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}
Video
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.
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.
Loved them!
Yay! Glad they were a hit!
Fabulous recipe! My boys love these!
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed these muffins! Thanks so much for the feedback :)
I make this recipe every couple of weeks. It’s super simple, and I love that it’s all whole-food ingredients. I pop my three different flavours into the freezer, and take two out at night to defrost for a quick and easy breakfast when I need it. Thanks for this epic recipe! It’s become a staple in my home!
That’s amazing — so happy you’ve been enjoying them!! They definitely come in handy for a quick grab and go breakfast! Thanks so much for returning to share your feedback on the recipe :)
These are excellent. My son doesn’t like oatmeal but he will eat these no problem, thanks for the great recipe!
My pleasure! Glad you found a new way for him to enjoy oatmeal! Thanks for stopping by to leave a review :)
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe. A good apple cinnamon breakfast muffin is crucial for this time of year. Just wanted to tell you thought that your social media icons on the left side of the screen block your text. Moving them to the right might be better for your readers. Thank you again!
My pleasure — totally agree about that apple cinnamon combo! Thanks for bringing the social media icons to my attention. I’m going to be getting a site redesign in the next couple of weeks, so I will be sure to get that fixed! I apologize if the icons made it difficult to read the post/recipe!
Hi Elysia, I baked the muffin this morning. I used the ingredients I have at home. Used 3/4 cup soy milk and 1/4 cup honey. The muffins were perfect. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed them Jasmine! Thanks so much for the feedback :)
Should these be stored in the fridge?
Yes, I would recommend storing them in the fridge for up to a week. Beyond that, I would recommend freezing them. Hope that helps!
Are the nutrition facts per serving or for 12 muffins?
It’s per serving. The recipe makes 12 muffins, so the nutritional values are calculated for one muffin. Hope that helps!
Do you have the recipe in grams?
Thanks :)
Unfortunately I don’t have it in grams at this time. Sorry about that!
What can be used instead of
The eggs?
You can try subbing in a flax or chia egg and see how that works! To make a flax egg, mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal or chia seeds with three tablespoons of water. Mix together, and let it sit in your fridge for 15 minutes to thicken and then incorporate into the oatmeal mixture. I haven’t tried it myself, but it’s worth a shot if you can’t do eggs. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the recipe!! Its absolutely amazing!! Plus my 4 year old loved making with me:)
Oh I’m so happy to hear that! It’s so much more fun when you have a little helper :) Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Hello, this recipe looks so easy and delicious! Would be great for breakfast!
A quick doubt, can I substitute instant oats for rolled oats? Or make oat flour using instant oats?
Thanks so much Raihana! Yes you can sub in instant oats for the rolled oats. The cups might just have a slightly less chewy texture, but I’m sure they’d still taste great! Hope you enjoy :)
Can quick oats be used instead of rolled oats? (I’m new to the world of oats, lol)
Yes, quick oats should work just fine! Keep me posted on how they turn out if you try them out! :)
Should the bananas be yellow or brown?
I always prefer the brown spotty ones for recipes like these since riper bananas are usually sweeter, but it’s totally a personal preference!
How many calories per muffin?
Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to calculate the nutritional information for each of the individual flavours. If you’d like to get this information, you can always plug the ingredients into a program like myfitnesspal to get an estimate for the calories per muffin for each of the flavours.
These are not vegetarian they contain eggs. Am I missing the substitute?
A vegetarian diet can still contain eggs, especially if following a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. Perhaps you’re thinking of a vegan diet? A vegan diet is strictly plant-based.
Good to know that works too! I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.