Healthy oatmeal muffins are the ultimate make-ahead breakfast option and are ready in just over 30 minutes! This must-try recipe is naturally gluten-free, sweetened with maple syrup, and loaded with whole grains to keep you full for hours. I’m sharing 4 of my favorite flavor variations so you can keep your breakfast-on-the-go exciting! {Gluten-free, dairy-free & vegetarian}
Healthy Muffins with Oatmeal – 4 Different Ways
In our house, we’re always experimenting with new ways to work with oatmeal. Oats are so nutritious, satisfying, and inexpensive that we tend to use them pretty much every day.
Not surprisingly, one of the most popular recipes on the blog to date has been this Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal. Due to its popularity, I wanted to come up with more baked oatmeal flavors, BUT also wanted to create a version that could easily be taken on the go. Because as we all know, life is BUSY.
So this time around, we made some totally portable healthy oatmeal muffins and customized the cups with four unique flavor combinations.
- Blueberry Almond
- Strawberry Coconut
- Chocolate Banana
- Apple Cinnamon
The basic banana oatmeal muffin is the perfect vehicle for different fruits and flavors. It makes it easy to change it up so you’ll never get tired of eating the same old thing.
For more healthy muffin recipes, be sure to check out these Banana Protein Muffins and Kodiak Cakes Blueberry Muffins!
Why We Love This Oatmeal Muffin Recipe
- Makes a batch of one dozen
- So stinkin’ simple to make
- Naturally gluten-free
- Great for a healthy breakfast on the go
- Formulated by a Registered Dietitian to be nutritionally balanced for the whole family
- No fancy or expensive ingredients
- Packed with soluble fiber to keep you full for hours
- Contains essential vitamins and minerals
- Made with no refined sugar
- Completely customizable (scroll to the recipe card below for my 4 favorite flavor variations)
Key Ingredients
- Old-fashioned rolled oats: Traditional rolled oats are best to use for this recipe since they provide a chewier texture. You can sub in quick oats if desired, however the texture won’t be quite as chewy. If you require a gluten-free option, be sure to use GF certified oats.
- Oat flour: Helps make these muffins more “muffin-like.” You can purchase pre-made oat flour at the store or blend up oats in the blender until a flour-like consistency is achieved.
- Milk: I used almond milk but you can easily sub in your milk of choice. Look for a variety with no added sugar. We like unsweetened almond milk.
- Over ripe bananas: Help to naturally sweeten the muffins and add some extra moisture. Pro Tip: Keep a stash of overripe bananas in your freezer for easy baking.
- Seasonings: You just need a little cinnamon and salt.
- Baking Powder: To help the muffins rise and become light & fluffy.
- Eggs: Used to bind the ingredients together. Feel free to use chia or flax eggs.
- Pure maple syrup and vanilla extract: Along with the banana, these sweeten and flavor the muffins. You can use honey in the place of the maple syrup if you prefer. Always be sure to use pure maple syrup, not the flavored corn syrup version people often use for pancakes.
- Add-ins: You can have lots of fun with the add-ins and toppings for these muffins. We used blueberries and almonds; strawberries and coconut; banana and chocolate chips; and apples and cinnamon, but you feel free to experiment with different options like the ones listed below!
How to Make Healthy Oatmeal Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Line a muffin tin with silicon muffin liners or generously spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray to prevent the cups from sticking.
- Add the dry ingredients including the oatmeal, ground oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt to a large bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mash the banana, and then add the eggs, maple syrup, milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- With a spoon, add muffin batter to each of the muffin cups, filling each close to the top. Add desired toppings to the top of each cup. You may wish to press the toppings into the muffin slightly to get some of the ingredients closer to the center.
- Bake for 20-23 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow muffins to cool completely on a wire rack before removing from muffin tin.
Tips for the Best Oatmeal Muffins
- Allow muffins to cool: I recommend allowing the oatmeal muffins to cool for at least 15-20 minutes as they will firm up during this time, making it easier to remove them from the pan.
- For easier removal from the muffin tin: I recommend baking these muffins in silicone baking cups.
- Make a double batch: It’s highly recommended that you make up a double batch of these muffins and freeze them. They make a great grab and go breakfast or snack!
- Get creative: Feel free to play around with additional toppings and add-ins. You can either make the four different flavors as listed, make all the same flavor or get creative and explore some different toppings! They’re totally customizable.
- Make mini muffins: Scoop the batter into mini muffin cups for a bite-sized snack. Be sure to reduce the baking time to avoid overcooking them!
How to Store
Refrigerator: These oat breakfast muffins can be stored in an airtight container or large Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to a week.
Generally, I recommend taking out what you think you’ll need for the week to store in the fridge and then popping the rest in the freezer. That way they’ll stay fresh and can be reserved for later use!
Freezer: You can freeze these muffins for up to three months. I find the easiest way to store them is in a single layer in a freezer-friendly container or in a Ziploc bag. If you do choose to stack them, you may wish to separate them with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together. To defrost: Place in the fridge overnight to allow them to thaw. If you forget this step, you can still reheat from frozen either in the oven or microwave.
How To Reheat Oat Muffins
There are a couple of ways that you can reheat these oatmeal muffins. Generally, for convenience, I just pop them in the microwave but you can also place them in an oven or toaster oven.
Oven or toaster oven method: Remove the muffins from the liners and cut in half. Heat on low (250-300°F) for about 5 minutes or so until heated through.
Microwave method: Remove oatmeal muffin from liner and wrap in a paper towel. Microwave until heated through, about 30-60 seconds.
