Vegan Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

This Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal Recipe is…

• Quick and easy. With just 15 minutes of prep, you can have your pumpkin oatmeal ready for baking. Or, prepare the oatmeal the night before and refrigerate it for a ready-to-bake breakfast in the morning.
• Hearty and filling. This recipe makes thick, tender slices of rich pumpkin baked oatmeal. It's guaranteed to fill you up.
• Packed with real pumpkin. We're using almost a full can of pumpkin puree to make this oatmeal. I always save the leftover puree to mix into pumpkin pancakes!
• Spiced like pumpkin pie. Every slice of this pumpkin baked oatmeal is brimming with warming spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice.

Ingredients You'll Need for this Recipe

I tried my best to create a recipe that uses ingredients found in most pantries. If you're missing any, here are some quick notes and tips for replacing them. Scroll to the recipe card after the post for the full recipe measurements.

• Oats: Old-fashioned rolled oats are the name of the game with baked oatmeal. They hold their texture and still have a slight chew, but don't go soft and mushy.
• Pumpkin puree: I personally used canned pumpkin just because I always have it on hand, but fresh homemade puree will work too. And if pumpkin isn't your thing, you can swap it with sweet potato or butternut squash.
• Flax egg: See my tutorial on how to make a flax egg from flax seeds and water. An “egg” helps bind the baked oatmeal ingredients and can be replaced by a regular egg if you aren't vegan!
• Maple syrup: The absolute best sweetener to pair with pumpkin. Real maple syrup is caramel-y, rich, and so delicious. I don't recommend substituting artificial pancake syrup here. You're better off replacing the maple syrup with agave instead.
• Vegan protein powder: This is a simple way to make this recipe a variation of protein baked oatmeal. Protein powder can easily be skipped if you don't have it on hand. I would use 1/2 cup extra rolled oats to replace the powder, in this case.
• Chia seeds: Another way to increase the nutrition of this recipe. You could also use flax seeds.
• Pecans: Adding chopped nuts is a great way to give this pumpkin baked oatmeal texture and crunch. Any nut or seed would work here, including walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.
• Pumpkin pie spice: This is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. You can buy it pre-mixed in the spice aisle, or make your own pumpkin pie spice (see my spiced pumpkin seeds recipe for a homemade blend).
• Baking powder and salt: Make sure your baking powder is as fresh as possible.
• Almond milk: I use unsweetened almond milk, but this could also be replaced by any dairy-free milk you like. Oat milk would work nicely here.

How to Make Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

My secret to the best baked oatmeal? Soaking the oats! This extra step (just 10-15 minutes) helps to soften the oats and gives the final oatmeal a really moist, tender texture. Here's how you'll prepare this delicious pumpkin baked oatmeal:

• Soak the oats first. We'll start by quickly soaking the oats in boiling water.
• Mix the oatmeal. Once the oats have soaked and absorbed most of the water, add the rest of your ingredients. You'll mix until everything forms a thick(ish) batter and then fold in your pecans. If you want, you can also sprinkle some extra pecans on top, along with some raw sugar for a nice, sweet crackly top.
• Bake. Lastly, pop your pumpkin baked oatmeal into a 375ºF oven for 50-60 minutes. It does take a while to bake, but the waiting is well worth it!

What to Serve With Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Turn this pumpkin baked oatmeal into the ultimate fall brunch spread with breakfast potatoes and a tofu scramble, or avocado toast. If I'm taking a slice of baked oatmeal on the go, I'll take along my favorite green smoothie to wash it down.

Can I make this Baked Oatmeal Ahead?

Yes! This pumpkin oatmeal can definitely be made ahead of time. Personally, I like to fully bake the oatmeal so it's ready to reheat. However, if you'd prefer to mix the oatmeal the night before, you can cover the baking dish and refrigerate the unbaked oatmeal overnight. When it's time to bake, uncover the pan and bake as directed.

Baked Oatmeal Storage Tips

What's great about recipes like this pumpkin baked oatmeal is that they're really easy to store. I like to cut the whole tray into my squares and then either freeze some of the squares for later or keep them all in this dish with a cover on and reheat them as desired.

• For the refrigerator: store in the fridge in a sealed container and reheat in the microwave or toaster oven.
• For the freezer: wrap them up in foil and put them in a sealed bag. Freeze for 3 – 6 months. When thawing, allow to thaw completely at room temp (or in the fridge) and reheat in the microwave or toaster oven (on 300ºF).

More Easy Oatmeal Recipes

• Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
• Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
• Creamy Cinnamon Sweet Potato Oatmeal
• High-Protein Peanut Butter Oatmeal
• Fig and Almond Butter Oatmeal