This zucchini bread baked oatmeal tastes just like your favorite zucchini bread, but in oatmeal form! If you’ve never tried baked oatmeal before….you just simply NEED to. The texture of baked oatmeal is 100% different than cooked oatmeal. I honestly cannot remember the last time I’ve had cooked/stovetop oatmeal…just not really my thing. BUT baked oatmeal?! I am HERE. FOR. IT.  Baked oatmeal tastes more like a dense muffin/cake…it’s perfect to  meal prep on the weekend and reheat for super easy breakfasts during the week! It’s 100% whole grain…and there’s even some vegetables (zucchini) involved so you’re basically eating vegetables for breakfast ?

I just looked back through this summer’s recipes…and I’m surprised and embarrassed to admit that this is actually the first zucchini recipe this year?! Like how is that even possible? Last summer we had these chocolate chip zucchini oat muffins, zucchini chocolate chip overnight oats, zucchini fritters (SO GOOD), and last but certainly not least this chocolate zucchini bread which is one of my all-time FAVORITE recipes on the blog.

This summer I suppose I was caught up remaking these recipes from last year that I didn’t end up testing as many new zucchini recipes! I made all of the zucchini recipes on my blog except for the zucchini overnight oats at least once, if not 2-3 times. Especially these muffins and the chocolate zucchini bread.

But anyways, now moving on to this zucchini baked oatmeal recipe! Baked oatmeal isn’t a completely new concept over here…as evidenced strawberry chocolate chip baked oatmeal and these peach baked oatmeal muffin cups. Oh, and let’s not forget about this pumpkin steel-cut oatmeal bake too! Here’s a bit more about the ingredients you’ll need…

Ingredients and Substitution Ideas

Oats

Old-fashioned/rolled oats work best for baked oatmeal!

Maple Syrup

HIGHLY recommend buying and using pure maple syrup in this recipe (versus pancake syrup which isn’t real maple syrup at all). However, you can also substitute honey or agave in place of the maple syrup if you wish.

Almond Butter

I really like the more neutral flavor of almond butter in this recipe, but feel free to use any nut/seed butter! Cashew, sunflower, peanut, etc. will all work here.

Egg

While I haven’t tried using a flax egg in this recipe, I have before in baked oatmeal, so I’m pretty confident if you want this recipe to be vegan you can!

Spices and Flavoring

Cinnamon, nutmeg, and pure vanilla extract all are small but important ingredients to give a great classic zucchini bread taste! Feel free to adjust to your preferences.

Milk

My go-to is usually unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but I’ve also used dairy milk (2%, skim, etc.) in this recipe. Any type of milk is fine here!

Zucchini

Obviously a must in a zucchini recipe ? Just make sure you drain the zucchini of excess water/moisture before adding to the other ingredients! Want I usually do is shred the zucchini into a colander, then place the colander in the sink and gently squeeze the zucchini with my (clean) hands to get rid of the extra water.

Pecans

I love the addition of nuts in this recipe, but feel free to leave out if you don’t have on hand or need the recipe to be nut free. I also think walnuts would be a good substitution here! Or chocolate chips is always a good idea too.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! I’d love to hear from you if you try it, by either leaving a comment below or on social media!