Baked Oatmeal with Cranberries & Zesty Orange

Recipe

This cranberry orange baked oatmeal adds a cozy twist to your regular bowl of oats with the irresistible festive flavors we all love.

Hot baked oatmeal with tart cranberries and fresh orange zest is one fall breakfast recipe you won’t be able to resist making all year long.

a bowl of baked cranberry orange oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal

This cranberry orange baked oatmeal is a fall breakfast idea that tastes like a treat without making you feel weighed down.

It has all the health benefits of oatmeal with a bread pudding-like texture and a burst of tart goodness from the cranberries. Plus, this recipe doesn't need a whole lot of added sugar, just a touch of honey is enough!

Ingredients

Old-fashioned oats provide the perfect texture for thick baked oatmeal. Other classic baking ingredients are baking powder to help the batter rise, eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract, honey, and milk. For epic fall flavor, I include cinnamon, fresh orange juice, orange zest, and cranberries (you can swap them for strawberries, diced apples, or make baked oatmeal with blueberries).

How to Make Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

Here's how to make this recipe for a hearty, delicious breakfast, plus a video at the end of the post:

Get the oven hot.
And grease a square or oval baking dish.
Make the batter in a large bowl.
Whisk the wet ingredients, and then add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Once you have a thick batter, fold in the cranberries.
Bake for 35 minutes.
Until the top is golden and the oat mixture is set. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Top left: bowl with whisk mixing a yellow wet mixture. Top right: bowl of oats mixture with spices, oranges and cranberries nearby. Bottom left: oats mixture with fresh cranberries stirred in.
Bottom right: baked cranberry orange oatmeal in a white baking dish.

Oatmeal Baking Tips

It’s hard to mess up baked oatmeal, but it is possible mostly due to overcooking. Here’s how to make sure that doesn't happen:

Use enough liquid

Don’t skimp on the milk! The oats need every bit of it to create that delicious texture. While water works too, I've found that it lacks the flavor and density this recipe needs.

Use the right oats

For best results, I use old-fashioned oats. The flakes are large enough to soak up the liquid without drying out.

Make it ahead of time

You can make this ahead of time by combining the wet ingredients in a large jar or airtight dish and refrigerating overnight. In the morning, stir everything together and bake.

Dish of baked oatmeal with whole cranberries on top, one portion has been cut out of dish.

More Baked Oatmeal Flavors

You’ll also want to try this delicious pumpkin baked oatmeal, this chocolate baked oatmeal, and this pear baked oatmeal with cinnamon.

Cranberry Orange Baked Oatmeal

a baking dish with baked cranberry orange oatmeal

Servings: 8 servings

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 35

This cranberry orange baked oatmeal adds a cozy twist to your regular bowl of oats with the irresistible festive flavors we all love.

5 from 28 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

¼ cup honey
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup fresh cranberries, divided

Instructions

Prep:

Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 9 x 9-inch square baking dish or a 9 x 13-inch oval.

Make the batter:

In a large bowl, whisk the honey with the almond milk, egg, melted butter, vanilla extract, orange zest, and orange juice until combined.
Add the oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt to the liquid mixture and stir to form a thick batter. Add 1 cup cranberries to the batter and fold with a spatula to combine.
Pour oat and cranberry mixture into the prepared baking dish. Arrange cranberries to make sure they are evenly distributed throughout. Top with additional cranberries.

Bake:

Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven until the top is golden and the oat mixture is set. Remove from oven and allow mixture to cool slightly prior to serving.