Easy Healthy Oatmeal Muffins (Moist & Fluffy)

This recipe for soft, moist, and absolutely fluffy oatmeal muffins makes for a wonderful breakfast or a simple, healthy snack. I truly adore how easily these come together, bringing a touch of comfort to any morning routine. Think of them as little cups of warm, hearty goodness, perfect for busy days or a quiet moment with a cup of tea.

Delightful Morning Oatmeal Muffins

These easy muffins are filled with good for you ingredients. They are sure to become a beloved addition to your family’s morning favorites.

With rave reviews and high ratings from many happy bakers, you will likely find this is the best oatmeal muffin recipe around.

Years ago, I shared this recipe in a food competition. It was honored as a top choice for a healthy breakfast you can enjoy on the go.

You might even discover you already have everything you need right in your own kitchen cupboards to whip up a batch of these moist and delicious oat muffins right now.

Perhaps you would also enjoy my recipe for delightful Tiramisu Overnight Oats.

Simple Ingredients for Homemade Oatmeal Muffins

To create these oatmeal muffins from scratch, you will need a few key items. These include oats, flour, your preferred type of milk, a touch of vinegar, a sweetener, leavening agents like baking soda and baking powder, salt, and optionally an egg or a source of fat like oil, nut butter, or even applesauce.

Oats

This recipe works best with quick cooking oats. You will need one cup.

I reach for quick oats because they soak up liquid more effectively than rolled oats. This helps produce muffins with a softer texture. If quick oats are not on hand, you can certainly use rolled oats or instant oats instead. I have not personally tested this recipe using steel cut oats.

If you need gluten free oatmeal muffins, make sure to select certified gluten free oats. An equal amount of rolled quinoa flakes can also be used.

Milk

Feel free to grab whatever milk you currently have in your refrigerator for this recipe.

For muffins that are dairy free, I often use almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk. The milk adds important moisture and nutrients to the muffins. I do not recommend swapping it out for water.

Flour

All purpose white flour works wonderfully here. You can also use whole grain spelt flour, oat flour, or certain brands of gluten free baking flour with good results.

A variation of this recipe that does not use flour, instead relying on almond meal, is also included later on.

For the best outcome, avoid using coconut flour. It tends to make baked goods dry and crumbly.

If you decide to experiment with other flours like whole wheat flour, almond flour, rice flour, or pastry flour, please let me know how your results turn out. I would love to hear about it.

Sweetener

You have a few choices for sweetening these muffins. You can use regular white sugar, unrefined coconut sugar, or xylitol if you are aiming for an added sugar free version.

I advise against using stevia or liquid sweeteners such as pure maple syrup or honey. These alternatives can significantly change the final texture of the muffins.

Have extra oats? Try making these tasty homemade Energy Balls.

See How to Make These Healthy Oatmeal Muffins

You can watch a step by step video above that demonstrates exactly how to bake these muffins. (Note from the writer: While I cannot embed a video here, imagine a helpful tutorial showing you each step)

Easy Oatmeal Muffins with Chocolate Chips (And Other Flavors)

These muffins are a fantastic base for adding your favorite flavors. Chocolate chips are a classic, but there are so many delicious ways to change them up.

Oatmeal Breakfast Muffin Flavor Ideas

Here are some wonderful ways to customize your oatmeal muffins.

