These macro-friendly Brownie Baked Squash Oats are delicious, easy, and just might be the fix for your dessert craving.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Brownie Baked Squash Oats
- Ready In: 60 minutes
- Serves: 8 servings
- Calories: 150 cal
- Protein: 12g
- Fat: 3g
- Carbs: 19g
- Why You'll Love It: These macro-friendly Brownie Baked Squash Oats are delicious, easy, and just might be the fix for your dessert craving (or a tasty breakfast/snack)!
About This Recipe
We are several batches in at my house and there’s no going back — these Brownie Baked Squash Oats are a new staple! They’ve become my favorite afternoon treat. And Sophia’s breakfast and dessert!
I don’t want to trick you, so I need to make my disclaimer. These are not brownies or cake. Brownies and cake need FATS— butter or oil etc. So don’t be expecting crispiness or chewiness or fudginess. All of that takes fat! This is it’s own thing. More of a firm square of chocolate oatmeal… made extra “macro-friendly” since it’s bulked up with squash, and I’m hooked!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Yellow summer squash or zucchini: Finely grated or riced in a food processor.
- Liquid egg whites: A great way to add extra protein to these oats!
- Old-fashioned oats: Rolled oats or old-fashioned oats are my preference for these baked oats. I love how hearty they are and make this more of a dense cake. You could also use quick oats but they will have a little lighter, fluffier, more cake-like texture. I do not recommend using steel-cut oats.
- Creamer: I love the Califia Farms almond milk creamer or you can just sub your favorite milk.
- Protein powder: Use your favorite chocolate protein powder. I’m LOVING the brownie batter by Clean Simple Eats (Use Lillie for 10% off) or the chocolate protein powder by Active Stacks (Use Lillie for 10% off).
- Stevia: Liquid vanilla stevia or monkfruit. I prefer the liquid version as I think it blends best but any sweetener of choice works!
- Cocoa powder: I love to use jet black cocoa powder (use code Lillie10 for 10% off) to give these oats that really rich, dark chocolatey flavor but you can use any cocoa powder you love!
- Vanilla extract: Adds the perfect amount of sweetness!
- Baking powder: Make sure your baking powder is fresh (less than 3 months old).
- Chocolate chips: I love to use the mini chocolate chips so you get little pools of chocolate in every bite but regular chocolate chips also work.
How to Make Brownie Baked Squash Oats
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Wash and dry your squash and grate them finely. OR, you can use a food processor or salsa maker to “rice” them if you don’t like the strands. OR, use your food processor to get it smooth if you prefer no chunks. (This has become our favorite method.)
- In a large bowl, combine your riced squash (no need to drain), liquid egg whites, oats, creamer, protein powder, stevia, cocoa powder, vanilla, and baking powder. Mix well and pour into a greased 9×9 pan. (**edited from 9×13 because thicker is better!) Sprinkle the top with 2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips and bake for 35-40 minutes or until set. The bottoms will be wet but that’s ok! It gets better as it sits in the fridge. And the cook time does seem to vary a bit with your protein powder. Keep an eye on them!
- Let them cool before cutting into 8 pieces. I love mine chilled, then served in a bowl with cashew milk, a few tablespoons of almond milk Reddi Whip, chopped strawberries, and a few more mini chocolate chips! OR, just some reddi whip, a little drizzle of natural peanut butter, and a pinch of flake salt. We also love them with yogurt and fruit. A perfect breakfast, afternoon snack, or healthy dessert.
- Make sure to store in the refrigerator and enjoy!
How to Serve Your Brownie Baked Squash Oats
They smell like heaven coming out of the oven. BUT, I much prefer my brownie oats chilled in the fridge, then served in a bowl with cashew milk, a few tablespoons of almond milk reddi whip, chopped strawberries, and a few more mini chocolate chips!
I think pouring milk on top weirds some of you out and THAT’S cool. But I grew up eating cake in a bowl with milk poured on top. SO maybe it’s nostalgic, or maybe I’m just letting you in on the best kept secret, arming you with the tools to maximize your baked brownie oat enjoyment. I’ll let you decide.
We also love them with yogurt and fruit. And that’s normal. Or a peanut butter drizzle. A perfect breakfast, afternoon snack, or healthy dessert. You can’t go wrong!
For More Delicious Recipes
- Apple Crisp Yogurt and Cottage Cheese Bowl
- Dark Chocolate Protein Waffles
- Double Chocolate Mighty Muffin Yogurt Bowl
- Extra Light High-Protein Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Bars
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Brownie Baked Squash Oats
These macro-friendly Brownie Baked Squash Oats are delicious, easy, and just might be the fix for your dessert craving (or a tasty breakfast/snack)!
Ingredients
- 2 yellow summer squash or zucchini finely grated, riced, or processed in food processor until mostly smooth* (520 g)
- 1 cup liquid egg whites 240 g
- 1 ⅓ cup old fashioned oats 120 g
- ¼ cup Califia Farms almond milk creamer 60 g (or just sub your favorite milk)
- 2 scoops chocolate protein powder** 64 g- I’m LOVING the brownie batter by CSE
- 1 Tbsp liquid vanilla stevia or monkfruit 15 g***
- ¼ cup jet black cocoa powder 20 g
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips 28 g
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Wash and dry your squash and grate them finely. OR, you can use a food processor or salsa maker to “rice” them if you don’t like the strands. OR, use your food processor to get it smooth if you prefer no chunks. (This has become our favorite method.)
