This is an easy recipe for old-fashioned muffins with rolled oats that are moist, fluffy and not too sweet. They're freezer-friendly, quick to mix, and made with everyday 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.
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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 it. The oat apple cinnamon muffins and the hearty banana blueberry oatmeal muffins, to name a few.
These rolled oat 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 over 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!!
Testing Notes
I use (and recommend) old-fashioned rolled oats (traditional oats) because they have more texture and hold their shape better, adding great texture to these homemade muffins. But you can use instant or quick-cooking oats, which will most likely produce a more evenly textured muffin. But both work; it's not like you won't get good results by using the instant kind. I do not recommend steel-cut oats, as they didn't soften enough when I tried them.
Soak the oats: A quick, 5-10 minute soak in buttermilk 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. And stop.
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, to prevent 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.
Ingredients
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).
- 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, ground cinnamon, apple pie spice, or orange zest are a great addition.
How to make oatmeal 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.
Oatmeal 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 muffins
Preheated oven: This is necessary so the muffins rise well. If you forgot to turn it on and the batter 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 come out clean with no wet crumbs attached.
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Oatmeal Muffins Recipe (easy, 45 minutes)
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. It will barely cover the oats, and that's fine.
- Preheat the oven to 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 (packed) 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 until well combined, but don't beat. 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 oatmeal muffin mix as evenly as possible.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a tester comes out dry. Let cool on a wire rack. They're great warm or at room temperature, and best eaten the same day.
- Store muffins that are left in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or in the freezer for a month. Reheat briefly before eating so they regain softness.
Holly says
I’m 70 and my mom made these when I was growing up and I have made them my whole life. They go perfectly with any soup or just with coffee for breakfast this is a very authentic recipe!!
Monica McCarthy says
I like that you put the amount of each item in your notes. I finally made something without forgetting to add an item!! I added walnuts, grated tangerine, raisins and apple. Sprinkled white sugar on top with some cinnamon. Their in oven now. I can't wait to taste them 🙂
MONICA Hudson MCCARTHY says
I liked them!! Next time I am adding more chopped apples. Forgot to rehydrate raisons! Might try adding cranberries. It's a keeper.
Georgianne says
I made these muffins yesterday and had them for breakfast today. They were good, but not as fluffy as I had hoped. I used the real buttermilk and it was thick. Also I decided at the last minute to add 1/4 cup of raisins. I didn’t rehydrate the raisins before adding and I think it sucked up some of my moisture. Normally I would have hydrated them…but like I said it was a last minute decision. I will definitely try them again!
Chris Yeagy says
Taste great. I added blueberries and my husband loved them.
Gail says
Love these!
I add raisins
Lin says
Great taste. Used brown sugar sugar and added a cup of blueberries. This ones a keeper!
Pam says
Great, easy recipe. I added chopped walnuts and raisins. Look forward to one each morning with my coffee. Thank you, Paula.
Onna says
The recipe calls for buttermilk, but in the test notes you mention soaking the oats in warm milk or water. Watching the video, your oat mixture was much looser then mine. Did you use regular milk or buttermilk? My muffins had craggy tops, but yours were smooth. I followed the recipe to the letter. I am not new to baking, so I get frustrated when people put recipes on Pinterest and the pictures do not reflect how the recipes turn out.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Onna, I used homemade buttermilk and the recipe photos are mine and I made them following the recipe I give you in the card.
Baking can deliver slightly different results even if using the same recipe due to ingredients, pans and oven temps. For example, the oat mixture consistency can have variations depending on the humidity of the day and space, of the texture of your buttermilk or liquid you use and the type of oats, which can differ from brand to brand and country to country.
I rewrote the bullet point in the Testing Notes to make it clearer. The milk or water are an alternative if you find yourself without buttermilk as an option. Thanks for the heads up.
Shirley Schuurman says
Does it really need 1/2 c of oil? I’m thinking of calories…. Love the recipe.
Barbara Wierzbicki says
Can I use almond milk or Oatmeal milk? Do I have to add lemon juice to curdle the milk?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Barbara, the lemon and milk makes buttermilk. I never tried it with almond or oat milk and doubt it has the same effect, so I’d just omit the juice.
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.
Barbara says
Thank you for your prompt response. I'll let you know how they come out.
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.