Strawberry and Almond Baked Oatmeal is a delicious and wholesome way to start your day. It's incredibly simple, healthy and packed with bright strawberry flavor thanks to a simple trick to extract as much berry flavor as possible.
There is never enough time in the morning for an elaborate breakfast, so that's why I frequently turn to make-ahead or big-batch recipes. Baked oatmeal is perfect for anyone who wants a delicious breakfast without much hassle. We make them a lot in our household, whether it's our rich and delicious Chocolate Baked Oatmeal, German Chocolate Cake Baked Oatmeal or our Peanut Butter and Jam Baked Oatmeal. This strawberry baked oatmeal is now in regular rotation in our house thanks to its simplicity, and its sweet, bright and tangy flavor.
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Ingredients that Matter
This hearty breakfast uses basic grocery store ingredients, with fresh strawberries, slivered almonds and a handful of other simple ingredients. Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe:
- Strawberries. I recommend using fresh strawberries, if possible. You'll need one pound of berries. Since you'll be chopping them, you can pick any size strawberry. Just look for berries that are as bright red as possible.
- Rolled Oats. Use regular old fashioned rolled oats for this recipe.
- Slivered Almonds. A sprinkle of slivered almonds provides a nice flavor and crunchy texture to this strawberry baked oatmeal.
- Almond Extract. Similarly, almond extract provides a nice almond flavor. You can swap in vanilla extract, if preferred.
- Brown Sugar. Strawberries are sweet, but this baked oatmeal really benefits with a touch more sugar. I like the molasses flavor in brown sugar, but you can use granulated sugar or a natural sweetener like maple, honey or even coconut sugar.
- Eggs. A couple large eggs mixed into the baked oatmeal provide a cake-like texture plus pack in the morning protein.
- Baking Powder. Use a bit of baking powder to create a light and fluffy texture.
- Table Salt. Don't skip a pinch of salt to bring on the flavor of the strawberries and almonds.
- Butter. Use a couple tablespoons of melted unsalted butter. You can swap in a light oil like vegetable or canola. You can even use melted coconut oil.
- Milk. Use your favorite milk, full-fat, low-fat or skim. You can even use a plant-based milk and swap in vegetable oil to make this recipe dairy-free.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Strawberry Baked Oatmeal
While you can certainly just throw all the ingredients together into a baking dish and call it a day, I recommend following my method for extracting as much flavor from the berries as possible. Here is how to make this strawberry baked oatmeal recipe:
- Start by preheating the oven to 350F and lightly coating a 7-inch by 11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Wash the berries well, remove the stems and dice half the strawberries.
- Place the diced strawberries into a mixing bowl and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the the brown sugar. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved and set aside for 10 minutes while working on the rest of the baked oatmeal. Slice the remaining strawberries and set aside.
- Whisk together the eggs and melted butter until smooth then add the milk, almond extract and remaining brown sugar. Continue to whisk until well combined.
- Add the rolled oats to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the baking powder and table salt. Stir well to combine. Pour in the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
- Dollop the diced strawberries over the oatmeal mixture and press under the oats a bit. It's best not to overmix here to prevent the color of the baked oatmeal from turning too pink. Be sure to pour in the juices from the bowl (macerating strawberries releases lots of flavor from the berries). Sprinkle with slivered almonds and top with the sliced strawberries.
- Bake in the oven until the oatmeal is bubbly and the top layer of strawberries are tender and the edges are just starting to brown, 30-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Rest on the counter for 10 minutes before serving.
Hint: If you are serving this strawberry baked oatmeal for a breakfast or brunch party, you can really make the final product shine by brushing the top layer of berries with a bit of strawberry or raspberry jam after it comes out of the oven. Stir together 1 teaspoon each of jam with water and brush each berry with the mixture to enhance the red color.
Substitutions
There are plenty of substitutions you can make to this recipe based on your dietary restrictions, availability of ingredients and flavor preferences. Consider the following tweaks:
- Strawberries - You can use frozen strawberries for this recipe, just be sure to thaw them and drain them before slicing and dicing. You may even want to pat them dry before using as frozen fruit tends to release a lot more liquid than fresh.
- Gluten Free - Make this recipe gluten-free by using GF rolled oats. All the other ingredients are gluten-free.
- Almonds - If you don't have slivered almonds, you can also use sliced almonds. Or, use whole almonds and roughly chop them before sprinkling on the oatmeal.
