Craving more healthy muffin recipes? Try my low carb muffins, almond flour muffins, healthy breakfast muffins, or flourless muffins. Growing up, I always looked forward to the days my mom would bake us her famous oatmeal muffins. She’s since shared the recipe with me now, and let me say, I couldn’t believe how easy they are to make..or how healthy too!
Why I love this recipe
Healthier. Sure, store-bought muffins are delicious, but they’re usually packed with excess sugar and fillers. These homemade muffins, on the other hand, are made with healthy ingredients and are naturally gluten-free, high in fiber, and low in calories. Easy to customize. Although I’m a creature of habit and prefer my oatmeal muffins plain, I included six equally tasty flavor combinations. No bowls or fancy kitchen equipment. Just a blender and a muffin tin are all you need. If you don’t have a blender, I included tips below on what to use instead.
Ingredients needed
Rolled oats– Either gluten-free rolled oats or traditional oats. These will be blended down to a flour-like consistency. Instant oats can also work. Baking powder and baking soda– Both leavening agents are used for some rise and fluffiness. Salt– Just a pinch to bring out the sweetness. Banana– Gives the muffins extra sweetness and moisture without the need for butter or oil. If you’d rather not use bananas, use equal portions of unsweetened applesauce. Eggs– Room temperature eggs are best. Yogurt– I used plain Greek yogurt, but vanilla-flavored yogurt also works. Maple syrup– Gives a little sweetness. You can also use agave nectar or honey. Vanilla extract– A must for any good muffin or baked good! Mix-ins– I added blueberries, but you can add anything you like or enjoy it as it is!
How to make healthy oatmeal muffins
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and line a 12-count muffin tin with muffin liners. Step 2- Make the muffin batter. In a high-speed blender or food processor, add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Blend until a smooth batter remains. Step 3- Bake. Pour the batter evenly among the 12 muffin liners. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out mostly clean. Step 4- Cool and serve. Let the muffins cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Arman’s recipe tips
If you don’t have a blender, you can use a food processor. Or, if you want to mix by hand, replace the rolled oats with oat flour. Do the ‘press test.’ Baking with mashed bananas can be tricky since the muffins will be really moist. If you’re not sure if they’re done baking, lightly press into the center of one of the muffins. If it springs back, you’re good to go. If it leaves an indentation, let them bake for a few minutes longer. Don’t overbake the muffins. They’ll continue to cook as they cool in the pan, so I like to remove them from the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted comes out, just barely clean. Make vegan muffins. Use dairy-free yogurt and swap the eggs for flax eggs, which you can make by combining 3 tablespoons of flax seeds with 6 tablespoons of water. Make mini muffins. Grease a 32-count mini muffin pan and reduce the cooking time to 12 minutes. Add sweetness. These muffins are not overly sweet. If you prefer sweeter muffins, add 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite granulated sweetener (like coconut sugar or brown sugar). Alternatively, you can just spread a generous amount of homemade Nutella on top.
Storage instructions
To store: Muffins will keep at room temperature, covered, for up to 1 week. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. As I mentioned, I think these muffins are delicious as is, but you can play around with different mix-ins and tell me which you like best! Here are some suggestions:
Banana muffins. Add 1 tablespoon cinnamon to the batter and ¼ cup of walnuts. Chocolate chip muffins. Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Pumpkin spice muffins. Swap out half the banana for equal amounts of pumpkin puree and add 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. Apple spice muffins. Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 cup finely diced apple. Zucchini muffins. Shred 1 large zucchini and squeeze out the extra moisture. Fold through the shredded zucchini at the very end. Almond butter muffins. Fold in ¼ cup of creamy almond butter.
To freeze: Place leftover muffins in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More recipes using oatmeal to try
Oatmeal breakfast cookies Healthy oatmeal pancakes Oatmeal brownies Oatmeal protein bars Peanut butter oatmeal balls
Originally published January 2021, updated and republished April 2024
