Baked Oatmeal Cups

Updated Sept. 2, 2025

Baked Oatmeal Cups
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Total Time
1½ hours
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
50 minutes, plus 30 minutes' resting and cooling
Rating
4(325)
Comments
Read comments

These gluten-free oatmeal muffins are perfect for taking breakfast on the go, or for healthy snacking at home all day long. Sweetened with mashed banana and maple syrup, and lightly spiced with cinnamon, they have all the allure of a breakfast treat, but are as substantial and hearty as a bowl of oatmeal. This recipe is endlessly customizable — use your favorite dried fruit, nut butter and milk — just be sure to keep the same ratio of wet to dry ingredients so the muffins hold their shape. These may be baked in advance and stored in the refrigerator, and are as delicious chilled as they are at room temperature.

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Ingredients

Yield:12 servings 
  • Nonstick spray
  • cup/32 grams sliced almonds 
  • cup/28 grams unsweetened shredded coconut 
  • 2cups/224 grams old-fashioned rolled oats
  • teaspoons baking powder
  • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • 2large ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
  • 2large eggs
  • 3tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cups/360 milliliters milk (dairy, almond or oat)
  • cup/83 grams almond butter
  • ½cup dried fruit, such as cranberries or raisins, finely chopped
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat a standard muffin tin with nonstick spray or line with paper liners.

  2. Step 2

    In a small skillet, combine the almonds and coconut. Cook over medium-low heat, tossing often, until the coconut is golden brown and the almonds are lightly toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool.

  3. Step 3

    In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, combine the bananas, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla, and whisk until incorporated. Stir in the milk.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Whisk in the almond butter, then add the cranberries and all but about 3 tablespoons of the almonds and coconut mixture, and mix well.

  5. Step 5

    Let the batter rest for 15 minutes, until slightly thickened. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them to the top, and sprinkle with the reserved almond and coconut mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffin cups have risen slightly and are firm to the touch.

  6. Step 6

    Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. The cups will keep for up to 3 days stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
325 user ratings
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Comments

I confidently followed the recipe to the letter, substituting a tablespoon of light brown sugar for the maple syrup, which we don’t enjoy. The results were fantastic! They reminded me of Melissa Clark's lunch box harvest muffins recipe that we’ve made countless times, but this version uses oats instead of flour.

Can I sub something for the bananas? Hate bananas...

@Wendy Maybe something like unsweetened applesauce thickened with ground flaxseed meal or soaked chia seeds as needed

Oats are intuitively gluten free...until they aren't. I discovered this when first diagnosed w gluten intoler. I just assumed my usual(Quaker Oats) was gluten free. It is not b/c of processing factory cross-contamination issues. You have to look for oats that are explicitly branded as gluten-free e.g. Bob's Red Mill, New Seasons, etc I made these and, based on the comments, added an extra T of maple syrup, some yogurt. Even roasted the oats. Still quite bland. Extra fruit helped a little.

Made these with 1 can of pumpkin (drained), 1 banana, 1 cup of milk, added 1/2 t ginger and 1/4 t cloves and 1/4 chia seeds (more fiber!). Delicious fall pumpkin spice breakfast.

Can I use quick cooking rolled oats?

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