This no bake chocolate oatmeal cake is an easy dessert to make and something a little different from your typical cake. It’s just 3 ingredients and doesn’t require any flour, eggs, or oil. The batter takes only about 5 minutes to prepare. The cake comes out soft and chocolatey with lots of oats mixed in.
This oatmeal cake is a fun dessert. It’s not too sweet and it’s a unique way to use up oats. I’ve also made a banana oatmeal cake that similar, but if you enjoy oats and chocolate, I definitely recommend giving this a try.
Ingredients
- Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
- Milk
- Quick Oats
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: I use semi-sweet chocolate chips to make this recipe. I don’t recommend using bittersweet chocolate because your cake will not be sweet enough. The cake is not overly sweet and the only sweetness comes from the chocolate. If you want an even sweeter cake you can use milk chocolate. You can use chopped chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips, just make sure to weigh your chocolate so you have the right amount.
Milk: I used low fat milk but any milk can work. You can use whole milk, skim milk or milk substitutes like soy milk or almond milk.
Quick Oats: If you only have whole rolled oats, I recommend pulsing them in a food processor a few times to break them down into smaller pieces. I chose quick oats for this cake because I think that the smaller pieces of quick oats worked better for a cake-like dessert. They are evenly distributed and not too chewy.
No Bake Oatmeal Cake Texture
This is not your typical fluffy flour-based cake. This is a no bake oatmeal cake. When the chocolate is combined with the milk, it prevents the chocolate from solidifying so it stays soft (like a ganache texture). The cake is a mix of soft chocolate and oats. The cake will feel quite firm when you’re cutting it, but it should be easy to chew and eat.
More No Bake Desserts
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- 2 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Cake
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Breakfast Brownies
- 2 Ingredient Chocolate Banana Cake
3 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (259 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup (6 oz) low fat milk
- 1 3/4 cup (150 g) quick oats
Instructions
- Spray the interior of a 6 inch springform pan. Line it with parchment paper (both bottom and inner sides. I used a pre-cut round piece for the bottom and then cut strips of parchment for the sides.)
- Add chocolate and milk to a large microwave-safe mixing bowl. Heat at 1 minute intervals, whisking in between, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. (I needed 2 minutes total). Alternatively, you can melt the milk and chocolate on the stove, using the double boiler method, but it will take a little longer.
- Stir in oats until they are evenly combined and fully coated in the chocolate mixture. Your batter will be thick.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Use spatula to smooth surface and make sure the batter is evenly distributed across the cake pan.
- Place cake into freezer for 30-60 minutes or until firm and set. Remove cake and let it come to room temperature before cutting and serving. Cake needs to come to room temperature before serving, otherwise the chocolate will be too firm. Uneaten cake can be stored in an airtight containe at room temperature for 1-2 days and longer in the fridge.
Notes
- This cake is best made in a springform pan lined with parchment paper. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to remove. I used this 6-inch springform pan.*
- You can use a bigger pan but your cake will not be as tall.
- If you have questions regarding ingredient substitutions, please see the Ingredients section of the post for more details.
- This cake is sweet but not super sweet. For a sweeter cake, you can use milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate. I don't recommend bittersweet chocolate because your cake will not be sweet enough.
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
It’s so delicious this kind of cake.
I recommended a hundred percent for anyone who wants a good dessert.
Thanks for letting me know and taste.
Thank you for your nice review and recipe rating!
These are excellent. My grandkids love them so do their parents.
We’re so glad to hear that!
Stunning
Thank you!
I haven’t had time to prepare any of your delicious recipes yet,but iam gonna give them a try thankyou very much lady iam diabetic so i have to watch the sugar try to its hard ? have a great day always. Richard in Oklahoma
We hope you try it soon!
