I Tried Vegan Brownie Baked Oatmeal for the First Time and I Wish I’d Known About It Sooner

I love trying new recipes and experimenting with new recipes I find on social media. While the viral spicy garlic creamy ramen and Hong Kong-style French toast recipes have been some of my most recent favorites, after seeing @healthygirlkitchen‘s recipe for vegan brownie baked oatmeal, I knew I had to add it to my list of things to try ASAP. Two of my favorite things in one dish? Sounds like my type of party!

To be honest, I’d never heard of baked oatmeal or had it before, so this dish intrigued me just by its name. I’ve always been a warm-it-up-in-the-microwave or make-it-on-the-stovetop kind of guy, so a baked version just seemed like something I needed to add to my list of things to try. So I jumped on the opportunity to take a swing at trying something new and, let me tell you, I’m very happy I did because I found a new (to me) way of enjoying oatmeal.

Get the recipe: Vegan Brownie Baked Oatmeal

Making this dish is super easy and very simple and you only need a few ingredients to make it come to life. First, start by preheating your oven to 350°F. While your oven is preheating, grab a mixing bowl and pour in all of your wet ingredients: coconut milk, maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla. Once your wet ingredients have been added to the bowl and mixed together well, you’ll add in your rolled outs, cocoa, flax, baking powder, and salt before mixing again. Then, right before transferring to your 6×9-inch pan, you’ll add in your chocolate chips.

Add your now-filled pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes. Depending on how you like your brownies, however, you may want to keep them in for an additional five to 10 minutes. Once it’s done baking, pull out of the oven and let rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before digging in. Be sure to keep refrigerated and reheat when ready to enjoy again.

As a lover of all things sweet, I would say this baked oatmeal is a very delicious treat for someone looking for something quick and easy. Although the addition of the oatmeal makes it sound like something you could have and enjoy for breakfast (and you can!), I would personally reserve this dish for more of a midday treat or dessert after dinner instead.

Personally, I think this oatmeal will make a lasting impression on anyone you feed it to — even if they don’t consider themselves to be vegan. The oats make this baked good very filling and a perfect snack during a busy day. It can also be a great dessert — either by itself or topped with some vanilla bean ice cream topped with a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Overall, this is definitely something I would make again, but maybe for a small gathering where I won’t be left to eat the entire pan by myself.

1. Don’t be afraid to customize. As I’m not the hugest fan of peanut butter, I opted to use Nutella instead. I also used almond milk in place of coconut milk (at the same measurement) and the outcome was just as delicious.
2. Don’t forget to chill. You want to allow your brownies to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes so that they can firm up a little before enjoying. It gets messy and falls apart if you don’t let it sit. You can also place it in the fridge or freezer for a shorter amount of time to speed up the process.
3. Don’t leave these out on the counter. Be sure to refrigerate your leftovers to preserve the quality of your brownies for later enjoyment. You can always heat up a piece in the microwave when you’re ready!