The Best Amish-Style Baked Oatmeal 

This is the Best Amish-style baked Oatmeal recipe that my PA-Dutch family has made for 20+ years (and it uses pantry-staple ingredients).

It is crunchy and chewy golden brown in all the right places. Amish-style baked oatmeal is a simple make-ahead breakfast casserole (and you probably already have all the ingredients for it). It’s a great easy family weekend breakfast but also elegant enough for brunch.

What is Amish-style Baked Oatmeal?

Baked oatmeal is like a warm oatmeal cookie breakfast casserole. The texture is much different than traditional oatmeal and is much more similar to baked French toast or cake-like. Unlike other baked oatmeal recipes I have tried this recipe features worth waking up for caramel-y slightly crisp edges.

I am Pennsylvanian Dutch, so we ate baked oatmeal a LOT growing up. I never realized that some people might know that baked oatmeal existed. In high school, I worked as a sample girl at a local grocery store. When their bakery first started selling baked oatmeal, I was astonished that many customers had never heard of or tasted such a delicious breakfast. What was even MORE astonishing to me was that my mom made an even better Amish-style baked Oatmeal. The best part was that this recipe cost pennies to make compared to the baked oatmeal at the grocery store.

The Ingredients

Amish-style baked oatmeal uses very simple ingredients that are typically found in a pantry. When it comes to budget cooking, this baked oatmeal is a staple recipe! We typically make it for breakfast, but when I am stretching out a grocery haul, I have been known to make this easy recipe for dinner. With such simple ingredients, can you blame me? This is a great hearty, cozy, budget-friendly recipe.

old-fashioned oats

Technically, any type of oat will work, but for the best texture, I would suggest old-fashioned oats for the BEST baked oatmeal.

brown sugar

When it comes to cozy dishes, is anything cozier than brown sugar?? I don’t think so. Brown sugar has a bit more depth of flavor to it than regular sugar and a slight molasses flavor which makes this sweetener the PERFECT match for an Amish-style dish.

salt

Salt is a flavor enhancer. Without the salt, the oatmeal will be bland. Don’t skip out on adding a little salt in!

vegetable oil

Basically any (neutral) oil or melted butter will work in this baked oatmeal recipe. Vegetable or canola oil (both neutral oils) are pretty common PA-Dutch cooking ingredients.

milk

Use any type of milk you like dairy or non-dairy–any type will work.

How Do You Eat Amish-Style Baked Oatmeal?

Baked oatmeal is best warm. If you make it ahead of time make sure to warm it up before serving. Some people love to eat baked oatmeal with maple syrup on top, but I think this recipe is already sweet enough. I chose to eat mine warm with cold milk— oh boy is it glorious. Baked oatmeal is great by itself but also is yummy with toppings like sliced bananas, fresh berries, honey drizzle, greek yogurt, toasted nuts, and a whole lot more. 

What Can I Add to Amish-Style Baked Oatmeal?

For as long as I can remember, our Amish-style baked Oatmeal has served as a use-it-up kind of recipe (our favorite kinda at Frugal Fancy Fixes). Have some berries sitting around that need to be polished off? Throw them in! This base is sturdy enough to add a cup of almost anything to it. Need a recipe to use up a cup of fruit (fresh or frozen) or nuts? Add it to this baked oatmeal.

Here are some use-it-up ideas:

• Apples
• Peaches
• Pears
• Sliced Bananas
• Chopped Nuts
• Berries
• Chocolate chips and coconut

What Kind of Oats Should I Use For Amish-Style Baked Oatmeal

I have tried making this baked oatmeal with all types of oats, and while the recipe will work with any type of oatmeal you use, I always suggest old-fashioned oats. Old-fashioned or rolled oats have the best texture when used in baked oatmeal. Quickl-cook oats make the oatmeal a bit mushy.

Can I Prepare This Ahead of Time?

You can either make it ahead of time or prepare a bag of just the dry ingredients (add the wet ingredients before baking). You can mix the dry ingredients in a bag and deliver this to a loved one along with the recipe for an easy, comforting breakfast. I love to make baked oatmeal the night before we enjoy it for breakfast and just heat it up in the morning.

How Do I Store Amish-style Baked Oatmeal?

Baked oatmeal will last for 4-5 days at room temperature and around 7 days when refrigerated.

When your baked oatmeal has completely cooled down, cover the pan with plastic wrap. Baked oatmeal should be okay if you leave it out on the counter.

But for optimum taste and lasting ability, I would suggest keeping it in the refrigerator (especially if you add in fruit).

Can I Freeze Amish-style Baked Oatmeal

Yes! You can freeze your sealed baked oatmeal for 3-6 months.

More Baked Oatmeal Recipes

It’s no secret that I LOVE baked oatmeal. We make baked oatmeal ALL the time in my house, which means that I have a TON of variations of my breakfast love language. Whether you like your oatmeal fruity, chocolatey, or cheesecake-y, we have all the baked oatmeal recipes that you could ever want!

• Decadent Blueberry Cheesecake Baked Oatmeal
• Iced Lemon Poppy Seed Baked Oatmeal
• Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal With a Nutella Swirl
• Brown Butter Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal