Inspired by my favorite fall casserole, this sweet potato baked oatmeal is loaded with sweet potato goodness and topped with a crispy pecan topping. It’s also vegan and gluten-free.
This month’s baked oatmeal flavor is inspired by my absolute favorite Thanksgiving dish – sweet potato casserole. When brainstorming baked oatmeal recipe ideas for November I thought, why not take the main flavors from my favorite dish and turn them into baked oatmeal?
Now I get to enjoy one of my holiday faves all year long… and for breakfast, nonetheless.
Baked Oatmeal FAQs
Before we dive into the recipe, I wanted to address some FAQs I’ve been getting about baked oatmeal!
Why almond milk?
I personally love the flavor and nutrition stats for almond milk. That said, you can absolutely swap in your preferred milk of choice. Cow’s milk, cashew milk, oat milk, rice milk, soy milk… really any type of milk will work for baked oatmeal.
Why rolled oats?
Rolled oats absorb more liquid than other types of oats and hold up well during cooking. I would not recommend using different oats unless the recipe calls for a specific kind of oat. I do have a delicious baked steel cut oatmeal recipe!
Can I prep at night and bake in the morning?
Yes, you can totally do this to save on time, but I personally like to prep and bake it all at once because the oats do tend to soak up quite a bit of the milk overnight (kind of like overnight oats). If you don’t have a choice and need to prep the oatmeal bake ahead of time, that’s fine. It might just seem a little bit drier than normal after baking. If this happens, just serve with a splash of milk.
Another prep-ahead option is to combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl the night before. The morning of, simply mix the two together, pour into your baking dish and bake!
Here’s What You Need
rolled oats – the base of this baked oatmeal, make sure you get rolled oats and not quick/instant or steel cut.
baking powder – a levening agent, this will help the baked oatmeal rise.
spices and seasonings – pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, cinnamon and sea salt. You can make your own pumpkin pie spice if you don’t have any on hand!
almond milk – you can make your own using my almond milk recipe or use storebought. As mentioned above, I like to use almond milk but any milk will do!
maple syrup – my favorite natural sweetener, it pairs beautifully with the sweet potato.
ground flaxseed – you won’t actually make a flax egg, but you will add it to the mixture to help bind it together. You can omit entirely and just use 1 egg if you prefer or don’t need it to be vegan or egg-free.
coconut oil – provides moisture.
Crispy Oatmeal Pecan Topping
In my opinion, the topping is what makes sweet potato casserole so yummy, so of course I had to include it in this baked oatmeal recipe. The end result is a crispy, crunchy topping that’s simply irresistible.
coconut sugar – brown sugar works just as well but I prefer to use coconut sugar.
pecans – provide a beautiful crunch to this topping. You can use walnuts if you prefer.
rolled oats – as above, rolled oats are best in this application. Make sure you’re using certified gluten-free if necessary.
coconut oil – helps bind the ingredients together.
How to Make Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal
Start by preheating your oven to 375ºF and spraying an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
Next, mix together your oats, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt. Once combined, add you rmilk, sweet potato, maple syrup, flaxseed (or egg), coconut oil and vanilla into the bowl. Stir well to combine.
Carefully pour the oatmeal mixture into the baking dish, set aside.
In a separate bowl mix together topping ingredients and then and sprinkle with the oatmeal mixture.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden and the center is set. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.
Flavor Variation
Not a sweet potato fan? You can use pumpkin instead! Use 1 cup of pumpkin puree (not pumpkinpie filling) in place of the mashed sweet potatoes. Mmm…
How to Store Baked Oatmeal
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To reheat the whole baked oatmeal, cover with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes. For individual portions, set your toaster oven to 350°F and bake for 5-10 minutes or reheat in the microwave for 1 minute.
Inspired by my favorite fall casserole, this sweet potato baked oatmeal is loaded with sweet potato goodness and topped with a crispy pecan topping. It’s also vegan and gluten-free.
Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix together the oats, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine.
Add in the milk, sweet potato, maple syrup, flaxseed, coconut oil and vanilla to the bowl. Stir well to combine.
Carefully pour oatmeal mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Mix together topping ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle over oatmeal mixture.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden and center is set. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Portion and serve.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
To reheat the whole baked oatmeal, cover with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes. For individual portions, set toaster oven to 350°F and bake for 5-10 minutes or reheat in the microwave for 1 minute.
Video
Notes
You can use 1 large egg instead of the ground flaxseed if you’re not worried about the oatmeal being vegan or egg free.
I have a homemade pumpkin pie spice you could make if you don’t have a blend on hand or you could just use a blend of those spices if you don’t have them all on hand.
Hey Diana – If you want to make a baked oatmeal with steel cut oats I would follow my recipe for apple cinnamon baked steel cut oats. The liquid to oats ratio and cook time is going to be different
I love this recipe! I’m counting calories and watching sugar intake so instead of sweet potatoes I use butternut squash and I just recently switched the brown sugar to Swerve brown sugar that doesn’t affect blood sugar levels. I eat it every single day and love it! Thank you! Soooo good!
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Looks delicious!!! I’m not a fan of coconut oil. It’s too high in saturated fat fir my eating program. Can I swap with olive oil or omit altogether?
Yes you can use olive oil or skip it!
Made it for a group of ladies this weekend. It was a hit. I will be making it for my husband soon.
Woo!! So glad this oatmeal was a hit, Cindy! Thanks for the review 🙂
Instead of pumpkin spice is there other spice option?
I have a homemade pumpkin pie spice you could make if you don’t have a blend on hand or you could just use a blend of those spices if you don’t have them all on hand.
I loved your maple banana pecan oatmeal and will definitely try this one. Do you think steel cut oats can be swapped for regular oats? Thanks!
Hey Diana – If you want to make a baked oatmeal with steel cut oats I would follow my recipe for apple cinnamon baked steel cut oats. The liquid to oats ratio and cook time is going to be different
I love this recipe! I’m counting calories and watching sugar intake so instead of sweet potatoes I use butternut squash and I just recently switched the brown sugar to Swerve brown sugar that doesn’t affect blood sugar levels. I eat it every single day and love it! Thank you! Soooo good!
So glad you’ve been loving this recipe! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it, Ellen.