Matcha Baked Oats (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Warm, comforting flavors embrace the floral and bright flavors of matcha tea with the natural sweetness of banana and pure maple syrup. Simply mix in a few special ingredients for an extra treat and enjoy your new favorite breakfast – matcha baked oats.

Jump to:

• ❤️ What you’ll love about these matcha baked oats
• 🥣 Ingredient List
• 🔪 Equipment
• 👩🏽‍🍳 How to make matcha baked oats
• 🧊 Storage
• Recipe
• ♻️ Sustainability Profile
• ❓Frequently Asked Questions
• 😍 You might also enjoy...

Green tea is a wonderful way to start the day, but this recipe is a little unusual. Instead of sipping on your favorite cup of matcha green tea, I suggest you try mixing in some culinary matcha to your next batch of baked oats! All you need are a few ingredients to create a breakfast that is both tasty and simple to make. I’m all for something easy in the morning.

❤️ What you’ll love about these matcha baked oats

This recipe is both vegan and gluten free. I love recipes that are accessible for a variety of diets. You can make this just for yourself (woohoo!), or make more for a group. These baked oats are made from blended oats (or pre-made oat flour), sweetened with plant-based ingredients, and get their structure from chia seeds. Be sure to use gluten-free oats to remove potential gluten from these baked oats.

All you need is a blender or food processor to achieve an even consistency. The goal with baked oats is to achieve a more even consistency throughout the item. This recipe does include a few fun ingredients to create more texture and add a little more depth of flavor. But, the foundation of the matcha baked oats is one that is more smooth.

Ready in 30 minutes. I don’t know about you, but when I get up in the morning, I want something quick and easy. Simply add the ingredients to the blender or food processor and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes. You’ll even enjoy the aromas while it bakes. Yum.

EGCG stays active, even during baking. The most potent antioxidant in matcha tea is actually heat resistant. After about 30 minutes of baking in a 350ºF oven, you should still retain 80-90% of the antioxidant.

🥣 Ingredient List

Matcha powder. I tend to prefer organic matcha powder that can be used for either baking or drinking. However, many recipes do well with culinary matcha which is less expensive than its traditional counterpart intended for sipping.

Old-fashioned oats or oat flour. I place a premium on getting the most out of ingredients in the kitchen, especially when space or money is limited. For example, blending oats in the food processor will yield homemade oat flour in less than a minute. I used old-fashioned oats for this recipe, but you can use quick-cooking oats. If you have oat flour in your kitchen, that’s great! Simply skip the step of blending the oats first. Be sure to use a gluten-free oats product to make this recipe gluten-free. 

One banana. If you have a ripe banana, it will lend a natural sweetness that also complements the floral notes in the culinary matcha. Since you’re using the food processor, I suggest cutting it into three or four pieces.

Plant-based milk. The plant-based milk of your choosing will add moisture to the recipe. I suggest selecting an unsweetened version so it doesn’t compete with any of the other ingredients and remains as healthy as possible (no added sugars).

Ground chia seeds. Ground chia seeds aren’t noticeable in the matcha baked oats, but they still pack a nutrient punch and help create structure.

Pure maple syrup. Oh, the pure maple syrup flavor when combined with matcha is simply incredible. The aroma while baking rivals the comforting notes of a freshly-baked waffle cone (weird, right?). It’s even more pronounced in my matcha white chocolate muffin recipe. Of course, the maple syrup adds sweetness to the dish.

Pure vanilla extract. Even a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract makes a sweeter dish. Plus, it creates a little more depth of flavor.

Baking powder. When working with gluten-free flours (like oat flour), a little extra leavening is necessary to create rise in the baked good. I use a teaspoon in this recipe and have had no issues with getting a light texture and plenty of rise.

Kosher salt. Just a pinch of kosher salt is helpful to round out the other flavors. I suggest kosher salt as a universal choice that will create a little more flavor without creating noticeable texture in the finished product. We leave the texture to the pecans and chocolate chips.

Chopped pecans. If you have a few extra minutes available, dry roast the pecan halves in a pan (no oil necessary) to unlock a little more flavor. I chop them roughly, but you can control the size to suit your preferences.

Vegan chocolate chips. Adding vegan chocolate chips is optional. The chocolate makes this taste almost like a dessert, while leaving them out tastes more like a traditional oat breakfast. You are welcome to sneak in a few more, or leave them out altogether.

