During the hot summer months all I ever want to eat is lemon raspberry slushies. There’s something about that sweet tart flavor that I find ultra refreshing.
Lemon raspberry muffins are also pretty tasty, so I thought, “why not put that flavor into oatmeal for summer?” It worked very well!
I increased the size of this recipe so that I could use a whole bag of raspberries and not have any left over (I hate having odds and ends of things in my cupboards and freezer). This recipe makes 8 sizable portions. Because I increased the volume and it contains some fairly tart ingredients (lemon, raspberry, yogurt), I also upped the sugar just a smidge. It’s still only about 1 tablespoon per serving, which is far less than most colas and breakfast cereals.
While mixing up the lemon raspberry “custard”, the scent was so intoxicating that it took everything in me to not eat it raw (there are eggs in there, so that’s a big no-no). The lemon zest, vanilla, and raspberries combined create this magical, cake-like smell that was absolutely heavenly. This is definitely one of my top 3 favorite baked oatmeals (#1 is the banana bread, #2 is the pumpkin pie flavored). You’ve gotta try this one!
Oh, and hey, it’s summer, so you might just be able to find fresh raspberries for a lower price than frozen!
Lemon Raspberry Baked Oatmeal
Lemon Raspberry Baked Oatmeal
Servings 8Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats ($0.51)
- 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt ($0.75)
- 1 1/2 cups milk ($0.56)
- 2 large eggs ($0.36)
- 1/2 cup sugar ($0.08)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.28)
- 1 tsp baking soda ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 large lemon ($0.69)
- 12 oz. frozen raspberries ($3.39)
Instructions
- Clean the lemon well, and then remove the zest using a fine cheese grater or zester. In a large bowl, combine the lemon zest, juice from half the lemon, eggs, milk, yogurt, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda. Whisk until smooth.
- Stir in the raspberries (thawed), and then stir the oats. Coat a casserole dish with non-stick spray and pour in the oat mixture.
- Place the dish in a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until the center is no longer liquid. Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
First clean the lemon well to remove any debris or waxes on the surface of the lemon. Zest the lemon, trying to get as much of the yellow and as little of the white pith as possible.
In a large bowl combine the lemon zest, juice from half of the lemon, milk, yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda. Whisk until smooth.
Allow the raspberries to thaw before you use them so that they don’t clump up in the mixture. Also, if you add them frozen it will make the whole mixture very cold and then it will take much longer to bake.
Stir the raspberries into the milk mixture.
Lastly, stir the oats into the lemon raspberry mixture. Coat a casserole dish with non-stick spray and pour in the oat mixture. This dish was slightly too small for this recipe, but it still worked. If you choose a large dish, the oat mixture will be more shallow and will cook faster. If you use a smaller, deeper dish (like mine), it may take longer to bake.
Bake the oats in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until the center is no longer liquid. The center might be slightly jiggly, but it should not be wet to the touch. As it bakes it will also rise up, so you can gauge the done-ness by whether the center has risen to the height of the outer edges.
I like to eat mine with a little bit of cold milk poured over top! You can either divide it into individual portions and refrigerate, or just refrigerate the whole dish and scoop some out each morning. I give it a quick reheat in the microwave and then I’m good to go!
I used fresh raspberries, and recommend that if they’re in season. This was very delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and It had great lemon flavor that was not too weak or strong. I’m definitely going to make this again.
I liked the flavors of this although the lemon was a bit more subtle than I was expecting/hoping for. Next time I’ll try to get more zest off the lemon. I’ve been looking for recipes that help me use up plain yogurt… usually we can only find such large containers and I hate to have it go to waste. Thank you for your site!
Do you have the nutritional info for this oatmeal bake? It is delicious! We have enjoyed it this morning for breakfast.
We only recently brought on a Registered Dietician to our team. She’s working hard behind the scenes to update the entire recipe database, over 1500+ recipes, with nutritional information. She’s working her way from the newest recipes back and it takes some time to update them all. Stay tuned!
Oh man, I’ve used this recipe in and of itself, and as a base for other recipes dozens of times. The recipe as written is the best–but I don’t always have a full bag of frozen raspberries, plain yogurt, and a lemon on hand, so sometimes I’ll make it with whatever fruit/yogurt we have. It never comes out bad, but it is still not as good as the tart lemon/raspberry combo.
