Start your morning right with this Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal—a cozy, healthy, and perfectly spiced fall breakfast made with oats, pumpkin purée, and maple sweetness!

If you could bottle up the flavor of fall mornings, it would taste exactly like this Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal—warm, cozy, and kissed with cinnamon. It’s the kind of breakfast that fills your kitchen with the smell of pumpkin pie but keeps you feeling fueled and balanced all day long!

Why This Version Works (And Refuses To Be Soggy)

• Concentrated Pumpkin: You remove extra water from the purée so the bake sets creamy instead of slumping.
• Two Oat Textures: Whole rolled oats for structure + quick oats for custardy binding.
• Right Fat, Right Sweet: Just enough butter (or coconut oil) and maple to keep things lush and warmly sweet—not cake, not diet food, just breakfast that treats you kindly.
• Spice Bloom: Cinnamon and friends mingle with warm butter to wake their oils.
• Hot Oven, Resting Time: Bakes at 350°F (175°C) and rests 10 minutes so you slice, not spoon rubble.

Ingredients (Weigh If You Can—Consistency Loves A Scale)

Yield: 8 generous squares (9×9″ pan) or 6 hefty bowls (8×11″)
Time: 15 minutes prep + 35–42 minutes bake + 10 minutes rest

Oats & Dry

• 1½ cups (150 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup (50 g) quick oats (not instant; for custardy texture)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves (just a hint)

Wet

• 1 cup (240 g) pumpkin purée, thickened (see Step 1)
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 1¾ cups (420 ml) milk (dairy or unsweetened almond/oat milk)
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) pure maple syrup3 tbsp (42 g) unsalted butter, melted and warm (or coconut oil for dairy-free)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Add-Ins (Choose Your Personality!)

• ½ cup (70 g) chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
• ½ cup (75 g) raisins or dried cranberries (pat dry)
• ½ cup (85 g) mini dark chocolate chips (weekend energy)
• 1 medium apple, peeled and ¼″ dice (about 1 cup)

Topping (Optional But Excellent!)

• 2 tbsp (18 g) pepitas
• 1 tbsp (12 g) turbinado sugar (for a caramelized lid)

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

1. Concentrate The Pumpkin (Flavor Insurance)

Spread the pumpkin purée in a thin layer on a dinner plate. Microwave 60–75 seconds (or bake on a small sheet at 300°F / 150°C for 8–10 minutes) until the surface looks slightly matte and darker. Scrape into a bowl and cool while you prep.

Cue: A spoon stands up briefly in the purée before sinking—perfect.

2. Preheat With Intent & Pan Prep

Heat oven to 350°F (175°C), rack middle. Grease a 9×9″ (or 8×11″) baking dish with a thin film of butter or oil. If you love easy slicing, line with a parchment sling.

3. Build The Dry Backbone

In a large bowl, whisk rolled oats, quick oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until the spices look evenly dotted. This prevents spice bombs later.

4. Bloom The Spice (Tiny Chef Trick)

Stir the warm melted butter with ¼ tsp of your cinnamon for 10 seconds. Aromas jump; flavor deepens. Set aside.

5. Whisk The Custard

In a second bowl, whisk eggs until loosened (20 seconds). Add milk, maple, vanilla, the thickened pumpkin, and the warmed spiced butter. Whisk until silky and homogenous—no streaks of egg, no islands of pumpkin.

6. Marry The Bowls

Pour wet into dry. Stir with a spatula until every oat glistens and nothing dry hides at the bottom. Fold in your chosen add-ins.

Cue: The mixture should be pourable but thick—think loose muffin batter with visible oats.

7. Pan, Level, Top

Scrape into the prepared dish. Smooth to even thickness so corners don’t overcook. Sprinkle pepitas and turbinado sugar over the top for crunch and a glossy lid.

8. Bake To Doneness, Not The Minute

Bake 35–42 minutes until the edges are deep golden, the center rises slightly and looks set, and a toothpick near the center leaves a few moist crumbs (not wet batter).

Dish size note: 9×9″ usually lands around 36–38 minutes; 8×11″ is often 32–35 minutes because it’s shallower.