If reheating from frozen, you can thaw the frozen cups by transferring them from the freezer to the fridge the night before or heat the oat cups directly from frozen. Just wrap the frozen cup in a paper towel and heat in 30 seconds increments in the microwave until warm throughout. It should only take about 1-2 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
The consistency of these cups is not like your typical light and fluffy muffin. They have a much more dense and chewy texture thanks to the rolled oats. They are supposed to be the same texture as baked oatmeal, except in muffin form for portability and convenience! The different topping options provide a different flavor for each cup so you’ll never get bored!
The main difference is the way in which they’re processed. Old fashioned oats (also known as rolled oats), are oat groats that have been steamed and flattened.
Quick oats or quick-cooking oats are rolled oats that go through further processing. They’re partially cooked by steaming and then rolled even thinner than rolled oats. This process helps to decrease cooking time which is why they’re called quick oats.
There aren’t any major nutritional differences between the two types of oats. All forms of oats are 100% whole grain, a good source of fiber and have the similar nutritional values per serving.
Nope! Did you know that you can almost always replace mashed overripe bananas with equal portions of unsweetened applesauce or even pumpkin puree? This makes it so simple to change out the flavor as needed, especially if you’re not a big fan of bananas.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve these banana oatmeal muffins as is for a quick and easy snack. My boys really enjoy these as after school snacks but they’re nutritious enough to offer for easy breakfasts, too! To make a complete meal, try serving them with these options:
- Banana Smoothie without Yogurt
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie with Yogurt
- Spinach Zucchini Frittata Fingers
- Mini Egg Bites
- Fruit salad with Yogurt Fruit Dip
- Homemade Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt
Other Ideas for Muffin Add-Ins and Toppings
If you want to switch it up and try something new, you could also try out different flavors, like:
- Mango or pineapple and coconut
- Raspberry and chocolate chips
- Peaches and pecans
- Peanut butter and banana
- Apple and pecans
Or try out your own favorite combos!
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Healthy Oatmeal Muffins Recipe {4 Different Ways}
Ingredients
- 2 large bananas mashed
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or sub in preferred milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients:
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup ground oat flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional Toppings:
Blueberry Almond*
- Blueberries
- Sliced almonds
Strawberry Coconut*
- Diced strawberries
- Unsweetened coconut flakes
Chocolate Banana*
- Banana Slices
- Chocolate Chips
Apple Cinnamon*
- Diced apple
- Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with silicone muffin cups or generously spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mash banana, Add in eggs, maple syrup, milk and vanilla. Mix to combine. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
- With a spoon, add batter to each muffin cup, filling each to close to the top. Add desired toppings to the top of each cup, pressing into the cup slightly to get some of the ingredients into the center of the muffins.
- Bake for 20-23 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing from muffin tin.
Video
Notes
- Use overripe bananas for best results. They are naturally sweeter and lend a better flavor to these muffins. Plus, they’re easier to mash!
- I recommend allowing the oatmeal muffins to cool for at least 15-20 minutes as they will firm up during this time, making it easier to remove them from the pan.
- For even easier removal from the muffin tin, I recommend baking these muffins in silicone baking cups.
- It’s highly recommended that you make up a double batch of these muffins and freeze them. They make a great grab and go breakfast or snack!
- Feel free to play around with additional toppings and add-ins. You can either make the four different flavours as listed, make all the same flavour or get creative and explore some different toppings! They’re totally customizable.
- You can either purchase oat flour or make it yourself. Simply place 1/2 cup oats in a blender and blend until oatmeal turns into a flour-like consistency.
- Oatmeal cups can be stored in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Nutritional information does not include toppings. To make cups as pictured in muffin tin, I used the following quantities which was enough for 3 muffins for each flavor:
- 2 tablespoons fresh blueberries
- 2 teaspoons sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons diced fresh strawberries
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened coconut flakes
- 3 banana slices
- 2 teaspoons mini chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons finely diced apples
- Pinch of cinnamon
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in April 2020 and the text was updated in January 2025.
What did you use to calculate the nutritional value for each muffin?
There is a calculator built into the recipe card that calculates the nutritional values. Hope that helps!
I have made these just yet but excited to try them for my daughter! She is allergic to eggs tho..do you have to use the eggs and if so, what could I substitute them for in this recipe??
You could try subbing in chia or flax eggs for the regular eggs. Hope that helps!
Hello
I made these before n they were delicious! I dont have bananas right now n want to make with unsweetened applesauce . How much applesauce equal two large bananas?
Thanks!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the muffins with the bananas! I would try 1 cup of applesauce instead of the two large bananas. Hope that helps!
I wanted to also add I substituted oat milk for almond milk and used sugar free maple syrup with gluten free oats.
I haven’t tried the muffins yet they just came out of the oven but thy look delicious and the house smells of warm cinnamon..mmm. The recipie was super easy and didn’t take a long time.
These look really delicious and healthy, can’t wait to try them. Could you perhaps give measurements in grams and ml also? It would make it a lot easier for those not living in America. Thanks a lot. (Some websites have the toggle to US and metric measurements that makes it so easy!)
I’ll definitely look into this – thanks for the suggestion! Hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it out :)
can you put all the wet ingredients in a food processor?
Sure, that should work fine!
I’m excited to try this recipe!! Can I sub applesauce for the banana?
Yes, that should work just fine! Hope you enjoy and keep me posted on how they turn out :)
These look so yummy. I was wanting to add peanut butter to the banana chocolate chip muffin-how much would I add to batter?
Yum, peanut butter in these muffins would be so good! I’m thinking maybe add 1/4 cup peanut butter and reduce the milk to 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup to prevent the muffins from being too moist. Keep me posted on how they turn out if you try it :)
Super yummy muffins! I followed the recipe and they turned out wonderful! I like the variety of choices with this recipe. :)
So happy you enjoyed the muffins and variety of flavors! Thanks for returning to leave a review!
Delish!
So happy you enjoyed them!