This delicious chocolate brownie baked oatmeal recipe is ultra rich, gooey, fudgy, easy to make, super filling, and secretly healthy at the same time!
Table of Contents
- Healthy chocolate breakfast oatmeal
- Recipe flavor variations
- Brownie oatmeal recipe video
- Ingredients for brownie baked oatmeal
- How to make brownie baked oats
- Brownie baked oatmeal with no banana
- Chocolate brownie baked oatmeal toppings
- Recipe tips and tricks
- Health benefits of brownie baked oats
- More Brownie Recipes
- Brownie Baked Oatmeal Recipe
Healthy chocolate breakfast oatmeal
Cook just once, and you get an indulgent, healthy breakfast for the entire week!
The recipe can easily be prepared the night before, giving you an instant morning meal any time you are craving a sweet and chocolatey breakfast.
It’s perfect for taking on the go and yields a large number of servings. So it’s a great option for feeding a large family or serving to overnight guests.
And leftovers freeze well too!
Also try this popular Protein Banana Bread
Recipe flavor variations
Mocha baked oats: Substitute half the water or milk of choice with brewed coffee or espresso. Alternatively, you can stir a teaspoon of instant coffee (regular or decaf) in with the dry ingredients.
Protein brownie oatmeal: Swap the cocoa powder with your favorite chocolate protein powder. Use peanut butter or another high protein nut butter.
Mint chocolate chip: Add half a teaspoon of pure peppermint extract and a handful of mini chocolate chips. Garnish with fresh mint leaves if you wish.
Chocolate coconut: Stir in half a cup of shredded coconut. Use canned coconut milk as your milk of choice in the recipe.
You may also add in a handful of peanut butter chips, chia seeds or hemp seeds, raisins, dried dates, chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds, or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Still craving brownies? Make Sweet Potato Brownies
Brownie oatmeal recipe video
Above, watch the step by step video showing how to make the recipe
Ingredients for brownie baked oatmeal
The chocolate peanut butter baked oatmeal can be low fat, low calorie, gluten free, soy free, egg free, refined sugar free, nondairy, and vegan, with just eight ingredients.
Here’s everything you need to make it:
Gather together rolled oats, unsweetened cocoa powder, milk of choice or water, peanut butter (or your favorite nut or seed butter), pure vanilla extract, liquid sweetener of choice, salt, banana, and optional chocolate chips.
There is also a version without banana included below.
If you prefer to use quick oats instead of rolled oats, that is perfectly fine. Spelt flakes, kamut flakes, or quinoa flakes work as well. I do not recommend using steel cut oats here and have not tried oat flour.
Liquid sweetener options include pure maple syrup, honey, agave, date syrup, or sugar free maple syrup. Using granulated sugar will result in a more crumbly texture.
I like to use half unsweetened cocoa powder and half Dutch cocoa powder. Feel free to substitute raw cacao powder, hot chocolate powder, chocolate protein powder, or sweetened cocoa powder for the unsweetened cocoa if desired.
If using peanut butter, the recipe will taste like a Reese’s peanut butter cup, with a strong peanut butter flavor. Almond butter, cashew butter, Coconut Butter, pecan butter, or sunflower butter are all great alternatives to peanut butter if you prefer a more neutral flavor.
Frozen bananas or roasted sweet potato or kabocha squash puree can be substituted in an equal amount for the ripe bananas.
How to make brownie baked oats
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line the bottom of a nine by thirteen inch baking dish with parchment paper, or grease the bottom and sides of the pan with oil spray or oil.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, milk of choice, pure vanilla extract, mashed overripe bananas, and sweetener. Whisk until well mixed.
Stir in the rolled oats, cocoa powder, salt, and any optional add ins.
Smooth the oatmeal brownie batter into the prepared pan with a spoon or spatula.
Place the baking pan on the oven’s center rack, and bake for thirty five minutes without ever opening the oven door.
Once time is up, remove the pan from the oven using pot holders. Let the baked oatmeal cool on the counter before slicing and serving.
To serve, garnish with additional peanut butter, maple syrup or pancake syrup, and chocolate chips if desired. Serve hot or cold.
If you can wait, I like to very loosely cover the cooled pan with a towel and refrigerate overnight, because the flavors develop and the rich chocolate taste becomes more pronounced by the next morning!
Leftovers should keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. They can also be sliced and frozen for up to three months. Thaw frozen brownie baked oatmeal in the microwave or on the stovetop or a warm oven before serving.
Brownie baked oatmeal with no banana
Whether you do not like banana or simply do not want a banana flavor in your brownie baked oats, the following recipe without banana is just as tasty as the original!
