Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal delivers fall flavors in a protein- and fiber-rich base to keep you feeling full and cozy.
Cottage cheese blends completely into the base so you'll never know it's there, but it bumps the protein up big time and gives the oatmeal the most satisfying, custardy texture.
Quick Look: Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
⏲️Ready In: 1 Hour 10 Minutes
🍽Servings: 6
🥗Nutrition: 502 Calories / 21g Protein
🥘Main Ingredients: Cottage cheese, Pumpkin puree, Eggs, Baking soda, Chia seeds, Rolled oats
📋Dietary Notes: Gluten free, Nut free
⭐Why You'll Love It: Cozy and boosted with protein thanks to cottage cheese, Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal as both a warm weekend breakfast treat or meal prep staple!
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Tjay looks forward to Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal on the weekends as a cozy morning treat. Meanwhile, I prep a batch of baked oats for weekday breakfasts I can quickly reheat (with a side of Homemade Italian Turkey Sausage for extra protein).
Coming up with new versions of Cottage Cheese Baked Oats is basically a new pasttime for me since it's my new breakfast meal prep go-to, and this pumpkin spiced version has the perfect amoutn of coziness for fall!
If you're already obsessed with cottage cheese breakfasts, my High Protein Overnight Oatmeal with Cottage Cheese is another no-fuss option worth bookmarking for busy mornings.
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Key Ingredients
Cottage cheese: This is the star of the protein boost! You'll blend the cottage cheese completely smooth so the texture is creamy and custardy - the same method I use for High Protein Overnight Oatmeal with Cottage Cheese. I like using low fat cottage cheese here, but full fat works great too. My go-to brands are Good Culture and Nancy's.
Pumpkin puree: One standard 14.5 oz can is exactly what you need. Make sure you're grabbing pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling - they're not the same thing!
Eggs: Six eggs sounds like a lot, but they give this baked oatmeal its structure and helps boost the protein as well!
Chia seeds: These little seeds add structure and a subtle thickness to the baked oatmeal. If you don't have them on hand, just increase the oats to 3 cups instead.
Pumpkin spice blend: I use a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and allspice. If you have a pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice in your pantry, you can use up to 3 teaspoons of that as a shortcut!
Gluten free rolled oats: Use certified gluten free rolled oats to keep this recipe truly gluten free. Make sure to grab old-fashioned rolled oats. Quick oats won't hold their structure and the baked oatmeal will end up completely mushy.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Pumpkin Baked oatmeal
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish and set aside. Add the cottage cheese, pumpkin puree, eggs, and maple syrup to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, combine the baking soda cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, allspice, salt, chia seeds, and oats. Stir to combine. Pour the blended pumpkin mixture into the bowl and stir until no dry oats remain.
Step 3: Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle pecans and chocolate chips on top if you'd like!
Step 4: Bake for 60 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles when nudged. If it seems like the top is browning too fast after 30 minutes, cover with aluminum foil. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into even squares. Serve warm, topped with fruit, toasted nuts, maple syrup, honey, Greek yogurt or cream if desired.
Top Tips from Chelsea
Let it cool before cutting. I know it's tempting to dig right in while the baked oats are warm, but giving it at least 10 minutes to cool lets it firm up so serving is easier. If you slice too early it'll fall apart - I learned this lesson diving in too quickly to a batch of Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal!
Use rolled oats, not quick oats. Quick oats simply cook too fast, making the texture gummy. Rolled oats hold their shape and help provide structure for these baked oats. If you need more variety in your gluten free breakfast recipes, gluten free rolled oats are a pantry staple worth keeping around.
Pre-toast the nuts. I almost always toast nuts before adding to baked goods or, in this case, baked oatmeal. It brings out so much more nutty flavor! To toast the nuts, scatter on a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. You can do this while prepping the rest of the oatmeal. Easy!
Substitutions & Variations
Greek yogurt instead of cottage cheese: I tested this and it works well! Opt for good-quality thick yogurt. You won't need a blender and can simply whisk the wet ingredients together.
