Can you air fry oatmeal? Yes! You can make baked oats in air fryer with my air fryer oatmeal recipe. You’ll love these easy, gluten free, and healthy baked porridge oats for breakfast. Get the cooking temperature and time for baked oatmeal in the air fryer, nutrition tips, substitutions, and more! Come see how fun it is to bake in an air fryer with this low sugar baked oatmeal!

I think this healthy baked oatmeal casserole proves that you can make just about anything in an air fryer. Yes, even oatmeal!

I have made this baked oatmeal in the oven many times (yes, oven directions are provided below too). When the weather is warm though, I really don’t want to heat the house with the oven to bake oats.

And that got me wondering… could I make baked oatmeal in an air fryer? How would the consistency of air fried oatmeal be? Can you cut neat slices of air fryer baked oatmeal, or would it be too soft and mushy?

I did a little kitchen experimentation to find the answers to these questions. I’m happy to report that it’s possible to make baked oats in the air fryer that are just like oven baked. After cooling, the air fried oats can be cut into slices.

This recipe is for a hummingbird cake oatmeal, but you can modify the recipe with your favorite flavors. I have lots of ideas on ways to flavor baked oatmeal below. Baked oatmeal is pretty bland served plain, but when flavored right, it can seem almost like an indulgent dessert!

📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein

One serving of air fryer oatmeal has 370 calories, 38.7 grams net carbs, and 10 grams protein. This is for 1/6 of the pan; ¼ of the pan provides 554 calories, 58 grams net carbs, and 15 grams protein.

⭐ Air Fryer Oatmeal Benefits

Why make oatmeal in the air fryer? Two advantages of air frying instead of using the oven is it takes less time and doesn’t heat the house. Here’s a few more reasons I love this baked oatmeal recipe:

• Easy: Stir the ingredients together, dump them in the pan, and then things are pretty hands off. It’s a lot easier than making oatmeal on the stove.
• Customizable: Don’t like one of the ingredients I’ve included? It’s easy to customize baked oatmeal with a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
• Healthy: Oatmeal is a healthy whole grain that is packed with fiber. In addition, you’re getting fruit, nuts, and zucchini (which many consider a vegetable, but is another fruit botanically). As long as you aren’t looking for low carb options, oats are a great way to start the day!
• Gluten free: If you use gluten free rolled oats, this air fryer recipe makes a great gluten free breakfast.
• Inexpensive: Oatmeal tends to be one of the least expensive breakfast options around! If you’re on a tight grocery budget, including oatmeal can help you save money.
• Low calorie and low sugar: One serving of this recipe is under 400 calories and has no added sugar. It’s great for weight watchers or anyone looking for a filling and nutritious breakfast entrée.
• Delicious: I love oatmeal, and I believe some of the folks who don’t like it just aren’t flavoring it right. This baked oat recipe truly tastes like a treat and may turn you into an oatmeal lover too!

🥘 Air Fryer Baked Oats Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make baked oats in the air fryer:

• Dry rolled oats (AKA “old fashioned oats”)
• Grated zucchini
• Chopped fresh pineapple
• Baking soda
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Milk (dairy milk or unsweetened soymilk is fine)
• Ripe mashed banana
• Large eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Chopped pecans
• Melted butter
• Cooking oil spray

Note: The complete recipe is always in the recipe card at the bottom of the post!

It is fine to use quick oats in place of the rolled oatmeal in this recipe. Instant oatmeal is chopped too finely to be a good substitute for rolled oats.

The shredded zucchini provides a little extra moisture in this recipe. If you don’t want to see flecks of green in your oatmeal, be sure to peel it before shredding. If you are like me and the green makes no difference, save yourself some work and leave the skin on.

For the baked oatmeal topping, you need:

• Whipped cream cheese
• Milk (dairy or soy)
• Vanilla
• Pureed fresh dates (pitted Medjool dates)
• Toasted unsweetened coconut flakes

The dates are what we’re using as a sweetener in the icing for the oatmeal. They provide natural sweetness without using added sugars like maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar.

You’ll typically find Medjool dates in the produce section of grocery stores, not the baking aisle. I make my own date paste, but you can also find date paste in the international section of some supermarkets.

🍽 Equipment

To make air fried baked oats, you’ll need:

• 8-inch x 8-inch (20×20 cm) aluminum pan
• Knife
• Foil
• Air fryer

It’s important to make sure the pan fits in your air fryer before beginning the recipe! If you have a small air fryer basket, you may need to use ramekins and cook the oats in batches. The cooking time for each batch may be shortened if you do this.

Air fryer ovens are best if you don’t want to bake oatmeal in multiple batches. I use a 10-Quart Kalorik Air Fryer Oven; you may need to adjust the cooking time if you use a different air fryer. (Ninja Foodi, Cosori, Pampered Chef Air Fryer, Actifry, Nuwave, Instant Vortex, Cuisinart, Philips, Power Air Fryer, etc.)

