This is one of our base recipes. Our healthy baked oatmeal cups are easy to make and a great breakfast item to grab on the run!
Are Baked Oatmeal Cups Healthy?
Yes! Baked oatmeal cups are a great way to start your morning or provide a healthy snack. This recipe features oats, milk or milk alternative, and fruit or vegetable puree.
Oats
Oats of any variety are a good source of fiber and complex carbohydrates. Fiber is important for digestion, satiety, stable blood sugar, good cholesterol, and healthy gut bacteria. Carbohydrates are important for energy and focus.
Milk or Milk Alternative
Whether you choose to use cow’s milk or a plant based alternative, you are sure to get some nutritional benefit. Cow’s milk is a great source of protein, calcium, vitamins A & D, and more. There are so many plant-based milk alternatives that it’s hard to generalize their benefits, so be sure to read the nutrition label. Soy milk is the most comparable to cow’s milk. For more on this subject, check out our plant-based milk vs cow’s milk article!
Fruit or Vegetable Puree
Fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Together, these nutrients help reduce inflammation and prevent chronic disease.
Equipment for Baked Oatmeal Cups
We recommend using a standard 12-cup non-stick muffin pan. Mini muffin pans might be a fun option, but we have not tried them! We also like to keep these single silicon baking cups on hand for any overflow.
While not necessary, a portion scoop makes dividing the oat mixture easy and uniform. If you bake a lot, portion scoops are a great investment. We use them for muffins and pancakes too!
Culinary Tips for Healthy Oatmeal Cups
The darker the muffin pan, the quicker the baked oatmeal cups will cook.
When you mix all of the ingredients together, some liquid will pool at the bottom of the bowl. Try to evenly distribute it when portioning. You might scoop the oats and then pour any remaining liquid on top of the cups.
Depending on the puree and mix-ins you select, you might not need added sweetener, so experiment with leaving the honey or maple syrup out of the recipe.
Be sure to toast the nuts for best flavor.
If you add a lot of mix-ins, you might end up with more than 12 baked oatmeal cups. Sounds like a good problem to us!
Serve warm or cold.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Oats: old fashioned, rolled, or quick will all work. We don’t recommend using steel cut oats in this recipe.
- Milk or milk alternative: use any milk or milk alternative of your choice. We have used cow’s milk, cashew milk, soy milk, and almond milk, and all yielded great results. We recommend plain varieties to reduce added sugars.
- Fruit or vegetable puree: use any puree of your choice. For vegetables, we recommend starchy sweet kinds, like sweet potato or pumpkin. You can also mix and match!
- Sweetener: use honey, maple syrup, agave, cane sugar, or brown sugar.
- Cinnamon: use pumpkin pie or apple pie spice as a substitute.
- Vanilla extract: use almond, coconut, orange or any other natural extract, but reduce the amount.
Variations
Because this is a base recipe, there are many ways that you can adapt this recipe to your taste. Feel free to add more of your favorite ingredients.
If you want to make a banana variation, mash an older spotted banana for better texture and sweetness. Mash the banana in the bowl before adding the other ingredients rather than using two bowls for one less dish to clean!
Want some more spice in your life? Add some nutmeg, cloves, allspice, or cardamom. Any sweet spice can be a nice addition.
Looking to make your baked oatmeal cups vegan? Use a milk alternative, vegan chocolate chips, and maple syrup instead of honey.
Trying to reduce added sugars? Use a really ripe banana, forgo the chocolate chips and honey, and select unsweetened dried fruit.
How to Store Baked Oatmeal Cups
These healthy baked oatmeal cups will store in an airtight bag or container for 7 days in the refrigerator.
We love wrapping them individually in plastic wrap, dropping them in a freezer bag, and storing them in the freezer (for up to three months) for busy mornings. Thaw overnight or defrost in the microwave.
Looking for More Oat Recipes?
Try out these other base recipes, then have fun customizing them to your taste!
Our healthy baked oatmeal cups are perfect for a healthy and energizing grab-and-go breakfast, not to mention that they are incredibly easy and quick to make!
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 ½ cups milk or milk alternative
- 1 cup fruit or vegetable puree (banana, pumpkin, applesauce)
- ½ cup optional mix-ins (chocolate chips, dried or fresh diced fruit, toasted nuts)
- 2 Tablespoons – ¼ cup honey or maple syrup (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a large bowl combine oats, milk or milk alternative, fruit or vegetable puree, optional mix-ins, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well.
Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan with nonstick spray or muffin liners. Portion about ¼ cup oat mixture into each cup. Bake 18-20 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges.
Once cool, store in an airtight bag or container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Enjoy!
If you add a lot of mix-ins, you might end up with more than 12 baked oatmeal cups!
