– vegan – gluten free – refined sugar free – low fat –
This is the healthy cinnamon bun of your DREAMS. Imagine if a cinnamon bun and oatmeal had a perfect baby – this would be it. This baby took on the warm, delicious flavors of a cinnamon bun and combined it with the soft, chewy texture of baked oats. I should say I’m really not someone who makes the same recipe repeatedly unless I absolutely love them. I made this baked oats recipe for the first time a few days ago and have had one every day since, so they really are THAT good.
The very best part? These oats are dairy-free, refined sugar free and gluten free, so you can enjoy them for breakfast without the guilt 🙂 Old fashioned rolled oats contain beta glucan, a type of soluble fiber that promotes better digestion and increases feelings of fullness. That’s one of my favorite reasons to eat oats for breakfast – I feel satisfied for the rest of the morning! And the ground flax helps to give this dish a little boost of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
I topped these cinnamon bun baked oats with my favorite healthier 2-ingredient chocolate sauce that I use for anything and everything, but that’s totally optional. The cinnamon bun is just as delicious without the chocolate. Stay tuned for more baked oats recipes because after this one I don’t think I want to stop anytime soon!
Helpful tips:
- Before rolling out the dough, make sure to flour the working surface well. If not, the oats will stick to the surface and make rolling up the dough very difficult.
- If rolling the dough into the cinnamon bun shape is difficult, coat your hands in flour. This will prevent the dough from sticking to you and makes rolling a breeze.
- If you’re feeling lazy or you’re in a time crunch, you can skip the part where you form the oats into a cinnamon roll (steps 3 + 4). Instead, once you create the dough, pop it right into your heat-safe mug or ramekin, sprinkle with the oil, coconut sugar, and cinnamon, and bake!
Baking essentials:
- A small mixing bowl
- A blender (if making your own oat flour)
- A rolling pin
- Parchment paper (optional). If you don’t have parchment paper, coat the rolling pin in flour to prevent sticking.
- A heat-safe mug or ramekin
Substitutions:
- Oat flour: if you don’t have oat flour, all you have to do is blend old fashioned rolled oats for a couple minutes until you have created a flour. It’s that easy and it’s what I prefer to do because it is much cheaper this way. I have not tried this recipe with quick/instant oats, but I think it would work. The texture will most likely be softer. I do not recommend using steel cut oats.
- Pure maple syrup: you can substitute with equal parts agave nectar or date syrup.
- Applesauce: can be substituted with equal parts oil. I like to use applesauce to keep it lower in fat and calories.
- Avocado oil: can be replaced with extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil.
- Coconut sugar: can be replaced with brown sugar or cane sugar in equal parts.
If you liked these cinnamon bun baked oats, I think you will love these other oat-based recipes as well:
- Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal (Vegan)
- Hot Chocolate Oatmeal
- Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan + GF)
Nutrition Facts
1 servings per container
Serving Size1 servings
Calories647
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Fat
15.5g
24%
- Saturated Fat 2.5g 13%
- Sodium 523.6mg 22%
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Carbohydrate
119.6g
40%
- Dietary Fiber 15.2g 61%
- Sugars 42.3g
- Protein 12.6g 26%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.