Vegan Strawberry Baked Oatmeal

This easy breakfast (or brunch!) strawberry baked oatmeal is filled with sweet berries and contains no eggs, no dairy, no oil, and no refined sugar. It’s a great make-ahead vegan breakfast to prepare on the weekend and warm up throughout the week.

It's delicious, filling, and of course, vegan AND gluten-free (if you use gf oats). It can also be customized in a few different ways, or even made as strawberry baked oatmeal cups! All the details are below.

I've shared a few other baked oatmeal recipes (banana baked oats, apple baked oats, pumpkin baked oats ) so it's clear that I (and you) love baked oats!

This version, strawberry baked oatmeal, is a summer-themed version that uses sweet, fresh summer strawberries.

Just like my other egg-free baked oatmeal recipes, this one is also vegan and gluten-free, it's quick and easy to make, and it can also be made ahead and then reheated, slice by slice (for one, or many!), on weekday mornings throughout the week.

Oh, and if you've never had baked oatmeal before, you may wonder what the texture is like. It's not fluffy and light like cake or a muffin, it’s more dense and solid. Kind of like a bread pudding…but made with oats!

Ingredients You'll Need

Ingredient Notes

Rolled Oats – Old-fashioned rolled oats are what you need for this recipe, no substitutions. Be sure to use certified gluten-free rolled oats if you need the recipe to be gluten-free.

Quick-cooking / instant oats cannot be used (the finished oatmeal will be too mushy) and steel-cut oats cannot be used either (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.

Flax Eggs – Since this is being made without eggs, the flax eggs act as the binder. If you can’t have flax, chia eggs will work as a substitute.

Strawberries – I have only used fresh strawberries to make this recipe. Frozen strawberries tend to not have much sweetness, and with these oats not being very sweet, to begin with, fresh strawberries give it some needed natural sweetness. Frozen strawberries will also be mushier and will release more liquid into the recipe than fresh. Stick with fresh strawberries for the best taste and texture.

Want more strawberry recipes? Have a browse through all of my easy vegan strawberry recipes!

Recipe Variations

• If you like rhubarb, you can make it strawberry rhubarb baked oatmeal by using ¾ cup chopped strawberries and ¾ cup chopped rhubarb.
• If you want to make it richer and a little sweeter, add ¼ - ⅓ cup of chocolate chips to the mixture along with the strawberries, or instead of mixing the chocolate into the mixture, just sprinkle a little on top before baking.
• If you like the combination of strawberries with banana, make it strawberry banana baked oatmeal by replacing the applesauce with puréed bananas.
• If you want to mix the berries, feel free to do that by replacing some of the strawberries with blueberries, raspberries, or the berries you prefer.
• If you want a little contrast in the texture, make it strawberry almond baked oatmeal by folding in ¼ cup - ⅓ cup of sliced or slivered almonds.
• If you want to make it in a muffin pan instead of a dish, I've included info on how to do that below and in the recipe instructions.

Preparing the Strawberries

For this recipe, I chop my strawberries into smaller bite-size pieces, like in the picture below. The berries can also be sliced or you can chop them into slightly larger pieces, it’s up to you.

How to Make It

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

This recipe is made without a blender, no special tools are required.

Start by mixing the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl.

Combine the two and then stir in the chopped strawberries.

The mixture will be runny, that's okay, and the longer it sits, the more liquid will be absorbed into the oats. Don't let it sit too long, you want a lot of that absorption to happen while it bakes, not before.

Pour the mixture into an 8-inch x 8-inch baking dish.

The final step is to bake it. After it has baked, 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. Be patient and let it rest a while before slicing.

NOTE: A few have asked, so I thought I'd address it here...the mixture cannot be made ahead of time to be baked later. When left to sit, the oats will absorb all of the liquid, so if you want to save time, what you can do is mix the dry ingredients and set them aside in an airtight container and then mix the wet ingredients and place them in the refrigerator in another airtight container. When ready, mix the two together, add the strawberries, and bake as directed.

Make It As Oatmeal Cups

Rather than making it a vegan baked oatmeal casserole, you can make oatmeal cups by using a muffin pan instead.

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

How to Store Leftovers

If you aren’t going to serve it right away, make sure it’s fully cooled, slice, place the slices in an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Warm the slices up when you’re ready to serve them.

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 or microwave. You can skip warming it up and serve it cold, but I recommend warming it up.

How to Serve

This recipe is not very sweet on its own, it does have a little natural sweetness from the berries and the maple syrup, but for me, I find that it's enough to eat it on its own without any topping.

However, sometimes I like to add a little more sweetness. You can do the same by topping it with maple syrup or with my easy homemade strawberry sauce, like in the picture below.

Your oatmeal will also be great with any of the following toppings:

• fresh berries
• blueberry compote
• coconut whipped cream
• vegan yogurt

For more breakfast ideas, look through all of my vegan breakfast recipes to find the next one you'd like to make!

If You Make This Recipe...

Let me know by leaving a comment and rating below! OR, you can snap a picture and share it on Instagram. Don't forget to tag me so I can see your remake!

And If You Like This Recipe...

...you may also like my blueberry oats, flax oats, apple cinnamon oats, or these other vegan gluten-free strawberry recipes:

• Easy Strawberry Sauce
• Strawberry Chia Seed Jam