A few weeks ago Loredana, one of my “daring” ladies who attend my events for the diet, posted a photo of her breakfast… and I immediately recognized the baked porridge. In fact I had tried many times to make it before but hadn’t yet found the right proportions to get it the way I wanted. Sometimes it came out too soft and other times too dry, but in the end I won and now here I am with the recipe!
You might say: baked porridge? Yes, exactly. It’s a recipe widely used in countries where rolled oats are commonly eaten and its English name is baked oatmeal. You can make it small for 1 or 2 people as I did, but typically it’s prepared in a pan, a bit like a cake. Because my oven still doesn’t work, I baked it in the air fryer and used one of my smaller terracotta dishes.
The result is a really delicious and light oatmeal cake, completely vegan and also gluten-free if you choose oats certified gluten-free. And the best thing is that you prepare it in 5 minutes and the oven does the rest!
I think this batter could also be used to make some vegan cookies similar to the ones linked below. I need to experiment. Meanwhile let’s prepare this recipe.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 1 large or 2 small
- Cooking methods: Oven, Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
With these quantities you’ll get a small cake about 5.5 inches (14 cm) in diameter. You can eat half or the whole thing, it depends on how many points you want to use for breakfast or a snack, and whether you prefer to eat, for example, only half now and add something else later.
- 1 banana (ripe)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (gluten-free if you're intolerant)
- 1/3 cup soy yogurt (unsweetened, I used Alpro plain)
- 2 tsp peanut butter (100% peanut)
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp dried cranberries
- 1 pinch salt
- Total points = 8 WW points
- Points for 1 small portion (1/2 cake) = 4 WW points
- Points for 1 large portion (whole cake) = 8 WW points
Tools
- Bowl
- Spatula
- Silicone pan for air fryer
- Parchment paper
- Air fryer
Steps
First of all, if you have very large rolled oats, chop them into smaller pieces with a knife. I find they absorb the liquid ingredients better this way.
In a bowl place the banana and mash it well with a fork. Add the peanut butter, the maple syrup and the pinch of salt, and mix the ingredients well with a silicone spatula (I prefer it because it is useful to pour all the batter into the pan without wasting a drop).
Then fold in the rolled oats and the yogurt, and finally the dried cranberries.
For baking I used a silicone pan suitable for the air fryer with a 6-inch diameter. If you don’t have a nonstick one, use parchment paper cut to the size of the bottom of your pan: wet it and squeeze it well, then lay it in the dish you chose to use.
Pour all the batter into the pan and level it.
Place the pan in the air fryer and bake at 338°F for about 20-25 minutes. Without burning yourself, flip the dish directly in the air fryer basket, remove the parchment paper gently if you used it, and cook for another 5 minutes so the little cake is well cooked on the other side as well.
Our baked porridge is ready! You can enjoy it as soon as it has cooled a little or even cold.
How delicious it is — I especially liked the contrast of the slightly tart dried cranberries with the rest, which is sweet.
I devoured it all for breakfast. I know it’s 8 WW points, but I already knew I would exercise later so I’d earn points back. At home the Dutchman didn’t try it because he doesn’t like banana desserts. Too bad for him, because the banana wasn’t noticeable at all. But on the other hand that’s good because I ate more of it, hehe…
Now that I have the base for baked porridge, I’ll certainly try some other variations that are already spinning in my head.
Let me know if you liked it and if you have ideas for equally light and tasty variations. I await your comments below or on Facebook.
Enjoy!
By Giovanna Buono
Storage
The baked porridge will stay good for a couple of days covered at room temperature and can also be frozen for 3 to 4 months. When you want to use it, take it out of the freezer the evening before and enjoy your breakfast in the morning!
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Are rolled oats gluten-free?
No, not all of them are, because they are often produced in facilities that also process gluten-containing products. So you need to make sure to buy oats certified for celiacs. If you have no gluten issues, you can use any supermarket product.
Can I use the oven instead?
Certainly! In the oven you can use more small pans or a larger baking tin, doubling or even tripling the quantities. I couldn’t test it myself, but I believe you’ll need to bake at 356–392°F for at least 30 minutes. Since this is not a leavened product, you can open the oven after 20 minutes to check the baking and adjust as needed.
Is baked porridge a complete breakfast?
Sure, if you eat the whole thing; otherwise you’ll need to add something else to complete the breakfast. Another clever option if you don’t want to use all 8 points: eat 3/4 for 6 points and leave 1/4, i.e. 2 points, for a snack!
How can I replace the dried cranberries?
I personally liked the taste of the dried cranberries very much, but if you want to replace them I think raisins or chocolate chips should work great!
