Make ahead, minimal dishes, easy morning, flexible ingredients, kid-friendly…what’s not to love about this overnight baked oatmeal recipe?

Did you know that I’m no longer buying cereal for my kids? I just got tired of buying it, and sadly a lot of it’s not really good for the kiddos anyways. I personally haven’t found cereal to have many redeeming qualities, aside from being super convenient (I realize others may feel differently!). Now, I’m not such a snob that I would say I am never going to buy cereal again – in fact, I have a box of Honey Nut Cheerios in my cupboard right now as a snack for Cadáin’s snack cup. But I am really trying to be intentional with my kid’s breakfast and offer them other alternatives. Like this overnight baked oatmeal!

I’ve made overnight oatmeals in the past and they have not been very good. I’ve made overnight and slow-cooker versions and they always seemed to get burnt or just not taste very good. Or have weird texture issues. This one, however, is excellent, and in fact, I’ve got a slow-cooker version I want to share with you soon, too.

This overnight oatmeal really could not be any simpler. I’m made it a good handful of times. I’ve doubled it, used different spices, different mix-ins, and it always gets eaten up. We’re a home that loves oatmeal. Josh, Grace, Eden, and I eat overnight oats (the mason jar version) almost every morning without fail. We love that it’s healthy (we control the ingredients!) and that it’s convenient to eat and take anywhere. Grace takes hers to school every day.

The other benefit is that this is really great toddler food. Cadáin (18 mo) loves this stuff! Always a win when I can get him to eat something other than a banana and toast for breakfast.

Now you can totally make this oatmeal with oil, which would be the traditional choice, but I think I’ve mentioned a few times that we’re trying to cut out some of those fats when it makes sense, and while you can certainly use canola or vegetable oil, the recipe card will reflect the healthier change I made, which was to use applesauce instead. Can’t even tell the difference and I’ve made this recipe with oil and without!

I’ve also made this oatmeal with golden raisins (I won’t eat any other kind of raisins…sorry), dried cranberries, walnuts, and pecans. You can totally make this oatmeal your own based off of what you have in the pantry. You gotta love that about a dish like this. Did I mention it’s also a “one bowl” recipe?

Can I get a yes for not needing to dirty up all the dishes for breakfast? I love to throw this together at night before I go to bed. It takes all of maybe eight minutes. And then when I wake up in the morning, I just preheat the oven and pretty soon breakfast is done and the whole house smells amazing.

Bonus for leftovers! The leftovers for this baked oatmeal taste even better the next day.

I like to eat this right out of the pan, spooning some onto a small plate or a bowl with a banana, but Christian (11) actually likes to pour a little milk into a bowl with it. It’s excellent both ways!

Let me know what you think and comment below with any different mix-ins you tried!