• Oatmeal Raisin: Use the basic recipe listed below. Include the optional cinnamon. Before you divide the batter into the muffin pan cups, stir in half a cup of raisins. You could also use this idea with other dried fruits like dried cranberries, chopped dates, or dried figs.
• Apple Cinnamon: Add one teaspoon of ground cinnamon along with the dry ingredients in the bowl. Measure half a cup of diced apples and stir them in with the liquid ingredients. After the muffins are baked and come out of the oven, you can roll them in cinnamon sugar if you like.
• Peanut Butter: Use creamy or crunchy peanut butter as a substitute for the oil in the recipe. Other nut butters like almond butter, cashew butter, or pecan butter also work well. If you are a fan of peanuts, stir in a small scoop of finely chopped peanuts for extra flavor and crunch.
• Oatmeal Banana Muffins: Replace one third cup of the milk called for with ripe mashed banana. This adds natural sweetness and moisture. Adding a small handful each of chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips gives them a delightful texture. It also makes them taste wonderfully like oatmeal banana bread in muffin form.
• Blueberry: To make classic blueberry oatmeal muffins, mix all the other ingredients together first to form the muffin batter. Then, very gently stir in half a cup of fresh or thawed frozen blueberries. Mix only until the berries are just evenly distributed. Be careful not to overmix, as this can break the berries and cause the muffins to turn purple.
• Orange: Substitute one third of the milk with orange juice. In this variation, you should omit the vinegar from the recipe. Stir the zest from one orange into the batter along with the liquid ingredients.
• Maple Brown Sugar: Swap the white sugar for brown sugar for a deeper flavor. Add about three drops of natural maple extract to the batter along with the milk. These muffins will remind you of those popular instant Quaker maple and brown sugar oatmeal packets, just in a convenient muffin shape.
• Pumpkin Pie: Replace one fourth cup of the milk with canned pumpkin puree. Add half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and one fourth teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the batter.
• Zucchini Substitute one fourth cup of the milk with very finely shredded zucchini. Make sure to squeeze out any excess moisture from the zucchini first. You could also add finely shredded carrot instead for muffins that taste like carrot cake.

Vegan Oatmeal Muffins Baked in a Muffin Tin

These instructions guide you through making these simple and adaptable oatmeal muffins right in your standard muffin pan.

How to Make Vegan Oatmeal Muffins

Making these wholesome muffins is quite straightforward. Just follow these steps.

• Begin by combining the oats and milk in a large mixing bowl. Stir them together thoroughly. Let this mixture sit on your counter for about ten minutes. This allows the oats time to soften and absorb some liquid.
• While the oats are soaking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Prepare your muffin pan. You can line twelve cups with paper liners or simply grease each individual tin generously with oil or a nonstick spray.
• Once the oat mixture has rested, add all the remaining muffin ingredients to that same mixing bowl. Take a whisk and gently stir everything together. Mix just until all the ingredients are evenly combined and you no longer see any dry streaks of flour in the batter. Be careful not to over stir the mixture, as this can lead to muffins that are tough or dense.
• Use a scoop or spoon to portion the oatmeal batter evenly into the prepared muffin tins. Fill each cup about two thirds full.
• Place the muffin pan on the center rack of your preheated oven. Bake for approximately twenty minutes. To check if the muffins are done, insert a toothpick into the center of one muffin. It should come out mostly clean, maybe with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
• Remove the baked muffins from the oven and let the pan cool on the counter for a few minutes before trying to remove them.
• If you are not planning to eat all the muffins right away, loosely cover any leftovers with a clean cloth towel. You can store them either on the counter for a short time or in the refrigerator overnight.
• These vegan oatmeal muffins often develop an even better flavor the next day. The textures meld together nicely. You may also find that the paper liners peel off more easily after the muffins have sat for a day.
• For the best freshness, it is a good idea to refrigerate any leftover muffins after they have been on the counter for a day. Store them in a covered container. They should stay good in the refrigerator for up to four days.
• You can also freeze the baked muffins in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to three months. When you are ready to enjoy one, you can thaw a frozen oatmeal muffin and gently reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stove top.

Soft and Fluffy Oatmeal Muffins

Achieving that perfect soft and fluffy texture is key to a great oatmeal muffin. Here are some tips that can help.

Baking Tips and Tricks

A few simple techniques can elevate your muffin baking game.

Soaking the uncooked oats in milk before you mix them with the rest of the ingredients is a fantastic trick. This step is what really helps yield fluffier muffins. It gives the oats time to absorb extra moisture before baking begins.

If you only have old fashioned rolled oats in your cupboard, you can easily turn them into quick oats at home. Just place them in a food processor or blender and pulse them about five times. This breaks them down into smaller pieces that will absorb liquid faster.

As mentioned earlier, the paper liners tend to peel off more easily if you let the baked muffins sit overnight before removing them from the pan. If you prefer not to wait, or simply do not like using liners, you can skip them entirely. Just be sure to grease your muffin pan very well or use a nonstick silicon muffin pan to prevent sticking.

