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
Love your blog, just found it while I was searching for on-the-go-easy-breakfast online! 🙂 Scrolling through your breakfast items…I’m looking for things that I can make in batches and freeze well. We’re trying to save money by having my husband take breakfast with him to work instead of going out and buying less-healthy fast options. I know that pancakes freeze well…how about the oatmeal items you have? TIA!
I would not recommend freezing the oatmeal recipes, except for the baked oatmeal or cupcakes.
Never one to leave a recipe alone, I made some changes to this recipe and they were more of a muffin, but they were delicious. I tripled the recipe, but used super flour (almond, buckwheat, chia) from Whole Foods in place of some of the oats, so I used 1 c. oats and 1/2 c. super flour. I used 1/2 c. apple sauce and about 1/4 c. coconut oil, I used canned coconut milk as the milk and then had to add some additional coconut milk. I also added 1/2 t. baking powder as I wanted them to puff a bit. I also added a bit of additional cinnamon. I used maple syrup as sweetener. I baked them in jumbo paper muffin cups placed in a cake pan. My batter made six rolls/muffins. I topped them with your cinnamon roll cream cheese icing (tweaked with some additional coconut milk, extra vanilla, and a touch of almond extract, sweetened with xylitol). These were delicious and my mom and sister who were staying over loved them, too.
I’m not a huge oatmeal fan, but these actually look good, so I may have to try them. Except, when I click on the link for the cinnamon bun frosting, it takes me to cheesecake pancakes? 🙁
Read the parenthesis under the recipe title cheesecake pancakes before the ingredients.
Mum woke up with a bit of a sad head this morning (naughty wine…) so I made her this in a heart ramekin =) It’s so good!!!
Wow, this was absolutely delicious! For the cream cheese frosting I used 2 tbsp cottage cheese, 1 tbsp icing sugar and a drop of lemon juice; it took no more than a minute with the hand mixer to get it into a smooth consistency.
This was so good! Thanks for helping me satisfy a pregnancy craving!
my husband would never leave the house if i smelled like a cinnamon bun 😉
I make this recipe all the time. It’s easy to make and is so delicious. I always make it with banana, and love the way it tastes!
Would it be possible to do this with already cooked steel cut oats?
Love your baked oatmeal recipes. Maybe you could develop a “carrot cake” baked oatmeal recipe?!? Just a thought!