Using a few simple ingredients and 1 bowl, throw these healthy apple cinnamon baked oatmeal cups in the oven. They’re ready in about 30 minutes. The whole family, kids included, love them. Try the other flavors listed, too!
These Baked Oatmeal Cups Are:
- Refined-sugar free (no added refined sugar)
- Definitely healthy
- Easy & quick
- Soft-baked & moist in the center
- Chewy on top
- Garnished with crunchy coarse sugar
- Dairy free if using dairy-free milk
- Gluten free if using certified GF oats
The fall season may mean saying GOODBYE to pool days, but it also means giving a big HELLO to favorite seasonal flavors like apple cinnamon bread and comforting snacks like pumpkin oatmeal bars. And of course, plenty of pie crust and Thanksgiving pies! With fall flavors on my mind, I tested out a muffin version of my baked oatmeal. These oatmeal cups are a little more solid and sturdy than the creamy baked oatmeal and this banana baked oatmeal, so they’re awesome as a portable breakfast or snack. And if you’re still in summer mode (I totally am!), swap the apples for blueberries or strawberries. These were so good!
Are They Oatmeal? Are They Muffins?
Yes and yes. If you’ve tried my chocolate chip baked oatmeal cups or these pumpkin baked oatmeal cups, you’re familiar with today’s recipe and process. They are more solid than oatmeal, but not as cakey as blueberry oatmeal muffins. If you are in the mood for a more traditional muffin, try these healthy apple muffins instead.
Ingredients in Baked Oatmeal Cups
You need 11 simple ingredients for my baked oatmeal cups. Each is important!
- Milk: Milk softens the oats and keeps the centers moist. I reduced the amount from my baked oatmeal so the oatmeal muffins are a little more solid.
- Eggs: Eggs provide protein and structure.
- Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup sweetens and flavors these baked oatmeal cups. If needed, honey is a wonderful substitute.
- Unsweetened Applesauce: Applesauce adds flavor and takes the place of butter or oil. I love using applesauce to replace all or some oil in certain baked goods, like my morning glory muffins.
- Oats: Unlike applesauce muffins where oats are simply part of the dry ingredients, here the oats are the entire base of the recipe. Old-fashioned whole rolled oats are the best and also what I recommend for oatmeal raisin cookies. Quick oats work, but the centers of the oatmeal cups aren’t as moist. Steel cut oats require extra prep, see recipe note.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder prevents the oatmeal cups from tasting dense.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: Can you eat an apple baked good without either?! If you have any in the house, feel free to use apple pie spice instead.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds flavor.
- Salt: Salt adds flavor.
- Apples: Grab your favorite apple variety, peel it, and chop it into bite-size pieces. I usually use Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. Any variety works. If you enjoy it in your apple pie or apple cinnamon scones, you’ll enjoy it in these oatmeal cups. No need to pre-cook the apples before adding to the oat mixture.
Baker’s Tip: The batter is liquid-y. When you’re dividing the batter between the muffin cups, make sure you have both liquid AND oats/apples in each. Spoon batter all the way to the top of each. The recipe yields 12 apple cinnamon baked oatmeal cups.
1 Bowl, No Mixer Recipe
Besides taking approximately 2 seconds to prep, these oatmeal cups only require 1 bowl. No need to break out your mixer; instead, fold the mixture together by hand. They’re done in about 25 minutes. It’s practically shocking how easy these are.
Little work → big reward.
I usually prep these or regular baked oatmeal in the beginning of the week, then refrigerate for quick breakfasts or snacks. Reheat in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up. They freeze and thaw beautifully, too!
Who doesn’t crave a little variety?! Instead of apple, try any of these flavors.
Flavors & Add-Ins
- Pumpkin: See my pumpkin baked oatmeal cups. I swapped applesauce for pumpkin and reduced the milk to make up for extra pumpkin.
- Blueberry: Leave out the nutmeg, reduce cinnamon to 1 teaspoon, and swap apples for fresh or frozen blueberries. No need to thaw.
- Banana: Swap the applesauce for mashed banana.
- Chocolate Chip: Swap apples for chocolate chips. If desired, leave out the nutmeg.
- Peanut Butter / Nut Butter: Reduce applesauce to 1/3 cup. Add 1/2 cup nut butter. Leave out apples and nutmeg, if desired.
After these are done, keep out your muffin pan and make a batch of savory breakfast egg muffins next! And for even more inspiration, see my complete list of 30+ healthy breakfast recipes.
