These baked steel cut oats taste like pumpkin pie—what better way to start your morning? They’re a healthy breakfast filled with whole grains.
This post was created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. All opinions are our own.
Would you believe we’ve never cooked steel cut oats until this recipe? I know, I know. We drink Chemex coffee and eat quinoa and wear Chambray shirts, yet our breakfast game has yet to be revolutionized by steel cut oats. Well, consider us steel cut oat virgins no more, because we’re now fans.
How to make baked steel cut oats
Steel cut oats are nothing like normal rolled oats. In fact, they’re a chewy whole grain like this freaky one. Not what we were expecting. However, when baked up in a custard-y “filling”, they’re absolutely delicious.
Our idea for this recipe was to combine they chewiness of steel cut oats with the velvety, spiced-up goodness of pumpkin pie. Luckily it worked like a charm. After cooling, the oatmeal sets up and can be cut into squares for devouring. It tastes just like a light version of pumpkin pie! And who doesn’t want to eat pumpkin pie for breakfast? It’s also fairly healthy. With a minimal amount of maple syrup as a natural sweetener, it’s a nice gluten-free whole grain option for the morning.
We created this recipe as part of an internet-wide celebration of pumpkin recipes in honor of October! Check out this list of links for friends around the web and their recipes. The recipe was also created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill, one of our very favorite whole grain companies. We’d love to hear: are you a newbie to steel cut oats? Would you try this recipe? And if you did, what did you think?
Looking for more pumpkin recipes?
Outside of this baked steel cut oats, here are a few of our favorite pumpkin recipes:
- Pumpkin Goat Cheese Baked Gnocchi
- Pumpkin Sage Stuffed Shells
- Pumpkin Pie Mousse Shooters
- Pumpkin Oatmeal
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Mascarpone
- Easy Pumpkin Hummus
- Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt
- Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- 12 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes
Looking for more breakfast recipes?
And here are a few of our favorite breakfast recipes:
- Healthy Granola Recipe
- Sweet Potato Hash Browns
- Best Fluffy Gluten Free Waffles
- Gluten Free Banana Muffins
- Homemade Acai Bowl
- Vegan Breakfast Ideas
This recipe is…
This pumpkin baked steel cut oats recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free.
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Pumpkin Baked Steel Cut Oats
(96 votes, average: 3.99 out of 5)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
Description
These baked steel cut oats taste like pumpkin pie—what better way to start your morning? They’re a healthy breakfast filled with whole grains.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 2 cups milk (or almond milk)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup raw steel cut oats
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Grease a 9 x 9 baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg. Whisk it together with the milk, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, melted butter, and vanilla. In a small bowl, mix together the spices, baking powder, and kosher salt. Whisk to combine the spices and baking powder into the wet ingredients, then stir in the raw steel cut oats. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan and sprinkle with the chopped pecans, then bake an additional 30 minutes until golden brown (60 minutes total).
- Serve hot, scooped into bowls, or let cool completely to room temperature and cut into squares for serving. You also can refrigerate and serve cold, which is our favorite way to eat it!
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: baked steel cut oats, health steel cut oats recipe
About the Authors
Sonja Overhiser
Cookbook Author and writer
Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.
Alex Overhiser
Cookbook Author and photographer
Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.
58 Comments
Aysegul
October 24, 2016 at 8:51 amI have cooked steel cut oatmeal many times before but never thought about turning it into a breakfast bar like this one. I too love Bob’s Red Mills and plan on making this very soon.
Such a great recipe for the season guys.
Happy fall. <3
Cheeers!
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:38 pmThank you so much, Aysegul! Happy fall to you as well :)
Cynthia Lundie
April 16, 2019 at 2:11 amI make something similar – I use the pumpkin pie recipe on the back of the puree can and substitute nonfat evaporated milk, two egg whites ( instead of the whole egg), and maple syrup like you do instead of sugar. I bake it in a glass casserole and it is so delicious cold with a little milk poured over the top. Love it in the morning.
Sonja
April 22, 2019 at 11:09 amLove your take on it! Yum.
