Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal

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Jazz up breakfast by adding chocolate to your baked oats in this EASY chocolate chip baked oatmeal recipe. One batch makes nine breakfasts or snacks, and can be eaten on the go in bar form. No need to scoop!

Maple syrup drizzled baked oatmeal and a fork on a plate.

As someone with Invisalign, I spent quite awhile stressing over how I'd get through a roadtrip visiting family either a) without needing to eat, or b) figuring out how to adequately floss/brush in the car.

It turns out my worries were unwarranted, as the bar of my mom's chocolate chip baked oatmeal I ate in the morning somehow held me over right through dinnertime once we had gotten home. As someone who truly needs to eat frequently, the only explanation I can think of is there was some Strega Nona-esque magic involved.

Needless to say I zhushed my healthy baked oatmeal base recipe as soon as I could to produce this seriously tasty chocolate chip baked oatmeal.

Reasons to Love This Recipe

While the chocolate chips boot this baked oatmeal out of the "naturally sweetened" category, the rest of the oat mixture isn't overly sweet making this recipe balanced in flavor.
These baked oats can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge and they freeze beautifully for a breakfast you can always have on hand.
This recipe has so much wiggle room: different add-ins and spices, flexibility with core ingredients, etc.

Recipe Ingredients

Labeled chocolate chip baked oatmeal ingredients in separate bowls.

Oats: Use heartier old-fashioned (rolled) oats for this recipe and not quick or instant oats. Quick/instant oats are more processed so they break down quicker. While good for some things, we want the chewy texture that comes from old-fashioned.
Milk: Any variety will do, I usually use 2%.
Eggs: These help bind the ingredients together.
Bananas: Go for overripe bananas as they're sweeter than bananas that are on the greener side. Their peels will have lots of dark spots and areas. With how easy it is to freeze bananas, you can always have perfectly overripe bananas on hand.
Maple Syrup: This provides a perfect amount of sweetness to the base oats.
Espresso Powder: Though optional, a little bit boosts the chocolate-y flavor.
Nuts: Toasted walnuts or pecans are delicious here, but you can leave them out.
Chocolate Chips: Use your favorite variety. I love dark chocolate chips or chunks.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Mash bananas in a mixing bowl, then add the rest of the wet ingredients: milk, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Whisk it well until evenly smooth.

Wet ingredients added to a large mixing bowl (left) and after being mixed together (right).

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl: oats, baking powder, cinnamon, espresso powder, and salt.
Pour the oat mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir well to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Dry ingredients whisked together in a bowl (left) and combined with the wet ingredients (right).

Pour mixture into a parchment-lined baking dish and even out the top with a spatula. A 9-inch square pan or size equivalent works best. Top with additional chocolate chips if you like.

Baked oatmeal batter poured into a pan and topped with more chocolate chips.

Bake on the middle rack of a 350°F oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is set and the edges are golden-brown. Let cool before slicing and serving (this prevents crumbling and helps the slices retain their shapes).

Baked chocolate chip oatmeal in a parchment-lined square pan.

Recipe Tips

Make it dairy-free: Use non-dairy milk and ensure the chocolate chips are dairy-free. If using an alternative milk in this kind of recipe, I like to use oat milk for its slightly thicker, creamier texture.
Slicing: Beyond stopping sticking, lining the pan with parchment paper makes it easy to lift the slab of oatmeal out of the pan so you can slice it on a cutting board. No worries about scratching your pan.
Simple serving: My preference for serving is to heat an oatmeal square in the microwave just enough to take the chill off, then drizzle with maple syrup. Others opt to serve a piece in a bowl with some milk poured over. You can also grab and bar and go - the texture holds up.
Storage: Wait to package up and store this chocolate chip baked oatmeal until it has cooled completely. Not only does this minimize crumbling, but trapping any condensation the residual heat gives off in a bag or container can cause the oatmeal to go bad more quickly.

A piece of chocolate chip baked oatmeal on a plate.

Recipe FAQs

Do you have to use banana in chocolate chip baked oats?

No, you don't have to use banana in baked oats. An easy substitute would be the same amount of applesauce. Canned pumpkin puree also works, though it's much less naturally sweet, so you'd have to add sweetener of your choice or bump up the maple syrup.

Can you make these baked oats vegan?

Yes. Use dairy-free milk, an egg substitute, and choose a chocolate chip brand that's made without dairy. I've subbed in a flax egg for one regular egg when I had run out and it worked just fine.

How can I switch up this recipe?

This base recipe is REALLY forgiving. Swapping in eggnog for mashed banana in baked eggnog oatmeal? No problem! Omit or swap the nuts, add fresh/frozen/dried fruit, use a different baking extract (maple extract is delicious here), use a blend of baking spices, etc.

If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!