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Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cups
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 cups
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Using a few simple ingredients and 1 bowl, throw together these healthy apple cinnamon baked oatmeal cups. They’re soft and moist inside with chewy tops and plenty of flavor. Make them ahead and enjoy all week long!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) milk (dairy or nondairy)
- 2 large eggs*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup*
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsweetened applesauce
- 3 cups (255g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 heaping cup (120g) peeled chopped apple*
- optional: 1/2 cup (50g) chopped walnuts or pecans
- optional: coarse sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Generously spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray. If using muffin liners, spray them with nonstick spray. The oatmeal cups stick to the liners a bit regardless, so I recommend skipping them.
- In a large bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together, except for the apples (and nuts and coarse sugar). Using a spoon or silicone spatula, fold in the apples and nuts (if using). Batter will be a little liquidy. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups, making sure both the oats/apples and liquid are in each. Fill all the way to the top. See photo above. If desired, sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and top appears set. If the tops are browning very quickly, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the muffin pan.
- Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Cover leftover oatmeal cups tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Bake the oatmeal cups, cool completely, and store in the refrigerator all week for easy breakfasts. Reheat in the microwave or bake in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 5-6 minutes. 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.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Silicone Spatula
- Don’t: Do not make oatmeal batter ahead of time. The oats will soak up all the liquid! Whisk it all together, then bake right away. See make ahead instructions above for alternative.
- Eggs: Eggs bind the ingredients. If needed, you can replace the eggs with 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana. I do find the oatmeal cups fall apart a little when replacing the eggs.
- Sugar: I recommend pure maple syrup because the flavor is outstanding and the baked oatmeal cups are extra moist. Instead, you can use packed brown sugar, coconut sugar, or honey.
- Oats: Whole oats give you the best texture. You can use quick oats instead, but they soak up more moisture so the centers won’t be as moist. If using steel-cut oats, soak the oats in the milk for 30 minutes, then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Add a few extra minutes to the bake time. The oatmeal cups are best with whole oats.
- Apples: Use your favorite variety such as Granny Smith, Fuji, or Honeycrisp. You need about 1 medium apple.
- Nutrition Information Per Oatmeal Cup (with unsweetened applesauce and unsweetened almond milk using Spark Recipe Calculator): Calories 138, Total Fat 3g, Carbohydrate 26g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 11g, Protein 4g.
Reader Comments and Reviews
When serving I drizzle a very small amount of caramel,Torani puremade sauce over the top. So delicious.
Can I use date syrup in place of maple syrup? Going to bake these with my grands.
Hi Dianne, we haven’t tested this with date syrup, but one reader did comment that she tried it and it worked well. Let us know how it goes!
Delicious! I subbed banana for the applesauce and added a 1/2 cup dried cranberries. I baked them about 10 additional minutes.
I make these all the time. Apple but mostly the peanut butter recipe, we love them.
I always use natural peanut butter and they turn out fine.
I always end up baking these longer than the recipe states, but my daughter loves these before and early morning or afternoon sports practice.
I’m not a huge maple fan, so I went 1/2 pure maple syrup and 1/2 honey. I did not use sugar on the top and I added about 1/3 c of ground oats to thicken the batter slightly. I did not use coarse sugar on the tops and I found the flavor outstanding! I would bake a bit longer next time to stiffen the middle a bit more (or pay better attention to comments and suggestions!)
Great recipe!!!
I love the flavor of these muffins, but I wasn’t a fan of the texture. I did use whole oats and followed the recipe exactly. They seemed done when I took them out of the oven and came out of the muffin tins just fine. The only thing to me is that they seem a little gummy in the middle. Is that just the texture of these, or is there something that might have caused the gumminess? Thanks!
Hi SaraM, the centers will be a bit softer, but you can certainly increase the bake time by a few minutes if you’d prefer a firmer texture throughout. So glad you still enjoyed them!
Thank you, Lexi! I’ll try that next time!
I couldn’t find the sugar suggested to sprinkle on top. Without the sugar, I thought these muffins don’t have a lot of flavor.
I just made these and they came out perfect! I adjusted the spices to my own liking, otherwise I kept to the recipe. They removed from the pan with no sticking. I wrapped them individually and placed them in a ziplock to put in the freezer. Great to have on hand for breakfast on the go!
I’ve tried many of your recipes and none have failed. Thank you!
Have you tried adding protien powder to the recipe? I’d like to amp up the protien.
Hi Shonda, we haven’t personally tested it, but a few readers have done so with our other baked oatmeal recipes. We’d start small and then adjust further for future batches. Enjoy!
I love your 1 bowl baked oatmeal, and can’t wait to try these next! Could I make these in large muffin cups, to make 6 big cups instead of 12 small ones? If so, what should I change regarding cooking time? Thank you!
Hi Mary-Ellen, You can use a jumbo muffin pan without changing the recipe. The bake time will be longer – keep an eye on them and bake until the edges are lightly browned and top appears set.
This recipe looks delicious, but I am really not a fan of maple syrup for some reason. If substituting brown sugar for the maple syrup, how much do you think would work best?
