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Say hello to the oatmeal muffin recipe that will be your go-to for life. After spending 6 months testing and perfecting my muffin recipes, I’m now sharing my foolproof steps for moist, flavorful oatmeal muffins with tall, bakery-style tops.
You will love this Oatmeal Muffins Recipe
Oatmeal muffins get a bad rap, and sometimes, it’s for good reason. No one wants to eat a dry, flavorless muffin. That’s why I’m excited to share these oatmeal muffins with you: they are so good! Simple, wholesome, and satisfying, these moist and tender muffins will hook you from the first bite.
Not only are these incredibly easy to make, with just 10 minutes of prep, but they are ideal for easy breakfasts, healthy snacks, or any time of day! I love having these handy for an on-the-go snack, and they’re perfect for sending to school with kids.
What’s even better? These simple muffins are easy to customize with your favorite add-ins like blueberries, strawberries, or chocolate chips. Keep reading for my 6 foolproof steps and all my best tips for making bakery-style muffin tops!
Oatmeal Muffin Recipe Ingredients
This recipe takes basic ingredients you likely already have on hand and transforms them into muffin magic! Get the full recipe with measurements and instructions in the recipe card below. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Quick cooking oats
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Eggs
- Buttermilk
- Olive oil
- Vanilla extract
Add-Ins
Stir in 1 ½ to 2 cups of your favorite add-in when mixing in the last bit of the dry ingredients. Here are some ideas:
- Blueberries
- Chopped strawberries
- Chocolate chips
How to Make Oatmeal Muffins
This healthy muffin recipe makes one of my family’s favorite muffins! They make a great grab-and-go snack for busy families! Get the full recipe with ingredients in the recipe card below. Here are the 6 easy steps to follow for perfect oatmeal muffins:
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl combine the quick oats, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together and set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a fork or spatula.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Stir in any additional add-ins like blueberries or chocolate chips now. The batter will be very thick!
- Rest batter and prep oven. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Fill muffin pan. For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12-cup muffin tin with 6 muffin liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Spoon batter into the liners, filling the liners to the top with batter, about 6-8 heaping tablespoons. Use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the muffins if lumpy. Top with a sprinkle of quick-cooking oats and sanding sugar.
- Bake and cool. Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 11-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Repeat with the remaining batter, bumping the temperature back up to 425ºF.
How to Create Bakery Style Muffins
Bakery style muffins are known for their domed tops. Plus who doesn’t love them? I used a few techniques to help “lift” these muffins so they would have large, domed tops!
1. The Rest Period
Let the batter rest for 15 minutes after it’s mixed and before you scoop it into the muffin pan. During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour are absorbing the liquid in the batter, causing them to swell and giving the batter a thicker consistency (ref the kitchen whisper). Our 15 minute rest is just a quick rest.
2. Fill Every Other Muffin Cup
This tip has been a game changer! For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffin liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other cup allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other. This technique also encourages the muffins to brown, creating a golden muffin top.
3. Fill Them To The Top
Fill your muffin liners to the top with batter. Yes, this goes against everything you’re heard but it’s important in helping the muffin gain that height.
4. Bake at High Temperature Initially
Bake the muffins at a high temperature (425ºF) initially, then lower to 350ºF. Starting the muffins off at a higher temperature causes the batter to rise rapidly, setting the outer surface of the muffin, producing a dome shape.
Variations to this Oat Muffin Recipe
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s both delicious as-is and perfect for customizing with add-ins. One of my favorite ways to use up blueberries is to make blueberry oatmeal muffins! Simply mix in 1 ½ to 2 cups of the add-in of your choice to the muffin batter when mixing in the last bit of dry ingredients. Here are some add-in ideas:
- Blueberries
- Chopped Strawberries
- Chocolate Chips
- Chopped Nuts
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries
I’ve made this recipe with both regular all-purpose flour and gluten free all-purpose flour with awesome results on multiple occasions. I recommend King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Use it as a one for one substitute for regular flour. Be sure to use gluten free quick cooking oats as well if making gluten free.
How to Store Oat Muffins
Storing and Freezing Muffins
Muffin Storage
If you’ll be eating the muffins within 24 hours of baking, you can leave them uncovered on the counter. The muffins will not dry out while left at room temperature for 1 day.
In fact, muffins are so moist they can become soggy and those crunchy, sugary tops can disappear when stored in an airtight container.
But I have a trick to help that – paper towels.
For longer storage, 2-4 days, line the bottom of an airtight container with paper towels. Place the muffins in a single layer in the container then cover the muffins with any additional layer of paper towels. The paper towels will act like a sponge, absorbing the moisture they release while they are stored.
If the paper towels become too moist around day 2 or day 3, replace them with fresh paper towels.
How To Freeze Muffins
Individually wrap each muffin in plastic wrap. Then place them in a ziploc bag or airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To thaw, leave them at room temperature until defrosted, about 1 hour. Or unwrap them and microwave at 20 second intervals until defrosted.
Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins FAQs
Oatmeal muffins can turn out dry if the flour is not measured properly. Be sure to measure the flour using the spoon and level method.
Using too much flour can result in a dense muffin. For best results with the texture of the muffins, properly measure the flour using the spoon and level method.
Oatmeal muffins are high in fiber, which can help regulate digestion and stabilize blood sugar levels. Oatmeal also benefits heart health due to its soluble fiber. Muffins made with whole grain oats are nutrient-rich, containing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, including manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, and B vitamins.
More Oatmeal Recipes
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Easy Apple Crisp
- No Bake Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Healthy Banana Breakfast Cookies
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Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup quick cooking oats, 88 grams
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 360 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar, 198 grams
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cup buttermilk, 355 ml
- ¾ cup olive oil, 177 ml
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Add-Ins
- Stir in 1 ½ to 2 cups of your favorite add-in, like blueberries, chopped strawberries, or chocolate chips when mixing in the last bit of the dry ingredients.
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine the quick cooking oats, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a fork or spatula.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Stir in any additional add-ins like blueberries or chocolate chips now. The batter will be very thick!
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffin liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Fill the liners to the top with batter, about 6-8 heaping tablespoons. Use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the muffins if lumpy. Top with a sprinkle of quick cooking oats and sanding sugar.
- Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 11-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Repeat with the remaining batter, bumping the temperature back up to 425ºF.
What time and temp should I use to make these jumbo muffins? I love your recipes!Â
These turned out really good! The domes are so high! Everyone loved them :)
These muffins are amazing! I made them gluten-free and used Bob’s Redmill one-to-one. I love them without any extra addition, however, half the batch, I added chocolate chips and toffee bits… I’m thinking a little bit of orange zest would be great in them, but I don’t wanna change anything at all!  They are so so good!
These muffins are amazing! I made them gluten-free and used Bob’s Redmill one-to-one. I love them without any extra addition, however, in half the batch, I added chocolate chips and toffee bits… I’m thinking a little bit of orange zest would be great in them next time, but I don’t want change anything at all!  They are perfect.Â