🔪 Equipment

• Food processor or blender
• 16-ounce ramekin or small baking dish
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cup
• Mixing spoon
• Knife (for chopping pecans) 
• Small skillet (for dry roasting pecans, optional)

👩🏽‍🍳 How to make matcha baked oats

If desired, dry roast the pecan halves before chopping them.

Though an optional step, tossing your pecan halves in the skillet and dry roasting for a few minutes on low-medium heat is a great way to add a little more flavor to your recipe. The heat unlocks the oils in the pecans, so there is no need to add additional oil to the pan. Just roast, shake the pan once, and allow to cool a bit before chopping into roughly-chopped pieces.

Pulse the old-fashioned oats to the food processor or blender.

Pulse or blend the oats until you achieve a consistency that is finely ground and even throughout. You may not be able to achieve as fine a grind as oat flour bought at the grocery store, but that is ok! If you happen to have oat flour on hand, you are welcome to skip this step.

Blend the remaining ingredients, except the pecans and vegan chocolate chips.

The food processor will do a good job of blending, so there is no need to worry about adding the ingredients in any particular order. Since the pecans and chocolate chips not only add flavor, but also texture, we don’t want to include them in this step.

Pour blended oat mixture into ramekin and add pecans and chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into your ramekin or baking dish. Adding grease is an optional step, since this is designed for eating straight out of the dish, or scooping into a separate bowl. Then, stir in the pecans and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Top with a few extra chocolate chips or pecans, if desired for presentation.

Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes.

Insert a skewer into the center of the matcha baked oats after 30 minutes. If it is clean upon removal, the oats are ready to remove from the oven. Otherwise, test after a few more minutes. Enjoy warm!

🧊 Storage

You can absolutely store baked oats for later use! Store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. So, friends, add this to your meal prep routine and enjoy later in the week!

Recipe

Pro Tip: Dry roast the plain pecan halves in a skillet over low-medium heat to unlock a little extra flavor.

♻️ Sustainability Profile

Matcha trees are a sustainable crop.

Matcha is actually an incredibly sustainable resource. The “parent” plant for matcha tea leaves boasts a typical lifespan of about 50 years. Plus, matcha tea is the only tea that uses the entirety of the tea leaf, which reduces waste during production.

Oats contribute positively to soil health and require less water.

Many are intrigued by the more eco-friendly characteristics of oat milk compared to almond milk, thanks to the more sustainable production opportunities for growing oats. Of course, this same concept applies to oats themselves, and the oat flour we make for this matcha baked oats recipe. Growing oats on a farm increases the biodiversity and has even been proven to aid in nitrogen retention as well as help decrease the use of fertilizer use by farmers when used for crop rotation. I think that’s a winning combination! Learn more about the sustainability of oats in this article.

Remaining ingredients are sustainable, but sourcing them is important.

Chocolate and bananas are important to source carefully, if taking into account your environmental footprint. I discuss banana sustainability in my blackberry strawberry banana smoothie recipe; especially the fact that bananas can have a low carbon footprint and don’t require specialty plastic packaging for transport to grocery stores. Many companies these days will also highlight their sustainability initiatives and promote ethically and environmentally-sourced cacao beans, so read labels and select the brands that align with your preferences.

❓Frequently Asked Questions

Are baked oats the same as oatmeal?

Baked oats are not the same as oatmeal, even though they involve cooked oats. Many baked oats recipes are blended for a more even texture throughout the dish, or simply incorporated with other ingredients (like baking powder) to leaven the dish and give it a little rise. Think of baked oats as a cross between a coffee cake and oatmeal – you get the baked caramelized flavors and rise similar to a baked good, but the dense and hearty texture common in oatmeal. It’s a cross between two beautiful worlds!

Should baked oats be runny?

No, your baked oats should not be particularly soggy or runny. They are more dense and moist than a cake, muffin, or similar baked good and are not intended to replace those. However, you can change the density by cooking more to make the consistency drier, or less to achieve a more moist end result.

How do you tell if baked oats are done?

The best way to determine if your baked oats are ready to be pulled out of the oven is to look for a few cracks in the top crust and a skewer inserted in the center of the baked oats comes out clean. If you grease your ramekin ahead of time, you will also see the sides of the baked oats pulling away from the dish just a bit.

Can I reheat baked oats?

Absolutely! Just add the baked oats to the microwave or oven and heat through (the time and temperature will depend upon your appliance and the amount of baked oats leftovers you’re reheating. For a small portion of these matcha baked oats, I would suggest microwaving them on medium or high heat for about 1 minute. Otherwise, cover and reheat in a 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes.

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