This gluten-free and vegan Persimmon Baked Oatmeal presents all the yumminess of oatmeal in a conveniently sliceable and reheatable format.
It’s persimmon season! Not only do I love the look of these little orange beauties, but I also think they taste great! Two varieties are commonly available commercially. Hachiya persimmons are longer, more acorn-shaped, whereas fuyu persimmons are more squat. They’re both delicious and sweet but the hachiya variety is very astringent and must ripen to softness before it can be eaten, whereas the fuyu can be eaten while still firm. This is not the case with all persimmons, though, as I had some last year in Italy that looked like large hachiya persimmons but they were as hard as an apple and super sweet. It could have been a different variety?
I bought a large 24-count box of fuyu persimmons the other day and other than eating a few every day, I started thinking about recipes to make with them. So I whipped this up using a general method I’ve followed before when making baked oatmeal. For those who’ve never made it, baked oatmeal is simply oats and whatever sweetener, spices, or fruits you like baked in a dish until it is firm and set. After it cools, it can be sliced into squares and served as is or with some warm nondairy milk and extra spices. It keeps for a few days in the refrigerator and can be reheated before serving.
- 2 cups rolled oats (half of them processed to a finer texture, see directions below)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups nondairy milk
- 2½ Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1½ cups diced persimmons (around 3 fuyu persimmons)
- Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly grease an 8x8 inch pan.
- Put 1 cup of the oats into a food processor and pulse about 10-12 times until the oats are broken up. (You can skip this step by using the same amount of instant oats.) In a bowl, combine these processed oats with the remaining rolled oats and add the cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder.
- Add in the nondairy milk, maple syrup, coconut oil and chopped persimmons. Stir until well combined then pour the mix into the greased pan. If you like, you can garnish the top with a few slices of persimmon like I did in the photos.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top and sides take on a little golden color. Remove from oven and cool before slicing. Serve with a little splash of hot nondairy milk, a drizzle of maple syrup, and maybe a sprinkle of toasted nuts.
