Protein Chocolate Chip Cookie Baked Oatmeal in a Mug

a photo taken over the top of a mug full of baked chocolate chip cookie oatmeal.

If you want a simple and delicious high protein breakfast (27g!) that tastes like a chocolate chip cookie, then you have to try this protein chocolate chip cookie baked oatmeal in a mug!

I’ve seen the recipes for oatmeal in a mug, aka mug cake, a slightly healthier mug cake, haha, but I wasn’t loving a lot of the recipes. It turns out that they all had a piece of a puzzle and merely needed to all be put together! This healthy baked oatmeal in a mug has a little protein powder which gives extra flavor and nutrients without overcomplicating the recipe.

Whenever we have a busy day or I’m not in the mood to cook I’ll make a little baked oatmeal and let the family pick out their toppings. It’s like pancake night, but less sugar!

Speaking of, if you want to go all crazy with this protein breakfast recipe you can totally mix up the flavors and add-ins (see ideas below).

Ingredients for Baked Oatmeal in a Mug

Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for blended baked oats. This is meant to be a quick snippet of what is included. For all the details, scroll down to the recipe card.

Banana: adds natural sweetness and moisture
Egg: binds all the ingredients together
Oats: You can use old fashioned oats or quick oats since you blend it up. I prefer old fashioned because it’s been processed less. You could also use oat flour if you prefer (since that’s what we are making when we blend these oats up). Use a scant 1/2 cup of oat flour. NOTE: Steel cut oats will not work for this recipe.
Protein Powder: You can use any flavor you want. Vanilla is my favorite for that true chocolate chip cookie flavor. We have been using coconut flavored protein powder lately which is also yummy because that’s what we have right now.
Milk: any type of milk works great…whole, 2%, 1%, fat free, almond milk, oat milk, etc.
Baking Powder: gives the mug cake some rise and fluffiness
Salt: enhances all the flavors

Substitutes for Banana

I know that there are strong feelings about bananas out there, so if you aren’t a banana fan or you don’t have any, here are few ideas for substitutes:

Applesauce
Zucchini
Apple Butter
Yogurt
Canned Pumpkin

You’ll want to use about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of these.

Ideas for Toppings and Mix-Ins

You don’t have to stop at chocolate chip cookie flavor! The possibilities are endless! You can change the flavor of protein powder you use as well as the toppings or mix-ins you add. Here are a few ideas to customize your own baked oatmeal in a mug…

Chopped nuts – pecans, almonds, walnuts, etc.
Nutella
Caramel
Granola
Yogurt
Chopped fruit
Nut butter – peanut butter, almond butter, etc.
Syrups – buttermilk syrup is our favorite!
Dried fruit – raisins, craisins, apricots, etc.
Sprinkles – so fun for the kiddos!

We would love to hear what you combinations you create!

What to Serve with Baked Oatmeal

This is a very filling breakfast recipe, so you don’t need anything else with it. If you want to serve it for dinner and need a couple of sides, some fresh sliced fruit is perfect with some crispy bacon. Yum!

Can this Recipe Be Made in the Microwave?

Yes, mug oatmeal can be microwaved for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes but I definitely prefer them baked in the oven.

Can Baked Oatmeal Be Baked in Ramekins?

Yes, that is what use most often because a lot of times, I’m not sure if mugs are oven safe. Ramekins work perfectly! You want an 8oz mugs or baking dish.

Can This Recipe Be Multiplied and Baked in a 9×9 Pan?

I’m still working on figuring out the right balance of ingredients for this. I’ll keep experimenting and add instructions when I figure out what works the best! It would be so ideal to be able to make this into a breakfast cake!

Why You Will Love This Baked Oatmeal Recipe

High in protein: I love a high protein breakfast. It helps me stay full longer and starts my day off right.
Single serving: This recipe is meant to be a single serving but can easily be multiplied to make several servings for the whole family. It’s totally scalable to your needs. No leftovers and no huge mess!
Simple: The ingredients are simple and probably items you’ll have on hand at home. Making the recipe also couldn’t be simpler. Just toss it all into a blender or food processor and blend it until combined, then stir in the mix-ins and pour into mugs. Bake and eat!
Healthy and nutritious: A typical sweet breakfast like pancakes, waffles or french toast is loaded with sugar and carbs (don’t get me wrong, I’m obsessed with them but they shouldn’t be eaten everyday), this recipe is lower in sugar and higher in protein.
Customizable: Each mug cake can be totally customized to each person’s liking.
Prep ahead: There are a couple of options for making them ahead of time. See the section below.

Make Ahead Instructions

I wouldn’t recommend mixing everything together and storing it ahead of time. A raw egg mixed with everything and sitting in the fridge just weirds me out. If you want to prep ahead these blended oats, I would measure out the dry ingredients and store them in a ziploc bag. Then when you’re ready to make them, toss the dry ingredients into the blender with the banana, egg and milk.

These blender oats can also be baked and then stored in refrigerator and reheated. They reheat really well and are actually really good cold too. If I know I’m going to be saving a few mug cakes for later, I’ll slightly underbake them so they don’t dry out when I reheat them.

Apparently there is a baked oatmeal trend on TikTok. I don’t do TikTok but I’m here for the blended baked oats!! We have added protein powder to ours and this has become my new favorite breakfast. I’ve practically lived on them since breaking all my front teeth out in the bike wreck (a story for another day if you missed it! Oy vei!)

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