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.
Print
Pumpkin Baked Steel Cut Oats
- 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
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup raw steel cut oats
- ½ 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
I 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!
Thank you so much, Aysegul! Happy fall to you as well :)
I 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.
Love your take on it! Yum.
Great! 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!
I 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.
Thank you, Allyson! Being the steel cut oats novice, we’e never tried them the simmered method. A new #breakfastgoal over here!
I 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
Let us know if you try them out! Thanks, Ruby!
Goodbye boring oats! This looks and sounds super, mega, fabulous!!!
Thank you! Nothing like pumpkin pie for breakfast, in our book :) They’re even better cold too — so, dinner? :)
I 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!
Yes, 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 :)
We 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.
Haha no problem! We took one for the team with many, many pans of oats. :/ (Really, it was a little much at the end!)
I’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! :)
I’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 :)
This was DELICIOUS! I will be doubling the recipe next time! So yummy…Thanks!
Oh so glad you enjoyed it, Beth! Thanks for letting us know!
Vegan version worked well (flax egg + coconut oil)!
I’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.
I’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!
Lovedddd baked oatmeal when I made it but have never had a version with steel cut oats, will have to give it a try!
I bet this smells DELICIOUSSSSSSSS!!! It would be the best motivator for anyone to get up in the AM! lol!
So delicious! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
I 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!
★★★★★
UPDATE: 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!
Can you freeze the baked oats once cut into bars? Thanks!
Good 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!
Great, 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.
You are so welcome! I agree, I prefer the chilled version as well. Thanks for making it! :)
This is great! Not too sweet, and it will be good for on the go snacks. Thanks so much for posting!
★★★★★
You are so welcome! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
This 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.
★★★★★
We are so glad this worked out for you! Dried cranberries sound like a great addition! :)
I definitely need to make this! Looks delicious :) Have you tried mixing it the night before and baking in the morning?
Thanks!
We 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!
Erin, 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.
This 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!?
★★★★★
You 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!
Creative recipe! Even my husband who doesn’t like pumpkin pie much liked these steel cut oats. Thank you!
★★★★★
Oh perfect! Thank you so much for making it and I’m glad it was a hit with the hub!
This 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!
★★★★★
LOVE your began substitutes, that sound incredible! So glad this worked out. THANKS for trying it!
I 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.
SOOOO 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.
This 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!
I 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 ❤️
Kept 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?
Hmm I’ve never heard of this happening! I’ll email you to troubleshoot.
I 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
What a great idea to add pumpkin butter! We’re so glad to hear this is a new go to for you!
Just 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…
Yes, 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!
This 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!
This 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?
I added the info to the recipe card!
Just 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!
I really like this oatmeal and have made it several times now. I try to eat less sugar so I use only 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and increased the pumpkin to 1 cup. I like to top it with a generous sprinkle of fresh blueberries before baking it. Its delicious!
★★★★★
Can you modify for a muffin tin? Does it just change the bake time?
That should work! The bake time would just depend on the thickness, so may take a few minutes longer.
WOW! They really do taste like pumpkin pie!
Thanks so much for this recipe. They are fabulous. I used “flax egg”, soy milk and coconut oil. They were so delicious. I may experiment with cutting back on the syrup a little bit and a tiny bit on the oil so I can feel they are more of a breakfast equivalent rather than a dessert. My go-to steel cut oat breakfast has blueberries, goji berries, cinnamon and ginger with no other added sugar.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed!
I made them again with a couple of tweaks to improve nutrition profile and still FABULOUS! This is going to be my quick grab breakfast and pie alternative this winter. :-)
I did TWO flax egg equivalents and cut the coconut oil to 1.5 T (I think I can go to 1 T next time). I did a very shy 1/3 c of maple syrup to cut back the sugar a bit. And I increased the pumpkin to 1 cup. (I always use butternut squash instead of pumpkin in pumpkin recipes.) I added in a couple of extra tablespoons of steel cut oats since there was more liquid volume. I baked about 5 minutes extra. (I am making them in a 7×11 pyrex baking dish since I don’t have a 9×9.)
★★★★★
This recipe is so tasty! I doubled it but used an entire can of pumpkin (instead of just 1 1/2 c). It needed to cook an extra 10 minutes, but otherwise I didn’t notice a difference. I also left out the nuts and used 1/2 the amount of maple syrup. Family loved it!
★★★★★
We love these oats. I make a double batch twice a month or so. I even premix all the dry ingredients and keep them in my pantry ready to go.
I’ve modified the recipe slightly by adding a chopped apple or pear and a handful of raisins or craisins. Due to the extra sweetness of the fruit I halve the maple syrup.
Delicious.
How do I know this is done? Baked for an hour. Cooled a bit and under the top, it’s quite soft. Is it finished?
Yes, this recipe will be soft when finished! It has the texture of pumpkin pie filling.