If you’ll be making oatmeal in the oven, you can use a glass baking dish instead of aluminum. Aluminum pans are much lighter and tend to be better for air frying. I’ve found my air fryer trays can collapse under the weight when I use heavy glass baking dishes.

🔪 How to Make Baked Oatmeal in Air Fryer

Let’s make oatmeal in the air fryer! Begin by shredding the zucchini (peel it if desired) and cut the pineapple into ¼-½ inch dice (0.6-1.27 cm). I like to use a potato masher to mash the bananas, but a fork works too.

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (oatmeal, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans). Add the zucchini, pineapple, milk, banana, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter. Stir again.

Mist your baking pan well with cooking spray (bottom and sides). Pour the oatmeal batter into the pan and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. The mixture should completely fill the pan.

Spray a piece of foil with cooking oil spray. Cover the pan with the foil (oiled side facing the oatmeal), securing the foil around the edges of the pan. You don’t want the foil blowing off in the air fryer!

Preheat the air fryer to 350F (177C) for 5 minutes. Carefully put the foil covered pan in the middle of the air fryer oven. (This is the lower rack in my air fryer.)

️⏲ Air Fryer Baked Oats Cooking Time and Temperature

What temperature for air fry oatmeal? How long to air fry oats? Air fry baked oatmeal in an air fryer preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177C) for 30 minutes. Then take the foil off the oatmeal and air fry for 3 more minutes.

Allow the oatmeal to cool and then put it in the fridge. Do not top it or cut into it until it has chilled.

To make the oatmeal topping, start by making the date puree (if you did not buy premade date paste). Soak the dates in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain the dates and puree them in a small food processor (or use a mortar and pestle).

Two dates made about a tablespoon of puree, which is what you want for this recipe. Put the date puree in a small bowl. Whisk in whipped cream cheese, milk, and vanilla until smooth.

Spread this “icing” over the top of the cooled baked oatmeal. Sprinkle toasted coconut flakes on top and enjoy.

🔥 Oatmeal Baked in Oven

Mix the oatmeal as described above and pour into an oiled 8-inch x 8-inch (20×20 cm) glass pan. Do not cover the pan with foil.

Preheat the oven to 350F (177C). Bake the oatmeal for 40 minutes on a rack about 1/3 down from the top of the oven. Let the oatmeal cool and chill before icing and adding the coconut flakes.

️🌡️ Leftovers

This air fryer oatmeal recipe works well as a breakfast meal prep for busy weekday mornings. You can keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

I recommend covering the pan with plastic wrap if it will be in the fridge more than a day or two. This can help keep the topping from drying out.

You can also cover the pan of oatmeal and freeze it, though the texture it a bit mushy when defrosted. It’s best to add the topping after thawing if you know you’ll be freezing it.

🥣 Air Fryer Oatmeal Variations

There are truly as many oatmeal variations as you can dream up! Make a blended baked oatmeal with a cake-like texture, or try one (or more) of these add-ins:

• Fruits (blueberry, strawberry, apples, peaches)
• Seeds (chia, flax, hemp)
• Nuts (walnuts, sliced almonds, hazelnuts)
• Chocolate chips (here’s a no added sugar option)

FAQs

Should oats be soaked before baking?

Some sources recommend soaking oatmeal before using to increase the digestibility and bioavailability of certain nutrients. I don’t soak oats in this recipe because it takes additional time and makes the finished dish mushier. If you eat an overall varied and balanced diet, I’d argue it’s fine to skip soaking oats.

Can you put ramekins in an air fryer?

Yes, ramekins can go in the air fryer if they are oven safe. Putting your oatmeal in small ramekins is a great way to make baked oatmeal for one. I think it’s a super idea for portion control.

Can you freeze baked oatmeal?

You can freeze most baked oatmeal recipes. Either cover and freeze the whole pan, or freeze portions individually in food-safe containers. Some baked oatmeals will be more mushy when defrosted compared to when they were freshly made.

How to make air fryer oatmeal vegan?

You can make vegan air fryer oatmeal by using plant based milk, margarine, and your favorite egg replacer. You’ll also need to use a vegan substitute for the whipped cream cheese. Here’s one option that looks promising.

How to make air fryer baked oats no banana?

You can apply the air frying techniques used here to your favorite baked oats recipe without banana. (Cover the pan with foil, air fry at 350F, and uncover the pan for the final few minutes of air frying.)

Can I make baked oatmeal with steel cut oats?

In general, you cannot substitute steel-cut oats for old-fashioned oats in baked oatmeal recipes. Steel cut oats are more compact and have a much longer cooking time than rolled oats. That said, you may be able to use partially cooked steel cut oats or quick cooking steel-cut oats in some recipes.

👩🏻‍🍳 Other Baked Oatmeal Recipes

Want more recipes for baked oatmeal? Here you go:

• Low Calorie Baked Oatmeal
• Baked Protein Oatmeal (Secret Ingredient!)
• Egg White Oatmeal

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