Air Fryer Oatmeal
Air fryer oatmeal is quick, easy to make and the perfect comfort food for breakfast. This healthy air fryer baked oatmeal is ready in 20 minutes start to finish and is easily customizable to whatever you are craving! Great for meal prep too, these air fryer baked oats are a great way to get your kiddos excited about breakfast any time of the year.
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make – making individual air fryer baked oatmeal is so simple since you just combine the ingredients in a bowl, add the mixture to ramekins and turn on the air fryer. No need to blend the oats in advance or to pause the air fryer during baking. Using the air fryer saves you time vs. cooking it in the oven, making it a great choice for busy mornings.
- Simple ingredients – you can find all the ingredients to make the best air fryer baked oatmeal at your local grocery store. If you need gluten free oats, you may need to order them online or visit a specialty store (although they do have them at Trader Joe’s if that is convenient for you). This recipe is vegan, gluten free, dairy free and plant based.
- Customizable – add in whatever mix-in ingredients you want to change up the flavors. There is an endless combination of fruits, nuts, nut butters, chocolate and other ingredients you could come up with to never get bored when you make air fryer baked oatmeal.
- Budget friendly – baked oatmeal is the ultimate budget friendly meal! If you need to make this even more budget friendly, you can replace the dairy free milk with water and use brown sugar, regular sugar or coconut sugar in place of the maple syrup (be sure to add 1-2 tablespoons of water to compensate for the loss of liquid if you sub this out).
Ingredients
- Dairy free milk – use your favorite dairy free milk (or you can use regular milk if you are not dairy free). I used almond milk, but you could also use cashew milk, hemp milk, oat milk, walnut milk or coconut milk (that comes in cartons, not cans).
- Ground flax (or ground chia seeds) – the ground flax replaces the egg in this recipe and helps the oats bind together better when baking. You can also use chia seeds, although I recommend grinding up the chia seeds first so they don’t get stuck in your teeth.
- Maple syrup – maple syrup is my go to sweetener for baked goods. You could also use date syrup or honey (although these will change the flavor and honey is not vegan). You can also replace the maple syrup with your favorite sugar, just be sure to add 1-2 tablespoons of water since you will lose some moisture from the maple syrup being omitted.
- Salt – just a pinch of salt helps to balance the flavors.
- Rolled oats (sometimes called old fashion oats) – this recipe calls for rolled oats (also known as old fashion oats), as they are the easiest to find and help to create that chewy texture of the oats. You could also use quick oats here, but the texture may be a little different. I do not recommend using steel cut oats as they will not cook in time using this method.
How to make air fryer oatmeal
Check out the step by step story on how to make air fryer oatmeal!
Start by combining the wet ingredients (dairy free milk, maple syrup) with the ground flax. Stir well to ensure the ground flax doesn’t clump.
Next add the rolled oats and pinch of salt. Stir well.
Divide the mixture between two ramekins. Add in any mix-in flavors you like (berries, bananas, cinnamon, chocolate chips, nut butter, chopped nuts, etc) and stir well.
Place the ramekins in the air fryer basket and cook at 360F for 14 minutes.
When done baking, remove from the air fryer and let cool before handling the ramekins (they are hot).
Top the baked oats with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Top tips
- If you need your oatmeal to be gluten free, be sure to check the label on your oats. They should be labeled gluten free. My favorite is One Degree Organic Sprouted Rolled Oats that I buy on Thrive Market. I find that sprouted oats a just a little easier to digest.
- Cooking time and temperature may vary based on your air fryer. This air fryer baked oatmeal is pretty forgiving though, so this should turn out well in most air fryers.
- When adding fruit or other mix-in ingredients, be sure to stir them in well and that none of them on are top of the ramekins, as they will burn. If you want fruit or nuts at the top, wait until after baking to add them.
- Change up the flavors based on what you love! There are so many variations you can make, check out all the different combinations below!
Topping and mix-in ideas
This baked oatmeal recipe is a blank canvas of flavor that allows you to easily customize the flavors based on the toppings and mix-in ingredients you choose.
