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.
Print
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
Has anyone tried this without any added sweetener (or a very reduced amount)?
I made these for my son who asked for a banana oatmeal apple cinnamon muffin for a quick breakfast on the go. These are perfect! I made the recipe exactly as written, subbing bananas for the applesauce. Delicious! But , my son likes his oatmeal sweet so I made another batch and used brown sugar instead of maple syrup and he loved them!! I’ll be making these regularly! PS, the 2nd batch were made with quick oats instead of regular whole oats and they came out great too!
★★★★★
I always use high protein oats. They carry me longer into the day.
Is there anything else you can use with the cinnamon besides nutmeg? I have an unusual aversion to nutmeg! I just cannot put anything in my mouth that has it in it. Would agave work as a substitute for the maple syrup? Just curious. Going to try this recipe soon.
Hi Amy, You can simply leave the nutmeg out if you wish. Honey is the best substitute for the maple syrup but agave would likely work as well, although we haven’t tested it. Let us know if you give it a try!
I have used cardamon instead of nutmeg at times and they tasted wonderful
I LOVE these! I made the first batch with peaches, as recommended by another reviewer and they were good. I just made them with Granny Smith apples and toasted walnuts and they were amazing! They freeze and reheat very well so there’s always something yummy and healthy waiting in the freezer for breakfast!
★★★★★
These were such a hit with my 1 & 3YO and I love them too! They are super easy to make and delicious. I didn’t have apples or applesauce, so I just subbed about a cup of mashed banana instead and it was SO good. Looking forward to making the pumpkin ones soon. As always – I’m super impressed with this recipe and will continue to use your site for basically all my baking 🙂
★★★★★
Great meal prep for school day breakfast. My son and I made the apple version last night exactly as the recipe calls for and they turned out great. My 6 and 9 year old boys loved them for breakfast with a side of fruit. Will probably make a few of the other versions and freeze to have on hand. Thanks again!
★★★★★
So quick and easy! I didn’t see the note about not making them ahead until after I already did it. So I made the batter the night before and left it in the bowl in the fridge. In the morning, I was worried it would be dried out but it still looked moist so went ahead I scooped it into the muffin tin and baked as usual. They turned out great! My choosy 3 and 5 year old boys loved them, so that’s a win for me! I will be making again and again!
★★★★★
Hi there Sally
Firstly, I just want to let you know how much I love your page and your baking recipes. I have noticed unsweetened apple sauce comes up often as an ingredient in baking. I live in Australia and finding unsweetened apple sauce is near to impossible.
I also note you have suggested substituting apple sauce with bananas. I assume you mean very ripe bananas, given they have more of a liquid consistency like apple sauce or could I mash say just ripe bananas and perhaps add water to mimic the apple sauce consistency? If so, what ratio would you suggest?
Alternatively, I have read elsewhere sweet potato (needs to be baked first though – time consuming) or cottage cheese or cream cheese (both need blending beforehand) might be a good substitute.. In your experience are these viable options also?
Any guidance would be most appreciated as I am super keen to bake with your wonderful recipes.
Many thanks and keep up the great work!
Regards
John 🙂
Instagram: Thechefandthetherapist
Hi John, thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful comment. We’re so glad to hear you enjoy our site and recipes! Correct, it’s best if the bananas are ripe and spotty, just like what we use for banana bread. You could use just ripe bananas in a pinch, but it may take a bit longer to mash them into the right consistency — a mixer is helpful for this. No need to add water. Pumpkin puree is often another substitute and sweet potato puree often can easily replace pumpkin puree. Crushed pineapple is another substitute. It all really depends on the recipe, though! We always provide replacement suggestions when we’ve tested them ourselves. Cottage cheese or cream cheese wouldn’t be our suggestions, with their varying fat content and consistencies that could greatly change batter. Hope this is helpful, John!
Hi! Wondering if you think I could add flax seeds to this recipe.
Hi Amanda, that should work just fine! We’d start with just a tablespoon or two, then adjust to your liking for future batches.
This is awesome. Plan to get rid all of the other oatmeal bar recipes I’ve used. Made as written, using a large FIJI apple. Thank you
made this for the first time and they are awesome. they are moist and just the right amount of sweetness for my family. thanks, looking forward to trying your other recipes.
