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With a flavor profile inspired by the classic pastry, almond croissant protein baked oatmeal is a nourishing way to start the day. We use protein-rich whole food ingredients instead of protein powder, and each serving packs about 27 grams of protein. And you can make this ahead and reheat it, so it’s the perfect high-protein meal prep breakfast for busy mornings.
This one is for the lovers of French pastries! Instead of an almond croissant for breakfast, why not satisfy your sweet craving with a nutrient-rich option like baked oats? This baked oatmeal recipe is a good source of protein, fiber, and healthy fats to fuel you up and keep you going strong until your next meal. And it’s made without protein powder!
It hits all the flavor marks of the pastry it was named after, including a soft, sweet, marzipan-like almond filling. Before baking, we blend the oat mixture, so it bakes up into a fluffy cake. Sliced (aka flaked) almonds on top add crunch, and a dusting of keto or regular powdered sugar on top makes this feel indulgent. It could definitely serve double duty as dessert, especially if you add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Instead of using protein powder, here we use whole food ingredients that are naturally high in protein. Cottage cheese, milk, eggs, flaxseed meal, and almond give this recipe about 27 grams of protein per serving. And if 30 grams of protein per meal is your goal, you can easily get there if you serve this topped with a 1/4-cup dollop of Greek yogurt. Add some fresh berries to bump up the nutrition even more!
Almond Croissant Baked Oats Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
High Protein Blended Baked Oatmeal Ingredients
- Coconut oil (unpictured) – For greasing the baking dishes.
- Cottage cheese – I used Good Culture 2% Cottage Cheese; use what you like or have on hand.
- Milk – I used Fairlife Fat-Free Milk; you can use any kind of milk or plant-based milk alternative that you like.
- Egg – Adds protein and helps us achieve the perfect fluffy cake-like texture.
- Egg yolk – In addition to 1 whole egg, we add 1 additional egg yolk to the protein cake mixture for richness. You’ll use the white for the almond filling.
- Unsalted butter – We add a little bit of butter for rich flavor. To get the most nutrition, use grass-fed organic butter if possible. If you prefer, you can use coconut oil or MCT oil instead of the melted butter here.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor and aroma.
- Oats – I used old-fashioned rolled oats because that’s what I keep in my pantry, but quick oats will work just as well in this recipe because we blend the oat mixture before baking.
- Flaxseed meal – I use golden flaxseed meal, but regular flaxseed meal is also fine (it’ll just have a slightly more pronounced flavor and result in a darker color).
- Granulated sweetener – You can use your favorite granulated keto sweetener or regular granulated sugar here.
- Baking powder – The leaving agent.
- Salt – Salt enhances the flavor of everything else and ensures this isn’t bland.
- Sliced almonds – For topping. Sliced almonds on top of the baked oats not only adds more protein, but also gives off heavy almond croissant vibes.
- Powdered sweetener (unpictured) – To finish, we dust a little bit of powdered sugar on top. Feel free to use keto powdered sweetener, regular powdered sugar, or omit it.
Almond Filling Ingredients
- Almond flour – The base of our marzipan-like filling.
- Granulated sweetener – Just like in the oat cake batter, here you can use your favorite granulated keto sweetener or regular granulated sugar.
- Egg white – A classic ingredient in traditional marzipan, egg white helps yield the perfect texture. And there’s no waste; we use the yolk in the batter mixture.
- Pure almond extract – To bump up the sweet, nutty almond flavor and aroma.
- Salt – Salt pulls out the flavor of the almonds and makes sure the filling isn’t bland.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease 3 (1-cup) ramekins (these are the Staub ramekins I use) with coconut oil. Get out a baking tray.
2: Make the Almond Filling
- Add all ingredients for the almond filling to a medium bowl.
- Stir until smooth. Set aside for now.
3: Make the Protein Baked Oatmeal Batter, Assemble, and Bake
- Add the cottage cheese, milk, egg, egg yolk, melted butter, and vanilla extract to a food processor and process until smooth.
- Add the oats, flaxseed meal, sweetener, baking powder, and salt, and process to combine (it doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth).
- Let it sit for 3 minutes to thicken slightly.
- Divide the batter between the prepared ramekins. Spoon 1/3 of the almond filling mixture onto each of the ramekins with the batter. (PRO TIP: It’s okay if the almond filling sinks into the batter, it will create the soft, slightly gooey, sweet almond filling that almond croissants are known for.)
- Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top.
- Put the ramekins on a baking tray. Bake at 350F until they’re puffed and golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool slightly and before serving, sprinkle the powdered sugar on top. Enjoy warm or cold.
Storage & Reheating Tips
To store, cool to room temperature, and then cover well and refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. If you’re dusting the top with powdered sugar, wait and do it right before serving.
