Cherry Baked Oatmeal
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Published Jul 11, 2022, Updated Jan 13, 2023
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This easy cherry baked oatmeal comes together in one dish and is naturally sweetened with bananas and frozen cherries. It’s the perfect make-ahead breakfast and is vegan + gluten-free.
I have a ton of baked oatmeal recipes on the site from peach and apple to chocolate and birthday cake, but surprisingly I didn’t have a cherry version… until today!
Cherries are one of my favorite summer fruits. Besides tasting amazing, they’re portable, perfectly bite-sized and packed with lots of nutritional health benefits. I made this baked oatmeal with frozen cherries for ease but using fresh cherries when in season would also be delicious. Nothing is better than a fresh cherry, am I right?!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Cherries are filled with naturally sweet flavor and loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber.
- It’s made in one bowl so fewer dishes to clean!
- It can be meal-prepped for healthy breakfasts all week long or made for a fancy brunch.
Ingredients Needed
- ripe bananas – to help naturally sweeten and add moisture to this recipe. Make sure your bananas are ripe with some brown spots on them! If you’re not a fan of bananas or don’t have any ripe ones on hand 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce will work as a substitute.
- old fashioned rolled oats – my fave brand is Bob’s Red Mill gluten free old fashioned rolled oats. Oats are naturally gluten-free but are often cross-contaminated so make sure you’re grabbing certified gluten-free oats if you have a gluten intolerance.
- flaxseed – instead of an egg we’re using ground flaxseed to help bind the dish together. If you don’t need this recipe to be vegan, you can swap the flaxseed for 1 regular egg.
- baking powder – helps the baked oatmeal rise.
- cinnamon – for just a hint of spice.
- sea salt – to bring all the flavors together.
- unsweetened vanilla almond milk – any dairy-free milk works but I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You can make your own following my homemade almond milk recipe.
- vanilla extract – a flavor enhancer
- almond extract – for more flavor. Almond extract and cherries pair well together.
- cherries – the star of this baked oatmeal! I used frozen but, when in season, fresh would work (just a little extra work to remove the pits!).
- toppings of choice – I love topping this baked oatmeal with fresh, chopped cherries, some maple syrup and/or a little nut butter, but feel free to use your favorite toppings!
How to Make
In a large bowl, mash the bananas until smooth. Add in the rolled oats, flaxseed, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, almond milk, vanilla extract and almond extract and stir to combine. Fold in 1 cup of frozen cherries and top with additional ½ cup frozen cherries.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 375ºF for 45-55 minutes or until the middle of the oatmeal is set and the top is golden brown. Allow the baked oatmeal to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
What to Serve With Cherry Baked Oatmeal
I find that I either make baked oatmeal for a fancy brunch or just as meal prep for healthy breakfasts all week long! Either way, it could be a meal on its own but if you want to serve it with some sides, here are some ideas that pair well:
- A savory egg dish – baked egg muffins , egg white bites, dairy-free spinach quiche or kale and feta crustless quiche
- A fresh fruit salad – easy fruit salad or fruit salad with mint
- Meat – regular bacon, tempeh bacon, chicken sausage, breakfast sausage or veggie sausage.
- Beverages – the perfect mimosas, cold brew coffee or iced matcha latte
How to Store and Reheat
This baked oatmeal is a great meal prep recipe. You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When freezing, I recommend cutting the oatmeal into portions, wrapping each in plastic wrap and placing the portions in a large freezer bag. The individual servings make it easier for reheating.
To reheat the entire pan of baked oatmeal: cover with foil and reheat in the oven at 350ºF for about 20 minutes or until warm.
To reheat individual portions: set oven or toaster oven to 350ºF and bake for 5-10 minutes. You can also reheat in the microwave for 1 minute. Once warm, add your toppings and enjoy!
FAQ’s
Sweet cherries are probably the most common and easiest to find, but tart cherries or a combo of the two will work perfectly fine! I like using these Private Selection Mixed Variety Frozen Cherries for baking. It’s a blend of dark tart and dark sweet cherries.
Fresh cherries, when in season, work perfectly for this recipe! Using fresh cherries will just require some more work to pit them and I definitely recommend using a cherry pitter tool to make things easier.
