Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal - Easy, Wholesome, DELICIOUS!

BySamantha Skaggs September 26, 2023

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Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal is a warm, filling, wholesome breakfast featuring maple syrup, toasted pecans, cinnamon, and warm spices. It can be made gluten-free and dairy-free, it's perfect for making ahead of time, and it's quick to reheat on busy mornings!

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal with text overlay.

Fall has arrived and pumpkin season is in full swing, so today I bring you a healthy, delicious breakfast that perfectly celebrates the season: Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal!

Why Make Baked Oatmeal?

If you've never tried baked oatmeal before, you're in for quite a treat! Oatmeal is a regular school day breakfast at our house, but sometimes I like to change things up a bit and bake it in a dish instead of cooking it in a pot.

Not only is baked oatmeal downright delicious -- with a texture that's simultaneously creamy, chewy, and almost custard-like -- but it can also be baked ahead of time and quickly reheated in individual portions on busy mornings.

Our standby baked oatmeal recipe around here is Coconut Almond Baked Oatmeal. But as I was preparing to whip up a batch of said oatmeal last weekend, I took one look at the Homemade Pumpkin Puree in my refrigerator and decided to go another direction with it, thereby landing on this Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal recipe.

Aerial slice of Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal on plate.

Ingredients

To make Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal, I adapted my tried and true baked oatmeal recipe by incorporating pumpkin (obviously), warm fall spices, and a different type of nut.

Pumpkin puree. Homemade puree is fabulous if you've already got some on hand, but canned works great as well. Just make sure you're using pumpkin puree (sometimes referred to as "100% pure pumpkin") and not pumpkin pie filling.
Milk. You can use whole milk, reduced fat or skim milk, or your favorite non-dairy alternative, such as unsweetened almond milk.
Eggs. At room temperature.
Coconut oil. Melted and slightly cooled. If you prefer to use another type of neutral-flavored oil or even melted butter, those will work as well.
Pure maple syrup. For natural sweetening and a lovely complement to the pumpkin flavor. 🙂
Pure vanilla extract.
Rolled oats. Also referred to as old-fashioned oats, rolled oats give this baked pumpkin oatmeal its delightful, chewy texture. Quick oats could be substituted, but I really don't recommend doing so. Since quick oats are cut finer, they will absorb more liquid and may result in a slightly drier baked oatmeal. And don't attempt this recipe with steel cut oats, as both the oats-to-liquid ratio and the baking time would need to be altered. Finally, this recipe is naturally gluten-free as long as you use GF oats.
Pecans. Chopped and toasted. Although you could choose to skip the toasting, I wouldn't, as the extra crunch and toasty flavor can't be beat.
Cinnamon + pumpkin pie spice + salt. Again, either store-bought or Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice will work fine.

Aerial view of Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal on plate and in dish.

How to Make Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)

Spread the chopped pecans on a rimmed sheet pan. Bake for about five minutes until fragrant and just toasted, but watch carefully as they can burn quickly.

While the pecans toast, add pumpkin, milk, eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla to a large bowl and beat until smooth.
Stir in the rolled oats, toasted and cooled pecans, and spices until well-combined.

Ingredients combined and ready for baking dish for pumpkin oatmeal bake.

Spread the mixture into a prepared baking dish and bake until set and light golden brown on top.
Allow the Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal to cool in the baking dish for a few minutes before slicing.

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal in baking dish straight out of oven.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

When made as directed, this Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal is lightly sweet. But if you prefer it even sweeter, you can always serve it with an additional drizzle of maple syrup or a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.

I also frequently serve my baked oatmeal with a splash of warm milk (or, if I'm feeling really decadent, cream!) on top.

And, of course, don't forget an extra sprinkle of toasty pecans.

Mmm, mmmm, MMMMM!

Doubling the Recipe

This pumpkin oatmeal bake can be easily doubled to fit in a 9x13-inch baking dish...just increase the baking time a bit and keep an eye on it.

Gluten-Free and/or Dairy-Free Options

As mentioned in the 'Ingredients' section above, you can make your baked pumpkin oatmeal gluten-free by ensuring that the oats you use are GF.

And this recipe can be made dairy-free by opting for a dairy-free type of milk.

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal in baking dish and on plate.

My kids love with a capital L this Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal for breakfast. And quite frankly, so do I!

And while it's an easy everyday breakfast or brunch, it's also special enough to serve to company.

It's comforting, it's filling, and it's wholesome. I'm not sure I can think of a better way to start my mornings, from here right on through Thanksgiving.

Because after that, of course, it's time to move onto Gingerbread Pancakes and Overnight Eggnog French Toast! 😉

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal with pecans on top.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves quite yet! Now that I've gotten the wheels turning with Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal, for the next few months, I'm going to enjoy every single moment of pumpkin bread and pumpkin treats and pumpkin drinks! And apparently, I'm not the only one who feels this way... 😉

Pumpkin meme to accompany Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal recipe.

More Easy Pumpkin Breakfast Ideas