Mixed Fruit Baked Oatmeal
This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Mixed Fruit Baked Oatmeal is a nutritious breakfast option that brings together the comforting flavors of oats, nuts, and a medley of fresh fruits. This mouthwatering, make ahead breakfast comes together FAST and can be customized to what fruit you have on hand.
“This is so delicious! I just made it for the first time today and I’m thrilled with how well it turned out. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️” – Crystal
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Oatmeal is incredibly good for you. It’s a whole grain loaded with fiber and keeps you full longer.
- It’s kid-friendly. You can add in the fruit that your kids love most! Leave out the pecans if that is going to throw them off.
- It’s a great meal to take new moms.
- It’s freezer-friendly. Like most of our make-ahead breakfast recipes, Baked Oatmeal can be prepped and frozen before baking.
Ingredients Needed
- Old fashioned rolled oats – Quick oats work fine as well but will make the dish a bit denser.
- Sugar – Readers have said they like swapping in brown sugar here.
- Nuts – Pecans, sunflower seeds, or walnuts are all great options.
- Dried cranberries – You could use raisins instead. Have extra cranberries? Use them in our Cranberry Balsamic Chicken!
- Diced fresh fruit – Apples, pears, or peaches are my pick. But, banana, blueberries, or strawberries would work, too.
- Coconut oil – Avocado oil is another healthy swap.
- Milk – I use whole milk, but a non-dairy version is totally fine.
Variations and Substitutions
- Dairy-Free Option: Use plain dairy-free milk in the recipe.
- Gluten-Free Option: Make sure your oats say “gluten-free” on the package.
- You can use whatever fruit you have! This recipe plays nice with them all.
- You can use quick oats instead of old-fashioned oats in the recipe.
- Because this recipe is so easy, it works great to double and freeze like we do in our 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions.
- You can use almonds, pecans, or sunflower seeds.
How to Make Mixed Fruit Baked Oatmeal
Combine Dry Ingredients and Add Coconut Oil
In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Drizzle the melted coconut oil over the dry ingredients and stir it around. This helps it get mixed into the batter without coagulating from the cold ingredients.
Combine Wet Ingredients and Add to Dry
Whisk together the eggs and milk.
Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined
Add in the Fruit and Pecans
Gently stir in your fruit of choice. Just make sure it is diced up very small.
In this recipe, my favorites are apples, pears, or peaches.
Pecans are optional but add a little crunch and nutty flavor that goes well with all of the sweetness.
Bake and Serve
Spread the batter out in a baking dish and bake. This recipe doesn’t rise much but you can tell it’s done when the top starts to brown.
Serve warm in bowl with a little milk over the top.
How to Freeze Baked Oatmeal
We are big fan of freezer meals. In fact, we’ve worked hard to create valuable freezer meal resources for you–including two cookbooks, a library of 1 Hour Freezer Prep, and an index of tried and true freezer meal recipes.
Here’s the best way to freeze baked oatmeal:
Freeze For Later:
Assemble the baked oatmeal but don’t bake it. Tightly wrap the dish in a few layers of plastic wrap or foil (or a tight-fitting lid) and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen:
Thaw completely using one of these safe methods. Bake according to instructions.
FAQs
Yes, you can prep baked oatmeal (unbaked) ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months. Thaw and bake per instructions.
You can also fully cook and cool the baked oatmeal ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just rewarm individual portions in the microwave. Our readers have told us that they freeze fully cooked, individual portions of baked oatmeal in the freezer, as well, and rewarm in the microwave.
While you can use quick oats in baked oatmeal, it’s best to use rolled oats because they give the dish a heartier texture. Quick oats or instant oats can result in a denser, mushier result.
Baked oatmeal can be made gluten-free or dairy-free with these substitutions:
Dairy-Free Option: Use dairy-free milk in the recipe.
Gluten-Free Option: Make sure your oats say “gluten-free” on the package.
Yes, this recipe will also work in a smaller dish. Just cook it 10-15 minutes longer or until it’s set in the middle.
Want More Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas?
Foolproof make-ahead breakfast recipes that will help you start the morning the right way.
More Baked Oatmeal Dishes You’ll Love
If you enjoy baked oatmeal as much as our families do, give a few of these others a try. They all work well to freeze before baking, as well.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Mixed Fruit Baked Oatmeal
Baked Oatmeal Recipe is a deliciously hearty breakfast that will keep your family feeling full and happy.
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup sugar (sub: brown sugar)
- 1/3 cup ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (sub: avocado oil)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk (your choice)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (sub: chopped walnuts, slivered almond, sunflower seeds)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (sub: raisins)
- 2 cups diced fruit (Apples, pears or peaches are my favorite for this recipe)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, sugar, flaxseed, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Drizzle the melted coconut oil over the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Wet Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
- Combine: Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir. Add in the mixed fruit, dried cranberries, and pecans and stir until well combined.
- Bake: Spread the mixture out evenly into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until set in the middle.
- Serve: Serve warm in bowls with a little milk over the top.
Freeze For Later: Prepare according to directions but freeze the baked oatmeal before baking. Wrap tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and one layer of foil. Place in the back of the freezer for up to 3 months.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours and bake according to directions. You can also defrost in the microwave and bake.
Notes/Tips
- Dairy-Free Option: Use plain dairy-free milk in the recipe.
- Gluten-Free Option: Make sure your oats say “gluten-free” on the package.
- You can use whatever fruit you have! This recipe plays nice with them all.
- Swap the white sugar for brown sugar
- You can use quick oats instead of old fashioned oats in the recipe.
- Because this recipe is so easy, it works great to double and freeze like we do in our 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions.
- You can use almonds, pecans, or sunflower seeds.
Huge hit for the whole family!
Love to hear this Dakota! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
This is my solution for an expected hectic morning. Throwing a prepared oatmeal casserole into the oven can be such a help for overnight company or a busy morning on the farm.
Yes! While my busy mornings are not on the farm, I love breakfasts that can just go in the oven when we have company or lots going on to start our day. Thanks for leaving a review Linda!
Awesome
Great! Thanks for the review.
Do you have a crock pot version? I need a recipe that I can take to our Sunday School class and keep warm. I also only old fashion oats on hand. Would just giving them a quick whirl in the food processor make those work for this recipe?
Old fashioned oats will work fine without any processing. I’ve made it both ways. We have not tested this in the slow cooker. Sorry.
I made this today and loved it! I would just like to check with you about including salt. Your first ingredient list includes salt, but your print out version doesn’t. Do you add it? Thanks!
Thanks for letting us know about the discrepancy. Yes, salt does help balance out the sweetness a little but if you forget it it’s not the end of the world. We’ll add it in to the printed version.
Can you use steel cut oats?
I haven’t tried it with steel cut, so I can’t say. My gut tells me it would be too dense, though.
I think I like the brown sugar because it does give a little crunch similar to apple crisp.
Sounds yummy!
This recipe is so amazing. My only change to it is topping it with brown sugar and then baking. I like to portion it in to small containers and freeze. Makes a wonderful snack.
Do you like doing this because the brown sugar makes it sweeter or does it give it a little crunch? Just curious!