Easy Moist Oatmeal Muffins Recipe

The best recipe ever for oatmeal muffins is here. I know you'll love them because these are everything we want in a breakfast muffin: moist, fluffy, and super easy to make! They can be frozen and reheated to order, and are fantastic warm with a dollop of butter and jam or honey.

As a person who only has coffee when she wakes up, these (together with the blueberry oatmeal 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.

They remind me of old fashioned soft scones, the ones my great grandmother made.

But these muffins have a great chew thanks to the oats, and great moisture thanks to the mixing milk with said oat before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. The result is perfect.

Ingredients

They are so simple that you probably have all of them at home right now.

• Buttermilk: it makes the muffins more tender, so I love using it. You can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the cup of milk and let stand a few minutes until it curdles) or you can use milk.
• Oats: traditional is better than instant because they are larger and hold their shape more, adding great texture to the muffins. Instant will be mushier and produce a more even (sometimes too moist for my taste) textured result. But both work, it's not like you won't get good results by using instant.
• Oil: use whatever type you like. I use sunflower (which I always have) or coconut if I want healthier muffins.
• Sugar: both granulated white or brown sugars work well. The latter will give these oatmeal muffins a more golden hue and also add a slight caramel undertone which works really well.

Preparing the oatmeal

It's as easy as mixing oats with the buttermilk in a bowl and letting it stand a few minutes (image below). During this time 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.

Easy steps

I love this recipe because it's the old-fashioned way of making muffins which is easy, fast, and there's no need for fancy equipment or gadgets.

1. Prepare oatmeal by mixing oats and buttermilk in a bowl.
2. Sift the dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the oats.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture all at once and mix just until it's integrated. Don't overmix!

As you can see in the image above, you can either use paper liners or not.

The difference is that with the liners the muffins will have less of a crunchy surface (similar to the top part) because the bottom and sides will be touching the paper.

If you butter the pan and don't use the paper cups, it will have more surface baking against the metal and it will result in an outer crust (and not just on top).

Frequently asked questions

Oats vs. oatmeal

There are two ways to answer the dilemma above.

• On one side, oats is the unprocessed grain itself and oatmeal is the grain that has been milled and turned into a coarse flour. This is probably a more technical explanation.
• The everyday one is that oatmeal is also the preparation that results from mixing the oats with a liquid. Porridge or prepared oatmeal as it's sometimes called.

I like to point out how different they are when it comes to baking. In this recipe we use buttermilk and the result after the muffins are baked is amazing! They turn out fluffier and moister than you thought possible.

Traditional or quick oats?

There are different types of oats - traditional and instant being the most common ones - and most are easily available.

For this recipe, traditional oats work better because they do absorb liquid well but at the same time hold their shape. But, don't be discouraged from making them just because you only have instant oats.

Other muffin recipes you might like:
Healthier Morning Glory Muffins
Fudgy Brownie Muffins
Cheese and Tomato Savory Muffins

Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it. Thank you for being here, I appreciate it! Let’s connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
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Easy Moist Oatmeal Muffins Recipe

★★★★★ 4.9 from 12 reviews

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 20
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 12 medium muffins 1x
• Category: Muffins
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

The best recipe ever for oatmeal muffins is here. I know you'll love them because these are everything we love about a breakfast muffin: moist, fluffy, and super easy to make! They can be frozen and reheated to order, and are fantastic warm with a dollop of butter and jam or honey.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 ½ cups (150g) traditional oats
• 1 cup (250ml) buttermilk, at room t° (see Notes below for substitutions)
• 1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose or cake flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup oil (I used sunflower)
• 1 egg, at room t°
• ½ cup (100g) white or brown sugar

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Instructions

1. In a medium bowl mix buttermilk with oats and leave to hydrate while preparing the rest.
2. Turn on the oven at 350°F/180ºC.
3. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Or butter and flour them. Reserve.
4. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Add the sugar and mix. 
5. Add the oil and egg to the oatmeal mixture. Mix everything well without beating.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula or hand mixer, and only until just combined, don’t be tempted to beat it as it will result in tougher and less fluffy muffins. 
7. Fill the muffin tins or paper cups ¾ full, dividing the mixture as evenly as possible.
8. Cook 20-25 minutes, or until a tester comes out dry. Let cool completely on a metal rack.

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Notes

• Buttermilk: it makes the muffins more tender, so I love using it. You can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the cup of milk and let stand a few minutes until it curdles) or you can use milk.
• Oats: traditional is better than instant because they are larger and hold their shape more, adding great texture to the muffins. Instant will be mushier and produce a more even (sometimes too moist for my taste) textured result. But both work, it's not like you won't get good results by using instant.
• Oil: use whatever type you like. I use sunflower (which I always have) or coconut if I want healthier muffins.
• Sugar: both granulated white or brown sugars work well. The latter will give these oatmeal muffins a more golden hue and also add a slight caramel undertone which works really well.
• Storing: they are best the day they are made, but they keep well for a day or two at room t°. After that refrigerate for several days or freeze for up to a month. Reheat directly in a 350° oven. 

Keywords: oatmeal muffins

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.