This cinnamon roll baked oatmeal recipe is a sweet, gooey, fluffy and ultra delicious healthy breakfast that tastes like dessert!
Healthy cinnamon roll baked oats
I blame Ikea.
It is impossible to walk out of that store not craving cinnamon rolls.
The aroma of their freshly baked rolls permeates the entire warehouse, as if they’ve sprayed cinnamon scented perfume in every room.
I spent yesterday afternoon happily shopping for furniture while dreaming of soft homemade cinnamon rolls.
Wanting a healthier option, I baked up this wholesome single serving cinnamon roll baked oatmeal for breakfast the next morning.
It gives you all the gooey comforting goodness of a classic cinnamon roll, with whole grains, fiber, and protein at the same time!
You may also like: Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Step by step recipe video
Key ingredients
Rolled oats – You need a half cup of old fashioned rolled oats or quick oats. For gluten free baked oatmeal, use certified gluten free oats or substitute rolled quinoa flakes.
Applesauce – I like applesauce (sweetened or unsweetened) because it compliments the cinnamon flavor. You can swap mashed banana, pumpkin puree, or Greek yogurt for a high protein boost.
Sweetener – Liquid sweeteners like honey or pure maple syrup work well. Or if you want a breakfast with no sugar added, use the equivalent sweetness amount of stevia.
Cinnamon – The star of the show. It wouldn’t be a cinnamon roll without ground cinnamon! Play around with complimentary spices if you wish, such as a pinch of ginger, nutmeg, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice.
Nut butter (optional) – A tablespoon of a neutral tasting nut butter (like cashew or almond butter) or melted coconut oil adds incredible richness and really makes it feel like you’re eating dessert.
Add ins of choice – Feel free to stir in a spoonful of raisins or dates, dried figs or cranberries, chopped walnuts, chia seeds, or finely diced apple.
Other ingredients – The dessert baked oatmeal recipe also calls for pure vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and water or milk of choice.
While the cinnamon is out, make Baked Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
How to make cinnamon roll baked oatmeal
- Start by preheating your oven to 375° Fahrenheit (190° Celsius). Alternatively, you can cook the recipe in a microwave or preheated toaster oven.
- Grease a one cup ramekin, mini loaf pan, or small heat-safe dish with oil or fat free spray. Want a double layer cinnamon roll oatmeal cake? Grease two half cup ramekins instead, or line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir the oats, cinnamon, salt, and any other dry ingredients.
- Whisk in the applesauce, water, sweetener, nut butter, vanilla extract, and all remaining ingredients.
- Spread the uncooked mixture into the prepared dish or pan.
- Bake on the center rack of your oven for fifteen minutes, or microwave until fully cooked. (Microwave time should take around one to three minutes and will vary depending on the wattage of your machine.)
- Let cool, then frost if desired and enjoy for breakfast, snack, or dessert.
- For optimal freshness, refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to five days. Or freeze in an airtight container for up to two months. Thaw or reheat frozen oatmeal before eating.
Prefer traditional cinnamon rolls? Try these Easy Cinnamon Rolls
Frosting the cinnamon oatmeal
Protein frosting: Top the oats with your favorite thick yogurt or dairy free alternative. Mix in a scoop of vanilla protein powder or sweetener to taste if desired.
Cream cheese frosting: Use store bought icing or whip up the quick homemade cream cheese frosting written out in my recipe for Carrot Cake Bars.
Powdered sugar glaze: Stir two tablespoons powdered sugar with a few drops water, milk, or lemon juice. If glaze is too thick, add more liquid.
Coconut butter frosting: This is one of my personal favorites. Spread your oatmeal with warmed buttery Coconut Butter. You may not even need additional sweetener.
Other options: Eat the cinnamon roll baked oatmeal plain, topped with mashed banana, or spread with almond, apple or pumpkin butter.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if IKEA bottled their cinnamon scent and sold it as perfume?
Or maybe I am the only one who wants to smell like a giant cinnamon bun…
Just thinking out loud here…
The recipe was inspired by my Vegan Cinnamon Rolls.
Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (45g)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/16 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup applesauce (60g) (or pumpkin, yogurt, or mashed banana)
- 1/4 cup water (60g)
- 1 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup (22g) or stevia to taste
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp almond butter or coconut oil, optional (15g)
- 1 spoonful raisins or chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit (190° Celsius). Alternatively, you can bake the recipe in a microwave or preheated toaster oven.
- 2. Grease a one cup ramekin, heat-safe dish, or mini loaf pan with oil, or line the bottom with parchment paper.
- 3. Stir together all dry ingredients. Whisk in wet to form a batter.
- 4. Spread into the prepared ramekin, then bake on the center rack of the oven for fifteen minutes. (If using a microwave, cook 1-3 minutes or until fluffy. Time will vary based on wattage of your machine.)
- 5. Let cool, then serve and enjoy. Frosting ideas are included above if you want to ice your cinnamon roll baked oatmeal.
Video
Notes
More delicious oatmeal recipes
I made these for my kids this morning before school. My boys are non-oatmeal eaters. If I hadn’t given birth to them I would swear they belong to someone else. But I went ahead and made these anyway b/c they are cinnamon roll eaters 🙂 You wouldn’t believe the way they scarfed these suckers down. I made enough for all four of us (me and the three boys) to have some and they were gone b/f they could get cold. Thanks for the recipe!
Aw lol that really made me smile 🙂
This looks incredible!! What kind of oats does the recipe call for?
rolled (not quick or steel-cut)
Any suggestion on how much additional liquid or applesauce to add if adding protein powder? I’d like to get around 60g of flavored protein in the mix and not sure how to change the water or applesauce amounts. Suggestions?
My dad has been trying to eat more healthy foods, and I made him this for breakfast recently. Now both of my parents are obsessed with it! I always include the peanut butter and a tablespoon of brown sugar. For whatever reason, they have not quite come around to the idea of putting chocolate in or frosting on breakfast, but this giant oatmeal cookie is ok 🙂 I just wanted to say thanks for all these recipes that taste heavenly while being healthy!
I just made this and it is wonderful. I added fresh blueberries, used the banana instead of applesauce and omitted the frosting. I love oatmeal anyway and this is a nice variation and can be made ahead of time and easily transported on the road….. Thank you!
I follow your blog continuously, even though I hardly make any of the recipes due to lack of ingredients (non-vegan family) and I finally found something I had EVERYTHING for so I made this for breakfast. Oh my goodness, this was such a good breakfast treat ^.^
I made this and it was delicious! Tasted just like a cinnamon roll! I melted peanute butter on top for an extra kick
I made this yesterday except I doubled the recipe and it made 5 normal sized muffins in a muffin pan! I used a vegan oat cream alternative as the liquid and a pear puree instead of apple sauce and oh gosh, it turned out amazingly creamy and indulgent!
One thing I really like about your recipes Katie is the single-serving sizes! How wrong can I go with just one serving? This would really help with those “I’m still hungry after dinner but don’t want to wake up 10 pounds heavier” nights.
Just made these and they are very tasty indeed 🙂