This Cherry Almond Baked Oatmeal is filled with frozen and dried cherries and almonds. It's easy to make ahead and tastes great reheated!
Here I am with another breakfast recipe. Seems like I'm getting pretty predictable. Oh well. What can I say? I just really like breakfast.
Especially any breakfast that involves oats. It could be a quick bowl of microwave oatmeal, or steel-cut oats simmered on the stove. But now, I've been enlightened to baked oatmeal. I had seen it appear in a few cookbooks and on Pinterest, and I decided to try throwing in some frozen cherries and almonds. I came up with this Cherry Almond Baked Oatmeal.
I'm really glad to see that oats are gaining popularity right now, what with baked oatmeal and overnight fridge oatmeal (which, by the way, is NOT for me - too thick and pasty in texture) being so popular.
I think oats are the perfect breakfast food, and I was once upon a time quoted in a magazine saying just that. They're loaded with fiber, the soluble kind which not only helps to keep you regular but can also help keep cholesterol levels down. Plus they're versatile and taste great.
How to make Cherry Almond Baked Oatmeal:
If you haven't tried making baked oatmeal yet, you definitely should. It's basically oats mixed with a liquid (I used cow's milk, but you could use non-dairy milk too), eggs, a bit of baking powder to help make it nice and fluffy, and some flavorings.
The flavorings could include fruit, spices, nuts, or whatever you normally put in your oatmeal. In this case, it's cherries and almonds with a touch of sugar and a bit of cinnamon and vanilla thrown in for good measure. You simply stir the ingredients together (to save on dishes, you can do this right in the baking dish or casserole dish you bake it in) and bake.
And you don't even need to make it fresh for it to taste great. In fact, every time I've made this, I've made it in the afternoon, stuck it in the fridge when it cooled, and enjoyed it throughout the week. It tastes great just reheated in the microwave.
You could also cut it up, freeze the pieces individually on a baking sheet then store them in the freezer bag for longer-term enjoyment. Since it's not as "wet" as regular oatmeal, I find it's best enjoyed with a touch of your favorite yogurt to add a little extra moisture. Make a batch this weekend to enjoy during the week!
Cherry Almond Baked Oatmeal Ingredients:
- Old-fashioned rolled oats: Make sure to use gluten-free oats to make this recipe gluten-free)
- Almonds: I used whole almonds, but you could also used slivered or sliced almonds instead
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Eggs
- Brown sugar
- Milk: Use your favorite dairy-free milk to make this recipe dairy-free
- Butter: Use dairy-free butter alternative to make this recipe dairy-free
- Vanilla
- almond extract
- Fresh or frozen cherries
- Dried cherries: These are optional, but I really like the concentrated pops of cherry flavor that they add.
Want more Oatmeal recipes?
Cherry Almond Baked Oatmeal Nutrition Notes:
This baked oatmeal is a high-fiber breakfast choice. Serve with a couple of dollops of low-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt for extra protein.
To make this baked oatmeal gluten-free, make sure the oats you are using are labeled as gluten-free.
This recipe can be made dairy-free by replacing the butter and milk in this recipe with dairy-free alternatives.
Cherry Almond Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats (Use Gluten Free oats to make this recipe Gluten Free)
- ⅔ cup almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 cups milk (use your favorite Dairy Free milk to make this recipe Dairy Free)
- 1.5 Tablespoon butter, melted (use Dairy Free butter alternative to make this recipe Dairy Free)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- 1.5 cups fresh or frozen cherries
- 2 Tablespoons dried cherries optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x9" baking pan or similar size casserole dish.
- Stir together oats, almonds, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, milk, butter, vanilla and almond extract.
- Pour egg mixture into oat mixture and stir to combine. Fold in fresh or frozen cherries. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle dried cherries over the top of the oat mixture, if using.
- Bake for about 35 minutes until set. Cool slightly before serving. Can be refrigerated for several days and reheated in microwave. Serve with the yogurt of your choice.
Nutrition
Christine Carly
This was really good. Yogurt topping is almost a must.