This pear baked oatmeal is made with warming spices and studded with fresh pears and walnuts for a cozy breakfast. It’s vegan, gluten-free and great for meal prep. This post is sponsored by the USA Pears.
This pear baked oatmeal recipe came to me while I was at the Fresh Air Retreat, a blogger retreat I attended in Breckenridge, Colorado last month. It was a group of eight bloggers coming together to connect, learn and of course, enjoy good food!
One highlight of the retreat was a session with USA Pears where we learned all about the different varieties of pears, how they’re harvested and even how to tell when a pear is perfectly ripe, which I’ll share more about below! After enjoying a ton of fresh pears at the retreat I started dreaming about pear recipes and knew I wanted to come home and make baked oatmeal with pears.
I have so many baked oatmeal recipes here on EBF, but this flavor is definitely in my top five. I’m obsessed with the flavor and Olivia loves it too. It’s the only thing she wants for breakfast right now!
Fresh Air Retreat Highlights
Hands down, one of the biggest highlights and benefits of attending the retreat was connecting with all the other bloggers who attended. It was so nice to have face-to-face time with people who understand the business of blogging and everything that goes along with it, especially after these last couple of years.
A private yoga class overlooking the Rocky Mountains to kick off the week. Really wishing I could start every morning like this.
All the delicious food/drinks… from stunning cheese boards to wine dinners and La Croix mixology bars, there was no lack for good food and beverages. We also got a chance to explore downtown Breckenridge and try a couple of the local restaurants which was really fun!
Ingredients Needed
Here’s what you’ll need to make this pear baked oatmeal recipe:
rolled old-fashioned oats – I definitely recommend using rolled oats for this baked oatmeal, not quick oats or steel cut oats. I usually purchase Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats.
cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg – the perfect spice trio for this recipe!
baking powder – helps the baked oatmeal rise.
sea salt – to bring all of the flavors together.
non-dairy milk – I like using almond milk or oat milk but any dairy-free milk or traditional milk works.
unsweetened applesauce – make your own applesauce or use unsweetened store-bought applesauce. Applesauce adds moisture and a mild apple sweetness to this baked oatmeal.
maple syrup – pure maple syrup is the perfect natural sweetener to use for baked oatmeal in my opinion!
ground flaxseed – instead of an egg we’re using flaxseed to help bind the dish together.
coconut oil – make sure you’re using extra virgin coconut oil. I’ve purchased several different brands of coconut oil before, but Nutiva organic extra virgin coconut oil is my favorite.
vanilla extract – a flavor enhancer.
pears – the star of the show! We’ll be mixing chopped pears into the batter and topping with additional slices. When shopping for pears, gently press your finger into the top of the pear near the stem – if it gives a little, it’s ripe! You don’t want your pear to be too soft or it will be overripe.
walnuts – I added in some walnuts for added healthy fats and texture. You can swap for a different nut if you’d like or skip as well.
How to Make Pear Baked Oatmeal
Mix all of your ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and top with sliced pears. Bake at 375°F for 40-50 minutes. Cool and enjoy!
What to Serve with Pear Baked Oatmeal
I love serving baked oatmeal as part of the ultimate brunch! Here are a few things you could pair it with:
This pear 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!
Pear FAQ
How Can You Tell if a Pear is Ripe?
Some pear varieties like Bartlett pears change colors when they’re ripe, but many varieties don’t. The easiest way to check if a pear is ripe is to “check the neck” which means pressing on the top of the pear near the stem. If it feels a tiny bit soft and gives a little you’ll know it’s ripe and ready to enjoy. If it feels hard you’ll want to leave it on the counter 1-2 days more to let it ripen.
Why Are My Pears So Hard?
Unlike many other fruits, pears don’t ripen on the tree so they need time to ripen after being picked. Simply leave your pears at room temperature on your counter to ripen. If you want to speed up the process, store them in a paper bag or near bananas. Once a pear is ripe, you can refrigerate it to slow the ripening process.
What Can I Do With Overripe Pears?
If for some reason your pears ripened up too quickly and you have soft pears on hand your best option is to use the pear in a smoothie or make pear puree.
This pear baked oatmeal is made with warming spices and studded with fresh pears and walnuts for a cozy breakfast. It’s vegan, gluten-free and great for meal prep.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray.
In a large bowl, mix together rolled oats, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, almond milk, applesauce, maple syrup, flaxseed, coconut oil, vanilla, walnuts and diced pears.
Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and top with sliced pears.
Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until the center has set and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow baked oatmeal to cool just a bit before serving.
Serve with a drizzle of almond butter, almond milk, or maple syrup.
Notes
Flaxseed: If you don’t have flaxseed on hand and don’t need this recipe to be vegan, you can use a regular egg instead.
Oil: You can skip it or swap it with another oil, melted butter (or ghee) or even more applesauce.
Walnuts: You can swap for a different nut if you’d like or skip as well.
Hi Angela, the applesauce adds moisture and a little sweetness so I wouldn’t recommend omitting it. I have not tried swapping the honey for maple syrup, but it should work! Let me know how it goes!
Awesome recipe, thank you so much! I am always looking for new baked oat recipes to try, and I have a ton of extra pears here from all the U pick farms I’ve been to lately. I left out the extra maple syrup and it was still perfectly sweet and delicious. Great texture! I like to cut these up into squares and freeze them that way, and then just defrost & eat them as mid-day snacks. I’ll definitely try some of your other baked oat recipes too!
I usually forget to leave comments on recipes after I try them. But not this time as this was one of the best recipes I have ever made!! Really really yummy!!! I just read the recipe this morning and realized I had all the ingredients and no plans for brunch so I gave it a whirl and am I ever glad I did. I can see why your daughter loves this one so much. Thanks for the awesome share!
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Do I have to use applesauce? Also can I substitute honey for the maple syrup?
Hi Angela, the applesauce adds moisture and a little sweetness so I wouldn’t recommend omitting it. I have not tried swapping the honey for maple syrup, but it should work! Let me know how it goes!
Awesome recipe, thank you so much! I am always looking for new baked oat recipes to try, and I have a ton of extra pears here from all the U pick farms I’ve been to lately. I left out the extra maple syrup and it was still perfectly sweet and delicious. Great texture! I like to cut these up into squares and freeze them that way, and then just defrost & eat them as mid-day snacks. I’ll definitely try some of your other baked oat recipes too!
Woo!! Pumped to hear this pear baked oatmeal was a hit, Madeline. Thanks so much for trying the recipe out and for the review. I really appreciate it!
I usually forget to leave comments on recipes after I try them. But not this time as this was one of the best recipes I have ever made!! Really really yummy!!! I just read the recipe this morning and realized I had all the ingredients and no plans for brunch so I gave it a whirl and am I ever glad I did. I can see why your daughter loves this one so much. Thanks for the awesome share!
Yay! Happy to hear this recipe was a hit, Donna. Thanks so much for trying it out and coming back to leave a review. The feedback is so appreciated!
Are there varieties of pears that are better for baking? We have so many different types of pears available here.
Any variety should work well in baking so I would just go with your favorite! 🙂