Cherry baked oatmeal is a great meal prep breakfast that almost tastes like dessert! Made with wholesome ingredients, sweetened with banana and cherries and studded with chocolate chips. Easy and fast to make, also gluten-free and vegan adaptable.
Baked cherry oatmeal is a great option to regular oatmeal like this Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal or to overnight oats like this Cherry Overnight Oats. Baking oatmeal gives it a wonderful, almost cake like texture and makes a healthy, breakfast meal prep. The baked oats will keep for several days in the fridge, or it can also be frozen to last even longer. Also try this Blueberry banana baked oatmeal or this Raspberry Baked Oatmeal.
When cherries are in season in the summer, this is a great recipe to make. But frozen cherries can also be used all year round. Another great cherry recipe is this Peach and Cherry Smoothie or this Vegan Cherry Almond Cake.
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Ingredients
This chocolate cherry baked oatmeal is fast and easy to make, the perfect meal-prep for the whole week!
For the full ingredient measurements, scroll down to view the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Bananas, use very ripe bananas with dark spots for the best texture and added sweetness.
- Almond milk, or other milk of choice. For a vegan oatmeal, use a plant based alternative.
- Maple syrup, or other liquid sweetener like agave or honey for non vegan. Brown sugar or coconut sugar can also be used.
- Vanilla extract, a little vanilla ads a lot of flavor to this cherry oatmeal bake.
- Rolled oats, or old fashion oats. They will taste the best when baked, they hold their shape and create a great texture. Use certified gluten-free oats if needed.
- Chia seeds, the addition of chia seeds will add extra nutrients and also help with the texture of the baked oatmeal, since this recipe is egg free. These seeds are high in fibre, antioxidants and protein.
- Baking powder, just a little to give this baked oatmeal more of a cake like texture.
- Salt, a little salt really helps bring out all the flavours.
- Cherries, use fresh or frozen. No need to defrost them if you go with frozen berries, just add them to the oatmeal before baking.
- Chocolate chips, use dark or milk chocolate or cocoa nibs.
Toppings (optional)
- Vanilla yoghurt, or other thick yoghurt of choice.
- Maple syrup, to taste
- Cherries
- Chocolate chips
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making this cherry chocolate oatmeal bake recipe is both fast and easy. Follow along with the step-by-step photos below.
For the full instructions see the recipe card at the bottom.
- Step 1: Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl until creamy.
- Step 2: Stir in the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
- Step 3: Add the rolled oats, chia seeds, baking powder and salt and stir well.
- Step 4: Add the chocolate chips and the cherries, whole, cut in half or roughly chopped.
Step 5: Fold in the cherries and chocolate chips.
Step 6: Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread to an even layer and top with some extra chocolate chips if desired.
Bake the oatmeal until lightly golden brown and set.
Hint: When the baked oatmeal comes out of the oven, let it cool down for about 10 minutes in the baking dish, before cutting and serving. Cut into 9 pieces (or make them smaller or larger) Serve warm as is or with some of the suggested toppings.
Substitutions and Variations
- Nuts – For added crunch and protein, stir in some chopped nuts of choice to this baked oatmeal recipe. For a cherry almond baked oatmeal, top with some slivered almonds replace the vanilla extract with almond extract. Another option that is allergy friendly is to use sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
- Berries – This recipe uses either fresh or frozen cherries. They can also be replaced with other berries, or a mix of berries of choice. Some good options are strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, also check out this Blueberry banana baked oatmeal.
- Protein – For added protein, mix in 2-3 tablespoons of your favourite protein powder into the oatmeal. Some great flavours to use are vanilla or chocolate flavor. Also check out this protein chia pudding for an easy to make breakfast.
- Sweetener – Instead of maple syrup, other liquid sweetener like agave syrup or brown sugar can also be used. This cherry baked oatmeal is not overly sweet. Most of the sweetness comes from the very ripe bananas, the cherries and just a little added maple syrup and chocolate chips. For a sweeter oatmeal, add more maple syrup to taste, or top the baked oatmeal with a drizzle of maple syrup.
- Gluten-free – Although oats are naturally gluten-free, they can contain traces of gluten. To ensure gluten-free baked oats, use only certified gluten-free oats. They can usually be found in the glute-free section of the grocery store.
- Vegan – For a vegan baked oatmeal recipe, use a plant based milk like almond milk, soy milk or oat milk. Also vegan chocolate chips or replace them with cocoa nibs. If topping with yoghurt, ensure it is plant based. Or try this Vegan Baked Oatmeal recipe.
Storage
These cherry baked oatmeal is great for meal prep and makes 9 portions. But they can also be divided into smaller or larger pieces. To store, cut the baked oats into pieces and let it cool down completely. Place in an airtight container or ziplock bag without adding any toppings. Store in the fridge, it will keep for up to 4 days.
The cherry baked oats can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Place the baked oatmeal in a freezer friendly ziplock bag, or an airtight container. A tip is to divide the oatmeal pieces with some parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together when frozen. This way, it is easy to take out a single serving.
Let the baked oatmeal defrost in room temperature and serve cold, or reheat in the microwave. Serve with some vanilla yoghurt and toppings of choice.
For more baked oatmeal recipes check out this delicious Blueberry banana baked oatmeal or this Apple pie baked oats.
Top Tip
Use very ripe bananas for best taste and texture. Ripe bananas are sweet and get a creamy consistency when mashed.
If using frozen cherries, they can be added directly without defrosting them first. The cherry and banana baked oatmeal mint need to bake for a few more minutes though.
The cherries can be left whole, cut in half or roughly chopped depending on your preference.
FAQ
Yes, frozen cherries work just as well as fresh! They can be added frozen to the baked oatmeal, but it might have to bake for a few more minutes in the oven. The frozen cherries might release a little extra juice while baking but this wont affect the flavor.
Yes, you can combine the cherries with some blueberries, raspberries, chopped strawberries or peaches. Choose your favourite! Frozen fruit or berries works great.
There are a few different reasons the baked oats can turn out a little dry. Not using large, and very ripe bananas, over baking it or too little liquid added. Any of these things can make the baked oatmeal a little dry. Make sure to measure correctly and bake just until the center is set.
More baked oatmeal recipes
Cherry recipes
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Cherry baked oatmeal is made with wholesome ingredients, sweetened with banana and cherries and studded with chocolate chips. A great meal prep breakfast that almost tastes like dessert! Easy and fast to make, also gluten-free and vegan adaptable.
- 2 very ripe bananas (1 cup mashed)
- 1 ½ cup unsweetened almond milk, or milk of choice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups rolled oats, gluten-free if needed
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup cherries, pitted (fresh or frozen)
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- vanilla yoghurt, or yoghurt of choice
- cherries
- maple syrup to taste
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Preheat the oven to 375F (190C) and lightly grease an 8×8 (20×20 cm) baking dish.
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Add the bananas to a mixing bowl and mash well until creamy. Stir in the almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla.
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To the mixing bowl, add the rolled oats, chia seeds, baking powder and salt.
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Fold in the cherries and chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread to an even layer and top with some extra cherries and chocolate chips if desired.
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Bake the oatmeal for 35-40 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and just set.
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Let it cool down for a few minutes before cutting into pieces and serving with a little yoghurt, fresh cherries or berries of choice and a drizzle of maple syrup.
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