Baked oats are having a moment on social media, but they've been my go-to breakfast for years.
The dish is one of various protein-packed breakfasts that have helped me lose build muscle, lose fat, and keep it off over the years. As registered nutritionist Kimberley Neve previously told Insider, baked oats are a brilliant breakfast choice because they're full of fiber and are satiating, particularly if you add protein powder like I do.
While I love regular oatmeal, the magic of baked oats is that it transforms into something resembling cake in the oven, and it's probably as close as you can get to eating cake for breakfast without, well, actually eating cake for breakfast.
I make my baked oats in a single-serve 15cm x 10cm ovenproof dish, and with all my recipes, if you don't use protein powder you may want to add some vanilla extract and sweetener (honey, agave, maple syrup), and serve the dish with some Greek yogurt to give you a protein boost.
Similarly, if you can't eat banana or don't like it, you can substitute apple sauce or just leave it out. The joy of baked oats is that unlike actual cake baking, you don't need to stress about specific measurements.
I've seen all sorts of creative ideas on Instagram, such as adding dollops of chocolate spread to the middle of the dish before baking to make a molten center, creating a marble effect, and even a crème brûlée topping.
But if you're just getting started, I'd recommend these five baked-oats recipes: