Happy Monday, friends!
I've been having so much fun in the kitchen lately, so I'm happy to announce that I've got lots of recipes in the works for you! Today I wanted to give you a delicious breakfast recipe - Lemon Poppyseed Baked Oatmeal!
This has become one of my go-to recipes when meal prepping for the week. I love making it on Sunday, chopping it up into serving sizes, storing it in the fridge, and then reheating a serving for breakfast each morning! It's filling, like most oatmeal is, but isn't too heavy on the stomach. It would also be a great dish to bring to a brunch gathering and share!

Ingredients
This recipe doesn't include any crazy ingredients. Most of this is basically what you would expect to need for a Lemon Poppyseed Baked Oatmeal!
Rolled Oats - because this is oatmeal, after all. I do not recommend quick oats for this recipe.
Poppyseeds - a crucial ingredient for that lemon poppyseed bliss! These don't add a ton of flavor, but they add a nice texture, they look pretty, and they're loaded with micronutrient goodness!
Maple Syrup - we are using maple syrup to sweeten this recipe! If not vegan, I suspect honey would work as well - though I have never tried it myself
Plant Milk - I have made this recipe with oat milk and almond milk, both have worked great! Any unsweetened plant milk should work for this.
Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice - This is where most of your flavor comes from! The lemon flavor is light and somewhat sour, but is complimented well by the sweetness of the other ingredients.
Applesauce - the applesauce provides the moisture that we need in this recipe, and the light apple flavor compliments the dish nicely. Try to find applesauce without any added sugars!
Almonds - optional, but highly recommended! They add a nice crunch to your oatmeal bake, and add some health benefits as well. They also make it a little more filling so you're ready for your day!
Blueberries - totally optional, but this bake goes very well with a couple of blueberries sprinkled on top.
Baking Powder, Salt, and Vanilla - typical baking supplies to bring everything together!
How to make Lemon Poppyseed Baked Oatmeal
This recipe is pretty straight forward.
- Combine dry ingredients (except almonds).
- Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mix to combine.
- Mix in additional almonds, if using.
- Spread in a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until set.
- Nom nom nom!
Tips and Tricks
- If using the almonds, I suggest roughly chopping them. As you can see from my images, I definitely leave some big chunks of almonds left behind, but I do give them a quick chop. If you prefer to leave them whole or to chop them smaller, you totally can - I just think the texture is best this way!
- I tried this recipe a couple of times without the lemon zest, and it just didn't have the same *pop*! You can adjust the amount of zest based on how strong of a lemon flavor you want, but after multiple recipe tests I landed on 2 tsp.
- Lemon juice is yummiest if it's fresh, but bottled works too! Since you already have to buy a lemon for the zest though, you might as well use fresh juice from it as well.
- Does the jar of poppyseeds in the spice section seem a little pricey? Try buying poppyseeds and other spices in the bulk section to get a good deal!
- Although it may seem odd, my husband and I also enjoy eating this cold as a snack. When I make this for meal prep I typically chop it into serving sizes and store them in the fridge - we will occasionally grab one of the pre-portioned "bars" and eat it like a granola bar! Quick and easy.
Now, get to cooking! Breakfast awaits!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Poppyseed Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoon poppyseeds
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 ¼ cup plant milk*
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce*
Mix-Ins:
- Optional: 1 cup almonds - roughly chopped
Toppings:
- Optional: handful of blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients together. Mix well, then set aside.
- In another bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients. Whisk together until combined.
- Add the wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix well.
- Stir in optional almonds, if using.
- Dump the mixture into your prepared baking dish. Spread mixture as evenly as possible and press down lightly with a rubber spatula so that it is all cohesive.
- Place in preheated oven and allow to cook for 30 minutes, or until set.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy! Top with a few blueberries, if desired.
- To reheat, place a serving of baked oatmeal on microwave safe plate/bowl and microwave for a few seconds, until warmed.
Notes
Happy brunch, friends! If you made this recipe don't forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so we can share our mutual excitement of yummy breakfast foods.
Stay well!
<3 Laney
Julianna says
Um, yes, please! I love lemon poppy seed anything, and this is a wonderful idea! Will be making some of these!
Delaney Marie says
I feel the same about lemon poppy seed! We all need a little more lemon poppy seed in our lives 🙂 So glad that you are excited to try the recipe! Enjoy!!
Stephanie Tapert says
Wow, these look so good!! I will have to try them out this weekend!! Always looking for fun, new recipes.
XO Stephanie
Delaney Marie says
Yay! So glad you are going to try them out. 🙂 Enjoy!
Angie Weldy says
I need to get some poppy seeds again so I can make this!
Delaney Marie says
Yes, please do! Enjoy!!
Kendal Carrington says
This is a twist on baked oatmeal that I haven't seen before, and I am definitely interested to try it. I appreciated the tips that you listed, also. Agree, fresh lemon is just better 🙂
Delaney Marie says
I hope you love it as much as I do! And yes, fresh lemon is always the best!!