This vegan and gluten-free Baked Oatmeal with Date Butter, Apples and Walnuts is sweetened with dates and apples. It is a healthy weekend breakfast recipe that you can quickly whip up for your family.
Since I came back from Eva and Carey’s workshop in the British Virgin Islands I have been testing and photographing recipes almost every day. A week away from the kitchen threw me off my routine. To tell the truth, since we moved back from BVI, I haven’t yet settled into a steady routine of cooking, photographing, and writing.
Repatriating is more adjusting than I thought without all our belongings here yet, an entirely different climate, and the uncomfortable feeling of not knowing what comes next. Everyone says this is normal, and I should take my time.
With that said, I am enjoying the major temperature change. You would have a big laugh if you saw me the other morning when we woke up to snow. Feeling like a little kid, I woke Dwight up to watch it with me. It was beautiful. We realized how much we missed the seasons and the lifestyle that comes with it.
Watching the snow as it fell and curled together under a blanket is something we haven’t done for a very long time. I brewed a pot of coffee, and we enjoyed it with this baked oatmeal while watching the snow fall in our backyard.
About the Baked Oatmeal with Date Butter, Apples and Walnuts
This baked oatmeal flavored with apples, walnuts and date butter is just that: A perfect winter breakfast you would make on a cold and snowy weekend morning. When I saw a slightly different version of this recipe on my friend Traci’s blog, Vanilla and Bean, I thought, “What is date butter?” I have heard of meaty Medjool dates used as a sugar substitute but never thought of them as a replacement for butter. But if you think about it, with their texture and sweetness, they can be used both as a sweetener and butter. It was one of those how-come-I-didn’t-think-of-this-before moments for me.
It Never Gets Boring
The thing about this recipe is that you can easily switch it up, so it never gets boring. In her recipe, Traci used apples and fresh, in season, cranberries as a flavoring agent. Now in mid-winter, it is hard to find fresh cranberries. I paired apples with a banana instead. To add the sweetness and texture of fresh cranberries, try some dried golden raisins (or any other dried fruit) on top. But that is optional because you may find it sweet enough without them. Use whatever fruit is in season or you have on hand.
Same thing applies when it comes to the pairing of the nuts with spices. Similar to Traci’s version, I used nutmeg and cinnamon as I think they pair well with apples. But again, you can play around with what you have in your pantry. A couple of pairing ideas that I have created recipes with in the past are blackberries + ginger + hazelnuts, coconut + berries + walnuts, and fresh or dried ginger + pineapple + almonds.
Finally, the recipe below uses 2 cups of water to add moisture to the oats. Yesterday I made this again for us, but this time I substituted one of those cups with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and it was SO good. Either way, I hope this recipe will give you a great place to start experimenting with ingredients from your pantry.
If You Liked This Baked Oatmeal Recipe, You Might Also Like:
- Overnight Steel Cut Oats
- Quinoa Breakfast Porridge
- Healthy Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Recipe
- Overnight Coconut Buckwheat Porridge
- Overnight Apple Muesli
Baked Oatmeal with Date Butter, Apples and Walnuts {Gluten Free + Vegan}
Ingredients
For the Crumple Topping:
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 riped banana
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg freshly ground
For the Date Butter:
- 6-7 Medjool dates soaked in hot water for 10 min. and drained
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups apples bite size diced (I used 2 Fuji apples) - divided
For the Oats:
- 3/4 cup Walnuts
- 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats I used Trader Joes' gluten-free oats
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds optional
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups water
- Honey or Maple Syrup for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Coat the bottom of a casserole dish (8X11 would work or something similar to mine) with oil. I used an oil spray.
- Set aside.
- Using a non-stick skillet toast walnuts in medium heat for about 7-8 minutes or until fragrant. Let them cool for a couple of minutes.
- Roughly chop them and set aside.
- To make the crumble topping
- Place 1/3 cup walnuts, honey, banana, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor. Process until they are all mixed. Transfer into a small bowl and set aside.
To make the date butter:
- Wipe out the food processor (no need to wash it).
- Process the dates, coconut oil, cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt, and lemon juice until combined.
- While the food processor is still running add the water.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the casserole dish you prepared earlier. Spread half of the apples (1 cup) evenly on top. Set aside.
- Scrape down the bowl and pulse 5-6 times or until smooth. It should be thick while still spreadable.
To make the oat mixture:
- Mix together 3/4 cups walnuts (that you toasted earlier), old fashioned oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and chia seeds in a bowl.
- Add in the vanilla extract and water.
- Mix in the rest of the chopped apples. Give it a large stir making sure they are all evenly mixed.
- Spread the oats mixture evenly over the date butter.
- Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the top of the oat mixture.
- Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Serve while it is still warm with honey (or maple syrup).
- Keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container up to 3 days. When ready to eat, rewarm it in a 350 oven for 10-15 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted (with changes) from Vanilla and Bean’s Apple Walnut Baked Oats with Date Butter and Cranberry Crumble recipe.
Ceci
Aysegul, this recipe is fantastic (baked oatmeal w/Date bíter). The only ingredient i didn’t put in was coconut oil. Where i come from, despite we have coconuts to throw away, there is no coconut oil in supermarkets. Imagine making this oil from scratch. Instead i put soy oil and it tasted great as well. Great photos…
Aysegul Sanford
YAY! This makes me so happy Ceci. I am so glad it worked out for you. Thank you for letting me know. <3
Andrea
This looks wonderful! Can almond or coconut milk be used in place of the water for a creamier texture?
