Name: Lemon Poppy Seed Baked Oatmeal
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 large eggs; 3 tablespoons avocado oil (or melted cooled coconut oil, or light olive oil); ¼ cup pure maple syrup or honey; 1.25 cups milk; ¼ cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon); 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2.25 cups gluten free rolled oats; 1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of 2 lemons); 2 tablespoons poppy seeds; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

This Lemon Baked Oatmeal comes together in 5 minutes and bakes in around 30 minutes. A delicious healthy breakfast great for weekend baking and perfect for meal prep too. If you love lemon poppy seed, you will love this healthy baked oatmeal recipe.

lemon poppy seed baked oatmeal with blueberries on stacked plates and lemon wedges

Baked oatmeal is one of my favorite things to bake on the weekend, or during the evening on a simple dinner night. It comes together so quick and it’s great for easy breakfast meal prep.

If you love baked oatmeal, be sure to try my Blueberry Baked Oatmeal, Golden Milk Baked Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal!

Why You Must Make This

Ready in less than one hour
Easy to make and uses mainly pantry staples
You can turn it into Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal by adding blueberries! A delicious combination
Perfect for meal prep – enjoy cold as bars or warm up and serve with your favorite toppings
It can be made gluten-free and dairy-free using certified gluten free oats and your choice of non-dairy milk

What You Need for Baked Oatmeal

For this healthy baked oatmeal recipe you don’t need much, which is why I love making it so much. It uses a mix of pantry and fridge staples, and then the zest and juice of lemons.

Here is a list of what you need for this recipe:

DRY INGREDIENTS

old fashioned rolled oats – make sure to use old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick cooking oats or steel cut.
baking powder – to help the batter rise
fine sea salt – to balance some sweetness and enhance flavor
lemon zest – you definitely need lemon zest for optimal flavor when making lemon baked goods
poppy seeds – for the lemon poppy seed flavor, of course

WET INGREDIENTS

maple syrup – to add sweetness. You can also use honey (or likely another liquid sweetener in its place)
lemon juice – for the best lemon flavor, use freshly squeezed lemon juice
vanilla extract – just a touch so we don’t overpower the lemon flavor
milk – you can use most non-dairy milks, such as almond milk, cashew milk, hemp milk, etc. I do not recommend protein milk like pea milk. Dairy milk is also fine.
oil – use a neutral oil such as avocado or light olive oil. You could probably sub with yogurt if you’d like.
eggs – using whole eggs provide structure and help hold the oatmeal together. If you’d like to try flaxseed “eggs”, you can sub two flaxseed eggs.

ingredients for lemon poppy seed baked oatmeal in bowls, with text labels over ingredients

For the full recipe and instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card.

How to Make Baked Oatmeal

This oatmeal breakfast bake is an easy recipe and it comes together so quick! We probably make several variations of baked oatmeal a few times a month, and it never lasts long!

Here’s a quick overview of how this recipe comes together…

Whisk Wet Ingredients

In large bowl whisk together eggs, oil, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract and milk.

eggs, milk, oil, vanilla and lemon juice mixed together in large glass bowl, for baked lemon oatmeal recipe

Add Dry Ingredients

Add in rolled oats, lemon zest, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt. Fold in any fruit mix-ins if using.

Bake

Transfer batter to prepared baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or, until edges are golden and middle is set. You can serve immediately bowl style, or wait about 20 minutes to serve as squares.

poppy seeds on top of lemon oatmeal batter in large glass bowl next to small dishes, egg shells and lemon

unbaked lemon poppy seed oatmeal in round glass baking dish next to two lemons in bottom corner

Serve

You can serve this lemon baked oatmeal with your favorite toppings, a little extra maple syrup or honey and enjoy!

If you’d like to enjoy this baked oatmeal as squares, just let it cool for about 20 minutes before cutting.

Add A Glaze

The glaze adds a hint of sweetness to the top which is kind of irresistible. You can add melted coconut butter (just warm coconut butter in the microwave) and it adds a natural sugar-free sweetness.

Or add a simple confectioners sugar glaze with lemon juice.

baked lemon oatmeal in glass dish garnished with blueberries and lemon glaze

Meal Prep Tips

Make this recipe on a weekend morning to prepare for busy mornings. The recipe serves about 9 large servings. So if you’re feeding a crowd, be sure to double the recipe. Or double the batch to freeze one for later.

Make individual portions by allowing the oatmeal to cool completely before cutting. Then make a little breakfast bento box with a baked oatmeal square, some fresh fruit and maybe some yogurt.

square cut slices of lemon baked oatmeal in round glass dish

Flavor Variations

Make Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal by adding in 1 heaping cup of fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen, don’t thaw. Baking time may need to increase by a few minutes.

Add raspberries for a delicious sweet, tart combination. One six ounce container works.

If you have strawberries about to go bad, slice them up and add to the oatmeal batter before baking.

More Baked Oatmeal Recipes

Let me know if you make this Lemon Poppy Seed Baked Oatmeal by leaving a comment and rating below! It helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley

Kiki Mihok says

3/7/2022 at 1:20 pm

Omg this is just SO good. I’m a sucker for all things poppy-seed and this worked up super quick and easy and was DELISH. I ate way more than I expected myself to because it was so tasty. Definitely will be making on the regular now!

★★★★★

Lemon Poppy Seed Baked Oatmeal

Why You Must Make This