- Fruit – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, bananas, apples, pears, diced pineapple
- Jam or jelly
- Dried fruit – raisins, dates, cranberries, blueberries
- Chopped nuts and seeds – walnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), hemp hearts, peanuts
- Nut butters – Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sunbutter, coconut butter, tahini
- Sweetener – maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, maple sugar, date syrup, agave, honey, brown sugar, regular sugar.
- Chocolate chips
- Coconut flakes
- Yogurt – coconut yogurt, dairy free yogurt, dairy free Greek style yogurt, Greek yogurt (not dairy free)
Flavor combinations to try
For each of these combinations, you will want to divide the ingredients listed below between the two ramekins before baking.
- Banana bread – add ¼ cup of sliced bananas (about ½ of a banana), 2 tablespoons of chopped pecans and ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Peanut butter and jelly – add 1 tablespoon of your favorite nut butter and 2 tablespoons of jelly or jam
- Strawberry Walnut – add ¼ cup sliced strawberries and 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts
- Chocolate chip – add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ cup of chocolate chips
- Cinnamon apple – cook ½ an apple, peeled and chopped with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in the microwave together for 1 minute. Once done cooking, divide between the ramekins.
- Pumpkin pie – reduce the dairy free milk in this recipe by 2 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree and 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice or cinnamon.
- Maple brown sugar – add 1 tablespoon brown sugar to the mixture.
- Chocolate peanut butter – add 1 tablespoon peanut butter and 2-4 tablespoons of chocolate chips.
- Carrot cake – add ¼ cup shredded carrots, ½-1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger and 2 tablespoons of walnuts or pecans, chopped
- Birthday cake – add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite sprinkles.
- Chocolate cherry – add ¼ cup cherries (chopped) and 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips.
- Blueberry almond – add ¼ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) and 2 tablespoons chopped almonds.
- Raspberry chocolate chip – add ¼ cup raspberries (fresh or frozen) and 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips.
Common questions
What is baked oatmeal
Baked oatmeal is oatmeal that you bake in the oven or air fryer instead of on the stove or microwave. Because it’s baked, the oatmeal gets soft and tender and a crust develops on the outside of the oats, making them extra special and delicious.
What kind of oats to use for making air fryer baked oats
- Rolled oats (sometimes called old fashion oats) are oats that have been steamed and pressed (or rolled) flat. These cook fairly quickly as the tough hull has been removed from the outside. This is what I recommend using to make air fryer baked oats.
- Quick oats – quick oats are rolled oats that have been finely chopped into small pieces. Because these oats are now so small, they cook quicker. You can use these if it’s all you have on hand, but the texture will be slightly different (more like a cake than oatmeal).
- Steel cut oats – steel cut oats still have the groat or tough hull around the oat. Because of this, they take much longer to cook and are not recommended for this recipe.
What size ramekin to use
This recipe makes 1 serving of oatmeal divided between two 4 oz. ramekins. This will allow you to change the the flavors of each ramekin if you prefer or make both of them the same flavor with your mix-in ingredients.
Note: My personal air fryer will fit three of the 4 ounce ramekins in it at once. If you have a larger air fryer basket, you may be able to make 4 at one time.
If you want to make this in an 8 oz ramekins you can, but instead of making 2 smaller baked oatmeal servings, it will just make one larger serving. You will need to increase the cooking time from 14 minutes to 16 minutes if you use an 8 oz. ramekin.
Can you freeze cooked oatmeal
Yes, you can freeze oatmeal after cooking it. Be sure to remove as much air as possible around the oatmeal and freeze for up to 1 month.
Tip: Because you cook these in 4 oz. ramekins, you can freeze the oatmeal directly in the ramekins. If you know you want to freeze most of the leftovers, I suggest you make a larger batch in the oven, cut it into portions and freeze those individually instead so you don’t have all your ramekins in the freezer.
How to add protein to air fryer baked oatmeal
- Top the oats with greek style yogurt after baking
- Stir in collagen peptides (not vegan or vegetarian) when you add the oats
- Stir in 1 scoop of your favorite vegan protein powder. You may need to add 1/4 cup more dairy free milk to ensure the protein powder gets well mixed in and the oats don’t become dry when baking.
