Keto oatmeal is the perfect breakfast for chilly mornings! This easy baked “oatmeal” is hearty and delicious, and doesn’t contain a single grain of oats or sugar. Best of all, it has only 2.7g of net carbs per serving!
So how long do you think it will take someone to freak out over this keto oatmeal recipe, and start yelling at me that oatmeal isn’t keto?
3…. 2…. 1….
Regular oatmeal certainly isn’t keto friendly. So it’s a good thing that this keto oatmeal recipe doesn’t contain a single flake of oats. No, not even the most minuscule amount. As with all of my keto breakfast recipes, this one is completely grain-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free.
And yet it has the perfect oatmeal-like texture and a rich, hearty maple flavor. You have to try it to believe it!
Why you will love this recipe
Oatmeal by its very definition should contain oats. But oats are quite high in carbs and not something generally recommended on a keto diet.
Still, a warm bowl of oatmeal on a chilly winter morning is hard to beat for comfort food. So I have invented my own way of making a delicious oatmeal substitute that tastes like the real deal.
I use a combination of flaked coconut and sliced almonds, ground to the size of oats. It works like a dream and it’s a trick I’ve used in other recipes as well, most notably my Keto Oatmeal Cookies. Those are a fan favorite!
If this recipe looks a little familiar to some of you, then you probably own a copy of my cookbook, Easy Keto Breakfasts. There are a lot of tasty recipes in that book, but this maple keto oatmeal is one of my favorites. It’s the ultimate breakfast comfort food!
Reader Testimonials
“Oh how I love this oatmeal! I missed oatmeal more than anything when I went keto. Nothing satisfies like a bowl of hot cereal to start the day.” — Annie
“My family LOVES this “oatmeal”. My daughter just informed me that I’m going to have to make it forever now, so don’t lose the recipe! I love your ideas, thanks for sharing them with the rest of us! ❤” — Cathy
“I have made a couple of different versions of Low carb baked oatmeal. This recipe of Carolyn’s is by far the best ever!!! My daughter and granddaughter who don’t follow low carb prefer this over regular oatmeal!” — Lois
Ingredients you need
- Coconut: Use unsweetened flaked coconut, such as Let’s Do Organic. Shredded coconut doesn’t work as well, since it’s smaller to begin with. If that’s all you can find, don’t process it with the almonds. Simply add it in along with the other dry ingredients.
- Almonds: When coarsely ground, sliced almonds have a similar texture to oats. Make sure you aren’t using slivered almonds, as they are much thicker and won’t provide the same consistency.
- Brown sugar replacement: I always prefer Swerve Brown, as it tastes the most like real brown sugar. You can also use granulated erythritol and 2 teaspoons of molasses. This will add only 1g carbs per serving.
- Collagen: Collagen protein, or collagen peptides, is integral to the consistency of this keto oatmeal. It provides a thicker, gooier consistency. Unfortunately, other protein powders like whey or egg white won’t do the same thing.
- Flavoring: I really love maple extract for this baked oatmeal, but you can do other extracts as well. Try vanilla or caramel.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, heavy cream, eggs, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Step-by-step directions
1. Make the “oatmeal”: In a food processor, grind the coconut and almonds until they resemble flakes of oatmeal. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add the dry ingredients: Whisk in the sweetener, collagen, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Stir in the wet ingredients: Add the butter, cream, egg, and maple extract and stir until well combined.
4. Bake the oatmeal: Spread the mixture in a greased 1-quart glass or ceramic baking dish and bake at 325ºF 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and the center is mostly set. It should jiggle just slightly when shaken. Remove and let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe tips and FAQs
Creating your “oatmeal” out of coconut and almonds is the first step, but there are a few other tricks in this recipe to get that soft, gooey baked oatmeal consistency.
Use a food processor
A food processor is the best way to grind the coconut flakes and sliced almonds because you can pulse it quickly. I find that just 3 or 4 pulses are sufficient. I have tried this in my good blender and it works, but tends to get them too fine very quickly.