Right now there’s a version in the oven made with mixed berries and vanilla yogurt with no added sugar. Some day I’ll try your other baked oatmeal recipes, but first I have to quit making variations on this theme!
Made as directed. So so so so good, it like a fruity muffin-y oatmeal. Will definitely make this again.
Hello–this looks yummy ..I have a few questions –can Greek yogurt be used in this ( as well as in your other baked oatmeal ) recipe(s) ?? Also, regarding the frozen ( and thawed ) raspberries ..Should I drain off any liquid after they are drained and use it for something else ??/ thanks so much !!!
I wouldn’t sub Greek yogurt because it doesn’t have as much moisture as regular yogurt and the yogurt provides a lot of the moisture in this recipe. If the raspberries give off some liquid as they thaw you can just add that in. It probably isn’t enough to effect the texture and it might give more flavor. :)
I have a question. How do you know it’s cooked? I put mine in a 9x 13 pyrex dish making imn much more shallow than your bowl. When I pulled it out of the oven the top had darkened and was dry to the touch but was still a little jiggly. It was in the oven for about 35mins. How long would you suggest for this type of dish?
That type of dish will probably need a slightly lower cooking temperature and longer cooking time (so that it has more time to heat into the center without the outer edges over cooking). When it’s finished, it should have a moist, spongy texture, but not glossy or jiggly.
I made this for the first time last night and was blown away by how good it was! Almost like dessert. I halved the recipe and used almond milk, but otherwise didn’t change a thing. Thanks so much!
My friend introduced me to your blog via the greek marinated chicken and sesame chicken, and I can’t stop. The greek chicken was so good I made it twice within two weeks, I’ve done a variation on the egg and spinach breakfast bake twice, tomorrow’s dinner plan is the taco chicken bowls, and now this – this one was just so good I finally had to stop lurking and comment. I’ve never been overly fond of sweet breakfast foods, for the most part, but THIS is changing my mind. I could eat it as a snack. Or a dessert. And I’m not even a particularly healthy eater, it’s just THAT GOOD. And so easy! Definitely planning to try other varieties soon!
First of all, I was really glad I read the comments on this post because my oats turned green since I used a metal mixing bowl and that would have totally freaked me out if I hadn’t been prepared.
Second of all, this is pretty good. I’m not usually an oatmeal person, but I really wanted to try these baked ones, and this is my first go. I’ve tried a piece warmed up with some soy milk on it. I might try one cold tomorrow and see which I like better. I’m honestly not getting much lemon flavor out of this, although I can obviously taste the raspberry. Maybe I need more zest next time.
Also, I used soy milk and I replaced the yogurt with unsweetened applesauce. It worked quite nicely, although now I’m wondering if the applesauce is responsible for drowning some of that lemon flavor. Hm.
Yeah, I think apple sauce would definitely mask the lemon flavor whereas the tart plain yogurt would probably emphasize it. And you’re also right about the zest. Most of the lemon flavor in this dish actually comes from the zest rather than the juice :) So, next time try adding a little more.
This was FABULOUS! It makes me want to put lemons and raspberries in everything. So so good. Another winner from Budget Bytes :) Thanks for the awesome recipe!! I blogged about it over here: http://thefoodcharlatan.com/2013/08/19/lemon-raspberry-baked-oatmeal/
Beth – have you ever done any of the baked oatmeals in a crockpot? I’m hosting a brunch on Sunday and I’d like to make a bigger batch and let it cook while we are at church. Just curious if you have tried it or heard from others who have. BTW – love the new site!
I haven’t tried that yet, but I bet it would work! Maybe 4 hours on low? Great idea!
I believe I did use a metal bowl when I mixed the ingredients, although the pan I used to bake it in is ceramic–not sure if that would be the problem or not. I’ll be sure to avoid the metal mixing pan next time and hopefully that’ll solve the issue. Thanks!
Kylie – Hmm, there are two things that I can think of that turn green sometimes… If you are using a metal pan (aluminum), it could be reacting with the acidic lemon juice and turning a greenish color. Second, when you over cook hard boiled eggs the yolk will sometimes turn bright green, but it’s hard to imagine that happening once they’re mixed into the batter… This is quite a mystery!
So I adore this recipe and have made it several times now, but the last 2 times I made it, my oats turned green! Like, dark, obvious green. It tastes just the same and I’m using the same oats that I used before, and also made sure that nothing was expired. Any thoughts?