Nutrient-dense, naturally sweetened, gluten-free, and vegan Baked Oatmeal Cups! The ideal nutritious snack or breakfast.
I truly wish I was joking when I say time flies with kids. I swear I spoon-fed my oldest child rice cereal in his high chair two days ago; now he’s 10 and pounding double-patty burgers at our weekly burger night. Requesting another dinner an hour or two later.
To conclude, my crew is getting older and hungrier, so keeping Baked Oatmeal Cups in the fridge or freezer is an easy solution when hunger comes. They provide a healthful, naturally sweetened breakfast or snack.
An oatmeal bowl you can make ahead and take with you. Combining with fruit or yogurt is a great hunger-buster!
These oat-based snacks contain healthy fridge and cupboard staples. Vegan and gluten-free, they’re easy to create. During hectic school mornings, having a breakfast option that all three of my kids can eat without modification is a lifesaver for my daughter who has egg and dairy sensitivities.
Even if you don’t have kids, quick Baked Oatmeal Cups are a terrific pre- or post-workout snack, afternoon pick-me-up with coffee or tea, or grab-and-go breakfast with a banana, apple, or yogurt!
Ingredients Required
- Old-fashioned oats: a food processor or high-powered blender grinds some oats into flour. The Baked Oatmeal Cups would fall apart if made with old-fashioned oats.
- Optional chopped nuts add protein and crunch. Use anything you like—I prefer pecans.
- Chia seeds pack protein, fiber, and minerals.
Comforting cinnamon. - Adding baking powder to oatmeal cups makes them rise.
- Salt: a little to balance flavors.
- Milk: Use whatever you have in the fridge—this recipe isn’t finicky. My almond milk is unsweetened.
- Unsweetened applesauce naturally sweetens, moistens, and reduces the amount of oil/fat in Baked Oatmeal Cups.
- Maple syrup gives natural, delightful sweetness.
- The oatmeal cups stay moist with coconut oil. You can use butter instead.
- Eggs: hold oatmeal cups together.
- Vanilla extract gives these oatmeal cups a “dessert-esque” taste and smell.
Note on Gluten-Free Oats
If you have Celiac Disease or extreme gluten sensitivity, search for “Purity Protocol Oats” on your oats packaging and in your recipes.
This means the oats were cultivated, transported, and processed in specialized fields, vehicles, and plants to eliminate cross contamination from gluten-containing cereals including wheat, barley, and rye. Oats produced without the purity protocol use mechanical processing to separate gluten-containing grains, which is unreliable.
Making Vegan Oatmeal Cups
Making gluten-free Baked Oatmeal Cups vegan requires two simple swaps:
Use almond, soy, or other plant-based milk instead of cow’s milk. My almond milk is unsweetened.
Try two “flax eggs” instead of two chicken eggs. Stir 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons water and let thicken for 10 minutes before adding to batter.
Flax eggs instead of chicken eggs make baked oatmeal cups flatter, therefore you must bake them for 10 more minutes, but otherwise they’re identical to non-vegan cups!
Storage/Reheating
After baking, Baked Oatmeal Cups stay fresh for a week in the fridge or freeze for longer. Storage and reheating instructions!
Refrigerate: Cool the baked oatmeal cups and place them in a lidded airtight container. Warm in the microwave for 20–30 seconds.
Place baked oatmeal cups in a gallon Ziplock freezer bag in a single layer after cooling. Eliminate air, seal, and freeze flat for 3 months. Thaw oatmeal cups overnight in the fridge or microwave frozen for 1 minute at 50% power in a paper towel.
Baked Oatmeal Variations
After making Baked Oatmeal Cups and bars several times, I can say this recipe is adaptable and foolproof. I recommend overbaking cups to avoid dense, chewy insides.
Try these recipe variations:
I like pecans, but chopped walnuts, almonds, and cashews work well in oatmeal cups.
Fresh fruit. Shred a large apple or add 1 cup blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, or blackberries to the batter.
Replace applesauce with banana if none is available. Replace with 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana.
To provide a sticky-sweet surprise, add ~1/2 Tablespoon of your preferred jam or jelly to the center of each oatmeal cup before baking.
When in doubt, add chocolate! You can add 1/2 cup chocolate chips to the batter before baking. Vegan and gluten-free Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels are my recommendation.
Okay, let’s go!
How to Bake Oatmeal Cups
- First, grind some oats into flour.
Process gluten-free old-fashioned oats (rolled oats) into flour in a food processor or high-powered blender like a Blendtec, Vitamix, or Ninja.
Oat flour has some texture, which is fine! It need not be smooth like flour.
Step 2: Mix dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together oat flour, whole old-fashioned oats, chopped pecans, chia seeds, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
3. Mix wet ingredients.
Whisk together milk, unsweetened applesauce, maple syrup, melted and slightly cooled coconut oil, eggs or flax eggs, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
It’s okay if the coconut oil lumps after whisking with the other wet ingredients! At 78 degrees, coconut oil melts in the oven while oatmeal cups bake.
Step 4: Combine wet and dry ingredients.
Whisk or spatula the wet components into the dry ingredients until fully incorporated. Allow the batter to thicken for 5 minutes to make it easier to scoop into muffins.
Step 5: Bake
Where we go next! Use a standard-size muffin tray with good nonstick spray to scoop 1/4 cup batter into each cup. Bake the oatmeal cups for 25–30 minutes at 350 degrees until the tops are golden and hard when lightly pressed with a fingertip.
Tip: I overbake these oatmeal cups to avoid dense, gummy results. Since they’re so rough, the toothpick test doesn’t work, so I press on the tops to make sure they’re done!
Wait 10 minutes before cutting and removing the baked oatmeal cups from the muffin pan. Allow to cool on a rack before eating!
These store well in the fridge, so you can snack on them all week or freeze any leftovers. Eat cold from the fridge or microwave till warm—your choice!
I hope you enjoy every bite of these healthy, simple Baked Oatmeal Cups. Enjoy!
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