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, 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 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. 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 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 rubber 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 | Rubber 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.
Keywords: baked oatmeal cups
For the pumpkin version, can I take out the apples?
Yes, absolutely!
I’m not big on apple but loved these. Planning chocolate chip next
Hi Sally,
Wow! I will be trying this soon definitely. Can it also be baked in a casserole dish or half sheet pans, so they can just be cut into bars?
Thank you! I really enjoyed all the recipes I’ve tried before!
Suzi
Hi Suzi, Yes you can bake this in a pan and cut into bars. Enjoy!
Hi Sally! I’m new to your site but I’m all in! Recently ordered & received your “Baking Addiction” updated recipe book & it is awesome! Full of so many easy to follow instructions, tips & scrumptious recipes! I feel I have found a treasure. Today I baked the subject apple cinn oatmeal cups, exactly as you instructed. I used non stick cupcake pan & in addition sprayed it as you advised. They came out perfect. Delicious! Picky hubby loved them. Thank you Sally!
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
Thank you for always taking the time to answer our questions. As usual, I have a butter question.
I noticed that this recipe is very similar to your 1 Bowl Baked Oatmeal, which has 1/4 cup melted butter in the recipe. Would that amount of melted butter work in this recipe?
Thank you for such a great site and delicious recipes that always work like a charm!
Shannon
★★★★★
Hi Shannon! I actually didn’t find the butter necessary in these. I cut down on the wet ingredients as a whole because these should be a little more sturdy than the baked oatmeal casserole.
These are so good!! I feel healthy eating them so that’s a big plus.
I added 1/4 cup of ground flax seed to mine.
★★★★★
These are delicious! Instead of putting them in a cupcake pan, I used a glass 9×9 and baked it for about 45 minutes. I also used 3/8 cup maple syrup instead of 1/2 cup, and it still came out great! Highly recommend!
★★★★★
I made these on Sunday and loved them! Can’t wait to make them with blueberries or chocolate chips!
Another keeper!
★★★★★
Finally something has made my 6 year old son eat oatmeal. I am an oat fanatic and he hasn’t liked oatmeal since he was a baby, but he ate this and he liked it. Another slam dunk recipe. Thanks Sally.
★★★★★
Reporting back. I made these on the weeked. They are super tasty, even if I forgot to add the vanilla – oops. They are crumblier than I expected them to be though, and I ended up dishing the “muffins” in a bowl to eat with a spoon. Which made me wonder if I would be better to just bake in a 9×9 pan instead (and skip having to clean the muffin tin)?
Hi Sally, just reporting back after baking them yesterday: every bit as good as I expected! I used dried cranberries instead of the apples and I’m already looking forward to my second breakfasts next week! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with us!
I made this with fresh raspberries and reduced the maple syrup to 1/4 cup or 60 grams, it was super tasty. Next time I will bake my cups a little longer. Excited to eat the leftovers tomorrow for breakfast! Definitely a keeper.
★★★★★
I made these for a friend and they almost didn’t make it to her! My husband and preschooler had to be promised their own batch!
Fun challenge suggestion! Now that Noelle’s a little older how about posting a homemade play dough recipe and challenging everyone to create something? It’s more crafty than sweet but it could be edible…
★★★★★
I’m thrilled that you and your family enjoyed these so much! We have made play dough before and yes, it is fun!
These were a wonderful breakfast treat. Not terribly sweet. I’ve made them 2x now. The oats have a very “soft” taste (feeling) which is why it doesn’t get a 5. But they’re good nonetheless.
★★★★
I’m so looking forward making these!
Question: What size eggs did you use in this recipe?
★★★★★
Large. Enjoy!
Thank you, for this & other oatmeal recipes! I have had high cholesterol for 20+ years & was told by my doctor, to only use Skim (Fat Free) Milk. Could you please specify what kind of milk to be used in the recipes. I know the fat content (or lack of) can make a difference with how recipes turn out.
I love a good, healthy and easy breakfast/snack to have on hand throughout the week. These oatmeal cups totally fit that description. They’re so good and easy to make. Almost feels like you’re eating a mix of oatmeal and apple pie! I’ll be making them again and again 🙂
★★★★★
Loved it .. turned out beautiful and yummy .. replaced eggs by applesauce as suggested . However , the inside was little gooey and wet ? What can be the reason ?
I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Try baking them a minute or two longer next time to make sure the inside is fully baked.
Thanks .. will definitely bake little longer next time 🙂
★★★★★
I love all of your recipes and these are no different! Made these tonight and loved everything about them. And only one bowl & one spoon, doesn’t get better than that! I didn’t have apples on hand so I used the triple berry frozen mixture I had in the freezer, worked quite well. I also calculated the WW points, they’re 4 points per one muffin. These are going into the healthy sweets rotation for sure for those sweet tooth cravings. Thanks Sally!
★★★★★
You are awesome. Just going zero processed and zero sugar. Love to bake and I was sad not now… thank you
★★★★★
Oh my God, these are amazing. One bowl? No mixer needed?? A million different flavors?! Wowowow it’s impossible to go wrong with this recipe! Made some apple/banana ones yesterday and I can’t believe how quickly they disappeared… The hardest part is choosing which add-ins to use! Thanks for another awesome recipe Sally
★★★★★
Can do you peanut butter and chocolate chips?
Yes, definitely! Add chocolate chips to the peanut butter variation.
As the school year starts, I have been on a hunt for easy, healthy, make-ahead breakfasts for my kids that they can grab and I can feel good about as they head out the door. This recipe checks all the boxes. I made these yesterday and my kids had them this morning and gave them two big thumbs up. Thanks so much! (I made mini muffins and they still took almost 25 minutes too bake through (but maybe that’s my oven?).)
★★★★★
I was dying to try these but the bottoms of mine are soggy, the tops were beautifully crisp, tips on how to tell when the bottoms are done?
Hi Kait! Sounds like they weren’t baked through. Try baking closer to 30 minutes. If the tops appear to be browning too quickly, loosely tent a piece of aluminum foil on top.
These are great! Thank you for another great breakfast recipe for my four year old daughter and I. She helped me make them today and we’re currently eating them warm! They are great! I ran out of maple syrup and honey last week so I used only 1 tbsp agave instead and used 1/3 cup mashed banana instead of the eggs as you mentioned in the notes. They’re not too sweet at all. I try to keep sugar out of her breaky so the banana is a perfect sub for some of the honey/maple syrup. Thanks again! We love all your recipes and this one will be perfect for travelling.
These look wonderful! My five year old son has about 15 food allergies. I’m going to try to make these with oat milk and mashed banana instead of eggs. I think he’ll love them! And I know my two year old son will love them too. He loves muffins and carbs!
How did these turn out w/o egg?
★★★★★
Oat milk and mashed banana would be delicious 🙂 I hope these are a hit with your boys!
Can I sub in dried apples for the fresh apples?
Absolutely!
Hi Sally! I don’t have applesauce in the house… can I swap out for oil?
Sure can! Same amount. Or even half oil, half yogurt or half oil, half mashed banana.
I love this! Ever since you posted your baked oatmeal I’ve made it almost every week, except for when it was too hot to bake or eat warm food. But two weeks ago I started the “weekly tradition” again because it’s just so good, healthy, and filling!
I love that you created a portable version now as well. Somewhere this fall, my boyfriend and I will be going on holiday and we usually travel by train. These will be perfect to take with us for the trip!
★★★★★
Mmm yummy! Would love to try this today! Is there anything I can sub for the applesauce?
Mashed banana or pumpkin puree work wonderfully!
I love oatmeal cups! Looks so delicious and perfect for a healthy breakfast ♥
★★★★★