Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal

October 25, 2021 By Steph 29 Comments

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WW Points: 5

Your favorite sweet breakfast (or dessert) transformed into a healthy baked oatmeal; cinnamon roll baked oatmeal is a deliciously sweet, decadent-tasting breakfast. Old fashioned oats are baked with milk, spices, and brown sugar to create a base for this delicious baked oatmeal. Topped with buttery, melted sugar and a swirl of cream cheese, this baked oatmeal has all of the flavors reminiscent of a huge, sticky cinnamon bun. Pair this baked oatmeal with yogurt and fruit for a healthy breakfast, or top with some nut butter and whipped cream for a lighter dessert.

For a similar tasting recipe, you can check out my recipe for Cinnamon Roll Pancake Bake.

What does baked oatmeal taste like?

My best description of baked oatmeal is that it’s like a dense, moist cake. It is my solution to batch-prepping oatmeal. In other words, let’s skip the instant oatmeal packs, and let’s not worry about having to stir and cook oats on the stove top. Just combine your oats together with your liquid and flavors, and bake them all together. If you think you don’t like oatmeal, I still recommend you trying baked oats. It’s not your typical, clumpy oatmeal (if that’s the part you aren’t crazy about). It’s easily cut like a cake, and can be eaten alone as a snack, or paired with yogurt and fruit for a filling breakfast. Since my baked oatmeal doesn’t contain any eggs, it’s really quite easy to prepare and bake. You can bake it for as long as you’d like, to get whatever texture you are aiming for. You don’t have to worry about under or over-cooking anything. And since this recipe doesn’t contain eggs or dairy, it’s completely vegan and dairy free. It can also be gluten-free, if you use certified gluten-free oats.

What you’ll need to make cinnamon roll baked oatmeal

Here’s the ingredient list for this recipe:

bananas
unsweetened (or no sugar added) applesauce
vanilla extract
brown sugar
baking powder
cinnamon
kosher salt
unsweetened almond milk (or cashew milk, skim milk, milk of choice)
old fashioned oats
light butter
cane sugar
reduced fat cream cheese

Frequently asked questions, re: substitutions

What if I don’t want to use bananas?

If you don’t like the taste of bananas (or you are allergic to bananas) you can use substitutes here. If you don’t want to use bananas because you do not enjoy the flavor, I suggest still using them here. You do not taste the banana at all; they serve as a sweetening agent for the dish only. If you are allergic to bananas or are unable to eat them, you can add more applesauce in place. To replace two medium-sized bananas, I recommend using an extra 1 cup of applesauce in this recipe. I do not recommend using canned pumpkin. It is not sweet enough to replace the sweetness the banana offers here. Can I use sugar replacements in this recipe?

You can make any other substitutions in this recipe. I have not tried them myself, so I can not attest to the flavor result or my recommendations for the amount to use. As always, I do recommend using the real thing here, unless you can’t for medical reasons.

How to make this recipe

Just like all of my other baked oatmeal recipes, start off by preheating the oven to 375F. In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth; then add the applesauce, vanilla extract, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and salt. Pour in the milk, and then fold the oats in.

To make the topping, melt the butter, and mix it with the cinnamon and sugar. Then, in another bowl, combine the cream cheese and extra milk. Add the cream cheese mixture to small plastic bag and snip the end to form a piping bag. Pour the butter mixture evenly on top of the oats, and then drizzle the cream cheese mixture. Use a toothpick or knife to create swirls. Bake the oats for 35-40 minutes or until firm and set up. Allow to cool completely before cutting.