Meet Maple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal’s cousin: Dark Chocolate Baked Oatmeal. Classic oats, sweetened with cocoa powder and real sugar and baked to perfection for the perfect, healthy filling breakfast. Dark chocolate baked oatmeal also makes a healthy snack or dessert when you’re looking for something extra sweet. My sugar-loving husband gave this one two-thumbs up.
What does baked oatmeal taste like?
This dark chocolate baked oatmeal offers the flavor and texture a traditional, warm bowl of oatmeal with the convenience and ease of cutting a piece of cake. It’s perfect for feeding a family, or for meal prep. The taste is sweet, with the flavors of dark cocoa. There is not an overwhelming flavor of banana here; really, the banana serves as a sweetening agent for the oats, along with the unsweetened applesauce. If you don’t like the taste of bananas, don’t worry. You won’t taste them. If you are allergic to bananas or are unable to eat them, you can use more applesauce in place of them. I would start with 2/3 cup to 1 cup of applesauce as the equivalent of two mashed bananas. 
What you’ll need to make dark chocolate baked oatmeal
Here’s what you’ll need to make dark chocolate baked oatmeal:
- bananas
- unsweetened applesauce
- vanilla extract
- kosher salt
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- sugar (I used cane sugar, it’s a little coarser in texture, but granulated sugar will work fine)
- unsweetened almond milk (or cashew, or skim)
How to make dark chocolate baked oatmeal
Start by getting a baking dish; you can use a casserole dish, a Pyrex, a pie plate. Anything will work here. Preheat your oven to 375F. Mash the bananas with a fork at the bottom of a mixing bowl. Then, add the applesauce, the sugar, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
Whisk everything together. Add the milk, and then fold the oats in.
Spray the casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray, and then pour the mixture in. 
In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients.
Sprinkle the topping ingredients on top of the casserole dish, then pop the dish in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. 
Dark Chocolate Baked Oatmeal
Equipment
- baking dish, casserole dish, pie plate
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 bananas, overripe
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tbsp sugar, I used Cane Sugar; it is coarser
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup cashew milk, unsweetened, or almond milk or skim
- 1.5 cups old fashioned oats
Topping
- 1/4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Spray a small baking dish or casserole with cooking spray. I used an 8.5" x 11" 2.5qt casserole dish for this.
- Add the bananas to the bottom of a mixing bowl, and mash them with a fork.
- Add the applesauce, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract, and stir to combine.
- Add the milk. Whisk together.
- Add the oats. Fold in.
- Pour the mixture evenly into the baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Sprinkle this mixture evenly on top of the oats.
- Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.
Notes
- 5 points
Nutrition
How to serve, store and reheat
This recipe makes 4 equal-sized portions. You can store this in individual portions, covered in the fridge (either wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, or in an air tight container). This also freezes well (I personally haven’t frozen it, because it’s usually gone in a day or two!) To reheat, simply pop it in the microwave or air fryer. Serve with fresh fruit, or a drizzle of peanut butter. 
You might also enjoy: Maple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Easy Chocolate Banana Muffins Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Pancake Bake 
Toppings used:
- chocolate powdered peanut butter mixed with water
- frozen mixed berries
- shredded coconut
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I love the Maple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal, and I just made this one and it did not disappoint!! So delicious!
Delicious 😋 to me it tastes like cocoa crispies lol. The banana flavor in this one is definitely more mild than in the maple cinnamon one. I love both ❤️
This was so delicious! It was like eating chocolate cake for breakfast ☺️ I added a drizzle of PB2 and a dollop not fat free whipped cream. I also love the maple cinnamon baked oatmeal and I’m excited to have this new recipe to add to the mix!
I made this today. I loved it. My kids loved it. So easy to make.
I am loving this baked oatmeal! I like it just as much cold as I do warm. This morning I topped with a little coconut whipped cream and it was like having dessert for breakfast! Thank you for all the great recipes.
This was delicious!! Enjoyed it with some strawberries and light whip cream
Thank you for a delicious recipe! So quick & simple to make!
I made this over the weekend to have on hand for the week. It was so easy and it’s delicious! I drizzled some PB2 on top, and it was to die for. Will be making this again soon!
