together the oats, cinnamon, and salt until evenly mixed.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In another small bowl, whisk together the milk, ½ tablespoon of melted butter, vanilla, honey, and egg until fully combined.
- Prepare the Baking Dish: Spread the blueberries evenly across the bottom of the buttered baking dish.
- Layer the Oats: Sprinkle the dry oat mixture evenly over the blueberries.
- Add the Wet Ingredients: Pour the whisked liquid mixture over the oats and fruit, ensuring everything is evenly coated.
- Bake: Place the dish in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and set.
Notes
- Essential Formula: The key to single serving baked oatmeal is a simple formula: 1/4 cup of oats, 1/4 cup of liquid, one egg, and about a tablespoon of honey for sweetness.
- Experiment with Spices: Swap out cinnamon for nutmeg, cardamom, or even allspice to change up the flavor.
- Milk Options: Use any milk you prefer, from cow’s milk to almond, soy, or coconut milk.
- Adjust Sweetness: Keep the recipe lightly sweetened, and add toppings like fresh fruit or a dollop of vanilla yogurt to customize the flavor.
- Fruit Choices: While blueberries are popular, feel free to try sliced bananas, diced strawberries, or chopped apples.
- Serving Suggestions: Enjoy your baked oatmeal warm, topped with milk, yogurt, or a drizzle of honey for added flavor.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I just made this in two ramekins as a savory version: I layered artichoke hearts, diced ham, sun-dried, tomatoes, garlic, and herb, feta cheese, topped with the oats and liquid mixture baked it, and it was delicious. Thank you, Joanie!
What a wonderful savory take! Artichoke hearts, ham, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta sound incredible together. So glad you ran with the savory variation and made it your own!
Try this recipe if you’ve never tried or thought you wouldn’t like baked oatmeal! You will love it! Today I used a combination of strawberries and apples.
So glad you love this one! Strawberries and apples sound like such a wonderful combination.
I don’t normally like baked oatmeal, but your recipe changed my mind. I used chopped strawberries and wish I had doubled the recipe. I will definitely make this again!
While I don’t mind using the oven, I don’t usually want to wait 45 minutes for my breakfast. Can this recipe be made in the microwave? If so, how do I adjust the recipe?
Thank you!
Baked oatmeal is meant for the oven, so I wouldn’t recommend trying to make it any other way. The texture and golden top come from the bake. If you’d like a quicker oatmeal breakfast, my peanut butter oatmeal comes together on the stovetop in about 15 minutes and is creamy and satisfying (https://onedishkitchen.com/peanut-butter-oatmeal/) . You can also prep the baked oatmeal the night before by mixing everything together, covering it, and storing it in the fridge so it’s ready to pop in the oven in the morning while you get ready.
Wonderful! Made with thawed mixed berries and maple syrup. DH and I split one serving. Thank you, Joanie, for all your work at bringing us such delicious small serving recipes.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it! Thawed mixed berries and maple syrup sound wonderful in this baked oatmeal. Thank you for your kind words, they mean so much.
how to make with lower sat fat?
You can reduce the saturated fat by using a plant-based milk or low-fat dairy milk and replacing the butter with a neutral oil or a plant-based butter. The butter does add flavor, so the taste may be slightly different, but the recipe should still work well. You can also lightly grease the baking dish with cooking spray instead of using the butter called for to butter the dish.
Today I used Greek yogurt instead of milk. And frozen berries. Amazing taste and texture!
I love this recipe, just finished it on a snowy Sunday morning. It’s the perfect portion. I had all the ingredients on hand, and for the health benefits, doubled the blueberries using a half cup of frozen, small, wild blueberries, and extra cinnamon. It may not be sweet enough for everyone, but I enjoyed it and there are plenty of other dessert style recipes out there. Next, I will try the pumpkin purée/pumpkin spice version. Thank you Joanie!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The extra blueberries and cinnamon sound wonderful. I love that you made it your own, and I think you’ll really enjoy the pumpkin version next.
The Baked Oatmeal was perfect with my coffee on a very cold morning. I did not have fresh or frozen blueberries so I dotted the bottom of the pan with small teaspoon size lumps of fig jam and followed the rest of the directions as written. Using the jam made it a little sweeter than using fruit so it would be an option for those who thought the fruit version was bland. It was delicious! I prefer the baked oatmeal texture to regular oatmeal. Thank you, Joanie for all your great recipes and ideas!
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That sounds delicious. The fig jam is a lovely addition, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the texture of the baked oatmeal. I really appreciate you sharing your experience.
Not the best recipe, not very sweet & very bland. I even added more honey & cinnamon… sorry won’t be making again!