- Add in 3 tablespoons of hemp hearts to the oatmeal mixture.
Can you make baked oatmeal in the oven?
Yes! You can make larger batches of single serve baked oatmeal or baked oatmeal in a large pan in the oven. These can be a great option if you are making large batches for meal prep.
Can you make this like the Tik Tok baked oatmeal?
The viral Tik Tok air fryer baked oatmeal recipe blended up the oats with the rest of the ingredients, making it more like a cake than oatmeal. If that is what you are looking for, you can follow the same ingredients and blend them together in a high speed blender before dividing the batter between 2 ramekins that have been sprayed with olive oil or avocado oil.
Storing leftovers
Fridge: Store leftover air fryer baked oatmeal in the fridge for up to 5 days. Be sure it’s well covered (put it in an airtight container or add plastic wrap to the top.
Freezer: Store in the freezer up to 1 month. You can freeze it directly in the ramekins or spoon it out of the ramekin and store it in a freezer safe bag or container. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheat in the microwave 1-1:30 or in the air fryer at 350F for 3-5 minutes.
Substitutions
- Dairy free milk – you can use any dairy free milk you have on hand. You can also use regular milk as well if you are not dairy free. If you do not have milk on hand, you can use water in place of dairy free milk.
- Ground flax – you can use chia seeds (I recommend grinding them first) or an egg (not vegan) in place of the ground flax.
- Maple syrup – you can replace the maple syrup with date syrup or honey (not vegan) in the recipe. You can also use coconut sugar, maple sugar, brown sugar, regular sugar plus 1-2 tablespoons of water in place of the maple syrup.
If you love this recipe, you should try
Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Cinnamon Raisin Cauliflower Oats
Equipment
Air Fryer Oatmeal
$1.10 Recipe/$1.10 ServingGuided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons dairy free milk (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) - $0.35
- 1 tablespoon ground flax - $0.07
- 1.5 tablespoons maple syrup - $0.47
- pinch sea salt - $0.01
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (old fashion oats) - $0.20
Instructions
- In a bowl combine the dairy free milk, maple syrup and ground flax. Stir well to fully incorporate the flax.
- Add a small pinch of salt and the oats. Stir well.
- Divide the oat mixture between two ramekins. Add in any mix in ingredients you want. Stir well.
- Put the ramekins in the air fryer basket and cook at 360F for 14 minutes.
- Once done cooking, allow to cool slightly as the ramekins are hot. Top with your favorite toppings.
Equipment
Notes
- If you need your oatmeal to be gluten free, be sure to check the label on your oats. They should be labeled gluten free. My favorite is One Degree Organic Sprouted Rolled Oats that I buy on Thrive Market. I find that sprouted oats a just a little easier to digest.
- When adding fruit or other mix-in ingredients, be sure to stir them in well and that none of them on are top of the ramekins, as they will burn. If you want fruit or nuts at the top, wait until after baking to add them.
- You may want to add 1-2 tablespoons less dairy free milk if you are adding fruit or jam to this recipe, as the fruit does give off some liquid when cooking. This is not required, just based on your personal preference on how creamy you want the oats under the crispy topping.
- Fridge: Store leftover air fryer baked oatmeal in the fridge for up to 5 days. Be sure it’s well covered (put it in an airtight container or add plastic wrap to the top.
- Freezer: Store in the freezer up to 1 month. You can freeze it directly in the ramekins or spoon it out of the ramekin and store it in a freezer safe bag or container. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheat in the microwave 1-1:30 or in the air fryer at 350F for 3-5 minutes.
I made this for my family’s breakfast because I forgot to prepare overnight oats, which was our favorite. There’s something so comforting about hot oats that I somehow forgot about. This will be my personal go to now. Came out perfect and just as easy as overnight oats.
This made my day! So glad to hear that it turned out well and was just as easy! You are right there is something so comforting about hot oats.
Just made this recipe for my husbands breakfast and he loved that there was some crispiness in the bottom!
So easy – combine and walk away