Very easy to make and taste delicious. Came to around 1/2in tall and I followed the recipe as shown. Initially had it in a 9 in pie plate but didn’t want to put glass in freezer so picked it up as it was on parchment and put it inside a stove top cover tin. Nice texture, not overly chewy. Used original unsweetened almond milk & Glicks real semi-sweet dark chocolate chips (the only bag left on the shelf)Topped it with some chia seeds. Ate it topped with Dairy free coconut whipped cream!! Next time I’m thinking with oats, pepitas, chia, or other seeds & nuts to make it more like bars. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Looking forward to trying some of the others.
We’re glad you enjoyed it!
I have high cholesterol so avoiding chocolate. What shall I add to 1.5 cups cocoa powder to give the creamy texture? 1 tablespoon Cocoa instant pudding powder?
We don’t think instant pudding mix would work well in this recipe. You also don’t want to use that much cocoa powder. If you can’t have chocolate, you might like our Banana Oatmeal Cake.
Can 55% dark chocolate chips be used?
We don’t recommend bittersweet chocolate, but that percent you shared is around the same as semisweet so it should be okay.
Can I substitute steel cut oats?
We recommend breaking them down in a food processor first. If you use them as-is, your cake will be really chewy.
Can I make these as individual, bite-sized pieces by scooping the batter into lined mini muffin cups? This looks like a good gluten free dessert and I’d love to make it for the Superbowl!
We think that would work!
No video ma
..I prefer chocolate desserts without eggs, flour and baking.
This dessert turned out great for me, it’s a little harder, but I don’t mind / maybe I should have kept it at room temperature longer / or there was more chocolate !?
Anyway, the dessert is great!
Bravo Kirbie!
You can try letting it sit at room temp a bit longer to make sure it softens. Or maybe use a tad less chocolate next time. But I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This was so easy and came out terrific! Almost like a fudgy consistency. Looking forward to making it again, thank you!
I’m so glad you liked it!
Love the idea of no bake recipes.
Looking forward to more.
Thanks so much – We love no bake recipes, too!
Great recipes. Thank you.
Loved the recipe because it looked healthy
Give it a try and let us know what you think!
yummy
Love to cook but lazy to prepare cooking ingredients. But for this recipe, it is too easy and simple. Thanks a lot
We’re so glad you love the recipe!
Can I use coconut in the recipe with or without the oats for the 3 ingredient no bake chocolate oatmeal cake?
We haven’t tried using coconut – it might work to add some to the cake, but don’t use coconut in place of the oats. The oats are needed for the right texture.
I made this with Lily’s Semi-sweet chips and unsweetened vanilla almond milk to bring the calories down a bit – and it was delicious!! Definitely bring it to room temp before eating. I used an 8” spring form pan so it’s a little flatter, but that didn’t stop us from eating it! Excellent with zero-sugar whipped cream, berry coulis, a scoop of mint chip (lite) ice cream, or by itself!!
I’m so glad it worked out well for you using Lily’s semi-sweet chocolate.
The recipe turned out terrific and very tasteful. Thank you for posting it. I will follow you in the upcoming recipes and hope for great scriptious desserts.
I’m glad you enjoyed it
Could I possibly make this is a large sheet pan to make squares?
yes that should be fine
Great highly recommended
Thanks for your nice review!
Yes im interested to learn all of this
Super excited to try out these recipes. Thank you. God bless
We hope you enjoy the cake!
Definitely going to be making this. My entire family loves no bake cookies so this should be excellent
Let us know what they think!
Very good recipes…love bo bake recipes
So glad you’re enjoying them!
Will try this next week
We hope you love it!
This sounds so good, I’ll hopefully make it later today! It sounds very similar to the no bake cookies, except in cake form. I’m wondering how Peanut butter added in it would work? Any ideas on how much maybe to add to keep with consistency and texture?
Yes it is similar to the cookies, though with milk instead of puree to make it more like a cake. I think peanut butter would be a great addition, but not sure how much without testing it out.
Haven’t tried the cake but we love the no bake cookies
I’m glad you like the cookies. Hope you enjoy this one too!
GREAT
I’m glad you enjoyed!
can’t wait to make it. thanks
I hope you enjoy!