This hearty, healthy Baked Oatmeal Cups recipe is a cross between a bowl of oatmeal, a cookie, and a muffin. Loaded with cinnamon flavor and filled with fresh apples, it is so easy to mix together a few simple ingredients using only one bowl and bake them into pre-portioned, grab-and-go breakfasts or nutritious after-school snacks.
Healthy Baked Oatmeal Cups: Easiest Make-In-One-Bowl Breakfast
This Baked Oatmeal Cups recipe is the perfect prep-ahead, simple solution when you are seeking a healthy grab-and-go morning meal.
It’s no secret that starting your day with a nutritious breakfast will help you fuel your body and brain. That’s why I love preparing these easy-to-make muffins because it guarantees that I can feed my family a super satisfying, hearty, fiber-filled breakfast or snack to keep us all full for hours, especially when I’m in a hurry and need a portable bite of quick energy.
And while a hot bowl of oatmeal is comforting on a cold winter day, I appreciate a recipe that can bake oats in a muffin tin so I can enjoy a filling bite of baked oatmeal anywhere and at any time.
More solid than oatmeal but not as cake-like as a muffin, these delicious Baked Oatmeal Cups are dense, soft, and chewy and flavored with delicious seasonal spices. Because when you eat what you love for breakfast, your body will love that you eat the most important meal of the day!
Why We Love This Baked Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Cups Recipe
- Quick and easy to make using simple ingredients.
- Oats are incredibly nutritious! They are a good source of fiber and high in many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
- Can be made gluten-free (use certified GF oats) and vegan (swap the egg for a flax egg).
- Pre-portioned meal for built-in portion control.
- Simple prep-ahead solution for a healthy breakfast; enjoy some now and freeze some for later.
- Perfect for fueling your body on the go, school lunches, or a nutritious snack!
Ingredients
- Rolled oats: Steel cut oats are also an option here.
- Eggs
- Granny smith apple: Any apple that is good for baking can be used.
- Vanilla almond milk: I like the extra taste of the vanilla and sweetness in this recipe, but you can switch this out for whole milk, soy milk, unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, or rice milk. (Any type of milk will work in this recipe-dairy or non-dairy milk).
- Brown sugar: You can use granulated white sugar or coconut sugar instead.
- Applesauce
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Allspice
Substitutions and Additions
- Vary Your Apple Variety: Use your favorite variety of apples such as Fuji, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jonagold, or Pink Lady.
- Fresh Fruit: Fresh fruit like strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries can be added instead of or combined with the fresh apples. Or macerate the fruit for 15 minutes with some sugar and lemon juice to add as a topping after the cups are finished baking.
- Tweak The Texture: Raisins or craisins will add a nice little chewy texture. Walnuts or pecans will provide an extra crunch.
- Tasty Toppings: Pour some honey or maple syrup on the top of the muffins after they finish baking. Or add some streusel on the top of the cups before baking. You can make your own by using 1 cup of granulated white or brown sugar, ½ cup of flour, and ¼ cup of cold butter. Mix the sugar and flour together, and cut the cold butter into the mixture with a pastry cutter.
- Super Seeds: You can add chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, ground flax, and almonds to these Baked Oatmeal Cups for a dose of healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals and an extra boost of nutrition while you snack.
Recommended Tools
- Muffin pan
- Large bowl
- Mixing tools
- Measuring tools
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How to Make Baked Oatmeal Cups
This Baked Oatmeal Cups recipe is so quick and easy to make and is the perfect prep-ahead, freezer-friendly portable breakfast for healthy eating in a hurry. Simply mix a few basic ingredients together in a single bowl, bake them in a muffin pan, and enjoy a nutritious and delicious grab-and-go meal.
- Spray a muffin pan well with cooking spray.
Pro-Tip: Make sure to spray the muffin pan liberally with non-stick spray, otherwise your baked apple oatmeal cups may stick to the pan. - Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, but reserve ¼ teaspoon of brown sugar for topping.
- Pour mixture into muffin pan and sprinkle remaining brown sugar over each muffin.
Pro-Tip: When you’re dividing the batter between the muffin cups, make sure you have both liquid AND oats/apples in each. The batter is very liquid-y! - Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool muffins, and serve warm or cold. Enjoy!
Storage Tips
- To Store: Oatmeal cups may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- To Freeze: To freeze, bake and cool oatmeal cups. Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Warm to your liking.
- To Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or oven to warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to use rolled oats for this recipe because they’re less processed and give a good texture to the oatmeal cups, but if you only have quick/instant oats on hand those should work fine as a substitute. Use certified gluten-free if needed.
Do not mix the oats with milk ahead of time! If you want to prep the recipe halfway before baking, you can mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another bowl. You should not combine them until you’re ready to bake, otherwise, the oats will soak up all the liquid and yield a dry texture.
Yes, you can make this recipe without refined sugar. Instead of brown sugar, you can use pure maple syrup agave, coconut sugar, or honey.
Oatmeal is super healthy and is packed with filling fiber and energizing B vitamins. Whole grains are a great way to start the day, plus they’re accessible and affordable. Feel free to top it with nut butter for a more filling meal or pair it with scrambled eggs or yogurt.
Other Easy Grab and Go Breakfast Recipes
- Energy Bites
- No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
- Egg Bites
- Breakfast Burritos
- Healthy Breakfast Cookies
- Easy Breakfast Muffins
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Energy Balls
- Blueberry Pancake Mix Muffins
Baked Oatmeal Cups
Ingredients
- 3½ cups rolled oats
- 2 eggs whisked
- 1 large granny smith apple peeled, cored and diced (about 1 ¼ cups)
- 1¾ cups vanilla almond milk
- ¾ cup and 2 Tablespoons brown sugar divided
- ⅓ cup applesauce
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp allspice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare a muffin pan by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Mix the rolled oats, eggs, granny smith apple, vanilla almond milk, ¾ cup of divided brown sugar, applesauce, baking powder, cinnamon, and allspice in a large bowl.
- Pour the oatmeal mixture into the muffin pan and sprinkle about ¼ teaspoon of the remaining brown sugar on top of each muffin. You should have about enough for all your muffins.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Carefully remove the muffins from the pan and let cool.
- Plate your muffins and serve either warm or cold.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Oatmeal cups may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- To Freeze: To freeze, bake and cool oatmeal cups. Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Warm to your liking.
- To Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or oven to warm.
- When you’re dividing the batter between the muffin cups, make sure you have both liquid AND oats/apples in each. The batter is very liquid-y!
- Make sure to spray the muffin pan liberally with non-stick spray, otherwise your baked apple oatmeal cups may stick to the pan.
- Any type of milk will work in this recipe (dairy or non-dairy milk).
These Oatmeal cups are amazing and easy. Quick grab & go breakfast.
Does it work to use paper baking cups?
Thank You Jenn 🥰👍🏼♥️These LOOK Great❗️👏🏼😊G-d♥️Bless