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.
Zoritsa says
🙂 beautiful muffins, great job on creating this one Paula!!! Very tender and the oat-forward taste is delicious...I always enjoy your straightforward recipes and the information which you provide.
I added-in currants & walnuts and enjoyed the perfect 'breakfast muffin'...thanks for sharing your recipes!
Paula Montenegro says
Thank you Zoritsa!
Aunt JB says
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!
Stephanie says
I enjoyed these. Followed the directions as stated and they came out very well. They were very tender and fluffy with a little crispiness on the top. Not overly sweet but a nice flavor to them. If I didn't know what was in them I would not be able to identify what they were. They were pretty filling. I ate them as they are and didn't add any butter or jam but I think they would be great with either of those added as well. This is a nice and simple recipe and I really enjoyed the very detailed instructions. This is a nice muffin for when you want something simple and different that isn't too sweet.
Ruthie Lindeman says
Love this recipe. I like it even better if I soak the oats overnight.
Unsweetened Sue says
This morning, I made these. I used packed light brown sugar and omitted vanilla. I always had trouble using cupcake liners; my muffins and cupcakes wouldn't rise much. I switched to PAM-spraying the muffin slots and top of muffin pan (so errant batter wouldn't stick), and now they rise beautifully.
These muffins came out delicious and they were really simple to prepare.
Amy K Kassner says
How will a liquid sweater work, such as agave, maple syrup or honey?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Amy! I never used them for these muffins, but do use them for other recipes. I use 2/3 of honey or maple syrup (I never used agave so can't say) for every cup of sugar. So for this recipe that would be 1/3 cup. Happy baking.
Fern says
Best oatmeal muffins I've had - hard not to eat more than one!!
Paula falconer says
I have a Bnb in Italy and I’ve made these often.
I change it up a bit with brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts and, sometimes apple or banana.
It’s a keeper recipe and, one I share often b
Paula Montenegro says
I love that Paula! And love Italy of course
Pam says
I love the these muffins. I use brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts. One muffin with coffee & juice - my go-to breakfast most days!
Paula Montenegro says
Love this comment Pam! It reminds me I must test and share more variations
Callie says
So I made these. They taste great however I added almond extract thinking it was vanilla added apples and dried cranberries to half. They didn’t rise well but probably baking powder old. Was very thick so adding a bit more buttermilk and oil. Again like muffin very much. Thanks
Pat Noel says
Can I use whole wheat flour?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Pat, you can, but I wouldn't substitute all of it as it would make the muffins dense and very different in texture. I'd start with substituting no more than 1/2 of the all-purpose flour and see how it goes.
Debbie says
I forgot to add that I used avocado oil and made 6 jumbo muffins
Debbie says
I used coconut sugar, added a little bit of cinnamon, raisins, and sprinkled cinnamon sugar (made with stevia and cinnamon) on top before baking. Mmmm
Lydia says
Are you supposed to pack the brown sugar or just scoop and make level the top ? Wonderful recipe!
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Lydia! It's packed. Happy baking.
Kerin Plank says
Delicious! Nice moist chewy texture! Now I want to try some variations like cinnamon and fruit. Can almond flour be substituted for the wheat flour?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Kerin! Happy to know you loved them. They can hold add-ins and flavorings, but I never tried them with almond flour. That said, I'd start by substituting 1/3 of the regular flour for almond. The muffins will not be as springy as almonds have no gluten.
Marjorie Snider says
I added 1/2 apple, chopped about 1/3 C raisins (soaked to plump up), 1/3 C grated carrot, and 1/3 C chopped walnuts. I also added 1/4 tesp cinnamon and an additional 1/4 C milk. Fantastic results, whole family loved them.
Emma says
Great muffin with pantry staples. I substituted avocado oil and added half a cup of raisins. It was delicious and a hit with my 3 year old.
Leah says
Can applesauce be used in lieu of oil?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Leah, you can, but I never tried it for this recipe. I do sub some of it with applesauce in other muffins and loaf cakes.
Marina says
These are delicious! They are so easy to make. I used silicone liners and baked them in the air fryer (180°C for 15 min.) and they came out perfect!!
Paula Montenegro says
OMG that’s great to know! Thanks Marina.
Jen says
These muffins are delicious! I added a little vanilla for some extra flavor and it was great that way! Getting ready to make my second batch. I threw half of my first batch in the freezer right away and just microwaved for 30 seconds to thaw and warm. Still perfect after freezing! Great recipe!