You can eat them cold or reheat if you prefer. To reheat baked oats in the microwave, make sure your dish is microwave-safe, place a slightly damp paper towel on top, microwave for 1 minute, and then check it after that, adding 30-second intervals if necessary. To reheat in the oven, make sure your dish is oven-safe, cover with foil, and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. And to reheat in the air fryer, make sure it’s an air fryer-safe dish, cover with foil, and air fry at 350F for about 5 to 7 minutes.
Tips For the Best Almond Croissant Protein Baked Oatmeal
- I mentioned the brands of cottage cheese and milk I used so you know what to use if you want to get the same nutritional information. However, any kind of cottage cheese and milk will work just fine here.
- This recipe works equally well with keto sweeteners or regular sugar. Feel free to use whatever fits into your way of eating, or what you have on hand. (Note that the nutritional information was calculated using keto sweeteners.)
- Just like with other baked oatmeal recipes, the variations are endless here! If the almond croissant flavor profile isn’t your thing, just omit the almond filling and topping, and you have a blank slate (aka a fluffy, protein-rich, blended, and baked oatmeal breakfast cake) for whatever flavor you like! Try it topped with berries, nuts, coconut, peanut butter (or any nut butter), chocolate, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
To add extra protein to oats, focus on incorporating ingredients that are naturally higher in protein. Here we add eggs, almond, flaxseed meal, cottage cheese, and milk to increase the protein content without adding protein powder.
In this recipe, I wanted to make high protein baked oats without protein powder added. But if you want to bump up the protein even more, you can absolutely add a scoop of your favorite protein powder here! I would go with unflavored or vanilla.
More Make-Ahead Meal Prep Breakfast Ideas With Oatmeal
- Keto Oatmeal (aka Noatmeal) – there are actually no oats to be found in this porridge!
- Nutella Overnight Oats – if you enjoy a decadent breakfast that’s also nourishing
- Healthy Granola with Cashews and Coconut – naturally sweetened with a hint of maple syrup
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Almond Croissant Protein Baked Oatmeal Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
Protein Baked Oatmeal:
- Coconut oil for greasing the baking dishes
- 3/4 cup cottage cheese I used Good Culture 2% Cottage Cheese
- 3/4 cup milk I used Fairlife Fat-Free Milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk you’ll use the white for the almond filling
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (or coconut oil)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup golden flaxseed meal
- 3 tablespoons keto granulated sweetener or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Almond Filling:
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons keto granulated sweetener or granulated sugar
- 1 large egg white you’ll use the yolk for the protein oat cake
- 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Toppings:
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 tablespoon keto powdered sweetener or regular powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease 3 (1-cup) ramekins with coconut oil. Get out a baking tray.
- Make the almond filling. Add all ingredients for the almond filling to a medium bowl and stir until smooth. Set aside for now.
- Make the oat cake batter. Add the cottage cheese, milk, egg, egg yolk, melted butter, and vanilla extract to a food processor, and process until smooth. Add the oats, flaxseed meal, sweetener, baking powder, and salt, and process to combine (it doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth). Let it sit for 3 minutes to thicken slightly, then divide between the prepared ramekins. Spoon 1/3 of the almond mixture onto each of the ramekins with the batter (it’s okay if it sinks into the batter). Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top.
- Bake. Put the ramekins on the baking tray. Bake until they’re puffed and golden, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Serve. Cool slightly and before serving, sprinkle the powdered sugar on top. Enjoy warm or cold.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Cool to room temperature, and then cover well and refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months. If you’re dusting the top with powdered sugar, wait and do it right before serving.
- Reheating: You can eat them cold or reheat if you prefer. To reheat baked oats in the microwave, make sure your dish is microwave-safe, place a slightly damp paper towel on top, microwave for 1 minute, and then check it after that, adding 30-second intervals if necessary. To reheat in the oven, make sure your dish is oven-safe, cover with foil, and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. And to reheat in the air fryer, make sure it’s an air fryer-safe dish, cover with foil, and air fry at 350F for about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Net Carbs: 20 grams per serving (net carbs = total carbs – fiber – sugar alcohols)
- Brands Mentioned: I mentioned the brands of cottage cheese and milk I used so you know what to use if you want to get the same nutritional information. However, any kind of cottage cheese and milk will work just fine here.
- Variations: If the almond croissant flavor profile isn’t your thing, just omit the almond filling and topping, and you have a blank slate (aka fluffy protein-rich baked oatmeal breakfast cake) for whatever flavor you like! Try it topped with berries, nuts, coconut, peanut butter (or any nut butter), chocolate, etc.
- Sweeteners: This recipe works equally well with keto sweeteners or regular sugar. Feel free to use whatever fits into your way of eating, or what you have on hand. (Note that the nutritional information was calculated using keto sweeteners.)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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