Baked Oatmeal Cups (vegan, WFPB, no added sugar)
Make Baked Oatmeal Cups as a hand-held breakfast or snack that is low-cost, healthy, and has no added sugar! They are vegan, whole food plant-based, and naturally gluten-free.
My kids eat oatmeal almost every day for breakfast. They love it. I love it. Yet, somehow, when the same exact ingredients (actually, even healthier ingredients) baked into a little muffin it’s way more appealing and exciting. I say healthier ingredients because these have no maple syrup in them, and usually my kids have some in their bowls of oatmeal. Also, I can’t often sneak flax seed into a bowl because it’s a bit gluey in texture, but when it’s baked you can’t even tell.
How to Make Baked Oatmeal Cups
Preheat the oven and get your muffin pan out. I like to use paper liners for these just for fun, but you can also just grease your pan or use a silicone pan.
Our sweetness is coming from ripe bananas, so the next step is to mash or blend the bananas. I use a blender so there are no banana chunks. You can make these in one bowl though by mashing with a fork, if preferred.
Next, make a “flax egg” by stirring the ground flax seed (or ground chia seed) with water and letting is sit for a minute.
Next, mix in the dry ingredients with the banana. Stir in the “flax egg.” Stir in anything extra you want to add, or nothing at all.
Pour into the muffin pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until mostly firm to the touch. Let cool slightly before eating, or store in the fridge until ready to eat. Can be eaten cold or warmed up, plain, or with peanut butter on them.
No Added Sugar?!
All sweeteners count as added sugars, even “healthier” ones like maple syrup, date paste, honey, etc.
I was skeptical that these would be sweet enough and pass the kid-approval test without any extra sweetener, but with enough ripe banana, these are actually sweet enough! You can also add some maple syrup, honey, chopped dates, or date paste but it’s really not necessary.
It’s fun to mix in some other flavors, too, like some peanut butter, chopped nuts, coconut, raisins, chopped dates, or chocolate chips (adios to the no added sugar part!). You can also put a little spoonful of jam in the center for a sweet surprise. Many jams can be found free of added sugar, too.
What if I don’t have ripe bananas?
I often don’t have ripe bananas to bake with, because my family eats bananas so fast! I try to buy an extra bunch just for me to bake with, but you know how that goes! Anyway, I tried these with 3/4 cup of applesauce to replace two bananas, and they were ok-good. We all preferred the banana ones, however. If you use applesauce, consider some mix-ins to add flavor. The ones with applesauce had more sunken middles, too, as seen below.
Can I freeze the baked oatmeal cups?
These are the perfect grab-n-go breakfasts to freeze! You can thaw them in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds, or add them to a lunch box and let them thaw naturally. They are much cheaper than any breakfast you can buy, and have much fewer and cleaner ingredients!
Why does the recipe only make 6 oatmeal cups?
I usually create recipes to make at least a dozen, but often I only have two ripe bananas at a time. Try to mutltiply the batch, however, since these freeze really well! You can use the feature in the recipe card to double or triple the recipe and do the math for you.
For more oatmeal recipes, check out my blog post with more breakfasts we love!
Our Go-To Breakfasts Using Oats
Baked Oatmeal Cups (vegan, WFPB, gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed or blended up
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed or ground chia seed
- 1/3 cup water or plant milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Optional Additions
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- jam in the center of each cup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin pan by greasing it, using paper liners, or using a silicone muffin pan (no greasing needed).
- Mash the bananas in a bowl with a fork, or blend them in a blender with the water or milk so there are no banana chunks. In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed/blended bananas with the other ingredients: rolled oats, ground flax seed, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- If desired, stir in any additional ingredients. None are needed, but I especially love a little bit of peanut butter stirred in.
- Pour the mixture into the muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes. They will be slightly soft to the touch, but they firm up as they cool.
- Enjoy warm or cold. Store in the fridge or freezer. They make a great travel breakfast.
- If you enjoyed this recipe, please take the time to leave a comment and star rating below! That helps me so much! Thank you!
Nutrition
Adapted from Detoxinista.com
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My little ones and I really enjoyed these. I made them with the peanut butter and chocolate chip add-ins. My son wanted more this morning. I like turning a bowl of oatmeal into a grab and go situation!
We love these! I add peanut butter. We have made them with frozen bananas too.