An easy, one-bowl Baked Oatmeal loaded with shredded zucchini (sneaky veggies!) and warm zucchini bread spices. Perfect for picky eaters and using that abundance of garden zucchini.
Naturally-sweetened, gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, NO weird ingredients, with an egg-free/vegan variation!
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This Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal recipe has 3 important jobs:
- Make vegetables for breakfast delicious
- Help me use up all that extra zucchini from the garden
- Be food-allergy friendly – no gluten, no dairy, and no egg
No to spoil the surprise, but it does all three.
Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal Recipe
What do you do with zucchini when it’s the end of summer and you’re tired of zucchini bread?
What do you do when you have food allergies but you’re on a budget and want to make zucchini bread?
What do you do what you have picky eater and you’re trying to get them to eat more vegetables without them actually tasting like vegetables?
Make zucchini bread baked oatmeal.
Allergy-Free Zucchini Bread
When you have food allergies and you’re on a budget, simple ingredients are important, and you have to get creative. This baked oatmeal gives you all the flavors of zucchini bread without all of the food allergens.
The best part is that it uses normal ingredients! No weird flours or ingredients you have to find at the health food store. (Unless you go egg-free, but then you probably already have this budget-friendly alternative – or at least you should!)
Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal for Picky Eaters
If you’re trying to get your kids to eat more vegetables, but you don’t want to fight about it, this baked oatmeal is a great alternative.
I believe in presenting my kids with good food encouraging them to try all kinds of flavors and textures. (we care very deeply about empowering our picky eaters) But even as an adult, I’m happy if my vegetables taste like baked oatmeal.
If you have very picky eaters and you’re afraid they won’t like the flecks of green in their baked oatmeal, that’s okay! You can still make zucchini bread oatmeal – just use yellow summer squash instead. Get the full recipe here.
This Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal Recipe is:
- Delicious
- Kid-friendly
- Gluten-free
- Vegan (option)
- Egg-free (option)
- Dairy-free (option)
- Naturally-sweetened
- Real food
- Easy
- Make ahead
Ingredients in Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal
To make this baked oatmeal, you need:
- Rolled oats
- Baking powder (be sure to use gluten-free if you are allergic! Or use 1/2 tsp cream of tartar and 1/4 tsp baking soda for each teaspoon of baking powder)
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Milk (dairy or dairy-free work great)
- Zucchini, finely shredded (summer squash works too!)
- Eggs ( or flax or chia eggs)
- Maple syrup or honey
- Applesauce (or pumpkin, sweet potato, butternut, or banana puree!)
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips
How to Make Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal
Optional first step: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir thoroughly to combine. Then cover and refrigerate overnight. This first step helps the oats absorb all the liquid and makes the texture of the baked oatmeal really great.
But if you don’t have time to wait 8-12 hours, just stir everything together in the morning. It’ll turn out great!
Grease one 8×8-inch baking dish and pour batter into pan.
Bake the oatmeal cake for 35-40 minutes at 350 F. Then remove it from the oven, cool, and cut into squares.
We like to serve it with butter, maple syrup, milk, or vanilla yogurt.
How Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal Helps Us Save Money & Eat Healthy
Does anyone here love zucchini? Anyone?
Most of us don’t love zucchini by itself.
Zucchini grows really well where I live, and it is very inexpensive. This alone makes it one of my favorite vegetables. However, in my opinion, zucchini shines best when it’s a vehicle for other flavors:
- Shredded in Egg & Cheese Muffins
- Zoodles with spaghetti sauce (or homemade hot mess marinara)
- Shredded in Easy Frittata
- Zoodles in Parmesan Pasta and Broccoli
- Chocolate chips and oatmeal in zucchini bread baked oatmeal
Wherever I can use inexpensive zucchini (often free from neighbors’ gardens – or our garden) to add extra veggies to a dish, I’m grateful.
Because of our food sensitivities and tight budget, zucchini bread was not an option for a long time. However, with zucchini bread baked oatmeal, we get all of the flavors and comfort of zucchini bread without any of the food allergens.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo #cheapskatecook and @cheapskatecook on Instagram.
Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal
An easy, one-bowl Baked Oatmeal loaded with shredded zucchini (sneaky veggies!) and warm zucchini bread spices. Naturally-sweetened, gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, NO weird ingredients, with an egg-free/vegan variation!
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup milk, (dairy or dairy-free work great)
- 1/2 cup zucchini, shredded, (summer squash, works too)
- 2 eggs, flax or chia eggs for egg-free*
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 tbsp applesauce, pumpkin, sweet potato, butternut, or banana puree also work
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 -1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir thoroughly to combine.
- Optional: Cover and refrigerate overnight. This helps the oats absorb all the liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Grease one 8x8-inch baking dish and pour batter into pan.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Remove from oven, cool, then cut into squares.
- Top with butter, maple syrup, milk, or vanilla yogurt.
Notes
*To Make 1 Flax or Chia Egg:
1 tbsp ground flax or chia seeds
3 tbsp hot water
Stir together quickly in a small bowl and set aside. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes then use it in a recipe.
To Make a Quick Almond Milk for Baking:
Blend 1 tablespoon almonds with a cup of water. Super frugal, and any nut fragments become part of the texture of the baked oatmeal.
To Freeze:
After cooling, cut baked oatmeal into squares (I make them just small enough to fit a gallon-size freezer bag, or you can slice individual servings), wrap in foil or plastic wrap, seal in freezer bags, and label. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information
Yield 9 Serving Size 1 squareAmount Per Serving Calories 235Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 84mgSodium 258mgCarbohydrates 36gFiber 5gSugar 17gProtein 7g
Please note: The actual calories and nutrition of this dish will change depending on what ingredients you use. Nutrition information is not always accurate.
More Oatmeal Recipes You’ll Love:
- Simple Budget-Friendly Baked Oatmeal
- Overnight Oats for a Crowd
- Toasted Oatmeal (our favorite!)
- Granola for Picky Eaters
- Sneaky Veggie Baked Oatmeal
What You Can Do Now:
Do you like chocolate chips in your zucchini bread?
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