This baked oatmeal is intentionally lightly sweetened, and the sweetness can be adjusted based on personal preference. I mention that in the recipe and ingredient notes since many readers prefer a less sweet breakfast. It may not be the right fit if you’re looking for a more dessert-style oatmeal.
Will certainly make baked oatmeal and the banana cupcakes I will add a dash of nutmeg to the muffins…
The proportions are right so its a good base recipe. However, it needs a lot more flavor. I used Penzey’s baking spice in place of cinnamon. It needs to be at least doubled, if not more. Couldn’t even taste it when I used 1/2 tsp (plus an extra sprinkle!) in the doubled recipe.
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and for your thoughtful feedback. Taste preferences definitely vary, and I’m glad you found the proportions to be a good base. It’s helpful to hear how you adjusted the spice to suit your liking – Penzey’s baking spice is a great choice. I know others have really enjoyed the recipe as written, but I always encourage adjusting spices to make it your own!
I’ve made this many times for myself for a wonderful breakfast,I’ve used all different combinations of fruits and it never fails to come out amazing and delicious 😋 thanks for a fantastic recipe!
I make this recipe often because I like oatmeal for breakfast, but it doesn’t last long and I’m hungry before lunch. Adding an egg and milk helps though. Today it occurred to me to use the last couple of teaspoons of my homemade peach jam left in the jar instead of honey to sweeten it. Delicious! Adding blueberries and topping it with vanilla yogurt made an amazing breakfast! Think I’ll try some other flavors of jam. Maybe grape with a little peanut butter?
I baked this in the Ninja Countertop Air Fry Oven. I used the bake option and saved 8 minutes bake time. Now I only have to wait 30 minutes for a most excellent breakfast but either way this recipe is well worth the wait! ❤
That’s wonderful to know! Thank you.
Thank you! I needed this one serving recipe. I made as instructed for a few times then I experimented. I used steel cut oats instead of old fashion. To do so, use the milk in this recipe to soak the steel cut oats for 20 minutes then continue with instructions. I added an extra tablespoon of milk because I like my oatmeal a bit juicy.
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and love hearing about your experiment with steel cut oats. That’s a great tip to soak them first! Adding a little extra milk for a creamier texture sounds wonderful too. Thanks again for sharing your experience!
Can you make this the night before and then Bake it in the oven?
You can definitely prep some of it the night before! Mix the oats, cinnamon, and salt together and store them separately from the liquid ingredients (milk, egg, honey, and vanilla). In the morning, just mix in the melted butter to the liquids, combine everything, and bake. This way, the oats won’t soak up too much liquid overnight.
It’s more eggy than my regular recipe but I really liked that. I added a touch more cinnamon. I like that it’s not overly sweet because you get more if the fresh fruit taste. I will be making this again and experimenting with fruit depending on what I have. Thank you for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and it truly is a great recipe for swapping in whatever fruit you have on hand.
I ENJOY Your Recipes very much as there is just enough food for 1 or 2 servings !
Second time making this Baked Oatmeal recipe.
Using what I had on hand, I didn’t have enough Blueberries but had fresh Peach. DELICIOUS !
Any Suggestions on how to make this recipe with canned Pumpkin ?
Thanks 😊 Joanie !
Hi! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes, and it’s great to hear that the baked oatmeal turned out delicious with peaches! I haven’t tried it with canned pumpkin yet, but I’m excited about the possibility. You could try replacing the fruit with about 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin and adding some warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you give it a try! Thanks for sharing your feedback.
As a single gal who hates to waste food, I LOVE your recipes. I hope maybe in the future you could provide air fryer instructions too. Heating up the oven in my tiny apartment for these recipes is not always preferable and the recommended conversions don’t always work so well. Thanks again!@ ❤️
I’m so glad you love the recipes! Right now, we don’t use an air fryer, so we don’t have air fryer instructions. However, it’s something we might consider in the future. Thanks for the suggestion!
Joanie, print this recipe. You will see that other comments indicating that it prints over 7 pages, including photos, are correct. It would really help if you would kindly fix it.
Hi Martine, if you uncheck the Recipe Image box, the Instruction Images, the Notes, and the Nutrition Label on the print page, only one page will print.
This recipe is absolutely delicious! The possibilities are endless also. Just learning how to cook for only one now and this is perfect amount.
I agree with Dianne, having the pictures sprinkled among the directions is difficult. It was difficult for me because I had to keep scrolling back up to get the amount of each ingredient. However, the recipe was delicious. I would be interested to know how long it needs to cook in an air fryer.