If you want to feel like you are eating lemon cake for breakfast, then you need to try these Lemon Baked Oats. Nutritious and packed with fibre, they have such a sweet burst of lemon flavour, but all naturally sweetened. Such a good make-ahead meal-prep breakfast too.
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These lemon baked oats are made with oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, milk, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup, lemon juice and zest, then baked with little pockets of lemon curd and white chocolate chips on top. It's as simple as mixing everything in one bowl and baking.
We always have baked oats stashed in our freezer, as they are great for a pre-run breakfast or for the kids to have before a football match. Although we have a lot of baked oats recipes, this lemon version is our favourite in the spring/summer months. It really goes taste like a lemon cake.
Looking for more baked oats recipes? Why not try our delicious Chocolate Protein Baked Oats, simple Banana Bread Baked Oats or our comforting Apple and Cinnamon Baked Oats?
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Oats - Rolled oats work best because they give the baked oats a soft but slightly chewy texture. Quick oats will make the texture softer, while jumbo oats will give a more rustic finish. Avoid steel-cut oats, as they will not cook properly in this recipe.
- Milk - You can use any milk here.
- Lemon - Use fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest if possible. Bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch, but fresh lemon gives a much better flavour.
- Seeds - Chia seeds and flax seeds help thicken the mixture and add fibre. Ground flax seeds are best because they blend into the oats more easily.
- Eggs - Medium sized eggs.
- Vanilla - Make sure you are using extract and not essence.
- Maple syrup - This can be swapped for honey if you prefer.
- Lemon curd and Chocolate chips - These are optional, but they are added on top at the end just to make the lemon baked oats a little more special.
Variations
Lemon Blueberry - Stir a handful of blueberries and some poppy seeds into the oat mixture before baking. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, although frozen berries may make the oats slightly softer.
Higher Protein - Replace some of the milk with Greek yogurt, or stir in a scoop of vanilla protein powder. If using protein powder, you may need to add an extra splash of milk because it can make the mixture thicker.
Coconut - Use coconut milk and add a little desiccated coconut to the mixture. This gives the recipe a more tropical flavour.
Dairy-free - Use almond milk, oat milk or coconut milk, and make sure your white chocolate chips and lemon curd are dairy-free.
Lower sugar - Reduce the maple syrup slightly and use less lemon curd. You could also leave out the white chocolate chips, although they do balance the sharpness of the lemon nicely.
How To Make Lemon Baked Oats
Prep: Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C(fan)/375°F/Gas 5. Grease a 25x20cm (10x8") baking dish with a little butter.
- Step 1: Put the oats, seeds and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
- Step 2: Add the milk, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix well.
- Step 3: Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish. Add small dots of the lemon curd on top and sprinkle over the chocolate chips.
- Step 4: Bake for 25 minutes.
Lemon Baked Oats Serving Suggestions
These lemon baked oats are lovely served warm with Greek yogurt, extra lemon curd and some fruit on the side for breakfast - that is our go-to. Lemon and fresh blueberries work especially well together.
You can also serve it cold, cut into squares, as a grab-and-go breakfast or snack, or even into lunchboxes to bulk them out a bit.
Meal Prep and Leftovers
These lemon baked oats are perfect for meal prep because they keep well and reheat easily. You can bake the whole dish, let it cool, then slice it into individual portions and store them in the refrigerator - leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat - Place a portion in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, or until warmed through. You can add a splash of milk before reheating if you want a softer texture.
You can also reheat it in the oven at 180°C/160°C(fan)/350°F/Gas 4 for 10-15 minutes. Cover it with foil if you don't want the top to brown any further.
Freeze - These baked oats can also be frozen. Let them cool completely, slice into portions, then wrap each portion well and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Meal prep - You can also mix the dry ingredients together in advance and keep them in an airtight container. In the morning, just whisk together the wet ingredients, combine everything, add the lemon curd and white chocolate chips, and bake.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Use fresh lemon zest for the best flavour. Most of the lemon flavour comes from the zest, not just the juice.
- Do not overbake the oats. They should be set in the middle but still soft. If baked for too long, they can become dry. Every oven cooks differently, so if yours are still wobbly, then put them in for another 5-10 minutes.
- Let the baked oats rest for a few minutes before slicing. They firm up as they cool slightly.
- Dot the lemon curd over the top rather than stirring it all the way through. This gives you little bursts of lemon curd in each serving.
- Grease the dish well so the oats don't stick. This also makes serving and cleaning up much easier.
- If your lemon is very large and juicy, you may want to use just half the juice to avoid making the mixture too sharp or too wet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but the texture will be softer and less cake-like. You can replace each egg with a flax egg. To make one flaxseed egg, mix 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons water and leave it to thicken for 5 minutes. Since this recipe already contains flax, the finished baked oats will be denser but still delicious.
Yes, use certified gluten-free oats and check that your baking powder, lemon curd and white chocolate chips are gluten-free.
More Lemon Recipes
If you've tried this Lemon Baked Oats recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Lemon Baked Oats
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Butter
- 250 g (2 cups) Oats - (use certified gluten free oats to ensure this recipe is gluten free)
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 tablespoon Chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon Flaxseeds
- 500 ml (2 cups) Skimmed milk
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
- 4 tablespoon Maple syrup
- 0.5 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoon Lemon curd
- 2 tablespoon White chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C(fan)/375°F/Gas 5. Grease a 25x20cm (10x8") baking dish with 1 teaspoon Butter.
- Put 250 g Oats, 1 tablespoon Chia seeds, 1 tablespoon Flaxseeds and 2 teaspoon Baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
- Add 500 ml Skimmed milk, 2 Eggs, 0.5 teaspoon Vanilla extract, 4 tablespoon Maple syrup, 1 tablespoon Lemon juice and 1 tablespoon Lemon zest. Mix well.
- Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish. Add 3 teaspoon Lemon curd in small dots on top and sprinkle over 2 tablespoon White chocolate chips.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- Use fresh lemon zest for the best flavour. Most of the lemon flavour comes from the zest, not just the juice.
- Do not overbake the oats. They should be set in the middle but still soft. If baked for too long, they can become dry. Every oven cooks differently, so if yours are still wobbly, then put them in for another 5-10 minutes.
- Let the baked oats rest for a few minutes before slicing. They firm up as they cool slightly.
- Dot the lemon curd over the top rather than stirring it all the way through. This gives you little bursts of lemon curd in each serving.
- Grease the dish well so the oats don't stick. This also makes serving and cleaning up much easier.
- If your lemon is very large and juicy, you may want to use just half the juice to avoid making the mixture too sharp or too wet.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
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