This is an easy recipe for old-fashioned oats muffins that are moist, fluffy and not too sweet. They're freezer-friendly, quick to mix in one bowl, and made with pantry staples. The soaked oats add texture and a mild nutty flavor without making them dense, so you still get that tender muffin crumb we all want.
Quick and easy
As someone who only has coffee when she wakes up, these (together with the blueberry banana muffins and the raisin bran muffins) were a great addition to my mornings, as I'm always looking for easy, delicious, and not sugar-laden ways to grab a bite.
This slightly sweet homemade muffin with oats is all of that. They remind me of old-fashioned soft scones, the ones my great-grandmother made.
A string of flavor variations followed after so many comments from readers using this recipe as a base and iterating on them. The oat apple cinnamon muffins and banana blueberry oatmeal muffins, to name a few. And more to come.
These oaty muffins have an excellent chew and moisture thanks to the soaked oats, a step that makes this a solid recipe the whole family will love.
- Aunt JB ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I own a Bed & Breakfast in CA. I made these just as the recipe says. I opted for the brown sugar version. Turned out terrific and delicious. Guests fought on who got the extras, good thing they knew each other. 🙂 This is a keeper!
- Fern ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best oatmeal muffins I've had - hard not to eat more than one!!
Step-by-step VIDEO
Testing Notes
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant: Traditional oats hold their texture better. Quick oats will make the muffins denser and softer. And no steel-cut oats, as they won't soften enough.
- Soak the oats: A quick soak in warm milk or water (5-10 minutes) softens them so they blend into the batter without staying hard or chewy.
- Room temperature ingredients: This helps the batter mix evenly and rise well. Cold eggs or milk can make the melted butter firm up in clumps.
- Stir, don't beat: The oat mixture only needs to be combined until moistened. Don't use an electric mixer for this recipe. Excessive mixing will make them tougher. Once the wet and dry ingredients meet, stir gently until combined.
- Baking time: Start checking a couple of minutes before the suggested time. Overbaked oatmeal muffins dry out quickly.
- Cooling matters: Let muffins sit in the tin for 3-4 minutes, then move them to a wire rack so steam doesn't make the bottoms soggy.
- Muffin pan: No matter what size you use, don't fill it more than ¾ of its capacity with muffin batter. This is important so it doesn't overflow in the oven.
FAQ
The technical explanation is that oats are the unprocessed grain itself, and oatmeal is the grain milled and turned into coarse flour.
The everyday answer is that the preparation from mixing oats with a liquid is also called oatmeal, porridge, or prepared oatmeal. In this recipe, we use buttermilk to make the oatmeal mixture, and the baked muffins turn out fluffier and moister.
Quick-cooking oats are simply small pieces of oats meant to be cooked faster. Traditional or old-fashioned ones require a process where they are flattened but maintain their shape. I like rolled oats for this recipe because they absorb liquid well while holding their shape and adding more texture. But don't be discouraged from making them because you only have instant oats.
Can I make them dairy-free?
Yes, use almond, oat, or soy milk instead of buttermilk.
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Buttermilk: Use regular buttermilk, or you can make homemade buttermilk (it's very easy; see Notes in the recipe card for details).
- Oats: I use old-fashioned rolled oats (traditional oats) because they have more texture and hold their shape more, adding great texture to these homemade muffins. But you can use instant or quick-cooking oats, which will most likely produce a more even-textured muffin. But both work; it's not like you won't get good results by using the instant kind.
- Vegetable oil: Use whatever type you like. I use sunflower oil and find it's the most neutral one. Coconut oil, if I want a more wholesome muffin recipe, and canola oil work well. Even a light olive oil can be used if you're a little more daring with your flavors and are used to using it for baked goods.
- Baking powder and baking soda: make sure they're not expired.
Variations & substitutions
- Buttermilk substitute: Use milk or unsweetened almond milk.
- Flour: Use part white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour (very finely ground). The texture will not be as soft, especially with the latter.
- Light brown sugar: substitute for all or part of the white sugar for a caramel undertone.
- Crunchy top: Sprinkle a little sugar on each muffin before popping them into the oven, adding some crunchiness to the top.
- Flavor variations: Adding spices or citrus will instantly change the flavor of these muffins. Pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, ground cinnamon, or orange zest are a great addition.
Steps to make oat muffins
I love this recipe because it's the old-fashioned way of making muffins: easy and fast, with no fancy equipment or gadgets, just a few mixing bowls, a spatula or whisk, and a muffin pan.
Oat mixture
Let the oats steep in the buttermilk. It's an easy step that takes a few minutes and makes a difference in texture.
The grain will absorb some of the liquid, and the muffins will have a creamier texture, but rustic at the same time, since the oats will be chewier but not mushy.
Sugar
You can use white or light brown sugar. The latter will add a caramel undertone to the muffin.
Oil and egg
You can add them to the oat mixture directly and stir everything together, or lightly mix them in a separate bowl first. In both cases, don't beat; just stir to integrate well.
Dry ingredients
Sift them first in a separate bowl, or have them measured and sift them directly over the oat mixture.
Prepare the pan
You can use paper liners or grease the molds.
The difference is that only the muffin tops will be crusty with the paper cups because the bottom and sides will touch the paper. They're easier to transport if that is the case.
If you only butter the muffin tin, it will have more surface baking against the metal, resulting in crusty sides, bottom and top.
Baking
Preheated oven: This is necessary so the muffins rise well. If you forgot to turn it on and the battle is already in the muffin pan, leave it at room temperature while the oven reaches the desired temperature.
When are they done? Use the baking time as a guide and test for doneness by inserting a cake tester or toothpick in the center. It should turn out clean with no wet crumbs attached.
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Easy Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups traditional rolled oats
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature, see Notes below for substitutions
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup white or brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup oil, I used sunflower
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
- Mix 1 ½ cups traditional rolled oats with 1 cup buttermilk in a medium bowl and leave to hydrate while preparing the rest.
- Turn on the oven at 350°F (180ºC). Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Or butter and flour them if not using paper cups. Reserve.
- Sift 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda and 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder into a large bowl.
- Add ½ cup white or brown sugar to the oat and buttermilk mixture and stir to combine.
- Add ½ cup oil and 1 egg to the oats, or stir to mix in a medium bowl first and then add. Integrate everything well without beating. Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract if using (I usually don't).
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula or hand mixer until just combined. Don't be tempted to beat it as it will result in tougher and less fluffy muffins.
- Fill the muffin tins or paper cups no more than ¾ full, dividing the mixture as evenly as possible.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a tester comes out dry.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Store muffins that are left in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and reheat briefly before eating. Or in the freezer for a month.
Carol Griffith says
Really good!
Can you add nuts to them?
Paula Montenegro says
Glad you liked them Carol! Yes, you can add nuts. You can check the comments for readers' ideas. I also posted apple nut muffins based on this one.
Teresa says
Paula, could I cut back on the oil? Or would that be a mistake?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Teresa, maybe a tablespoon less oil?
I haven't tried with these recipe, but I have substituted some of the oil (like half the amount) for thick applesauce in other bakes and it worked well.
Tami says
Delicious. I add walnuts and cinnamon. Sometimes, cinnamon chips. Good hearty muffin. I make them into jumbo muffins.
Susan Richey says
great instructions, easy to follow, result: excellent muffins
H says
I just made this and it turned out so well!
Paula Montenegro says
Happy to know that Heather! Have a great weekend.