In a large bowl, whisk together half a cup of peanut butter, two cups of plain or Greek yogurt (dairy free yogurt works too), one cup milk of choice, half a cup of pure maple syrup, and two and a half teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.
Add three cups of rolled oats, half a cup of cocoa powder, a teaspoon of salt, and a generous handful of chocolate chips.
Follow the same preparation and baking instructions as the instructions for the banana brownie baked oatmeal version in the recipe box below.
Chocolate brownie baked oatmeal toppings
The baked oats are wonderful on their own or topped with sliced strawberries or raspberries, bananas, and Coconut Whipped Cream.
My favorite way to top the recipe is with a swirl of melted peanut butter and sprinkle of chocolate chips. Chocolate peanut butter brownie baked oatmeal for the win.
Or slice and serve the bars with Coconut Butter or Homemade Nutella.
Other topping ideas include fresh or frozen blueberries, sliced apples, roasted hazelnuts, blackberries, cacao nibs, granola, mini marshmallows…
Have fun creating your perfect chocolate oatmeal breakfast. The sky is the limit!
Recipe tips and tricks
If you’d like to use a food scale, here are the amounts to measure:
80 grams peanut butter, 360 grams mashed banana, 270 grams rolled oats, 40 grams cocoa powder, 240 grams milk of choice, 60 grams pure maple syrup, 10 grams pure vanilla extract, 6 grams salt, and there’s no need to measure the chocolate chips.
If you are making the banana version of the recipe, make sure your bananas are ripe. The peels should be at least partially brown and spotted before peeling.
The recipe can easily be made dairy free. For vegan brownie baked oatmeal, simply use your favorite nondairy milk (such as almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk). Choose plant based chocolate chips if you will be adding those. And go with pure maple syrup or agave instead of honey.
To save time in the morning, you may either bake the recipe the night before or prepare the batter and spread it into the pan, then refrigerate overnight and bake in the morning so the chocolate brownie oats are hot for breakfast.
Health benefits of brownie baked oats
The healthy recipe is packed with protein, iron, fiber, and potassium.
It is naturally sweetened and low in sugar and saturated fat, with no eggs, no cholesterol, and no dairy required.
And at just 100 calories per square, the baked oats are great for Weight Watcher’s or a weight loss diet. Or the low calorie base can be bulked up with extra chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and additional toppings for those who are not counting calories.
More Brownie Recipes
The recipe was inspired by my Chocolate Baked Oats and Chocolate Overnight Oats.
Brownie Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup peanut butter or allergy friendly sub
- 3 cups mashed banana (there's a banana free version above!)
- 1 cup milk of choice or water
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey or agave
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line or grease a 9×13 inch pan. Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl to form a batter. Smooth into the pan, and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool, then serve hot or cold. If you can wait, the flavor is even richer the next day!View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Healthy Breakfast Recipes With Chocolate
I always keep shelf-stable almond milk on hand–with 4 kids, we have run out halfway through breakfast!
Ooh, this looks so good! I have some overripe bananas just waiting to be made into this. Except I’m running out of almond milk RIGHT NOW! I don’t have a full cup, so have to make a grocery run before I can try this recipe.
My husband and I are Almond Breeze loyalists- we used to buy the shelf-stable Almond Breeze at Costco by the case and we never ran out! But now Costco doesn’t sell it anymore (at least ours doesn’t) :(. I recently got home from a vacation and was halfway through prepping a bunch of overnight oats for my week back to work, before I realized I didn’t have any almond milk in the fridge! Never missed my cases of shelf-stable Almond Breeze more! We still buy a gallon or two of Almond Breeze every week though- our current favorite is the almond coconut blend-so delicious!
I’ve had my chocolate granola with orange juice before due to having ran out of milk… I mean, it’s edible, but definitely not 5 star worthy! Haha
Almond Breeze is always my go-to. One of the worst times was when the kids used it up on their cereal, and then I sat down for breakfast. I was really hungry so I tried my cereal with water. Sadly, not at all the same 🙁
I love Katie’s recipes. This one looks amazing. The only thing better than chocolate is chocolate with peanut butter. I can’t wait to try these. I’ve been making the black bean brownies and adding peanut butter. Anyway, here’s my Almond Breeze tragedy:
One morning, I awoke long before the time my alarm typically rips me from sleep, so I had excess time to prepare for work. I’m a firm believer that a hearty and healthy breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I hopped out of bed straight into my slippers and marched into the kitchen to cook my usual oatmeal, chock-full of (among other nutritious ingredients) the all-important flavorful staple: Almond Breeze. Since I had the house to myself, I didn’t bother throwing on sweatpants or a t-shirt, boxer shorts and slippers would suffice.
