Make a healthy, hearty morning meal a total breeze with this freezer-friendly recipe for Baked Oatmeal Cups.
Goodbye 2017, hello 2018! Can you believe another year has come and gone? With so many ways to kick off January 1, I thought a healthy, make-ahead and freezer-friendly breakfast was in order. New Year’s resolutions, meet your morning match: Baked Oatmeal Cups!
Your classic bowl of oatmeal has been reimagined into a handheld baked breakfast with endless opportunities for customization. The base of this recipe uses mashed bananas for moisture, but you can easily swap in equal amounts of applesauce, pumpkin purée or any other fruit purée for the same effect.
Chopped nuts, dried fruit and even toasted coconut are also welcome additions in each cup before the muffin pan is popped into the oven. A few minutes later, Baked Oatmeal Cups emerge eager and ready for topping.
I’ve opted for fresh fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup, but feel free to pile on any preferred oatmeal toppings.
Not ready to dig in just yet? To freeze the muffins, let them cool completely then wrap each securely in plastic wrap and pop them into a sealable plastic bag. Then when you’re flying out the door or in need of a hearty pick-me-up, unwrap each muffin and microwave it for 1 minute. A healthy, filling and fiber-packed breakfast is now only 60 seconds away!
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Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup mashed banana (See Kelly's Notes)
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- Fruit, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a muffin tin generously with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and light brown sugar.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Divide the mixture among the muffin cups, filling them full.
- Bake the oatmeal cups for 25 to 30 minutes or until they are golden brown on top. Remove them from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
- Top the cooled oatmeal cups with your choice of fresh or dried fruit, chopped nuts, toasted coconut or maple syrup.
Kelly's Notes:
- You can replace the mashed banana with any other type of mashed fruit, such as applesauce or pumpkin purée.
- Any variety of milk works well, including all dairy versions (whole, reduced fat or nonfat), as well as almond milk or other dairy-free alternatives.
- To freeze the Baked Oatmeal Cups, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them in a sealable plastic bag. When ready to serve, remove them from the bag, unwrap the plastic wrap and heat them in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds until warmed through.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe adapted from The Kitchn.
Enjoyed this recipe I’ve gone through one batch and will be making another soon. I love the convenience of popping one out of the freezer and into the microwave for a quick bite.
I’m so glad that you enjoy the recipe, Kayla!
A batch of these are baking in my oven as I type this. It smells delicious. I added golden raisins to mine. This was super easy to make, and I look forward to eating them for breakfast this week. Thanks for the recipe!
YUM! I hope you enjoy the oatmeal cups, Sonja!
I rarely cook/bake. This is the only recipe I go back to time and time again. I often make them vegan by replacing the butter with applesauce, using non-dairy milk, and replacing the eggs with seltzer (1 large egg = 0.25 cups seltzer). I dislike banana, so I replace it with pumpkin puree. I also add chocolate (vegan or not), almonds, cranberries, etc to the batter.
Amazing! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
Hands down the pumpkin was my favorite. I added a half cup of chopped walnuts and a half cup of raisins. They were great!
YUM! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Barbara!
I’m trying to find more recipes using oatmeal. I have a great oatmeal cookie recipes, but I’m always looking for more. This recipes looks good. I tried another recipe and it was rubbery and some what flat tasting.
I hope you enjoy the recipe, Shirley! And if you’re interested, here’s a link to all of my recipes that have oats: https://www.justataste.com/recipes/?_recipe_ingredients=oats
Attempted to bake these and loved it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
You are so welcome, Nancy! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
I just found your website. Man, am I loving it! Thank you!
Welcome, Cathleen!
Quick and easy!
This has become a regular breakfast snack. I like how you can customize and experiment with it, but the original recipe is awesome too . Good in all ways, can’t find fault with it, and it’s healthy too!
Love reading this, Sophia! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
Great for my hubby and kids I’ve added cooked apples, peanut butter, coconut and most recently blueberries all with great success.
I’m so thrilled your family has been enjoying the recipe, Katherine!
We love these muffins for quick grab and go meals! I have made several different varieties by adding diced apples and apple pie spice, swapping the banana for pumpkin (and adding a few mini chocolate chips on top), adding diced pineapple, dried cranberries… The options are endless! I have never frozen any because they don’t last long enough!
Love reading this, Jes, and I love all of your different variations! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe :)
Kids home from Uni and everyone stuck at home. These have become the go to breakfast and snack food for the kids and me. So easy to make and strangely filling with a drink, just doubled the cinnamon but that’s personal taste.
another personal thing ! You’re an American site but the rest of the world weighs ingredients and uses centigrade. I have cup measures (40 years a chef) but they are a pain. When I worked in New Jersey I kicked the oven every day for not having centigrade. I have weighing scales in Scotland.
I’m so glad you and your family are enjoying the oatmeal cups, Neil! :)
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made this as a “less messy than actual oats” breakfast option for my 11 month old. I used ancient grains instead of oats, left out the sugar (don’t want baby to go into overdrive!!) and used lactose free milk. Baby loved them (and so did I).
I got 24 mini-muffins and 3 mommy-sized muffins out of it. I reduced the baking time for the mini-muffins, but they still turned out a bit drier than the larger muffins – will have to experiment a bit!
Yay! So thrilled you and your 11 month old enjoyed the recipe, Kerstin!
so excited to try this recipe as I do not like smoothies and needed variety for breakfast the most important meal
Enjoy!
