Ginger Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal

Ginger sweet potato baked oatmeal is deliciously moist and just subtly spicy. It’s the perfect make-ahead breakfast when you have extra sweet potatoes.

Every now and then when I really don’t feel like cooking, I’ll bake whole sweet potatoes in the oven, we’ll smother them in marshmallow fluff, and that will be dinner. I’m not necessarily proud of this choice, but it’s much cheaper than take-out and it’s seriously yummy.

So this happened recently, and we ended up with one extra baked sweet potato.

When I meal plan for the week, I always start by taking inventory of the food I already have and planning recipes around that. Using up all my leftovers saves me money and reduces food waste. Win-win!

This baked oatmeal recipe was born because I needed to repurpose that leftover sweet potato. As it turns out, sweet potatoes make the best baked oatmeal, because they add tons of moisture and a delicate sweetness. With that one sweet potato and other ingredients I already had on hand, I made breakfast for the whole week and it cost me no extra money. Good job, self!

How to make ginger sweet potato baked oatmeal

One of the many reasons I love this oatmeal is because all the ingredients are simple and cheap. You’ll need:

• A sweet potato (I definitely recommend baking it rather than boiling. It takes longer, but sweet potatoes lose sweetness when you boil them. If you’re making this in the morning for breakfast, bake the sweet potato the night before.)
• Fresh ginger (It’s way more flavorful than the powdered kind. A nub of ginger root costs pennies and will last weeks and weeks in your crisper drawer.)
• Quick oats
• Standard baking stuff you might already have (butter, milk, eggs, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt)
• Standard spices you might already have (cinnamon and ground cloves)

Bake the sweet potato, mince the ginger, stir everything up in a bowl, and bake. That’s it, folks!

Print Recipe

Ginger Sweet Potato Baked Oatmeal

Sweet potato makes this baked oatmeal deliciously soft and moist, while fresh ginger and cloves add a subtle spice. This recipe is easy, budget-friendly, and perfect for breakfast meal prep. Don't be intimidated by the long cook time; most of that time the sweet potatoes are baking in the oven while you're free to do whatever you please!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time1 hr 40 mins

Course: Breakfast

Keyword: Baked oatmeal, Sweet potatoes

Servings: 9 servings

Cost: $2.75 per recipe / $0.31 per serving

Equipment

• 8-inch square baking pan or equivalent

Ingredients

• 2 cups quick oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup melted butter
• ⅓ cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1½ cup sweet potato baked and mashed (about 1 whole sweet potato)
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger peeled and minced

Instructions

Bake the sweet potato

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Wash sweet potato and stab it several times with a fork (this creates vents for baking). Wrap it tightly in a piece of foil and place it in the oven with the fold of the foil facing up. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until soft.

Make the baked oatmeal

• Reduce oven temperature to 350° F (or preheat if you baked the sweet potato earlier). Grease baking pan with a spat of oil.
• Peel the skin off the baked sweet potato and mash it with a fork. Peel and mince fresh ginger. Set aside.
• Whisk together oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl.
• Stir in melted butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, sweet potato, and ginger.
• Spread oatmeal mixture into prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.