Peggy
May 16, 2020 at 1:37 pmGreat! I love the recipe! I used English walnuts instead of pecans and I made maple syrup from your brown sugar syrup recipe with a 1/4 cup molasses and 1/2 t maple extract at the end. Thank you for a tasty way to use pumpkin and steel cut oats!
Allyson (Considering The Radish)
October 24, 2016 at 10:12 amI cook steel cut oats on occasion. I usually toast them in butter, then simmer them for a long time. They’re tasty like that, but not revolutionary. This recipe, on the other hand, is total #breakfastgoals.
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:39 pmThank you, Allyson! Being the steel cut oats novice, we’e never tried them the simmered method. A new #breakfastgoal over here!
Ruby
October 24, 2016 at 4:15 pmI haven’t had steel cut oats in waaay too long! This is a perfect excuse to go out and get some because these look delicious. I have got to step up my breakfast game and give them a try xo
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:39 pmLet us know if you try them out! Thanks, Ruby!
Tori//Gringalicious
October 25, 2016 at 4:44 amGoodbye boring oats! This looks and sounds super, mega, fabulous!!!
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:40 pmThank you! Nothing like pumpkin pie for breakfast, in our book :) They’re even better cold too — so, dinner? :)
Abby @ Heart of a Baker
October 25, 2016 at 9:36 amI started cooking with steel cut oats a few years ago, but have since forgotten about them! This looks like a perfect hands off way to get them cooked, plus pumpkin +pecans are such a perfect combo!
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:42 pmYes, it is a pretty hands off cooking method! If I ever woke up with enough time to make breakfast, this might be my go to :)
Emily
October 25, 2016 at 12:39 pmWe love steel cut, but it usually takes so much longer so it’s even occurred to me that it would work as a baked oatmeal. So glad that you figured this all out and did all the testing so I can give it a go. What a cozy way to do a fall breakfast.
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:43 pmHaha no problem! We took one for the team with many, many pans of oats. :/ (Really, it was a little much at the end!)
Sarah | Well and Full
October 25, 2016 at 3:31 pmI’ve never cooked with steel-cut oats either! They do look very interesting, however. This may be the perfect recipe in which for me to try them out! :)
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:43 pmI’m so glad you said so, since I feel like we’re late to the party! Let us know if you give them a go :)
Beth
October 25, 2016 at 8:26 pmThis was DELICIOUS! I will be doubling the recipe next time! So yummy…Thanks!
Sonja
October 25, 2016 at 8:34 pmOh so glad you enjoyed it, Beth! Thanks for letting us know!
Allie
October 25, 2016 at 10:41 pmVegan version worked well (flax egg + coconut oil)!
Edwina at The Equipped Cook
October 26, 2016 at 12:20 amI’ve cooked steel cut oats often but never baked with them, what a great idea. Your flavors look delicious. I will have to try this. I’ll be interested to see the texture when baked.
Bethany @ Athletic Avocado
October 26, 2016 at 8:21 amI’ve had steel cut oatmeal, but never in a baked version. This oatmeal looks magnificent! love how you combined the chewiness/heartiness of the oats with the creaminess of the pumpkin!
Joyce @ Sun Diego Eats
October 26, 2016 at 12:52 pmLovedddd baked oatmeal when I made it but have never had a version with steel cut oats, will have to give it a try!
GiGi Eats
October 26, 2016 at 11:29 pmI bet this smells DELICIOUSSSSSSSS!!! It would be the best motivator for anyone to get up in the AM! lol!
Healhtytips
October 27, 2016 at 4:05 pmSo delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Heather E.
November 10, 2016 at 7:34 amI purchased a bag of BRM Steel Cut Oats a while back and have tried several recipes. I wasn’t crazy about any of them. I did search for recipes to use up the bag and found a bread that I liked a lot. Problem was, I didn’t have enough to make another loaf and did not want to buy another bag. When I saw your recipe I grabbed the bag from the freezer – I had just enough! I followed the recipe exactly but had to bake in an 8 x 8. It did not affect the cooking time. I cooled completely and put in fridge. Next morning the kids and I enjoyed cold. It is amazing and now I’ll go grab another bag! Thanks!