These baked oatmeal muffins are delicious and filling! I tweaked the recipe, using lactose-free skim milk for regular milk to accommodate my intolerance for dairy. I also use egg whites only instead of whole eggs and replace the 2 T. of butter with 1/4 c. of apple sauce to reduce the overall fat, while retaining moisture in the muffin. I like the original, but love my rendition!
Great swaps, Kim! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
I am very eager to try this recipe. I am trying to come up with a morning snack for myself and my mom (she is diabetic). However, she does not like bananas. Can you recommend something to replace the banana? I’m assuming it’s for moisture? I will eliminate the sugar or replace it with a small amount of Stevia for her. Thanks in advance!
Applesauce or pumpkin would work great!
I have made these several times. I added craisins, coconut and chopped almonds into the batter before baking. They turned out delicious. I wrap them individually in plastic wrap and freeze. I grab one and it is ready to eat at work when I have my morning break.
I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Michelle!
I’m curious if this would work without the brown sugar. I’m on an almost sugar free diet & that matters to me. I understand it wouldn’t be as sweet but other than that is there a reason for it to be there?
Hi Sherry – That should work, however, the texture (and the taste, as you mentioned) might be slightly different. Looking forward to hearing your results!
Can you taste the banana?
Nope! Just acts a binder :)
are these more like muffins or stiff oatmeal?
These muffins are tender and moist!
For the Baked Oatmeal Cups, you can use the following substitution.
For 1 egg substitute, 1 Tbsp ground golden flax seed plus 3 Tbsp water.
This is from the package of Premium Gold Golden Omega Raw Organic Flaxseed True Cold-milled, that I use.
Thanks so much for the tip, Karen!
This recipe is the best. I used almond milk and then half rolled oats and half quick cooking steel cut oats. It definitely affects the texture. I microwave them with fruit and a bit of maple syrup.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Lindsay!
Great Breakfast option. Healthy and filling
Yes and yes! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Denise!
Hello. I made a batch of these last weekend and have been enjoying one every morning at work. It definitely satiates me, and they’re delicious!
I substituted 2 egg whites for the 2 eggs, and 1/4 c. natural applesauce (or lunch-pack size) for the unsalted butter because I was looking to reduce the fat. I used lactose-free skim milk because that’s my regular go-to, and they tasted great!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kim!
Hmm…I normally replace eggs with applesauce or mashed bananas in baking since I can’t eat eggs, but how might I modify this recipe to leave out the eggs? You have both mashed bananas/applesauce & eggs. If I replace the eggs with more fruit, would that be too much mashed fruit?? TIA.
Hi Angie! I’ve never tried this recipe for an egg substitute so I’m not sure if that would be too much fruit. You could try with both mashed apples and mashed bananas.
Can you use instant oats?
Hi Loren – I haven’t tried this recipe with instant oats as it will alter the texture and density of the oatmeal cups. Hope that helps!
I’ve tried a couple of variations of these, I put fruit in the mix before baking. Apple, cran-apple, and pumpkin chocolate chip have been great quick breakfast options!
Love those variations, Jes! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
Amazing
I was wondering if you could make this recipe without using any mashed fruit or puree and just putting fruit on afyerwards, yes no ?
Hi Morgan – I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure what the resulting taste/texture would be like. Would love to hear your results if you give it a shot!
Can I use Stevia or.pure maple syrup in place of brown sugar?
Hi Beverly! I’ve never tried that so I’m not sure what the result would be. Let me know if you give it a shot!
The family and i greatly enjoyed this recipe! Absolute keeper. Thank you.
I’m so glad to hear this, Mikayla!
I’ve made your baked oatmeal cups and they are great!
Going to try a few spices like nutmeg andd cinnamon to give them a little better flaver. Great muffin!
I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Suzanne!
I have Quaker oatmeal to use up will that work? I’m trying to find new ideas for baking that’s not super unhealthy.
That’ll work!
I made these using applesauce and adding coconut and walnuts.
DELICIOUS
Love those additions, Erin! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
These were awesome. I used a kiwi instead of banana and it was perfect. I let them batter sit for a few minutes before putting it into the muffin pan so the oatmeal would absorb. I putting this recipe on my snack rotation.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Maureen!
Just made some and i found them a little plain so instead of banana im going to try mango next time. Otherwise happy with the result
Hi Leah! I’ve never tried this recipe with mango so I’m not sure what the results would be. Would love to hear how they turn out if you give it a shot!
We absolutely loved them! I added coconut and pecans, along with chia and flax. I’m not an oatmeal eater, but these I’ll definitely eat!
Love hearing this, Leovanna! And I love your additions!
Will this work with steel cut oats?
Hi Julie! I’ve never tried this recipe with steel cut oats so I’m not sure what the results would be. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Very tasty and easy to Bake
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Erna!
I tried the recipe today. I did half of it and some other additions. I did not add the brown sugar, instead I added dried appricots, cranberries, and fresh blueberries (that I had at home) I had to use almond extract because I did not have vanilla. I like coconut in oatmeal, so I added 1/4 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut. I also added some walnuts I had. I think they came out well enough to eat.
It seems that in order for them to look like a cup, the oatmeal needs to be pressed lightly in the muffin pan. I did not do that, so my muffins look weird (but delicious). I sill certainly try this again
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Nat!
Thank you for perfect post holidays breakfast idea !
Awesome! Enjoy :)
This recipe looks easy and delicious. I think my kids will like it. Can I use the paper liners instead of cooking spray for the baking cups?
Yes, that should work!