These soft & chewy pumpkin baked oatmeal cups are one of my favorite treats to make during the fall season. Not only are they wonderfully flavorful and spiced, they’re a relatively healthy option and SUPER easy to make. Try my apple cinnamon baked oatmeal cups, too!
Have you ever tried baked oatmeal before? It’s soft and creamy, yet sturdy enough to eat with a fork. Last year I took my baked oatmeal recipe 1 step further and transformed it into baked apple cinnamon oatmeal cups. And recently I also made these chocolate chip oatmeal cups. (Aka oatmeal in the form of a muffin.) Oatmeal cups are a little more solid and sturdy than baked oatmeal, so they’re perfect as a portable breakfast or snack.
We love them.
And let’s be honest, this is what counts most: oatmeal cups are adult approved because they’re quick and healthy + toddler approved because they’re delicious.
Apple cinnamon is my go-to flavor, but I often swap apple for fall’s other favorite flavor: pumpkin. You knew this was coming, right?!
These Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Cups Are:
- Perfectly pumpkin spiced (you can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here)
- Made in 1 bowl
- Soft-baked & chewy
- Refined sugar free (no added refined sugar)
- Easy, quick, & healthy
- Garnished with crunchy coarse sugar
- Dairy free if using dairy free milk & chocolate chips
- Gluten free if using certified GF oats
Are They Oatmeal? Are They Muffins?
Both! More solid than oatmeal, but not as cakey as pumpkin muffins & pumpkin crumb cake muffins.
How to Make Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Cups
Stir ingredients together, add to a greased muffin pan, and bake. It’s that easy. There’s no mixer or other specialty tools required. You can make these with kids and even with some chaos and mess, it should take you 30 minutes start to finish.
You need 11 simple ingredients including milk (dairy or nondairy), eggs for a little structure, maple syrup to sweeten (plus how yummy is maple with pumpkin?!), pumpkin puree, oats, baking powder, spices, vanilla, salt, and 1 cup of your favorite add-ins. I usually use 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Feel free to use all chocolate chips, all nuts, or even toss in dried cranberries, chopped apples, or leave them totally plain.
- If you have extra pumpkin to use up, here is a list of recipes to make with leftover pumpkin puree.
Looking for a healthy egg-free pumpkin option? A lot of readers have been searching for egg-free recipes and I have several egg free baking recipes that—naturally—do not require eggs. See my recipe notes below for an egg-free variation of today’s recipe. And I think you’ll love my equally awesome pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal bars too! No egg needed.
Baker’s Tip: As you can see above, the pumpkin batter is liquidy. When you’re dividing the batter between the muffin cups, make sure you have both liquid AND oats in each. Spoon batter all the way to the top of each. The recipe yields 12 pumpkin baked oatmeal cups.
Make-Ahead & Freezing Options
If, for some reason, your pumpkin oatmeal cups last longer than 1 day, you can refrigerate leftovers for the rest of the week. I usually microwave them for a few seconds to take off the chill before eating. They also freeze wonderfully—when I tested this recipe, I froze 2 extra batches. To thaw, transfer them to the refrigerator at night and they’ll be ready for breakfast the next morning.
If you’re looking for a (1) healthy fall treat, (2) something quick and easy to bake by yourself or with kids, or (3) place to use up leftover canned pumpkin, let me present you with this:
Some Other Healthy Fall Recipes
- Pumpkin Granola
- Healthy Apple Muffins & Applesauce Muffins
- Baked Apples
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups (Muffins)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 cups
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These healthy pumpkin baked oatmeal cups come together in 30 minutes, plus a few minutes for cooling. You can make them ahead and enjoy all week long, too!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) milk (dairy or nondairy)
- 2 large eggs*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup*
- 2/3 cup (150g) fresh or canned pumpkin puree
- 3 cups (255g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup optional add-ins: chocolate chips (180g), chopped pecans or walnuts (100g), or dried cranberries (120g)*
- optional topping: 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 optional add-ins and coarse sugar. Using a spoon or rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and nuts (if using). Batter will be a little liquidy. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups, making sure both the oats/add-ins and liquid are in each. Fill all the way to the top. See photo above. If desired for extra crunch, sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 28–30 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and tops appear 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.
- 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.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Rubber Spatula
- Eggs: Eggs bind the ingredients and add wonderful flavor. If needed, you can replace the eggs with an extra 1/3 cup pumpkin puree, or even unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana. I prefer the texture with 2 eggs vs extra pumpkin puree. They’re sturdier and taste chewier.
- Sugar: I recommend pure maple syrup because the flavor is outstanding and the baked oatmeal cups are extra moist. If you need a substitute, 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.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice. This is in addition to the 1 teaspoon of cinnamon—you will still add that.
- Add-ins: Use 1 cup of your favorite add-in or leave the pumpkin oatmeal cups plain. I used 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
- Nutrition Information Per Oatmeal Cup (with unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup pecans using Spark Recipe Calculator): Calories 200, Total Fat 8g, Carbohydrate 30g, Dietary Fiber 3.8g, Sugars 16g, Protein 5g.
Keywords: oatmeal, pumpkin
I have been making these for years but wanted a vegan option. I subbed flax eggs for the eggs and they turned out perfect. No issues with stability or texture. Highly recommend this swap!
★★★★★
Hi Sally, mine were very crumbly. Was I supposed to add any fat such as butter or oil?
★★★
Hi Betty, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Butter or oil are not necessary for this recipe, but is it possible the oat cups were slightly overbaked? Be sure to also evenly distribute the oats and the liquid across the muffin tins. If you have any liquid leftover in the bowl, it should go into some of the muffin tins. And did you happen to use steel cut oats? If so, you’ll need to soak them for 30 minutes before using. See recipe Notes for details. Hope this helps for next time, and thank you so much for giving these a try!
I made the pumpkin scones, and they were yummy. But I would love an alternative to grating frozen butter, took me forever not to mention grated knuckles. Any suggestions?
★★★★★
Hi Pat, we’re so glad you enjoyed the pumpkin scones. Do you have a food processor with a grater blade? That will work as well. You do want grated pieces of butter for scones—the finer the pieces of cold butter, the less the scones spread and the quicker the butter mixes into the dry ingredients.
Could I make these in a mini muffin tin or would they dry out too much in the oven?
Hi Alex, for mini baked oatmeal cups, we recommend around 15 minutes. Same oven temperature. Start checking at about 12 minutes.
This is so perfect! Tasty and healthy, what more could you ask for
Could I use skim milk in this recipe, or do I need whole milk? Thx!
Hi Holly, skim milk will work great. Enjoy!
These look great! Could protein powder be added?
Hi Michelle, We haven’t tested these with protein powder but let us know if you give it a try