Oats are whole grain and a great source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, so baked oatmeal is usually healthy, but it of course depends on what additional ingredients are in the recipe.
You can use steel cut or quick/instant oats for baked oatmeal, but you need to follow a recipe that calls for those oats because the liquid ratio is different. I do have an apple cinnamon baked steel cut oatmeal recipe I would suggest if you’re looking for a recipe that calls for steel cut oats.
I’ve added a scoop of protein powder without adding in more liquid and it turned out just fine! If you’re adding more than one scoop of protein powder you might want to add more liquid.
This recipe is a bit soft, but shouldn’t be too soggy. Make sure the mashed bananas aren’t overly ripe or that could add extra liquid. If yours turns out gooey or soggy, you might need to cook it longer.
More Baked Oatmeal Recipes
- Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
- One Pan Baked Oatmeal
- Maple Pecan Baked Oatmeal
- Blueberry Lemon Baked Oatmeal
- Peach Baked Oatmeal
- Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Chocolate Baked Oatmeal
- Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Protein Baked Oatmeal
- Cauliflower Brownie Baked Oatmeal
- Chocolate Peppermint Baked Oatmeal
- Coffee Cake Baked Oatmeal
- Quinoa Breakfast Bake
Popular Oatmeal Recipes
- How to Make Oatmeal
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- Easy Basic Overnight Oats
- Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal
- Baked Oatmeal Cups 4-Ways
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Be sure to check out all of my baked oatmeal recipes as well as all the popular oatmeal recipes here on EBF!
Cherry Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ½ cups frozen or fresh cherries divided
- Fresh cherries for garnish
- Toppings of choice: maple syrup and nut butter
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
- Mash two bananas in prepared baking dish.
- Add rolled oats, flaxseed, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, almond milk, vanilla extract and almond extract and stir to combine.
- Fold in 1 cup of frozen cherries and top with additional ½ cup frozen cherries.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the middle of the bake is set and the top is golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Portion and serve. Top with maple syrup and nut butter, if using and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oatmeal with cherries! Yum!! I make this without the almond extract. (Never understood why cherries are always combined with almond extract. Feels like the cherries get lost.) I added walnuts instead and unflavoured collagen powder. Super yummy!
I am so happy that you enjoyed this recipe, Barbara! I love hearing the additional ingredients you included, sounds delicious! Thank you for your review + star rating, I so appreciate you being here!
I made this over the weekend and it was DELICIOUS! I love that it doesn’t call for added sweetener (just bananas and cherries which made it sweet enough). I used a little bit less almond extract than what was called for (I always do because I think almond extract is so strong) and this made 6 servings as called out. I’ve been eating it plain (warmed up) but my husband loved it with peanut butter.
WOO, I am so happy that this recipe was a hit! Thank you for your star rating + review, I really appreciate it!
We’ve had all of your other amazing breakfast bakes Brittany but this one is very basic and lacks flavor. Maybe it could be more like a crumble topping or maybe more of a Cherry compote that you swirl your in a more flavorful base
Oh no! So sorry to hear that you didn’t love this version, Suzy. Did you change anything about the recipe?
We did follow recipe exactly. We just didn’t have that wow experience like with your other bakes.
I am sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this recipe as much as my other baked oatmeals! Do you have any ideas what might have been different about this one for you?
I made this exactly as written using fresh cherries. It turned out so delicious! I loved how easy it is and that it’s made all in the baking dish! This is perfect for breakfast. the almond flavor tastes so good too!
Ahh I am so glad you are loving this recipe, Maggie! Almond + cherries are one of my favorite combos. Thank you so much for your review & star rating, I appreciate it !
Delicious!! The house smells amazing from cooking and it tastes even better! Less than 3 minutes to put together! So easy and delicious! Will definitely be making on the regular!
Yay! I am so glad to hear that you are enjoying this recipe, Stephanie. Thank you for your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
Wonderful recipe that has quickly become a family favorite in my home! The combo of cherries and almond extract is one of my all time favorites and the fact that this is written for frozen or fresh cherries is much appreciated!
Absolutely! I am so glad that this recipe is a hit for you and your family, Sarah. Cherry + almonds are one of my favorite combos. Thank you for coming back and sharing your revise & star rating, I really appreciate it!