Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal (Vegan)

Not only is this warm and filling pumpkin baked oatmeal vegan, it’s gluten-free, too (if you use gluten-free rolled oats!). It's also dairy-free, and egg-free. It’s made with pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin purée, rolled oats, and other wholesome ingredients, plus, you can customize it with the add-ins YOU like.

It’s a great make-ahead / meal-prep breakfast and can be made as squares or cups, all the details are included below, so keep reading!

When you think of the perfect breakfast to have on a cool fall morning, what do you think of? I think of things filled with apples, pumpkin, warm spices...and this fall baked oatmeal.

Pumpkin baked oatmeal to be specific. It's oatmeal that tastes like pumpkin pie.

It's warm, it fills you up, and it's packed with those delicious flavours you associate with the fall.

But don't feel like you have to make this JUST when it's fall, you can make it any time of year and you can even rotate it with my blueberry oatmeal, flaxseed oatmeal, or my other baked oatmeal recipes:

• Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
• Banana Baked Oatmeal
• Strawberry Baked Oatmeal

So let's go through everything you need to know so you can make it!

Ingredients You'll Need

You likely have most of the ingredients already, but you may need to pick up some pumpkin purée and / or pumpkin pie spice if these are ingredients you don't usually keep in your cupboards.

Ingredient Notes

Rolled Oats – Old-fashioned rolled oats must be used for this recipe, no substitutions, use gluten-free rolled oats if you need the recipe to be gluten-free.

You CANNOT use quick-cooking / instant oats (the recipe will be too mushy) or steel-cut oats (the oats will not cook through). (But if you have some steel cut oats to use up, check out my banana steel cut oats, apple spice steel cut oats, and pumpkin steel cut oats recipes!)

Dairy-Free Milk – Any type of unflavoured, unsweetened milk can be used (almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, etc.).

Pumpkin Purée – Either canned or homemade pumpkin purée can be used (click to learn how to make your own pumpkin puree). If you use homemade purée and it is on the runny side, cut back on the milk by up to ¼ cup. And make sure you are using plain pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling.

Pumpkin Pie Spice - This spice blend is available in most well-stocked grocery stores year-round but if you can't find it, you can make your own. Simply mix 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg together and use the 1 teaspoon needed for this recipe. Save the rest for another recipe (like my vegan pumpkin doughnuts!).

Flax Eggs – If you can’t have flax, chia eggs will work as a substitute.

Maple Syrup - Use pure maple syrup.

Raisins – This recipe is not overly sweet, so the raisins provide natural sweetness to the oats. If you don't like raisins, you can use a different add-in, see the "recipe variations" section below for suggestions.

Are you new to vegan gluten-free baking? If so, be sure to read all of my vegan gluten-free baking tips!

Recipe Variations

• If you don’t like raisins, you can leave them out and not use any add-in or you can replace them with chopped dates, chopped cranberries (fresh or dried), chopped apples (pumpkin apple baked oatmeal is delicious!), seeds (pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds), or nuts (chopped pecans, and chopped walnuts work well). Use the same measurement as the raisins.
• If you want to make it an extra special breakfast, make pumpkin chocolate chip baked oatmeal! Chocolate chips and pumpkin go so well together (like in my pumpkin chocolate chip muffins!). Use the same measurement as the raisins.
• If you like coconut, you can fold in ¼ cup of unsweetened shredded coconut.

How to Make It

(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step on how to make this easy recipe here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions at the end of this post.)

This oatmeal bake starts just like all of my other gluten-free baked oats.

Start by preparing the flax eggs and setting them aside to thicken.

Next, mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another and then combine them.

After that, stir in your raisins.

The final step is to pour the mixture into a casserole baking dish and bake it.

After the cooking time has ended and it's golden brown, allow it to cool until it’s warm before slicing, you don’t want to slice it while it’s still very hot since it needs a while to firm up.

For those of you who have never had baked oatmeal (also known as Amish baked oatmeal) like this before, you may be wondering what the texture is like.

The finished texture is not fluffy and light like cake or muffins; it’s more dense and solid. Similar to bread pudding…but made with oats.

Make It As Oatmeal Cups

Rather than baking in an 8-inch x 8-inch baking dish, you can make it in a muffin pan.

The baking time for both versions are different, I’ve included all the details in the recipe directions below.

How to Serve

This is not an overly sweet recipe, the sweetness from the maple syrup and the raisins make it suitable to enjoy as-is, without any toppings.

However, if you prefer a little more sweetness in your pumpkin spice baked oatmeal, you can top it with a drizzle of maple syrup, like in the picture below, or another great way to serve is to top it with dark chocolate chips, coconut whip, dairy-free yogurt, fresh fruit (like banana slices), or even a fruit sauce.

How to Store Leftovers

If you aren’t going to serve it right away, make sure it’s fully cooled to room temperature. Once fully cooled, slice it into squares, place the slices in an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Warm the slices before serving.

You can also freeze it for up to a month, just be sure to wrap each slice or cup individually and store them in an airtight container.

When you’re ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up in the morning in the oven, toaster oven, or microwave.

This is a great recipe to prepare on the weekend, store in the refrigerator, and warm up on busy weekday mornings.

FAQ

If You Make This Recipe...

...please tell me how this baked oatmeal recipe turned out for you by leaving a comment and rating below! You can even share a pic with me over on Instagram and tag me (I’m @delightfuladventures)

And If You Like This Recipe...

...you may like these other vegan gluten-free pumpkin recipes:

• Pumpkin Pudding
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Pumpkin Banana Bread
• Mini Pumpkin Muffins