- In a large bowl, combine your riced squash (no need to drain), liquid egg whites, oats, creamer, protein powder, stevia, cocoa powder, vanilla, and baking powder. Mix well and pour into a greased 9×9 pan. (**edited from 9×13 because thicker is better!) Sprinkle the top with 2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips and bake for 35-40 minutes or until set. The bottoms will be wet but that's ok! It gets better as it sits in the fridge. And the cook time does seem to vary a bit with your protein powder. Keep an eye on them!
- Let them cool before cutting into 8 pieces. I love mine chilled, then served in a bowl with cashew milk, a few tablespoons of almond milk Reddi Whip, chopped strawberries, and a few more mini chocolate chips! OR, just some reddi whip, a little drizzle of natural peanut butter, and a pinch of flake salt. We also love them with yogurt and fruit. A perfect breakfast, afternoon snack, or healthy dessert.
- Make sure to store in the refrigerator and enjoy!
Notes
* I’ve grated, riced using a salsa maker, or nearly pureed with my food processor. The food processor has become my favorite method! I process in batches to get through lots of zucchini and even freeze a bag for a later batch!
** Use whatever protein you’ve got on hand! I use my favorites which are the grass-fed whey brownie batter by Clean Simple Eats and the chocolate beef protein by Active Stacks. They both turn out great! I do have affiliate codes for both if you choose to purchase. You can use Lillie to save 10%.
***I used a stevia/monk fruit combo when I first made these. Now I rarely use any sweetener at all. Use your favorite sweetener, and just enough that the batter tastes good to you! Your favorite sugar-free syrup works too. Or of course sugar, honey, or maple syrup if you don’t mind the extra carbs. Too much plain stevia can leave a weird, bitter aftertaste so be aware of that. They don’t taste very sweet out of the oven, but later out of the fridge, with just a few toppings, they transform into something wonderful!
I don’t want to trick you, so I need to make my disclaimer. These are not brownies or cake. Brownies and cake need FATS— butter or oil etc. So don’t be expecting crispiness or chewiness or fudginess. All of that takes fat! These are baked oats, made extra “macro-friendly” since it’s bulked up with squash, and I’m hooked!
We love them so much, we ALWAYS double and bake for about 50 minutes in my favorite huge lasagna pan from Crate and Barrel (affiliate link.) Feel free to half the recipe and bake in an 8 x 8 for just about 20 minutes. They will be thinner. Or quarter the recipe and give it a try in the microwave to get the idea and see if you like them! Microwave for a minute, stir and microwave for one more minute or until set. I still prefer to pop the bowl in the fridge and eat it later, but feel free to top it warm!
MFP Lillie Eats and Tells Brownie Baked Squash Oats
Nutrition
Serving: 128gCalories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 12gFat: 3gFiber: 3.4g
Tried this recipe?
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Absolutely obsessed with this recipe. I’ve been making it every week for over a month now. Such a brilliant idea!
These are so delicious! They have become a new favorite in our home! I first grated my zucchini then decided to pulse it- the amount reduced by half so I pulsed more to get 3 cups and it took longer to bake- did I do it properly?
We will definitely fix these again and again! Please let me know if I did it right?
Delicious! I used unsweetened coconut milk as my milk of choice in the recipe. It made the bars dense and more brownie-like. I’m always having a hard time hitting my fats, so o don’t mind the added fat content of the coconut milk versus other milks.
These will become a regular staple in my house. Feels like I’m cheating 😄
Love this recipe! I’ve made it twice now and its the perfect option to satisfy my sweet tooth while still feeling light and fresh. I’m excited to try the other flavors!
I had run out of egg whites so I used 3/4 cup of non fat greek yogurt instead. Worked great! Love this recipe for a healthy snack.
I crave this recipe! I don’t care for it all plain but when you eat it chilled with strawberries and a bit of whipped cream (the Reddi-Wip Coconut) it comes alive and I LOVE it! Thanks for sharing your talent (and recipes)!
LOVE THESE! I’m not usually a person who substitutes ingredients but I really didn’t want to figure out the squash so I bought frozen cauliflower rice and substituted it. I kept everything else the same. They turned out amazing!!! I love that they have great macros too!
I love these. I must have them in the freezer at all times. I cut them into eight pieces, seal in tin foil, and freeze. Put in the microwave about 30 seconds and have with frozen fruit and lactaid-free cottage cheese, little nut butter of choice, little almond/coconut milk. One of my new absolute favorite breakfasts. So quick and easy to make, And delicous!
When I made my first batch I wasn’t sure how I felt about them, definitely not a brownie. They have really grown on me though. Making my 3rd batch today. Love it cold topped with a drizzle of PB, whipped cream and a few berries!
Umm these are amazing?!?!? I was a little apprehensive about them but gosh they are so good! I loved them cold with whipped cream & berries! I’m recommending these to everyone now!
This recipe is LIFE. I literally make it every week. Absolutely fabulous. Especially with some yummy toppings.
This recipe is so good, I didn’t add any sweetener and it was perfect. Warmed and topped with non fat Greek yogurt for breakfast.
These are amazing heated and drizzled with vanilla almond butter. Thank you!
I appreciated the disclosure….it’s not brownies. Agree, they are not but I did really enjoy them. It helps if you got a sweet tooth and need something after dinner. I added some blueberries and a bit of whipped cream. This will be on my rotation!!
Looking for something just like this… few questions: do you think butternut squash would work? Also, have to be dairy free, would hemp protein powder work, would you up your cocoa in that case?