9. Rest For Structure

Set the pan on a rack 10 minutes. This is the difference between slices that hold and oats that slouch. Breathe; make coffee.

Serve Your Way

• Sliceable Squares: Cool an extra 10–15 minutes, then lift with a spatula.
• Bowl & Spoon: Scoop warm, add milk splash or yogurt, and a drizzle of maple.
• Breakfast Sundae Energy: Greek yogurt + chopped apple + cinnamon dust.

Texture & Sweetness Dials (Because You’re The Boss)

• Custardier: Swap ¼ cup (60 ml) of milk for ¼ cup (60 ml) half-and-half.
• Cakier: Increase quick oats to ¾ cup (75 g) and reduce rolled oats to 1¼ cups (125 g).
• Sweeter: Add 2 tbsp brown sugar to the dry bowl.
• Less Sweet: Drop maple to ¼ cup (60 ml) and add 1 tbsp extra milk.

Variations That Slap (Same Method, New Outfit)

• Pecan Streusel Top: Mix ¼ cup flour + 2 tbsp brown sugar + 2 tbsp butter + ¼ cup chopped pecans into sandy crumbs; sprinkle before baking.
• Cranberry-Orange: Fold in ½ cup dried cranberries and 1 tsp orange zest; finish the baked pan with more zest while warm.
• Mocha Morning: Add 1 tbsp cocoa powder to the dry and ¼ cup mini chocolate chips to the batter; finish with a few chips on top.
• Apple Pie Mood: Fold in 1 cup apple dice, add ¼ tsp extra cinnamon, and dot the surface with 1 tsp cold butter in tiny pieces before baking.

Dietary Swaps & Notes

• Gluten-Free: Use certified gluten-free oats; swap 1 tbsp oat flour for the baking powder’s insurance if your oats are very tender (helps slice clean).
• Dairy-Free: Use almond/oat milk and coconut oil; skip the butter bloom or bloom spices in 1 tsp warm oil.
• Egg-Free: Replace each egg with 3 tbsp aquafaba (whipped lightly) or a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 2½ tbsp water, rest 5 min).
• Nut-Free: Use seeds (pepitas/sunflower) and dried fruit; skip tree nuts.

Make-Ahead, Storage & Reheating

• Make-Ahead (Unbaked): Assemble, cover, and refrigerate up to 12 hours. Before baking, stir the pan once to redistribute oats, then level again. Add 2–3 minutes bake time.
• Fridge: Cool completely; cover and refrigerate 4–5 days.
• Freeze: Cut into squares, wrap individually, and freeze up to 2 months. Defrost overnight or microwave 40–60 seconds.
• Reheat: 300°F (150°C) oven 8–10 minutes for pan portions, or microwave 30–45 seconds per square. Splash of milk revives yesterday into today.

Troubleshooting (Because I’ve Already Done The Experiments)

• Too Wet In The Middle: Needed 3–5 more minutes or your pumpkin wasn’t thickened. Bake until the center looks set and edges are deep gold; next time dry the pumpkin properly.
• Dry Or Crumbly: Overbaked or you measured heavy on the oats. Pull when the top springs back but still feels cushioned; weigh ingredients next round.
• Flat Flavor: Add a pinch (⅛ tsp) more salt and a quick squeeze of maple or honey while warm. Salt and a hint of sweetness lift pumpkin like a choir.
• Soggy Next Day: You wrapped it hot. Cool fully, then store. To revive, 5–7 minutes in a 325°F (165°C) oven brings the edges back.

Serving Ideas (Because Breakfast Likes Company)

• Vanilla Yogurt + Toasted Pecans + Maple Thread
• Warm Spoon Of Applesauce + Extra Cinnamon
• Cold Pour: Cube a square into a bowl, splash refrigerated milk, and eat like cozy cereal.
• Dessert Flex: A small scoop of vanilla ice cream on a warm square is legal on weekends.

Bookmark this, bake a pan on Sunday, and message me when the edges go toffee-gold—your week just learned the meaning of pumpkin baked oatmeal!