I guess for some folks, a bowl of oatmeal is the breakfast equivalent of steamed broccoli. It’s something you eat because it’s good for you, but it’s not terribly interesting.
Not me. I absolutely love oats in almost any form—from a warm bowl of barely sweetened oatmeal to just about any kind of bake.
Oats bring texture, flavor, and a kind of deep satisfaction to baking. They make baked goods feel hearty without being heavy, and comforting without being dull. I don’t bake with oats because I should—I bake with oats because they make things better.
If you’ve got oats in the pantry and you’re wondering what to make, here are some of my favorite ways to use them.
Oats absorb a lot of liquid and hold onto it, which means baked goods stay moist and keep well. Because oats don’t contain gluten, they help tenderize batters and doughs when used alongside wheat flour.
Beyond the chemistry, oats add character to baked goods. They bring chew and subtle nuttiness—sometimes front and center, sometimes as a background note.
Rolled oats even pull double duty as a topping, adding texture and visual appeal to breads and baked goods.
Recipes That Use Oats
Oat Cookies & Bars
Oats add chew and texture for satisfying snacks.
Maple Glazed Oatmeal Cookies
The best oatmeal cookie is topped with a thin maple glaze.
Buttery oatmeal crust is layered with sweet-tart rhubarb filling and topped with chunky brown sugar topping. When rhubarb is in season, this is the perfect treat that is easy to make and very tasty.
Homemade Granola bars are a nutritious and delicious treat that you can enjoy for breakfast or as a snack. This recipe is abundant with healthy ingredients like sunflower seeds, sunflower butter, pecans, oats and protein-rich egg whites. You can feel great about making these any time the mood strikes.
Apple Oatmeal Cookies! Oatmeal cookies are even better when they're loaded with chunks of fresh apple and iced with an apple glaze. Reduced apple cider amps up the apple flavor.
Sourdough Discard Baked Oatmeal is delicious breakfast comfort food. It's easy to make, uses a full cup of sourdough discard and the leftovers make a great snack.
This transformation of a regular bowl of oatmeal into a crispy pancake was inspired by one of my favorite ways to use up leftover risotto. I form cold risotto into patties, then pan fry the patties until they’re crispy, golden brown and delicious.
Homemade Chunky Granola is a nutritious and delicious treat that you can enjoy for breakfast or as a snack. This recipe is abundant with healthy ingredients like walnuts, oats, protein-rich egg whites and has a hint of honey sweetness. This recipe makes about 12 cups of granola.
Homemade Peanut Butter Granola is a nutritious and delicious treat that you can enjoy for breakfast or as a snack. This recipe is abundant with healthy ingredients like peanuts, oats, protein-rich egg whites and has a hint of honey sweetness. This recipe yields about 12 cups.
In these recipes, oats soften the crumb and help baked goods stay moist without weighing them down.
Oatmeal Soda Bread with Apricots
Try Oatmeal Soda Bread with Apricots for a change from the typical raisin soda bread. This healthy and hearty soda bread is made with rolled oats and dried apricots. This recipe makes 1 large loaf. The exact number of servings will vary based on how the loaf is sliced.
Oats bring flavor, texture, and a little visual interest to yeast breads and crackers.
Honey Oatmeal Bread
With it's soft texture, hint of honey and hearty oatmeal flavor, Honey Oatmeal Bread tastes fantastic and will keep fresh for several days. This recipe makes 1 loaf. The exact number of servings will vary based on how the loaf is sliced.
Sourdough Oatmeal Bread! With a hint of honey, hearty oatmeal flavor and great sourdough texture, this bread tastes fantastic and will keep fresh for several days. This recipe makes 1 loaf. The exact number of servings will vary based on how the loaf is sliced.
With it's soft texture and hearty flavor, Multigrain Bread tastes fantastic and will keep fresh for several days. You can start the dough the night before and finish the bread in the morning to have fresh bread for lunch.
Sourdough Multigrain Bread is the perfect sandwich loaf. The long, slow rise makes a bread with soft texture, hearty flavor and it stays fresh for several days. This recipe makes 1 loaf. The exact number of servings will vary based on how the loaf is sliced.
Oatmeal Crispbread, or Oatmeal Knäckebröd, is crispy, crunchy and lightly honey-sweetened. Fiber-rich with rolled oats and whole wheat flour, this could be your new favorite bread for a healthy snack or light lunch.
Sourdough Oatmeal Crispbread (Knäckebröd) is crispy, crunchy and lightly honey-sweetened. Fiber-rich with rolled oats and whole wheat flour, this could be your new favorite bread for a healthy snack or light lunch.
Just enough oats to add texture or crunch without taking over the recipe.
Rhubarb Crisp Recipe
Chunks of fresh rhubarb baked under a brown sugar, oat and almond topping. Rhubarb Crisp couldn’t be easier to make. Bake it in a skillet or casserole pan.
Cranberry Crumb Pie celebrates the gloriously tangy flavor of the indigenous American berry. The pure cranberry filling is perfectly complimented by a sweet and chunky brown sugar crumb topping.
Not all oats behave the same way, and choosing the right form makes a noticeable difference.
Rolled oats add visible texture and chew. They soften as they bake but still hold their shape, making them ideal when you want oats to be noticed—or when you’re using them as a topping for breads and baked goods.
Quick oats break down more easily. They absorb liquid but contribute less chew, which makes them useful when you want oat flavor and tenderness without obvious texture.
Oat flour has no visible texture at all, but it absorbs and retains moisture extremely well. Used alongside wheat flour, it helps create soft, tender baked goods that stay fresh longer.
You don’t need to overthink it—just consider whether you want oats to stand out or quietly do their work in the background.
Storage
Commercially processed oats—like steel-cut, rolled, and quick oats—will keep in the pantry for up to a year. Specialty unprocessed oats will keep for a couple of months in the refrigerator. Any uncooked oats can be stored in the freezer for longer term.