- Almond Extract - If you don't have almond extract (or don't like it) try using vanilla extract instead.
- Vegan Option - To make this recipe vegan swap out the eggs for 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds or chia seeds, use plant-based milk and vegetable or coconut oil.
Make-Ahead Options
There are a couple ways to make this recipe ahead of time. You can make the whole thing up to 24 hours in advance. Here's how:
- You can macerate the berries in the refrigerator overnight; store in a small container.
- Add the dry ingredients to the baking dish and store on the counter or refrigerator.
- Store the whisked wet ingredients in a separate container in the refrigerator then pour over the oats when ready to bake.
- You can also assemble the whole thing the night before and store, covered, uncooked in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, add a bit more milk (to moisten the oat mixture) then bake as instructed. You will likely need 40 minutes if baking straight from the refrigerator.
Some of our other favorite make-ahead breakfast options include Cinnamon Overnight Oats, Nutella Overnight Oats, Blackberry Banana Oat Muffins and Mini Egg Bites with Broccoli and Cheddar.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days. You can enjoy baked oatmeal cold out of the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave. You can also reheat the strawberry oats in a 350F oven until warm, about 10 minutes.
I do not recommend freezing this baked oatmeal.
Adam's Pro Tip
What's the deal with tossing half the strawberries with sugar before adding to the oats? This is called maceration. It's the process of adding sugar to berries to extract liquid from the berries (the sugar helps break down the cell walls of the berries, releasing some of the water). This is the same method used when making strawberry shortcake. It's a small extra step that makes a big, big impact on flavor. Seriously, my wife took a bite and said it was her new favorite baked oatmeal!
FAQ
Yes! Rolled oats in general are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein. Plus, many recipes, including this one, add eggs, which further boosts the protein. You can make it even healthier by adding flaxseeds or chia seeds.
You can use frozen strawberries when making baked oatmeal, just be sure to thaw the berries and drain off any excess liquid. Frozen berries tend to be wetter than fresh, so you may even want to blot the berries dry with paper towels.
Try adding fresh fruit like apples, raspberries, pears, peaches or blueberries. You can also add nuts, dried fruits and seeds. Or try adding some applesauce in place of some of the sugar.
More Breakfast Recipes
Looking for other breakfast recipes like this? These are some of our favorites:
Dinner Ideas
Breakfast is covered, but what about dinner? Here are some recipes for inspiration:
Recipe
Strawberry and Almond Baked Oatmeal
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 7 by 11 baking dish 1x
Description
Strawberry and Almond Baked Oatmeal is a delicious and wholesome way to start your day. It's incredibly simple, healthy and packed with bright strawberry flavor thanks to a simple trick to extract as much berry flavor as possible.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh strawberries, divided *see note
- 6 Tbsp. light brown sugar, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted (or vegetable oil)
- 1 ½ cups milk (or plant-based milk)
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 2 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. table salt
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- powdered sugar, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly coat a 7-inch by 11-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Wash the berries well; remove the stems. Dice half the berries and transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar and stir well until the sugar dissolves. Set aside on the counter for 10 minutes. Slice the remaining strawberries and set aside.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and melted butter in a medium bowl. Add the milk, almond extract and remaining 4 tablespoons brown sugar and whisk until well combined. Place the rolled oats in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the baking powder and salt. Stir well to combine. Pour on the milk mixture and stir well.
- Give the strawberries and brown sugar mixture a stir. Add dollops of berries evenly on the oats, pressing down the berries a bit. Be sure to pour on any liquid from the bowl. Sprinkle the top with almonds and then top with sliced strawberries. Bake until the oats are bubbly and the berries are tender and the edges are just starting to brown, 30-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Rest for 10 minutes before serving. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Notes
- You can use frozen berries for this recipe. Be sure to thaw and drain off any excess liquid. Blot the berries dry with paper towels as frozen berries tend to be wetter than fresh.
- Instead of butter, you can use vegetable, canola or even coconut oil.
- Swap in a natural sugar like maple, honey or coconut sugar for the brown sugar, if desired.
- If you don't like almond extract, use vanilla instead.
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using GF rolled oats.
- You can also make this recipe vegan by using 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds or chia seeds in place of the eggs, use plant-based milk and oil instead of butter.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or 350F oven for about 10 minutes. I don't recommend freezing this recipe.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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