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
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I feel like there used to be a way to share this easily on twitter.. but I cannot find the button so I’m just going to copy paste the link — EVERYONE should know about these!!
Aww girl, you are the SWEETEST!!!
You sure made that look amazing! I’ve never liked cinnamon rolls- but I think it’s the sickly sweetness I didn’t like, so I’m sure I’d love this.
I was actually just wondering the other day if vegans eat yeast- so I’m guessing the answer is no?
I just recently went to Ikea, and it was quite the experience. You end up wanting to buy everything huh? (Maybe bc I’ve always been too cheap to buy new furniture so I’ve always had hand me downs?) And I’m the weirdo that actually loves assembling it! I would volunteer to assemble my roommates’ furniture for them.
Oh LOL yes vegans can eat yeast! I am just lazy and therefore am intimidated by it. Not sure why! Someday I will work out my issues and try a yeast bread or roll recipe ;). I mean, I work with agar… how hard can yeast be?!
Hahaha! Now I just feel really silly. In my mind it was because yeast is “live” but duh, so are plants. If we didn’t eat ANYTHING live I guess we would live on water? And salt?
If anyone can do it you can! Gosh I’m embarrassed by my yeast question now haha.
Oh do NOT feel silly! I used to think that vegans couldn’t eat chocolate! 😉
I get that question quite a bit. You’re not the first one to ask and won’t be the last. 😉
Haha thanks! Maybe because yeast is such a weird thing??? I mean it’s alive, but comes in a little aluminum foil packet…who knows what’s going on there.
Just made the cinnamon roll oatmeal this morning, and it was delicious! My girls loved it too (even the one who’s burnt out on oatmeal….unless it’s your chocolate-raspberry oatmeal). Have you tried baking with yeast yet? It’s really not that hard, honestly. The main thing is to make sure you use yeast that’s still active, and to get the liquid temp right (usually just warmer than body temp is perfect). I recently forayed into the sourdough world. My first attempt grew mold, but my second attempt was perfect. I’ve now made 4 loaves and a batch of sourdough pancakes.
I have! I actually have a yeasted cinnamon roll recipe that’s probably going in my cookbook. You’re right… it’s definitely not as scary as it seems ;).
oh my goodness !
the irony, here I am excitedly clicking through all your super delicious sounding recipes, because I just stumbled
upon your yummy site a couple days ago. (and have been addicted to it since !) And here I thought, hmm, this girl NEEDS to write a little cook book on all the scrumptous-ness she’s got going on on this site !
and you’re already on top of that !
looking forward to it 🙂
yeast is easy to deal with though i can see why one might be intimidated. the key is to remember to use luke warm water. you also need some sugar to feed it. when i make the actual cinnamon rolls, i use warm milk. add 1/2 cup of sugar and let it dissolve. then i add my yeast and let it proof. about ten minutes and it should be looking foamy. you should try it sometime. what’s the worst that happens? if you proof the yeast first the most you are out of is some water, sugar and the yeast.
YUM! I’m super excited to try this… maybe for breakfast tomorrow?!
I love furniture shopping/decorating! Ikea is wonderful; they have super cute stuff & so cheap… how can you resist?
The only down-side I’ve found to Ikea has been seriously awful customer service! They wouldn’t let me return something that was (unknowingly) broken when I bought it… lame.
I absolutely love Ikea. Their food section always gets me, and you have to try their dark chocolate bar. It’s vegan and it’s oh so rich – you’d love it!
Hold the phone. Ikea sells vegan food?! Must find this chocolate bar! As if I needed an excuse to go back ;).
They sell TONS of food – and lots of it is vegan-friendly! I love their jams and pastas, and I’m dying to try their vegetarian caviar substitute. Their food section is the bomb!
Oh my LORD Katie. Can we just move our little indecisive-about-life butts into the same place and blog while cooking for each other? It’d be a great life, and this is my first request. Along with a PSL. And chocolate.
Oh Yum! I think I’ve found my Saturday breakfast!! 🙂
IKEA scares me. I get too overwhelmed there. I’ve only been once and not sure I’m going back anytime soon. I do LOVE their stuff though. In fact, I may need to go back because my friend said they have a kid friendly area where kids can play while you shop. Hmmm……
I’m sooooo trying this boatmeal! I’m pretty sure it’s National Oatmeal Month too- perfect timing Katie! 🙂
Mmm I love cinnamon! Can’t get enough of it 🙂
Oh my gosh Katie, you are a genius! I haven’t had a cinnamon bun in years, but these look like they’d do the trick.
I too feel asleep in Ikea when I was a kid! I’m pretty sure at that point we had already been there for 4 hours. 😛 But not I love the store – too bad its 3 hours north.
Wow this recipe looks amazing! I have done so many recipes with oats, but have never tried baked oatmeal. (possibly because I’m impatient with the oven, especially in the morning!) Maybe it’s time to finally try it out. Thanks!