HEATHER E.
September 11, 2017 at 7:26 amUPDATE: I have been making this regularly since last November. Yesterday I was cooking for the week so my kitchen was a mess. I was mixing this up and really didn’t want to dirty a pan to melt 2TBSP butter so I decided to use 2TBSP EVOO. It worked great! And though this is supposed to be breakfast throughout the week we ate half last night as an after dinner treat!
Kim
November 16, 2016 at 10:05 amCan you freeze the baked oats once cut into bars? Thanks!
Sonja
November 19, 2016 at 3:50 pmGood question! We have not tried this…but I’d expect it might work? My only worry would be the texture upon thawing. Let us know if you try it!
Mary
November 19, 2016 at 2:19 pmGreat, easy recipe. While I preferred it warm rather than cold because the soft texture became slightly slimy when chilled, the nuts stayed nicely crunchy through several days of refrigeration. Thanks for the clear directions and sharing a tasty, healthful dish.
Sonja
November 19, 2016 at 3:47 pmYou are so welcome! I agree, I prefer the chilled version as well. Thanks for making it! :)
Jill
November 24, 2016 at 7:19 amThis is great! Not too sweet, and it will be good for on the go snacks. Thanks so much for posting!
Sonja
November 5, 2017 at 9:04 pmYou are so welcome! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Shawna
December 23, 2016 at 8:05 pmThis is delicious. I actually made it two times with BRG Old Fashioned oats instead of the steel cut, it still worked GREAT. One time I added in a few died cranberries, still delicious. I’m making a batch right now with the steel cut oats and can’t wait to eat them.
Sonja
November 5, 2017 at 9:04 pmWe are so glad this worked out for you! Dried cranberries sound like a great addition! :)
Erin
October 22, 2017 at 8:15 pmI definitely need to make this! Looks delicious :) Have you tried mixing it the night before and baking in the morning?
Thanks!
Sonja
November 5, 2017 at 9:01 pmWe have not tried mixing the night before, but I think it would probably work! I’ve seen other baked steel cut oatmeal recipes that do. If you try it this way, let us know if the baking time is shortened at all! Thanks!
Sonja
November 8, 2017 at 8:04 pmErin, thanks for reporting back via email that it was done around 45 minutes when mixing up the ingredients the night before! This will be helpful to other readers in the future (and we’ll need to try it that way too!). Thanks again.
Maggie
November 1, 2017 at 8:58 amThis is absolutely perfect for on-the-go breakfasts! I just wrapped mine in wax paper and it’s perfectly handheld. Just what I need for busy mornings. Looking forward to trying this with mashed banana instead of pumpkin!?
Sonja
November 5, 2017 at 7:56 pmYou you’re kidding, what a great idea to take it on the go! I never thought of that. We’ve never tried with mashed banana instead of pumpkin: I’d love to hear how that goes!
Gayle
December 1, 2017 at 5:55 pmCreative recipe! Even my husband who doesn’t like pumpkin pie much liked these steel cut oats. Thank you!
Sonja
December 25, 2017 at 3:17 pmOh perfect! Thank you so much for making it and I’m glad it was a hit with the hub!
Ashley R Hoffman
February 11, 2018 at 12:07 pmThis was delicious. I am out of butter, eggs, and milk, so I made it with avocado oil, ground flax “egg,” and water mixed with chia seeds. Also, I have quick cooking steel cut oats, so used those. It turned out perfectly. Thank you!
Sonja
March 14, 2018 at 2:16 pmLOVE your began substitutes, that sound incredible! So glad this worked out. THANKS for trying it!
Tiffany
May 20, 2018 at 10:31 pmI found this recipe by chance and threw it together hastily in a food prep frenzy last week as an afterthought. But. Oh, man. I felt like I was eating pumpkin pie every morning. I used an almond-coconut blend for the milk, and I followed the directions exactly as written–something I never do.
