Brownie Baked Oatmeal – Chocolate Covered Katie

September 3, 2023

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This delicious chocolate brownie baked oatmeal recipe is ultra rich, gooey, fudgy, easy to make, super filling, and secretly healthy at the same time!

Healthy chocolate breakfast oatmeal

Cook just once, and you get an indulgent, healthy breakfast for the entire week!

The recipe can easily be prepared the night before, giving you an instant morning meal any time you are craving a sweet and chocolatey breakfast.

It’s perfect for taking on the go and yields a large number of servings. So it’s a great option for feeding a large family or serving to overnight guests.

And leftovers freeze well too!

Also try this popular Protein Banana Bread

Recipe flavor variations

Mocha baked oats: Substitute half the water or milk of choice with brewed coffee or espresso. Alternatively, you can stir a teaspoon of instant coffee (regular or decaf) in with the dry ingredients.

Protein brownie oatmeal: Swap the cocoa powder with your favorite chocolate protein powder. Use peanut butter or another high protein nut butter.

Mint chocolate chip: Add half a teaspoon of pure peppermint extract and a handful of mini chocolate chips. Garnish with fresh mint leaves if you wish.

Chocolate coconut: Stir in half a cup of shredded coconut. Use canned coconut milk as your milk of choice in the recipe.

You may also add in a handful of peanut butter chips, chia seeds or hemp seeds, raisins, dried dates, chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds, or a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Still craving brownies? Make Sweet Potato Brownies

Brownie oatmeal recipe video

Above, watch the step by step video showing how to make the recipe

Ingredients for brownie baked oatmeal

The chocolate peanut butter baked oatmeal can be low fat, low calorie, gluten free, soy free, egg free, refined sugar free, nondairy, and vegan, with just eight ingredients.

Here’s everything you need to make it:

Gather together rolled oats, unsweetened cocoa powder, milk of choice or water, peanut butter (or your favorite nut or seed butter), pure vanilla extract, liquid sweetener of choice, salt, banana, and optional chocolate chips.

There is also a version without banana included below.

If you prefer to use quick oats instead of rolled oats, that is perfectly fine. Spelt flakes, kamut flakes, or quinoa flakes work as well. I do not recommend using steel cut oats here and have not tried oat flour.

Liquid sweetener options include pure maple syrup, honey, agave, date syrup, or sugar free maple syrup. Using granulated sugar will result in a more crumbly texture.

I like to use half unsweetened cocoa powder and half Dutch cocoa powder. Feel free to substitute raw cacao powder, hot chocolate powder, chocolate protein powder, or sweetened cocoa powder for the unsweetened cocoa if desired.

If using peanut butter, the recipe will taste like a Reese’s peanut butter cup, with a strong peanut butter flavor. Almond butter, cashew butter, Coconut Butter, pecan butter, or sunflower butter are all great alternatives to peanut butter if you prefer a more neutral flavor.

Frozen bananas or roasted sweet potato or kabocha squash puree can be substituted in an equal amount for the ripe bananas.

How to make brownie baked oats

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line the bottom of a nine by thirteen inch baking dish with parchment paper, or grease the bottom and sides of the pan with oil spray or oil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, milk of choice, pure vanilla extract, mashed overripe bananas, and sweetener. Whisk until well mixed.

Stir in the rolled oats, cocoa powder, salt, and any optional add ins.

Smooth the oatmeal brownie batter into the prepared pan with a spoon or spatula.

Place the baking pan on the oven’s center rack, and bake for thirty five minutes without ever opening the oven door.

Once time is up, remove the pan from the oven using pot holders. Let the baked oatmeal cool on the counter before slicing and serving.

To serve, garnish with additional peanut butter, maple syrup or pancake syrup, and chocolate chips if desired. Serve hot or cold.

If you can wait, I like to very loosely cover the cooled pan with a towel and refrigerate overnight, because the flavors develop and the rich chocolate taste becomes more pronounced by the next morning!

Leftovers should keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. They can also be sliced and frozen for up to three months. Thaw frozen brownie baked oatmeal in the microwave or on the stovetop or a warm oven before serving.

Brownie baked oatmeal with no banana

Whether you do not like banana or simply do not want a banana flavor in your brownie baked oats, the following recipe without banana is just as tasty as the original!

In a large bowl, whisk together half a cup of peanut butter, two cups of plain or Greek yogurt (dairy free yogurt works too), one cup milk of choice, half a cup of pure maple syrup, and two and a half teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.

Add three cups of rolled oats, half a cup of cocoa powder, a teaspoon of salt, and a generous handful of chocolate chips.

Follow the same preparation and baking instructions as the instructions for the banana brownie baked oatmeal version in the recipe box below.

Chocolate brownie baked oatmeal toppings

The baked oats are wonderful on their own or topped with sliced strawberries or raspberries, bananas, and Coconut Whipped Cream.

My favorite way to top the recipe is with a swirl of melted peanut butter and sprinkle of chocolate chips. Chocolate peanut butter brownie baked oatmeal for the win.

Or slice and serve the bars with Coconut Butter or Homemade Nutella.

Other topping ideas include fresh or frozen blueberries, sliced apples, roasted hazelnuts, blackberries, cacao nibs, granola, mini marshmallows…

Have fun creating your perfect chocolate oatmeal breakfast. The sky is the limit!

Recipe tips and tricks

If you’d like to use a food scale, here are the amounts to measure:

80 grams peanut butter, 360 grams mashed banana, 270 grams rolled oats, 40 grams cocoa powder, 240 grams milk of choice, 60 grams pure maple syrup, 10 grams pure vanilla extract, 6 grams salt, and there’s no need to measure the chocolate chips.

If you are making the banana version of the recipe, make sure your bananas are ripe. The peels should be at least partially brown and spotted before peeling.

The recipe can easily be made dairy free. For vegan brownie baked oatmeal, simply use your favorite nondairy milk (such as almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk). Choose plant based chocolate chips if you will be adding those. And go with pure maple syrup or agave instead of honey.

To save time in the morning, you may either bake the recipe the night before or prepare the batter and spread it into the pan, then refrigerate overnight and bake in the morning so the chocolate brownie oats are hot for breakfast.

Health benefits of brownie baked oats

The healthy recipe is packed with protein, iron, fiber, and potassium.

It is naturally sweetened and low in sugar and saturated fat, with no eggs, no cholesterol, and no dairy required.

And at just 100 calories per square, the baked oats are great for Weight Watcher’s or a weight loss diet. Or the low calorie base can be bulked up with extra chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and additional toppings for those who are not counting calories.