Protein Baked Oatmeal (no powder required)

This protein baked oatmeal recipe kills two birds with one stone: By adding 6 entire eggs (💪💪!!), we add protein while also adding a rich, custardy texture. And all that comes as a great relief to me because:

1) I’ve never been a fan of baked oatmeal. It often emerges from the oven as a squelchy, sodden blob. Not this one though! Adding more eggs creates the perfect binder. If you’re a fan of egg tarts, bread pudding, or French toast, then this is the baked oatmeal for you.

2) I am always trying to find ways to add a bit more protein to my breakfasts. But I really, really dislike adding protein powder to baked things. I like protein powder in a smoothie, but it has a tendency to taste chalky when heated. Eggs are a whole other story though!

Read on for a bit more context, or jump to the recipe to hit the ground running.

What’s to love about eggs in baked oatmeal?

1. They add a custardy flavor and texture.

If you love custardy baked goods, you’re going to love this protein baked oatmeal. It’s inspired by my protein oatmeal recipe, where a couple eggs add both protein and a custardy vibe. There, they add creaminess, but here they also add a pleasantly chewy texture.

The banana, oat starches, and sugar help prevent the eggs from breaking or curdling. This isn’t flan or some complicated custard bake—it’s hard to go wrong.

2. They’re an easy way to add protein to baked oats (and you probably already have them on hand)

I asked Caroline Weeks, PA-C, RDN, about her take on eggs as a way of adding protein to oats, and she said, “Eggs are a refrigerator staple I most recommend to my patients because not only are they generally affordable[…], but they are a nutrition powerhouse. One egg contains 6 grams of high quality protein with only 70 calories and contains all nine essential amino acids important for building and repairing muscle while also supporting bone health. I also recommend eggs because they are one of the highest food sources of choline, a nutrient important for brain health and cognitive performance which about 90% of Americans do not get enough of.”

Substitutions

This protein baked oatmeal recipe is very adaptable. The recipe itself has substitution details, but here are the highlights:

• Mix-ins: Choose whatever mix-ins you’d like. In the recipe, I suggest chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or blueberries. But you could try another low-moisture fruit instead (like cherries, raspberries, etc.), which I suspect would work equally well. There is no baking powder or soda in the recipe, so you don’t have to worry about berries turning green.
• Sugar: In case you don’t use refined sugar, I’ve included maple syrup as an option. But if you need to scale back on added sugar in general, you can get away with adding less of either maple syrup or brown sugar. The amount in this recipe is not-too-sweet, so if you have a sweet tooth, you might want to add a bit more.
• Dairy-free: I make this all the time with soy milk instead of cow’s milk. You can use another milk substitute, but if you’re trying to increase the dish’s protein content, keep that in mind when selecting an alternative milk.

There’s just one thing you can’t really substitute here (womp womp):

• Egg-free? (sorry—the answer is no!): This recipe is hard to veganize, since the whole point is the eggy custard texture and flavor. I’ve been meaning to try it with a vegan egg substitute (e.g., JustEggs), but have not tried that yet, so I can’t say for sure it would work (let me know if you give it a try!). But I absolutely do not recommend using something like a flax/chia egg for this. It will not have the right flavor or texture.

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