So delicious!
I never write reviews, I’m terrible like that, love to read them but just never go back to write them. Anyway, let me tell you MAKE THIS!! I actually make a ton of Stephs recipes and have loved everything! But this is my goto dessert!! Drizzled with PB fit powder mixed with butter hits the spot at night after dinner! And I’m usually a salty snack person with the occasional sweet and this works!! Thank you for all your hard work to bring all these recipes to us!!
What can I use instead of the apple sauce?
I added a teaspoon of peanut butter spread super thin across the top before heating and it was delicious! Will be making again soon.
So delicious! Definitely worth trying.. and it’s super easy to make. I used a 9×11 Pyrex and needed to double the recipe to fill the pan, which was no problem since it takes less than 5 minutes to put together.
How long did you bake the doubled recipe?
Love this!
So delicious, breakfast…lunch…DESSERT!
Made this for first time it was amazing deff what I needed for that sweet cake craving I had
This recipe is amazing! I’ve been making the maple cinnamon one and finally got the ingredients for this one. I don’t eat bananas so I used 3/4 cup applesauce instead. So good!
So yummy! I was a bit sceptical about the banana, but you can barely taste it. Chocolate for breakfast is a win!
Another winner. I paired with a big dollop of greek yogurt.
Made this today for break fast prep. Love it. The maple cinnamon oatmeal bake is my favorite, but if you are a chocolate person this is a good choice too.
Absolutely delicious!
This is so yummy!! I added some frozen raspberries, a dollop of peanut putter and a sprinkle of unsweetened coconut flakes to mine.
Even without the added toppings, it’s still delicious as is!
Are you sure the calories are right on this? When I put the recipe into My Fitness Pal it was almost double. If I increased the serving size to 8 it was fine. Something doesn’t compute.
Never mind.. got it! So sorry!
Yes, the nutrition is calculated right though the recipe card. I just double checked snd it’s accurate. Make sure you are using unsweetened cashew / almond milk and old fashioned oats.
Made this today and it was super easy and delicious! I’m so happy to have a new choice for breakfast. Thank you!!
This is a great breakfast recipe, very filling & extremely easy to do for the week’s meal prep. It’s tasty & versatile, I’ve made it serval times & I added peanut butter chips one week instead of drizzling on top & it was great. It has become a meal prep staple now for me.
Great flavor! Easy to make!
I love the Dark Chocolate Baked Oatmeal recipe! I eat this as a mid-afternoon snack to help with the sweet cravings. Also, it helps fill me up until dinner. I use the same baking dish as Steph, but cut into 6 servings (3 points each on Green). Freeze them individually in snack bags and then take one out as needed.
Really easy to make, huge portion. So good
Yummy!! Great go to for easy breakfast!!
This is absolutely delicious. I’ve had it everyday since the recipe was posted. Easy to take to work. Not messy and everybody wants to know what I’m eating.
I switch off with these and the maple cinnamon oatmeal. Yum!
Amazing!
This one is my favorite. Paired with greek yogurt and a little drizzle of maple syrup, it’s one of my favorite breakfasts.
This is so dang yummy! I’m making it again tonight for the rest of the week.
So yummy!! Perfect with a little bit of sugar free cool whip and strawberries for a night time treat after the kids go to bed!
I’ve made this multiple times. So easy and filling.
Made this 2 weeks in a row. So good, fulling, quick and easy, and worth the ww points
I am always so happy when I have this for meal prep breakfasts. So yummy. I love the cinnamon one as well. Heats up good in my toaster oven. It’s feeling too. I’m not hungry til lunch. Love it!
Family favorite ❤️
Wow! So flavorful and moist. A great breakfast snack or dessert!
Amazing
LOVE the chocolate. I served with Greek yogurt and some mixed fruit for a little protein. Will make again.
The best EVER…. and I am not a chocolate lover! This is so good.
So I don’t eat oatmeal. I do not like the texture. This however was a game changer. I ate this as breakfast & as a dessert. My entire family enjoyed this. Thank you!