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Andrea!
Absolutely! As a matter of fact, next I make it I will use almond milk too. My sister-in-law just gifted me with a Vitamix and I have been making my own almond milk. I bet it would taste much more creamy.
Thanks for the tip and stopping by!
Cheers!
Ice
Savita @ ChefDeHome
Love the use of date butter in this oat meal! Such a healthy way to enjoy morning breakfast!
Aysegul Sanford
I know, isn’t is so creative? I have been making variations of this recipe with seasonal recipes and it never fails. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Savita.
Caroline
Oh, I’m so intrigued by this date butter! Medjool dates are heavenly…so sweet with a really lovely deep flavor. Must be delicious in this recipe. I’m going to make this tonight (for dessert!) and reheat it in the morning for breakfast! It’ll make for a really nice start to the day.
Carey and Eva’s workshops sound so dreamy and inspiring…just like your work. Your images are stunning. I could spend the whole day browsing.
Ana @ The Awesome Green
Date butter, what a fantastic idea! So many uses of it coming to my mind now (spread on top of seed bread, with whipped oatmeal, inside a vegan dessert sandwich, with ice cream), but using in this baked breakfast sound like genius! And those photographs… <3 So much snow out there!!
Jennifer Farley
Absolutely beautiful photography, and this oatmeal sounds amazing! I loved following along with Eva & Carey during the workshop. That location looked amazing!
Aysegul Sanford
Hey Jennifer! Thank you for your kind words. The workshop was so much fun and yes, the location was stunning. I just need to find some time and go over those photos soon.
Cheers! 🙂
Monica Sword
Aysegul-we made this oatmeal this weekend using organic blueberries instead of bananas (since I didn’t have any in the house) and it was a hit. We had a friend over who shared some yesterday morning, then we reheated it in the oven today and it was just as good. And there is still some left! Easily 6 servings.
We made Turkish coffee following your recipe also. Delightful!
Aysegul Sanford
That was exactly what I was talking about. I can only imagine how great it was with blueberries.
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed it. 😉
Emily | Gather & Dine
Your writing and photography are always so warm and beautiful, and always inspiring, Ayesgul. I just love your version of apple baked oatmeal here and I’ve got date butter on my list of things to try. Your cozy winter morning at home with this oatmeal sounds like the most perfect start to a weekend. After living with years of cold and snow, it’s so easy to take it for granted. Thanks for giving me fresh eyes for the beauty of the season. xo
Aysegul Sanford
Oh dear Emily. Thank you so much for your kind words. 🙂
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
No doubt, adjusting can be challenging. Rob and I moved quite a few times with his career and it always too me some time, sometimes longer than others, to adjust. Moving is hard, especially when you’re still waiting on your home goods. Cozying up to this baked oatmeal and snow.. what a beautiful scene. I sooo wish we would have had snow this season. I do love it. Oh my goodness, Aysegul! I adore your adaptation! WOW. All I want to do now is go make a big batch of this for the weekend. The leftovers are a dream! And that crumble? What a great idea! I love the other variations you proposed too… the pineapple? I would have never thought of that… so delicious! Thank you for the link love.. I’m so happy you’ve discovered date butter.. so good!
Aysegul Sanford
Oh you are so sweet Traci. I am so glad you liked my version of your delicious recipe. I was a little nervous, but now relieved to read that you liked it.
Thank you so much for your kind words. They mean a lot to me. <3
Pang
I understand how you feel completely. I haven’t done any cook & shoot even since I arrived in Thailand, and I miss it so much. So I solve this problem by searching for my blogger friends’ beautiful post, just like this one, to get me through.
I can’t wait to read more & see many photos from the workshop!!! And WOW!!! All photos on this post are SO BEAUTIFUL. Loveeeeee
Aysegul Sanford
Awww thank you Pang. Your kind words mean so much to me.
When are you coming back?
Beeta @ Mon Petit Four
Aysegul, your photos make me want to be cuddled up by the fire with a bowl of this oatmeal, watching snow fall outside! I am so in love with your presentation here. I seriously want to eat a bowl of oatmeal right now, even though I’ve just eaten lunch at its 2pm! ;p Looks incredible, my dear!
Aysegul Sanford
Oh Beeta.. You are too sweet. Thank you.
Though it is so cold outside, we are loving all the snow.
I hope you’ll get a chance to try this recipe at some point. Traci makes incredible recipes and this is just one of them. <3
Laura&Nora @Our Food Stories
these photos are GORGEOUS!! so in love with this post and wish we could try this baked oatmeal now 🙂 <3
Aysegul Sanford
Thank you so much guys. I really appreciate your kind words. <3
Stephanie
Oh my gosh, this sounds unbelievably delicious and these photos are outstanding!!! How much fun it must have been to participate in that workshop! It is so easy for me to get thrown off my routine just from a small trip, I can only imagine how challenging it must be for you! But a new adventure is always fun and sparks new inspiration! xO
Aysegul Sanford
Thank you so much for your kind words Steph..<3
I guess, we are all trying to do our best in life, no? 😉
Summer
This looks delicious and your photos are gorgeous ♥
sumemrdaisy.net
Aysegul Sanford
Thank you Summer! <3