Sweet Potato & Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Sweet Potato & Blueberry Baked Oatmeal is a hearty, healthy and easy to make breakfast recipe. No added sugar!

I love steel cut oats for the chewy texture but it takes longer to cook than flaked or rolled oats, and I’m usually not patient enough in the morning to spend time cooking or assembling a meal. Like an oatmeal casserole, this is easy to prep and cook ahead of time so that in the morning it’s a quick reheat or addition of warm oat milk and breakfast is ready!

Sweet potato and blueberries are not the most common combination, but a few years ago I went to the It All Begins with Food book launch where Leah served a very simple sweet potato & blueberry puree from her book and I loved it. The sweet and creamy sweet potatoes matched so well with the fresh, somewhat tart blueberries.

Ingredients to make Sweet Potato & Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

You just need a few ingredients to make this easy steel cut oatmeal recipe:

• Steel cut oats
• Oat or Almond Milk (or use water)
• Mashed sweet potato
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Blueberries, fresh or frozen
• Coconut oil

Why Steel Cut Oats?

Steel cut oats are heartier, have a chewy consistency and take a bit longer to cook. If you use rolled oats or Scottish oats the ratio of water to oats will be off and you will end up with a mushy consistency.

What is the difference between steel cut, rolled, instant and Scottish oats?

• Steel Cut Oats are the whole oat kernel, called groats, that have been cut into smaller pieces like broken grains of rice. These oats take the longest to cook and have a chewy texture.
• Scottish Oats are the whole oat groat that have been ground into a coarse flour-like texture. These oats cook extremely quickly, so much so that and I consider them an instant oatmeal. If you are looking for a traditional creamy porridge texture, Scottish oats are the best option.
• Rolled Oats are the most commonly found in grocery stores. These are the most processed of all the varieties as they are steamed and then rolled to produce the flat flake. You can get Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats which are the thickest flake, Quick Cooking which are slightly thinner and Quick Cooking which are the thinnest of the rolled oat varieties. Rolled oats are best to making granola or overnight oats.

Variations of baked oatmeal

The base recipe for baked oatmeal is the same: steel cut oats, water or milk or non-dairy, flavour base and spices or extracts. By switching up the flavour base you can have a different variety of oatmeal every week!

• Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal: All the flavours of apple pie in a breakfast oatmeal! I’ve used my cardamom apple butter as the flavour base and topped with cinnamon coated apple slices for some delicious Fall flavours. If you don’t have apple butter apple sauce will work. You may need to slightly reduce the amount of liquid since apple butter is a thicker consistency.
  

• Pear & Nutmeg: The flavours of pear and nutmeg go so well together and would be great for breakfast.
• Peanut Butter & Banana: This is a delightful flavour combination and depending on the ripeness of your bananas, can be a sweeter option. For peanut butter & banana baked oatmeal substitute the amount of sweet potato in the recipe below for a mix of mashed bananas and a dollop of peanut butter.
• Carrot Cake Oatmeal: Add some shredded or mashed carrots, your favourite carrot cake spices, some nuts and raisins for a breakfast version of the classic dessert.

Is this a healthy breakfast?

This sweet potato oatmeal is definitely a healthy and hearty breakfast option!

• If you are looking for a gluten-free breakfast oats are a great option because they are naturally gluten-free. Make sure to read the package before purchasing to ensure that the oats are processed in a gluten-free facility to avoid any cross-contamination.
• This recipe does not use any added sugar or sweeteners, but instead relies on the inherent sweetness from the sweet potato (or fruit). If you find that you’d like your baked oatmeal to be sweeter I suggest trying dates, date sugar or date paste.
• Oats are full of soluble fibre, help with digestive support and blood sugar support. Steel cut oats are hearty, break down slowly in the body and keep you feeling full for longer.
• Sweet potatoes contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals that support good health, including Vitamin A, B6 and C, and Manganese and a significant amount of fibre.

How to serve baked oatmeal

Baked oatmeal can be served right out of the oven as is or with some added oat milk. If this is part of your meal prep routine you can cover the baked oatmeal and store in the fridge for a few days. To serve you can reheat the oatmeal or warm up some water or oat milk and add to the oats right out of the fridge.