Pumpkin pie spice shortcut: If you have a pre-blended pumpkin pie spice, use up to 3 teaspoons in place of the individual spices. Easy swap!
No chia seeds: Increase the rolled oats to 3 cups to make up for the lost structure. It still bakes up great.
Add-in ideas: Toasted pecans and chocolate chips are listed as optional but both are fantastic! You could use any other nut (walnuts or hazelnut would work well here). Chopped dried fruits like dates or apricots would add a little sweetness as well.
Pumpkin Baked OAtmeal FAQs
Not at all! Once blended and baked, the cottage cheese flavor completely disappears. All you taste is warm pumpkin.
I tested this recipe with blended cottage cheese and with Greek yogurt, and Tjay and I agreed they both tasted great!
Yes! You can mix everything together and store it covered in the fridge overnight, then bake it in the morning. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time since you're starting from cold.
Note that if you're using a glass pan to bake, let it come to room temperature before popping in the oven. Glass can shatter when going from the fridge to a hot oven.
Yes. Double all the ingredients and use a 9x13 baking dish. The baking time may increase; start checking at 45 minutes and add 10 minutes at a time until the center no longer jiggles when nudged.
Serving Suggestions
This cottage cheese pumpkin baked oatmeal is fantastic as-is, particularly if you used chocolate chips and toasted pecans. But if you'd like to dress it up a little more:
- A dollop of Greek yogurt (a personal favorite of mine!)
- A drizzle of maple syrup or honey
- Apple compote or sliced banana
- Extra toasted pecans or walnuts
- A sprinkle of cinnamon on top
You can reheat in the microwave for 1 - 1.5 minutes or eat leftovers cold!
More Cozy Gluten Free Fall recipes
Did you try this pumpkin baked oatmeal recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and rating or tag me on Instagram - I appreciate your feedback.
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Description
Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal delivers fall flavors in a protein- and fiber-rich base to keep you feeling full and cozy. Cottage cheese bumps up the protein and gives the oatmeal a custardy texture that's perfect for a healthy meal prep breakfast or serving for brunch on the weekends.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree (1 14.5 oz can)
- 6 eggs
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon clove
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 cups gluten free rolled oats
- ½ cup toasted pecans (optional)
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare oven and equipment. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 baking dish and set aside.
- Blend wet ingredients. Add the cottage cheese, pumpkin, eggs, and maple syrup, to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Mix dry ingredients and stir in pumpkin mixture. In a large mixing bowl, add the baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, allspice, salt, chia seeds, and oats. Stir to combine. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the bowl and stir until no dry oats remain.
- Pour into dish. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle pecans and chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Bake and serve. Bake for 60 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles when nudged. If it seems like the top is browning too fast after 30 minutes, cover with aluminum foil. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into even squares. Serve warm, topped with fruit, toasted nuts, maple syrup, honey, Greek yogurt or cream if desired.
Notes
To toast the pecans: Scatter the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. You can do this while prepping the rest of the oatmeal. Easy! Toasting the nut before adding to baked goods brings out so much more nutty flavor!
Use Greek yogurt instead of cottage cheese: I've tested this with Greek yogurt in place of cottage cheese and it does work well! You can still blend the mixture or skip the blender and whisk the wet ingredients with this method.
No chia seeds? If you don't have chia seeds or would prefer not to use them, increase the oats to 3 cups to provide more structure for the baked oats.
Shortcut: Use Pumpkin Pie Spice. If you have a pre-blended pumpkin pie spice on hand, use up to 3 teaspoons of that in place of the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and allspice blend.
Deena says
I would love to make this but can't find any measurements or amounts for the ingredients.
Chelsea Joy says
Hi Deena! Shortly after the recipe went live I realized my recipe plugin hadn't saved the ingredients. It should be updated now but you may have to clear your cache and cookies.