They are still cooling but the 14 yr old thinks they taste just like the apple cinnamon oatmeal from the packet. Should I have let them cool in the pan? I took them out while still warm and many of them stuck in the pan despite all the cooking spray.
★★★★★
Hi Jen, letting them cool for a bit in the pan will allow them to solidify a bit more and they should release easier. If needed, you can more heavily grease the pans next time to ensure they come out easily. So glad they were a hit!
Can you use quinoa instead of oatmeal, just curious! Trying to cut down on carbs. Excited to try these.
We haven’t tested this recipe with quinoa!
I love these!!
I have a picky eater (for the moment ) granddaughter. We are trying to get some more protein in her. Would it be odd if we put in some ground Turkey meat in these w oatmeal?? I know it sounds odd. Or do you have any recipes w some ground Turkey in it.
Thansk! She loves your baby oat muffins!
★★★★★
Hi MaryJo, we wouldn’t recommend adding ground turkey meat to these cups, but here are all of our recipes using ground turkey. Let us know if you give any a try!
Thank you so much!!!
★★★★★
Just – Thank You – no changes no questions! Delicious!!
★★★★★
I don’t buy applesauce or bananas. What can I use in its place ?
Hi Holly, oil or yogurt (or a mix of the two) could be a good replacement. Let us know if you give it a try!
Love this recipe! If I want to make it with bananas I see you recommend substituting mashed bananas for the applesauce and do you add anything in place of the apples?
You can just leave the apples out or add chocolate chips!
I love your recipes, your website is my go-to place when I’m needing a recipe. Could these be made into mini muffins?
Hi Gracie! Absolutely. We’re unsure of the exact bake time.
We LOVE this recipe and make it all the time! What is the best way to thaw/reheat if they are frozen?
★★★★★
Hi Jessica! You can thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. We usually reheat in the microwave for a few seconds after thawing.
I added fresh peaches that I needed to use. Instead of the apples. So good
★★★★★
Does this come out okay with coconut milk? If not, which dairy free do you recommend?
Hi Aziza, you can use any dairy-free milk you have, but I know for certain these are great with oat milk!
In the oven now. Why do you suggest leaving out the nutmeg if adding a few chocolate chips?
Hi Cheryl, you can leave the nutmeg in with the chocolate chips. Some people may prefer it without.
Hi, my family really loves your recipes, they are always a hit! I literally stopped buying pastry and sweets and bake 1-2 times per week something from this website!
Can I substitute applesauce with something, maybe oil?
Hi Daria, you can swap the applesauce for mashed banana.
Have made these multiple times. Always a hit, especially with my 90 yr old father. We have gluten free and dairy free people in the family so these are great. So convenient and tasty! Have used walnuts and pecans. Have also added hemp hearts and Chia seeds. Dad likes raisins in his. I like extra nuts. I always go pretty heavy on the cinnamon. Have also used apple pie spice in addition to the cinnamon. Both awesome. Thanks for such a good recipe! I always double the recipe to share. I usually do this as i go, but today I tried to triple it on the recipe calculator but something is not working properly. Will be making again tonight for breakfast and sharing! Thanks again!
I would like to know the nutritional values for this recipe.
Hi Cathy, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients, and many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients. However, there are many great online calculators where you can plug in your exact ingredients like this one: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
These are excellent! Done Just as the recipe stated! Great hiking snack!
I have made your other recipes made these the smell is insanely delicious Just wondering do you put in refrigerator and then reheat in morning and for how long Thanks much i
Yes, we store these in the refrigerator and then pop them in the microwave until they are warmed to our liking. Hope you enjoy the oatmeal cups!
Great recipe! I watch what I eat and as much as I can, I use my weight watcher app. On my blue plan, oatmeal is free. Without the addition of the coarse sugar and the nuts, this recipe is three points per muffin. Perfect for breakfast on the go when traveling or before an early morning meeting! I make this often and follow recipe to a T! So easy and quick—and smells great when it is baking!
Really appreciate this recipe! My husband is a long-distance runner. We are traveling for him to run the Boston Marathon this weekend. I’ve just made a batch to freeze and take along. I put two in each ziplock bag and stashed them in the freezer. We will refrigerate them when we arrive at our Airbnb. On race day, there is a lot of time between when you have to arrive to line up to run, and actually start. He will take a couple bags along and munch when he needs to! Perfect marathon morning fuel!
★★★★★