Hi Liana, you can swap for the same amount of brown sugar. Hope you enjoy these!
So easy and delicious! Made the recipe exactly as written and they came out moist, with the apples cooked perfectly and the oats still nice and chewy. These have just enough sweetness to kill a sugar craving, but not enough to feel like dessert. I will definitely make them again, the first pan was eaten in two days.
I think thus gr8t & just wonder can I substiute a little bran for some of the oats?
Hi Sue, we haven’t tested any bran in these oatmeal cups. It may take some tweaking (bran can be quite drying), but let us know if you do any experimenting!
Can I substitute something else for the applesauce?
Hi Alberta, you can replace the applesauce with the same amount of mashed banana. Or, you can swap with pumpkin like we do for pumpkin baked oatmeal cups. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Hi, I so want to try these, but is there a substitute for the maple syrup? I’m a type 1 diabetic and maple syrup is a no-no. Though maple syrup and honey are considered a natural sweetener, it’s not so natyfor my blood sugar. Tgank you.
Hi Jill, we haven’t tested these with any sugar substitutes, sorry we can’t help more.
HI Jill.. I’m going to try doubling up the applesauce or just replacing the maple syrup with bananas. I’ll let you know how it turns out. 🙂
I won’t leave any stars, because surely I did something wrong — maybe as simple as undercooking them? I left them in for the full 30 mins & they *looked* cooked, but while the flavor was great, the texture was waaay too mushy for us. We even tasted them again the next day, hoping an overnight would firm them up, but — nope, still too mushy. I used oatmilk instead of regular milk, but the notes stated non-dairy would be OK. I make your healthy whole wheat apple muffins regularly (as mini-muffins), and those are fabulous. Was hoping these would be an equally great oat version.
Hi Barbara, it does sound like they may need a few extra minutes in the oven if you’re looking for a firmer oatmeal. Keep in mind that these are meant to be like oatmeal baked in a cup, not necessarily a muffin. If you’re looking for a muffin with oats, you might enjoy these blueberry oatmeal muffins instead. Thank you for giving them a try!
Lexi – thank you so much for getting back to me on this. I’ll be sure to give the blueberry oatmeal muffins a try
I am making several batches of these on Wednesday for a Thursday morning work function. Should they be refrigerated overnight or left at room temperature?
Hi Jay, we would refrigerate the baked oatmeal cups after cooling, until serving.
Thank you for this recipe. I am a fan but recently became gluten intolerant so although I make many of my other favourites for my family, this is one I can still have (without pain). They make great breakfast cups when on the go, and wholesome snacks. Thanks again!
Hi Penny, I am also recently diagnosed celiac and I can say with assurance that I have swapped King Arthur’s measure for measure gluten free flour for regular flour in many of Sally’s recipes with great success. My family and friends love the double chocolate muffins. Just be sure to check your other ingredients like baking powder and cornstarch to make sure they are also gluten free. I hope you try the other recipes with gluten free flour. It’s not perfect but still good.
Do you have a time conversion to bake these as mini muffins?
Hi Kat, Bake at the same temperature for mini muffins, but we’re unsure of the exact bake time. Start with about 11-13 minutes, and keep a close eye on them. Enjoy!
These are delicious! Quick n easy breakfast muffin, thank you for sharing! Your recipes is time saver.
I made using unsweetened almond milk and with out eggs. It turned out really yummy. Thank you very much for notes it helped me a lot. God bless you.
This recipe was a hit with my very picky toddler! I made a few as mini muffins, which were done after about 20 minutes. He gobbled up three! Glad to have another option to fill his lunchbox for daycare.
Hi love and make all ur recipes, you are incredible! Just curious how can I adjust this recipe for a loaf bread? Thanks!!
Hi Taylor, a loaf pan isn’t ideal here, but you could use an 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking pan. The bake time will be similar to our baked oatmeal recipe.
These were delicious!
They turned amazingly! Enjoyed them very much!!
Make them with peanut butter all the time ! Everyone loves them
Hi Elise, how much peanut butter do you add? Is it substituted for anything? My hubby loves peanut butter. I would like to make the peanut butter ones for him.
I love how these turned out! Not overly sweet and perfect for a snack or breakfast!
I love your recipes! I am on a very restrictive diet. Can I substitute water for the milk? I’ve used skim milk in the past. Can I also substitute egg whites for the full egg? Thanks for your thoughts!
Hi Susan, we haven’t tried these with water, but a non-dairy milk works well if that’s an option!
These are delicious! Quick n easy breakfast muffin, thank you for sharing! Your recipes ROCK
I love this recipe. I used blueberries instead of apple.
Do you know what the bake time would be if I just made it in a pan, like bars instead of muffins? Thanks
Hi Lisa! We would use these add-ins in our baked oatmeal recipe instead.