Make five flavors of baked oatmeal for the whole week in just 30 minutes with my easy method and breakfast meal prepping tips!
I'm not even gonna hold you. If you're here for healthy baked oatmeal muffins packed with flavor and protein, you're in the right spot. Even better that you can meal prep without eating the same thing every day. Let's get into the deliciousness!
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll also love my pumpkin spice protein pancakes and scrambled egg bites so go ahead and check them out, too.
Table of Contents
- What's a Baked Oatmeal Cup?
- Basic Protein Oatmeal Cup Ingredients
- Recipe Tips & Tools
- Almond Blueberry Oatmeal Cups
- Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cups
- Banana Nut Oatmeal Cups
- Cranberry Almond Oatmeal Cups
- Pumpkins Spice Oatmeal Cups
- How to Freeze Them
- Eating Oatmeal with PCOS
- Recipe + Nutrition Facts
What is a Baked Oatmeal Cup?
A baked oatmeal cup typically consists of oats, fruits, nuts, and some kind of binder like nut butter or apple sauce, baked into a cupcake pan for convenient shape and size. People tend to use the terms oatmeal cup, oatmeal bite, and oatmeal muffins interchangeably.
Muffin is my go-to and I make my baked oatmeal muffins with protein to start the day off on a balanced note. Meal prepping oatmeal is much easier than you might think!
What You'll Need to Make Oatmeal Muffins
My healthy oatmeal muffins recipes start with the basic core ingredients before getting mixed into different oatmeal cup flavors. Here are a few of the ingredients to add to your grocery list.
Old Fashioned Oats are the best oats to use in oatmeal cups, in my humble opinion. Steel cut oats and quick oats don't quite provide the right texture, but can be substituted in a pinch.
Flaxmeal comes through with fiber and nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids. If you don't have ground flax seeds on hand, milled chia seeds are a suitable substitute.
Milk helps hydrate the oats. Use whichever kind of milk you add to your oatmeal on a given morning!
Maple Syrup for sweetness. Feel free to use the sweetener of your choice, like honey or date honey.
Nut Butter acts as a binder to hold everything together and adds an extra boost of protein. Use the nut butter of your choosing. I like almond butter or everything nut and seed butter.
Protein Powder is key to my basic recipe for protein oatmeal. I like a neutral or vanilla flavored protein power but feel free to use your favorite kind.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredient list, measurements, and step-by-step instructions!
What can I add to my oatmeal for protein? Protein powder, nut butter, nuts, and milk all pack protein into this quick and easy meal prep breakfast recipe.
Tips and Tools for this Recipe
Grab a 12-count cupcake pan for this recipe and non-stick oil spray to prep the pan. Alternatively, you can use silicone cupcake liners, which make it even easier to enjoy oatmeal protein cups on the go. I like to mix the batter together with a silicone spatula.
How to store this recipe? Store your baked oatmeal bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for one full week this way. Reheat in the microwave for about 45 seconds to one minute.
How to make oatmeal cups different ways? First, you'll mix up the basic recipe ingredients then divide the batter up into five different bowls. Add one of the following flavor combinations to each bowl, bake, and boom! Five oatmeal cup variations in one pan.
#1 Almond Blueberry Flavor
Add fresh blueberries and sliced (or chopped) almonds to the base to make my almond butter blueberry oatmeal muffins. These mix-ins combine with the almond butter for PB&J vibes as the berries transform into a jammy texture in the oven!
#2 Apple Cinnamon Flavor
Apple cinnamon baked oats are made by adding cinnamon, apple chips, and walnuts to the base recipe. The walnuts will stay crunchy while the apples become tender during baking. The inspiration is apple pie!
#3 Banana Nut Flavor
For banana nut bread oatmeal cups, mix in cinnamon, fresh banana, banana chips, and walnuts. You'll get that classic flavor and soft texture.
#4 Cranberry Almond Flavor
If you want baked oatmeal bites with no banana, try the sweet, nutty, tartness of my vanilla cranberry almond oatmeal recipe. Just mix in dried cranberries and sliced almonds.
#5 Pumpkin Spice Flavor
I especially love pumpkin oatmeal cups for fall but they're good any time. Add in pumpkin puree, cinnamon, golden raisins, and walnuts.
Freezing Baked Oatmeal Cups
Meal prepping isn't just a week by week thing. I recommend making a big batch of baked oatmeal to freeze for busy seasons.
Can I freeze them? Absolutely. Freezing baked oatmeal is easy. I like to wrap each oat muffin individually so that they don't all stick together. Freeze the wrapped cups in a freezer-safe bag and they should keep for up to six months.
Then when it's time to reheat, unwrap and microwave for one to two minutes on a microwave safe dish.
Can I Enjoy this Recipe with PCOS?
Yes! I love this meal prep idea for PCOS because it's made with simple, whole food ingredients. This method for making baked oat cups is full of nutrients. You'll find a balance of protein, fiber, and healthy fat in all of my hormone healthy oatmeal ideas.
Now that you've got five ways to make protein oatmeal in your arsenal, put them to use. I love to see you shine! And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this easy breakfast prep and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
Basic Protein Oatmeal Cup Recipe
Protein Oatmeal Cups in 5 Different Flavors
Equipment
- 12-count cupcake pan
Ingredients
For the protein oatmeal cup base
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup flax meal
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup milk warm or at room temperature
- 2 ½ scoops protein powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the almond blueberry cups
- ¼ cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
For the cranberry almond cups
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
For the apple cinnamon cups
- ¼ cup apple chips broken into pieces
- 2 tablespoons walnut pieces
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
For the pumpkin cups
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons walnut pieces
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
For the banana nut cups
- ½ banana mashed
- ¼ cup banana chips broken into pieces
- 2 tablespoons walnut pieces
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-count cupcake pan with nonstick oil spray and set aside.
- Place nut butter in the microwave to warm it up and loosen the texture (about 30-45 seconds).
- Meanwhile, mix old fashioned oats, flax meal, and sea salt together in a large bowl.
- Add in warmed almond butter, milk, protein powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until uniform and no dry pockets remain.
- Divide mixture into five bowls to make the different oatmeal flavor variations. Two bowls should have slightly more of the batter as you'll divide each into three cups. The other bowls will each be divided into two cups.
- Add each of the flavor variations into its own bowl of base mixture and stir to combine.
- Transfer prepared mixtures into prepared cupcake pan. Smooth down the tops of the mixture in the pan.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until oatmeal muffins are golden brown and tops are firm (but not dry and hardened) when pressed down.
- Cool to room temperature before removing from cupcake pan.
Camille says
Hi Jazz!
I just had to let you know that I tried out your protein oatmeal cups recipe and it's been a game-changer for my breakfast routine! Those apple cinnamon-flavored cups? Pure bliss. And the almond blueberry? Total PB&J nostalgia in the best way. Thanks for bringing some serious yum to my mornings! xx
Kate says
We loved our protein oatmeal cups! These were so delicious and easy to make!
Marcus Avery Christon says
I'm on a workout plan so I'm always looking for foods that are high in protein. Not only did these satisfy that need, but they also taste amazing!
Marta says
I've been trying to build more muscle so I made these protein oatmeal cups all 5 ways for my morning meals. They're not only delicious, but are filling enough for me to get to lunch without snacking.