This was delicious! I’ve been having a hard time with breakfast because I’m tired of eggs, but I’m not the biggest fan of oatmeal. But when I saw there was chocolate involved, I knew I had to try it. I put PB2 and bananas on top and it tasted like a dessert!
This recipe was so delicious! The hubby and I couldn’t get enough. I made it as a breakfast dish but it could easily be dessert. Thank you for a great recipe!
So good! Gone too fast! Yummo!
This has been on repeat for breakfast and so easy to bring to work and reheat! Also added some cinnamon to it 😋 thank you so much Steph!
I’ve made this baked oatmeal for my breakfast meal prep 2 weeks in a row and I still can’t believe how yummy it is!
Really good, wish you could taste more chocolate
This recipe is delicious! 5 stars all the way. 😊
Another winner…yum!!! Cannot believe I’m eating food this delicious and losing weight🙌🏻🙌🏻
I just made this and it is so flavorful and a healthy sweet treat! The maple is good too. Next on my list is the smores! Yum
I love this! I wanted to use up old bananas, but did not want all the sugar that banana bread has. This was perfect. It had some sugar, but not too much. (one family member has a huge sweet tooth, so they did not like it-not sweet enough) All the oats add a nice chew and will keep you full for a long time.
So good! I’ve had it both for breakfast and as a dessert…..yummy and satisfying for either!
So easy and delicious!
This was amazing! So delicious and filling! Thanks Steph for always giving us incredibly tasty recipes!
This was extremely delicious and EASY to make. I appreciated the fact that all ingredients were ones I already had. I had this for breakfast and it did not disappoint at all! Had it with whipped cream, Greek yogurt, chocolate chips, and blueberries!
Will definitely be making this again and very excited to try the other flavors as well
I’m allergic to bananas. Do you have a recommendation for a substitute?
This recipe is easy and delicious! You feel like you’re eating something unhealthy but you’re not. A win-win!
I made this today and added 1tbsp mini semisweet chocolate chips and it was delicious! The perfect, filling afternoon treat!
Such an easy recipe to make and taste delicious. I love Steph’s suggestions on how to serve it and still remains low points on ww.
Loved it, exploded in my oven though.
This is my second time making this and I love it so much! I would eat the whole thing in a sitting it’s that good!
True scene in my house: Husband gets ready to toss overripe bananas. Me: Nooooo! I can make an oatmeal bake! I’ve made this one so many times now because it tastes fantastic, takes about 5 minutes to make, and I always have the ingredients. I do add a scoop of WW vanilla protein powder because I’m concentrating on more protein in my diet. Thanks Steph. So good.
Oh it was so good. I really enjoyed this breakfast and I’m looking forward to the next few mornings 😅 I paired it with some Skyr and Berries. Thank you for this great recipe 😊
One of my favorites
I feel like I’m having dessert for breakfast. This might be my favorite one so far!
One of the best baked oatmeals I have ever had! I make it a couple of times a month. Love it with peanut butter and banana flavors. Obsessed!
Ok this is bomb!! So so good and kinda addicting lol
Made this yesterday. Halved the recipe because I don’t have much freezer space. This was so good and easy to make.
I love all of Steph’s baked oatmeals (I make them religiously each week), and this one might be my favorite. It pairs well with so many fruits (frozen raspberries are great here), plus some yogurt or peanut butter– or both!
Baked this last night and enjoying this morning with sliced banana and PB2 drizzled over the top…so good! I’ve also recently tried the pumpkin baked oatmeal and apple pecan baked oatmeal and loved them, too… thank you for such amazing recipes!
I love all of Stephanie’s oatmeal bakes! This one is my favorite! Can pair with different fruit and yogurt for a great filling breakfast.
Delicious and so easy to make!
Perfect sweet chocolate delight!
I can’t believe how delicious this is!!! And super easy!
I added I scoop of chocolate Quest protein powder and used Lakanto monk fruit sweetener. it’s more like a dessert than oatmeal! Kind of like brownies!
Thank you for this great recipe which will be a regular in my house.
OMG I added 1 scoop of orgain chocolate protein to this and I’m on the clouds with this for breakfast!!
One of my favorite go-to breakfast preps! Make it at least once a month