These chocolate tofu baked oats is my most revolutionary creation: high protein breakfast that will keep you fuller for longer.
This recipe uses regular firm tofu blended with oats, medjool dates, soy milk, cacao, and a little coffee for that richness. The result is much closer to a denser breakfast brownie: chocolatey, filling, high in protein, and made without any protein powder.
I also add chocolate chips on top and a simple chocolate yogurt frosting to contrast the brownie. The frosting is completely optional, but I highly recommend it!
If you want high protein baked oats without protein powder, but prefer something rich and chocolatey rather than creamy and cheesecake-like, this is the version I’d make.
Most brownie baked oats get their protein from protein powder, eggs, or a combination of both. This version uses firm tofu, soy milk, and oats instead.
Brownie baked oatmeal is already a popular meal-prep breakfast format, but using tofu lets us increase the satiety and it somehow makes the texture so satisfying to bite into!
These baked oats are:
And because everything goes into the blender, you don’t get pieces of tofu in your baked oats.
I have another baked oats recipe made with silken tofu, but the two recipes have quite different textures.
Silken tofu baked oats are softer, creamier, and almost cheesecake-like once chilled.
These firm tofu baked oats are denser and more substantial. Once you add cacao, dates, chocolate chips, and coffee, the texture works really well for a brownie-style baked oatmeal.
Firm tofu also generally contains less water than silken tofu, so you need more liquid to get the batter moving in the blender.
So, if you want something creamy and vanilla-y, make the silken tofu version, and if you want chocolate breakfast brownie energy, make this one.
This recipe makes 4 servings in an 8 x 8-inch / 20 x 20 cm baking dish.
Use regular firm tofu rather than silken tofu.
You don’t need to press it aggressively. Just drain off the liquid before adding it to the blender.
Firm tofu gives these baked oats their dense texture while contributing a good amount of protein.
Regular old-fashioned rolled oats work well.
Unlike my silken tofu baked oats, everything gets blended in this recipe. That is what helps create the smoother, brownie-like texture.
Start with 300 ml / 1 1/4 cups.
If your blender is struggling or the batter looks more like dough than brownie batter, add a little more! Different tofu brands contain different amounts of water, so treat the milk measurement as a range. I recommend soy milk because it also contributes protein.
Make sure to soak them in hot water! They add natural sweetness, and help give the baked oats a fudgy consistency.
You can use unsweetened cacao powder or cocoa powder. Cacao is quite bitter on its own, so taste the batter and adjust your sweetener if needed.
Either works! The seeds help bind the mixture and also add some fiber and healthy fats.
Chocolate recipes still benefit from vanilla as it rounds out the cacao flavor.
A little salt makes chocolate taste SO much better, so I wouldn’t skip this one!
This is optional and depends on your dates and how sweet you like your breakfast.
For my more everyday breakfast version, I use less and for the more dessert-like version, use the full two tablespoons.
Coffee makes the chocolate flavor taste deeper without making the final recipe taste strongly like coffee. If using a shot of espresso, you may need slightly less soy milk. You can leave it out if you don’t like/want coffee.
No explanations here. It is the soul of the recipe!
Not much, assuming you blend it properly!
Firm tofu has a slightly stronger flavor than silken tofu, which is one reason this recipe uses plenty of cacao, vanilla, dates, salt, and coffee.
Chocolate is particularly good at covering the mild soybean flavor of tofu. Tofu is also increasingly used in high-protein chocolate recipes specifically because, once blended, it adds body and protein without dominating the flavor.
If your tofu has a particularly strong flavor straight from the package, you may notice it slightly more. In that case, boil the tofu in water to get it out and then once it cools down, use it.
Using ripe dates and enough sweetener also helps a lot!
You absolutely do not need frosting for breakfast. But you also absolutely can have frosting for breakfast!
For a simple chocolate topping, mix:
Mix until smooth, and taste it before spreading it on the baked oats. Add maple syrup, a zero-calorie sweetener, or whatever sweetener you normally use until it tastes right to you!
I recommend adding the frosting after the baked oats have cooled. For an even thicker frosting, refrigerate it before spreading!
Your easiest option is simply to start with a higher-protein soy yogurt (you can find greek-style ones at the grocery stores).
You can also mix in:
If you add protein powder to the frosting, you may need a splash of water to loosen it.
The baked oats themselves don’t require protein powder, so you can choose whether you want to add any to the topping.
This depends heavily on your tofu brand! Firm tofu can vary quite dramatically in calories and protein depending on how much water it contains.
Using a typical firm tofu, rolled oats, and a protein-rich soy milk, this recipe should provide approximately 22 to 24 g protein per serving when divided into four.
That is without protein powder.
The main protein sources are:
If your tofu contains around 11 to 15 g protein per 100 g, your final protein number may be even higher.
If you want to reduce the calories slightly without changing the recipe completely:
I would personally keep at least some chocolate chips.
Cacao gives you chocolate flavor, but the chocolate chips make the finished bake taste much more like an actual brownie.
Use a higher-protein firm tofu: Compare packages when you shop! Some tofu contains considerably more protein per 100 g than others because it has less water.
Use soy milk: Soy milk normally contains considerably more protein than almond, rice, or many oat milks.
Add powdered peanut butter: Chocolate and peanut butter work very well together. Blend 2 to 4 tablespoons powdered peanut butter into the batter. You may need a little extra soy milk.
Add hemp hearts: Replace a small portion of the oats with hemp hearts or sprinkle them over the finished bake.
Add protein powder if you want: The whole point of this recipe is that you don’t need it.
But if you want to push the protein higher, add one scoop of chocolate or vanilla protein powder and increase the soy milk as needed.
You can serve these warm or cold!
For a warm version:
Let them cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes after baking.
Serve with:
Warm, the center will be softer and more pudding-like.
For a cold version:
This is probably my favorite texture.
After a few hours in the refrigerator, the bake becomes much firmer and fudgier.
Add the chocolate yogurt frosting once completely cold and you basically have a ready-to-go chocolate breakfast for the next few days.
Once completely cool, store the baked oats in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can refrigerate the whole baking dish or cut it into four portions first.
If using the yogurt frosting, I prefer storing it separately and adding it when serving, although you can also frost the cooled bake and refrigerate it together.
Yes! Cut the cooled bake into individual portions and store them in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between the pieces. Freeze for up to 2 months for the best texture. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator..
Microwave one portion until just warm. If the oats seem a little dry after several days in the refrigerator, add a small splash of soy milk before reheating. You can also reheat them in an air fryer or oven, but keep the temperature relatively low and avoid heating for too long.
If you’ve added the soy yogurt frosting, I would either eat the baked oats cold or remove the frosting before heating.
You can, but I would use my silken tofu baked oats recipe instead.
Silken tofu contains more water and produces a softer, creamier result, so simply swapping it gram for gram will change the texture.
The tofu flavor is mild once blended with cacao, dates, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, and sweetener.
Possibly, but you would need to replace the date’s sweetness, moisture, and binding properties.
Applesauce plus additional sweetener would be one option, but I haven’t designed this version around that substitution..
Yes! Use certified gluten-free rolled oats if needed.
Yes. The recipe will still work. It will simply taste more like cacao baked oats and less like a brownie, which is a risk I personally refuse to take.
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