I just made my second batch, and I can’t wait to eat the same thing for breakfast every day again this week.
Over the years, I’ve made countless recipes I’ve found online. There are a precious few I always return to. But this is the first comment I’ve ever left on a recipe.
Thank you for these delightful oats. My friends are sick of hearing about them. Once they make them, they’ll get it.
Jessica Flory
October 23, 2018 at 11:59 amSOOOO GOOD!!! Oh my wow. This is probably the best oatmeal I’ve ever made. I felt like I was eating pie for breakfast! Now we’re sad it’s gone. Even the two oatmeal haters in the family (husband and two year old) loved this! I let it soak overnight for simpler prep and then baked it in the morning for about 45 min. I also added a handful of bittersweet chocolate chips. SO so good.
Elizabeth
October 23, 2018 at 4:44 pmThis looks right up my alley – love pumpkin and oatmeal! Quick question – how much pumpkin pie spice would you use instead of the individual spices? I happen to have it already mixed up for ease in pumpkin recipes. Looking forward to making this!
Renata
November 7, 2018 at 4:58 amI made these yesterday. We actually had them for dessert with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.
The bottom and sides turned out a bit dark. I may try to bake them a little less next time.
Looking forward to more for breakfast today!
Thank you for yet another way to continue to enjoy this pumpkin season ❤️
Susan Oher
November 8, 2018 at 5:41 pmKept this in the oven for about 90 minutes and it didn’t actually set. My husband loves it but I can’t figure out what happened.
Thoughts?
Sonja
November 8, 2018 at 8:17 pmHmm I’ve never heard of this happening! I’ll email you to troubleshoot.
Sierra
January 30, 2019 at 12:04 pmI made these last week and thought they weren’t too bad. I have a huge sweet tooth so they weren’t sweet enough for me by themselves. But man o man, I spread a bit of pumpkin butter on top of one this morning (ate it cold) and it was amazing! So with that I’ll definitely make them again. I’ll probably add stevia or some other type of sweetener though to enhance their stand alone flavor. I used an 8×8 pan and 1% milk since I forgot to buy almond milk. Even though the recipe calls for 8 servings, I eat two bars at a time and they leave me feeling quite satisfied from breakfast until lunch. This may be my new go to breakfast ??
Macros for 1/8 bars:
Carbs: 30.5g
fiber: 4.1g
Sugar: 12g
Fat: 10.1g
Protein: 7.2g
Sonja
January 31, 2019 at 10:24 amWhat a great idea to add pumpkin butter! We’re so glad to hear this is a new go to for you!
Abby
March 17, 2019 at 4:47 pmJust found this, sounds wonderful to bring to brunch potluck. Im thinking that a larger pan, say rectangular, will be best for a double or triple recipe…
Sonja
March 17, 2019 at 7:29 pmYes, this would be perfect! It would probably work in a 9 x 13, but it might affect the bake a time a bit. If you have 2 9 x 9s, we’d do that!
Valerie
June 18, 2019 at 3:11 pmThis was very good; not sure I would bother making steel cut oats any other way now that I’ve tried them baked! What a great meal prep breakfast. I used an 8×8 pan, subbed flax egg and coconut oil to make it vegan, and added a handful of shredded coconut. Cut into six servings; topping with a splash of almond milk, peanut butter, raisins and 1/2 sliced banana for breakfast and it’s quite filling!
Judy
May 22, 2020 at 9:18 pmThis turned out great! I couldn’t resist tasting it while still warm but I’m looking forward to trying it cold in the morning. Do you know the nutritional values for 1/8 serving?
Alex Overhiser
May 23, 2020 at 5:18 pmI added the info to the recipe card!
Sue
October 21, 2020 at 11:35 pmJust finished the last piece of this scrumptious breakfast! I wrapped up the cold squares and take to work. I did toast the oats first in the butter and then mixed everything up and let soak a few hours before baking. I might try it with grated apple or apple sauce sometime. Thanks for this recipe!