Tiramisu Baked Oats are a delicious dessert-like breakfast. It’s made from nutritious, filling ingredients yet it looks and tastes like the classic Italian dessert. It has rich flavors of espresso and a cocoa-dusted yogurt topping replaces mascarpone for a creamy finish. Reheats well and can be eaten warm or cold – ideal for meal prep.
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Why Make Tiramisu Baked Oats?
Truthfully, I am not much of a breakfast or morning person. I’ve always desperately wanted to be one though. To make the challenge of early rising even harder, since becoming a mum, the state of my sleep hygiene and overall hours of sleep has plummeted to lows I would never have dreamed of surviving in my twenties. My son Ollie is now two and finally sleeping through the night which has been LIFE CHANGING, but I am now used to running on fumes and have fallen deep into the trap of a well-trod parenting phenomenon known as revenge bedtime procrastination (yes, there’s a term for it apparently according to TikTok).
So nowadays, coffee alone isn’t quite enough to take the edge off the early hours. I really have to lure myself out of bed with fun, tasty breakfasts.
On the plus side, this aversion to early rising has resulted in some pretty creative recipes. I have made so many breakfast recipes now that it’s actually become the most popular category of recipes on my blog. It first started with my viral Chocolate Chia Mousse, then my now quite extensive range of Blended Oats recipes. I also love convenient grab-and-go options for a breakfast-meets-snack situation like my Sweet Potato Muffins, Breakfast Cookies or a slice of Choc Zucchini Bread. Perfect for wolfing down in the car after rushing out the door to take my son to day care.
As the colder months approach here in Australia, my latest breakfast recipe of intrigue is baked oats.
Now, I was skeptical about whether or not I could make a truly delicious baked oats recipe. I have tried some in the past but the texture wasn’t right. They were tasty, but dense and stodgy. So I wanted to make some that were cakier and lighter – which, if you have any baking knowledge, you will know is a tall order. Oats a heavy ingredient and they don’t rise easily.
But I am pleased to report that with a generous amount of baking powder and a lug of acidity (vinegar or lemon juice) to boost rise even more, this recipe worked beautifully. I like to make this for meal prep. You can eat it warm but I personally prefer it chilled, and you’ll want to make sure you leave the base to cool down before layering on the yogurt or it will be very runny.
Of course, it doesn’t taste exactly like tiramisu but all the right notes are there. I was already well versed in this flavor combination from my experiments with Tiramisu Chia Pudding and Tiramisu Blended Oats. It has the rich espresso flavor, topped with a creamy yogurt layer instead of traditional mascarpone and dusted with cocoa powder. It looks as good as it tastes too, so if you bring a slice of it into the office, I bet everybody will be asking for the recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for meal-prep – make it ahead and it will keep well all week. It tastes great warm or cold.
- A fun breakfast that makes the start of your day feel a little inspired. Plus it really does have all the flavor you’d expect from tiramisu – a little hit of coffee, creamy topping and a cakey oat base (without being stodgy).
- Nutritious and filling – although it’s inspired by tiramisu it’s actually made with plenty of nutritious ingredients like oats, yogurt, milk, almond butter and protein powder (optional). Most of which are probably staple ingredients you already have in the kitchen.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll find exact ingredient amounts down in the recipe card (scroll right down to the bottom of the post to find it), but here’s a quick shopping list to make things easier:
- Rolled oats
- Unsweetened soy milk
- Espresso or instant coffee
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Cashew or almond butter
- Vanilla protein powder (optional)
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- Thick vegan yogurt
- Cocoa powder
How To Make This Recipe
Follow this step-by-step guide to make the Tiramisu Baked Oats recipe. For detailed timings, temperatures, and exact quantities, check the recipe card at the bottom of this post.]
Step One: Preheat the oven and prepare your baking dish by greasing or lining it. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients like oats, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Step Two: In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients including plant-based milk, espresso or coffee, maple syrup, vanilla, and nut butter until smooth.
Step Three: Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients gently, then stir in the vinegar or lemon juice.
Step Four: Pour the batter into the prepared dish and smooth the top before baking.
Step Five: Once baked, let it cool completely in the pan for clean slices.
Step Six: Mix together the vegan yogurt, protein powder, and maple syrup until smooth.
Step Seven: Spread the yogurt mixture evenly over the cooled baked oats and dust with cocoa powder before serving.
Substitutions & Variations
Whilst I wouldn’t recommend making any substantial changes to this recipe (I am very pleased with the balance of ingredients and the final texture as-written), I can suggest a few ingredient adjustments if needed:
- Milk: Use any milk you like. I am vegan and like the protein content in soy milk, but almond, oat or even dairy milk will all work fine. Just keep in mind that the nutritional profile will vary depending on the milk you choose.