In the kitchen, I gathered items and ingredients: a bowl, spoons, measuring cups, flax meal, chia seeds, walnuts, a banana, blueberries, and of course, the oatmeal and Almond Breeze. I cracked my knuckles. Now, I’m ready to make this breakfast happen, I thought, smiling. My mouth watered at the sight of the ingredients.
My cat, Jerry, walked by and meowed. I leaned down to pet him, and he purred. He was ready too.
I scooped some oatmeal into the bowl, and then, I shook the Almond Breeze.
“It feels a bit light, Jerry.” I frowned. Jerry walked away, tail in the air. Oh well. I poured the milk into the measuring cup anyway—What! No! This can’t be happening. Not now.
There was less than a fourth of a cup. I needed at least a cup to make my oatmeal.
How could I go to work, tutoring college students in writing for eight hours, on an empty stomach?
I couldn’t.
My frown expanded. Looking at the clock, it struck me: It was still early. I had time to make it to the store and purchase more Almond Breeze. I could save breakfast. Almond Breeze would save the day!
I grabbed a t-shirt, tossed it over my body, wiggling my head arms, and shoulders through the holes, and poked my fingers through the loop on my keyring. With that, I was out the door.
As I hustled toward my car, I froze. Across the street, my neighbor, Jessica, was walking her dog, Simba. Oh, how I love Jessica. My heart beats for her. It has since I first saw her. Many times, I’ve tried to woo her, but I’m always too awkward and embarrass myself.
Once, I even baked her cookies, using Almond Breeze as the milk, of course. When I gave them to her, I stumbled over a rock, tripped, bit my tongue, and made a fool of myself. She got a good laugh, though.
Simba noticed me first and barked. Jessica turned and looked, squinting, leaning back, and shaking her head.
“Hi, Jessica!” I shouted, waving my hand quickly in an almost Jazz Hands fashion.
For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, Jessica just stared. “Dude are you being serious right now?” she giggled, turned, and walked away, laughing the whole way. My Jazz Handing slowed to a crawl, and with my head, my arm lowered in shame.
While I can’t know for sure, I’m fairly certain that Simba was laughing as well, the way he pranced away, bouncing with each step. Hehe. Haha.
“Whatever.” I shrugged, brushing her off as I opened my car door and got in. I simply cannot win with that girl.
After making it to my favorite local grocery store in record time, I leapt from the car, ready to march into that store and get the Almond Breeze I needed to complete my breakfast and send me on my day properly.
The manager, Robert, was also arriving. He stopped me in the parking lot.
“Hey, Jason.” He waved and laughed.
“Morning, Robert.” I kept moving. There was no time for small talk—not now.
He laughed harder. “Forget something?” He was almost hooting with laughter. A deep bellowing laugh from the lower reaches of the abdomen.
“What are you talking about, Robert?”
He pointed at my legs. I looked down.
My pants! I had forgotten to put on my pants. I stood there in front of Robert, the manager of the grocery store I have frequented for at least 20 years in a t-shirt, slippers, and boxer shorts. I had grabbed a shirt but had forgotten my pants! I ran back into my car, practically disappearing into my own dust, and drove out of there.
That day, I went to work without breakfast. However, a day without breakfast was the least of my concerns because I had larger issues to deal with: finding a new grocery store and moving to a different neighborhood.
If I had a year’s supply of Almond Breeze, none of this would have ever happened.
A couple of weeks ago. My kids love it when I make homemade banana ice cream. This recipe always needs a little almond milk, my go to, almond breeze unsweetened original, this way I can control the sweetness of anything I make, including my banana ice cream with almond milk, frozen bananas and a little raw cacao. Kids always top with chocolate chips. If I had shelf-stable almond milk my kids wouldn’t have been disappointed when I said I didn’t have all the ingredients 🙁
My kids fave almond breeze is chocolate!
The worst was when my friends and I just polished off an entire package of Oreos, and when we were parched and our mouths were like dry chocolate desserts, we realized we had no vegan milk. Awful.
I Ran out of almond milk, and milk and was in the middle of making waffles. I used water and olive oil, and the recipe looked like it worked. Tasted really bad, and I had to run out and get some almond milk to save the day.
I only keep unsweetened almond milk in my pantry but once in awhile I have to buy vanilla unsweetened because not every store carries the plain version, or else the plain version is sweetened! It’s not fun to run to more than one store just to find the right unsweetened almond milk. Thanks for the opportunity to win!