Use your favorite sweetener
This is a recipe that should work with just about any sweetener. That said, I’ve only used Swerve Granular and Swerve Brown, but it doesn’t rely on those for texture or consistency so it should work with what you prefer most.
Add the collagen
I know I will be asked for substitutes but I have to say, it’s a pretty critical ingredient. It aids in that gooey, creamy consistency that baked oatmeal should have. You can try other protein powders but I honestly cannot say how well they will work.
The baking dish
An important note here: ceramic and metal bake VERY differently. Metal heats up quickly and cools down quickly. Ceramic (and glass) heat up slowly and hold their heat for quite some time out of the oven.
In this case, you want a glass or ceramic baking dish that holds about 1 quart (4 cups) in volume.
Look for the jiggle
This is a recipe you definitely do not want to over-bake. So look for the jiggle in the center. You will have a beautiful golden brown top and the sides should be set. But if you shake the baking dish, the middle should still jiggle slightly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Real oatmeal, made with oats, is not appropriate for keto diets. A a bowl of cooked oatmeal has 27g of carbs and only 4g of fiber. And most people with diabetes see a significant blood sugar spike from consuming it. So you want to avoid oatmeal on keto and low carb diets.
While oats are a big no-no for keto diets, you can enjoy hot cereal that has a similar taste and texture to oatmeal. These are usually made with nuts, coconut, and seeds, and are much lower in carbs and higher in fiber.
This keto baked oatmeal has 5.2g of carbs and 2.5g of fiber. So each ½ cup serving has 2.7g net carbs.
More delicious keto “oatmeal” recipes
- Carmelitas
- Keto Breakfast Cookies
- Keto Do-si-Dos Cookies
- Butterscotch Oatmeal Bars
- Keto Breakfast Bars
Easy Keto Oatmeal Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup flaked coconut unsweetened
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup Swerve Brown
- ¼ cup collagen peptides
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon maple extract or vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 1 quart glass or ceramic baking dish.
- In a food processor, grind the coconut and almonds until they resemble flakes of oatmeal. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Whisk in the sweetener, collagen, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter, cream, egg, and maple extract and stir until well combined.
- Spread the mixture in the prepared baking pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and the center is mostly set. It should jiggle just slightly when shaken.
- Remove and let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Terri says
I made this with some changes. My daughter and grandchildren can’t have dairy so used coconut milk instead of heavy cream and didn’t have collagen so used coconut protein powder and used dairy free butter. It was very good!
Bonnie Camden says
I doubled this so we’d have plenty leftovers and I realized as I was about to pour this in the baking dish that it said spread in the baking dish. When I doubled everything I mistakenly quadrupled the heavy cream. I had used all my almonds so in an effort to save it I added 2 eggs and figured it would be more custard like. It’s been in the oven 45 minutes and still very jiggly. Added 15 minutes. Wondering if a small amount of coconut flour might have been a better save?
Carolyn says
Oooh hard to say. Just let it keep cooking until it’s only a bit jiggly. I am sure it will still be tasty.
cheril says
This is amazing!!! In error I under-baked it a bit. It’s was jiggly like the video but soupy when I served it. The taste is exactly what I crave on a cold morning. I wanted to bump up the protein for the meal and served with breakfast sausage. Next time I may would go with a different side dish.
Heather says
This is delicious. It’s a little tricky to get the consistency of the almond/coconut mixture right and it is more crunchy than traditional oatmeal but I really liked it and will make it again. I would add more cinnamon next time. I also added SF maple syrup on top when I served it. YUM-O!
Heather says
Also forgot to say that I had to add about 10 minutes extra cooking time and I used regular protein powder and it turned out great.
Bailey says
This was awesome! I used your recipe as an out line and and did a little customization, to appease my personal preferences, and to accommodate for what I had on hand. It was still awesome. I did bake mine for closer to a half an hour. I also added, chopped walnuts and pecans. I did not have unflavored collagen peptides, so I subbed out unflavored gelatin. I also subbed out the heavy whipping cream for coconut cream. Great breakfast! I will be making this all winter! Yummm… just yummm!