For those interested in making oil free muffins, you have several options to swap out the vegetable or coconut oil. You can use almond or peanut butter that has been gently heated until it is easy to stir. Other great substitutes include unsweetened applesauce, Greek yogurt, canned pumpkin puree, or mashed banana. Choose the option that best suits your dietary needs and desired flavor.

These muffins are lightly sweet and wonderfully wholesome. They are not just for breakfast though. They make a great addition served alongside savory recipes for lunch or dinner. Consider serving them instead of cornbread with your favorite Vegan Chili recipe.

Oat Muffins and Their Health Benefits

These muffins provide similar nutritional advantages to enjoying a bowl of oatmeal. They are definitely one of my family’s preferred healthy options for starting the day.

Just one oatmeal muffin can contribute positively to your daily fiber intake. They also offer a good amount of protein. If you want to boost the protein content even more, simply include the optional nut butter listed in the ingredients.

These muffins are naturally lower in sugar compared to many other baked goods. Even when using real sugar, each muffin contains a modest amount.

They can also be relatively low in calories. The basic recipe comes in at a reasonable calorie count per muffin.

Finally, this recipe is wonderfully adaptable. It includes options for those following special diets, such as nondairy, egg free, nut free, low fat, and plant based vegan choices. They are also generally kid friendly and can be made with no added sugar.

How to Bake Your Delicious Oatmeal Muffins

• Creating these wholesome oatmeal muffins is a simple process. Just follow these steps carefully.
• Begin by grabbing a large mixing bowl. Pour the quick oats and your chosen milk into the bowl. Take a spoon or whisk and stir them together until they are well combined. Let this mixture sit on the counter for about ten minutes. This resting time is important because it allows the oats to absorb the milk. This is a key step for achieving that wonderfully soft and fluffy texture in the final muffins.
• While your oat mixture is soaking, it is a good time to get your oven ready. Preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (which is 175 degrees Celsius). Next, prepare your muffin pan. You will need a standard twelve cup muffin pan. You can either line each cup with paper liners or, if you prefer not to use liners, make sure to grease each individual tin very well with butter, oil, or a nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
• Once the ten minutes of soaking time for the oats is up, gather all the remaining ingredients needed for the muffins. Add these ingredients directly into the same large mixing bowl that contains the oat and milk mixture.
• Now, use a whisk or a large spoon to gently stir everything together. Mix just until all the ingredients are incorporated and you no longer see any dry streaks of flour in the batter. It is very important not to overmix the batter. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour too much, resulting in muffins that are tough or dense instead of light and fluffy.
• Using a muffin scoop or a spoon, divide the batter evenly among the twelve prepared muffin cups. Fill each cup about two thirds to three quarters full.
• Carefully place the muffin pan into the center rack of your preheated oven. Bake the muffins for approximately twenty minutes. To check if they are done, insert a clean toothpick into the center of one of the muffins. The toothpick should come out mostly clean when you pull it out. It is okay if there are a few moist crumbs clinging to it, but you should not see wet batter.
• Once they are baked, remove the muffin pan from the oven. Let the pan sit on the counter and cool for a few minutes before attempting to remove the muffins from the cups.
• If you are not going to enjoy all of your delicious muffins right away, proper storage is key to keeping them fresh. For short term storage on the counter, loosely cover the cooled muffins with a clean cloth towel. If you need to store them longer, especially overnight, it is best to transfer them to an airtight container and place them in the refrigerator.
• You might notice that these muffins often taste even better the second day after baking. This gives the flavors a chance to deepen and meld together. You may also find that the paper liners peel away from the muffins more easily after they have had a day to sit.
• For optimal freshness and to keep them from drying out, it is recommended to refrigerate any leftovers after they have been on the counter for a day. Store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
• These muffins also freeze beautifully. You can store them in an airtight freezer safe container or bag for up to three months. When you want a frozen muffin, you can thaw it at room temperature or gently reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stove top until warmed through.

Frequently Asked Questions About Oatmeal Muffins

Here are answers to some common questions about making these healthy and delicious oatmeal muffins.

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