- Coffee: This recipe does have a subtle coffee flavor that you’d expect from Tiramisu, but it’s not intense or overpowering. My toddler, Ollie, even likes it. But if you’re sensitive to caffeine, swap the regular coffee for decaf or if you’d like to omit it altogether you can replace it with extra milk or water. If you don’t have instant coffee or an espresso machine, any very strong brewed coffee will work.
- Nut Butter: I prefer almond butter or cashew butter in this recipe because they have the most subtle, creamy flavors but peanut butter would also work, it will just add a little bit of a different flavor.
- Protein Powder: If you’re not a fan of protein powder, you are welcome to leave it out – I suggest replacing it with 2 tbsp of extra oats to balance out the dry ingredients. I love Ora protein powder – it is vegan, USDA organic and has a smooth flavor profile without any weird stevia aftertaste. It is masked perfectly by all the other flavors.
- Yogurt: Any thick yogurt works for the topping. When I am organised enough, I will make my own Greek-style soy yogurt from scratch (it is mostly hands off, much easier to make than you might think). But coconut yogurt is also very rich and creamy (but not as nutritious as soy yogurt). Regular thick or Greek dairy yogurt would also work if you are not vegan.
Storage
Refrigerator: Baked oats will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 5 days, so long enough to get you through the work week. The yogurt topping helps trap in the moisture so they shouldn’t dry out.
Freezer: You can freeze the baked oat base without the yogurt topping for up to 1 month in an airtight container. Slice into portions, wrap well, and freeze in an airtight container. Do not freeze the yogurt topping, it will split and become watery and soggy when thawed (yuck, trust me, don’t do it). You can add a dollop of fresh yogurt to each slice *after* you have thawed the baked oat base to get the same tiramisu experience.
Expert Tips
Let the baked oats cool completely before adding the yogurt topping — this keeps the yogurt thick and creamy instead of runny.
FAQ
Yes. You can swap out the coffee for milk or water, or use decaf coffee.
Any thick yogurt works well. I am vegan so I prefer soy or coconut yogurt, but if you’re not vegan a dairy yogurt will also work.
The top should be golden and the center should feel set when gently pressed. If it still feels a bit soft, give it a few extra minutes in the oven.
These baked oats will last up to 5 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze the oat base (without the yogurt topping) for up to a month—just thaw overnight and add the topping fresh before serving.
Serving Suggestions
I recommend eating these Tiramisu Baked Oats chilled as you would with a regular tiramisu dessert. If you prefer a warm breakfast, keep the yogurt topping separate and microwave the baked oats base separately, then dollop on some fresh yogurt to serve. It would be really tasty with some fresh raspberries or strawberries on the side too.
More Oatmeal Recipes
If you’re looking for some more oat-based breakfast inspiration, then I’d highly recommend my viral Blended Strawberry Oats, Chocolate Oats, Cookie Dough Oats or Blended Blueberry Cheesecake Oats.
This tiramisu baked oats make for a cozy and satisfying breakfast that’s easy to make but so tasty and filling. I’d love to know what you think so please leave a review below and you can also tag me on Instagram @glowdiaries___ so I can see your tasty creations!
Tiramisu Baked Oats
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
Base:
- 2 ¼ cups rolled oats Approx. 200g
- 2 ½ cups unsweetened soy milk Approx. 600ml
- 3 oz espresso Or 3 tsp instant coffee + 3 oz hot water; approx. 90ml
- 3 tbsp maple syrup Approx. 63g
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract Approx. 14g
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt Approx. 0.5g
- 3 tbsp cashew butter Or almond butter; approx. 51g
- ¼ cup vanilla protein powder Optional; about 25–30g
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder Approx. 6g
- ½ tsp baking soda Approx. 3g
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar Or lemon juice; approx. 15ml
Yogurt Layer:
- 3 cups thick vegan yogurt Approx. 680g
- ¼ cup vanilla protein powder Optional; about 25–30g
- 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup Approx. 32g
- 1-2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder For dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease or line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, protein powder (if using), baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the soy milk, espresso (or coffee), maple syrup, vanilla, and cashew or almond butter until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until combined.
- Add the apple cider vinegar and stir briefly to activate.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the center is set and the top is golden brown.
- Let cool completely in the pan for clean slicing.
- In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, protein powder (if using), and maple syrup until smooth.
- Once the oats are cool, spread the yogurt mixture evenly over the top.
- Dust with cocoa powder just before serving.
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