Monica says
Wow!!! My kitchen smelled AHHMAZING while baking this! It’s super rich and decadent!!! I had to give mine 30 min but maybe need more time as after cooking and scooping into a bowl it kind of collapsed and spread out. Is there any way to cut down on the butter as it seems to be seeping everywhere and if so how could I possibly half the butter? I’m new to this so looking for tips. Would this also work with half & half (10% cream)?
Annette says
Im excited to try this. Im wondering if you could substitute pumpkin puree for the cream?
Carolyn says
I don’t think that would have the same richness and consistency but you’re certainly welcome to try.
Amy says
I made this today and it was super delicious. I followed the recipe exactly. I would probably lesson the sweetener next time because it was a little too sweet for me. The only problem I had was that 1/2 cup was not nearly enough. I felt like it was about 3 bites. I ended up eating about a cup (or more) and then felt guilty about it. The good news is, it kept me full for 5 hours. But really, who eats 1/2 cup of baked oatmeal?
Carolyn says
I am so glad you liked it but given the carb count and fat content, 1/2 cup is absolutely appropriate as a serving size on keto. 🙂 I know it’s hard to get used to a lower volume of food, since carby food tends to have more volume. But you can see that it filled you for hours… 1/2 a cup would have been quite satiating.
Marie L says
I thought this was wonderful, the second time I made it I cut the sweetener to 1/4 and the butter by 2 TBSP. It turned out great. I think I could even lesson the sweetener a little more. I used some of the leftovers and added almond flour and made cookie, that too turned out great. I find this to be a bit dessert like, but no complaints about that.
Brooke says
Still waiting on this to come out of the oven but it smells divine! Could you do this in ramekins for single serve? I’m assuming so but wondered what cooking time you would suggest. Thanks!
Carolyn says
You can but I can’t really guide you since I haven’t tried it that way.
Mary says
I’ve been wanting to make this but seem to lack time in the morning. Do you know if it is possible to make the night before and bake in the morning? I appreciate your recipes!!!
Carolyn says
I can’t see why not, as long as you keep it in the fridge!
Razmik Rashidyan says
A great idea. Thanks,
Tere says
This “oatmeal” is absolutely delicious. I had to add just a tiny smidge of SF Maple syrup to my serving because I have a sweet tooth. Otherwise, it checks ALL the boxes. I also thought the apx 1/2 C serving would be too small; but, I am sitting here FULL after just finishing it. I’m wondering if I did something incorrectly, though. I actually ended up with 4 1/4 servings after measuring out the “about 1/2 C” servings. So, maybe the “about” 1/2 C is incorrect to equal out to 8 servings????
Samantha says
I added some chia seeds and made these into little noatmeal muffins. My type one daughter loves them and they are perfect for a quick breakfast on school days!
Beth says
Awesome recipe!
Sarah Schear says
Just made this and it’s delicious!!
Francy says
This was so much better than I could have imagined. I had to make some minor adjustments as I am dairy free, but it still came out wonderfully. Thank you for the great recipe.
Kathleen says
This was absolutely delicious! That said, since I am the only one who eats Keto in my house, this made for a lot of leftovers. The next day when I warmed it up in the microwave the texture was much different. The butter had somewhat separated out, and the texture was crunchier. It was still delicious, but I wonder what I could do to retain the original texture.
Carolyn says
Try warming it more gently, on lower settings in the microwave. It’s the intense heat that changes it.
Nita says
Kathleen I often divide recipes in half, thirds or fourths to not make as much. Some recipes can be portioned and frozen but probably not this one.
Ruth says
Totally Delicious! Only drawback is that it’s very ‘I want more-ish”, lol.
I don’t have collagen, I used 2Tbsp of chia seeds soaked in some water. Seemed to work, not sure how much that alters the calories and carbs, but I tried. It’s delicious, I’ll cut back on the sweetener next time, I think the type I used is a stronger sweetness.
Carolyn says
It will up the carbs AND the fiber so that’s good!
Diana says
Can this recipe be microwaved?
Carolyn says
No.