Wholesome and delicious Spiced Oatmeal Muffins are perfectly flavored with crunchy tops and pillowy centers, making them a delicious breakfast on-the-go or anytime snack!
I realize that there have been an overabundance of muffins shared on the blog over the past couple of weeks, but bear with me here...these Spiced Oatmeal Muffins are worth it! I wanted to make something yummy and easy for after-school snacks last week, and this recipe hit it out of the park.
What Makes Them So Good
These Oatmeal Muffins are not overly sweet and they have amazing texture. They're golden and crunchy on the outside yet pillowy and almost creamy on the inside (thanks to a secret step...see below!).
They're wholesome, loaded with protein- and fiber-rich oats.
And they're perfectly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Let me just warn you that your kitchen will smell goooood while these babies are baking!
Ingredients
This oatmeal muffin recipe is made with pretty standard ingredients, but there's a special trick involving two of those ingredients that yields muffins with incredibly moist interiors.
The secret is soaking your rolled oats in buttermilk before stirring together the batter! If you have an hour to let them sit, great! But if not, 30 minutes will do just fine.
And be sure to use old-fashioned rolled oats (NOT quick oats) in this recipe for the best texture.
How to Make Buttermilk
But is it really necessary to use buttermilk, you may be asking? Can you just use milk if you don't have any buttermilk?
The answer is YES, you need to use buttermilk. Regular milk does not have enough acidity to start breaking down the oats during the soaking step.
Fortunately, if you don't have any buttermilk on hand, it's easy-peasy to make your own! For this particular recipe:
- Pour 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (or white vinegar) into a 2-cup (or larger) liquid measuring cup.
- Fill the measuring cup up to the 2-cup line with milk. Whole milk is preferred but low-fat/skim milk will work.
- Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes until thickened and slightly curdled. Stir well before proceeding with recipe.
And that's it!
(Also, for future reference, the formula to make buttermilk is 1 tablespoon of acid for every 1 cup of milk.)
How to Make Oatmeal Muffins
So we already covered the first step:
- Stir rolled oats into buttermilk until well-combined, and allow to sit for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat the oven, line the muffin pans, and whisk together the dry ingredients.
- After the oats are finished soaking, mix in the brown sugar and the eggs. Stir in the melted butter and the vanilla, and then blend in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Evenly divide the batter between muffin cups and pop in the oven.
- Bake until golden and ENJOY!
Substitutions & Add-Ins
You can boost the nutrition of these Spiced Oatmeal Muffins even more by making them with whole wheat pastry flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
I have also made this recipe gluten-free by using GF rolled oats plus a GF baking mix (I used Bob's 1-to-1) in place of flour.
Another nice thing about these oatmeal muffins is that you can jazz them up should you so desire.
- Tweak the spices to your liking...you could increase the cinnamon and/or decrease the nutmeg.
- While preparing the simple batter, feel free to stir in a cup of your favorite chopped nuts, raisins, or even chocolate chips (if you're feeling naughty).
- You can also sprinkle the tops with a shower of cinnamon sugar.
Or leave them perfectly plain like I did here today!
Nope...you really can't go wrong with these unassuming little gems.
So whether you need a quick, easy, on-the-go breakfast for busy school mornings (or teacher treats!), OR a relatively wholesome snack to boost energy throughout the day or welcome the kids home from school, a batch of these amazing Oatmeal Muffins will fit the bill.
And if you don't have kids and could care less about school-related recipes? Well, this recipe is for you, too. 😉
Indeed, Spiced Oatmeal Muffins FOR ALL!!!
More Yummy Muffin Recipes
Spiced Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats, not quick oats
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 cups flour, all-purpose OR whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
OPTIONAL ADD-INS:
- 1 cup chopped nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together oats and buttermilk. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line 22 to 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.
- After oats have finished soaking, stir brown sugar and eggs into the oatmeal/buttermilk mixture. Mix in melted butter and vanilla, and then blend in flour mixture and optional add-ins (if using) until just combined.
- Evenly divide batter between prepared muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tops of muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Cool muffins in pan for a few minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Video
Notes
- If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, you can make your own by pouring 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (or white vinegar) into a 2-cup (or larger) liquid measuring cup. Fill the measuring cup up to the 2-cup line with milk (whole milk is preferred but low-fat/skim milk will work). Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes and stir before proceeding with recipe.
Adapted from Food.com
Post originally published on August 25, 2015, and updated on February 20, 2020.
Barb Mauro
I just made these with raisins and they are wonderful. ❤️. The balance of flavor is so good. I'm definitely keeping this one.
Jane
Made these today for a late breakfast. I cut the recipe in half though now I'm kind of wishing I had made the full batch lol. The only changes I made other than recipe size is while the oats were soaking, i soaked a cup of raisins in hot water to plump up a bit and then drained them before adding them to the batter, And I left out the nutmeg because, personally? YUCK lol. They aren't the tallest muffins I've ever made but they are soft and slightly dense with all that oatmeal. I managed to get 12 muffins out of the batch and they are perfect for a quick breakfast or afternoon snack
Kelley
I'm a picky baker with picky eaters. This recipe is a hit for us. Halved the recipe and added half of a jazz apple, chopped. Used half coconut oil/ half butter and Bob's Red Mill 1 for 1 GF flour. Warmed the buttermilk in the microwave for 30 seconds to speed up the oat soaking process. Added a ton of cinnamon and skipped the nutmeg. The flavor is outstanding. Sweet enough for my five year old son, but not too sweet for me and my partner. I think the addition of the apples with the GF flour contributed to super moist muffins. This recipe is a great jumping off point! Thanks.
Jennifer de Souza
Hi Samantha
Thanks very much for an excellent recipe. 22 to 24 muffins is too much for me, so I halved the recipe and it turned out great. However, I added a cinnamon crumble topping and man-oh-man did it taste good!!! 😋
Jennifer from Singapore
LINDA
Very good, especially with freshly ground nutmeg!
Cathy
This recipe is a keeper. When I returned from vacation I was searching for a recipe to use up my expired yoghurt and outdated eggs. This recipe fit the bill and I’ll certainly be making it again.
Michelle Jump
Could I add blueberries to this recipe?
Samantha Skaggs
Sure!
Kyla Jicha
Hi Samantha!
Do you keep these out on the counter? If so how long can they stay room temp? Thank you they are delicious!!!
Kyla
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Kyla! I keep them out on the counter for a couple of days and then pop them in the fridge to make them stay fresh longer. 🙂
Diana K Frollini
Scrumptious!!!! plain and simple....I left the nutmeg out the second time as I'm not a big fan of it....I also use 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla....also use salted butter plus the salt and they don't taste salty whatsoever.....makes exactly 24....don't use paper liners....just sprayed the tin....made them at least 7 times already.....keep them in the freezer and take a few out once or twice a week so me and my husband don't eat them all up at once....excellent recipe for muffins....I add a cup of chocolate chips and a half cup of chopped walnuts... and sparkling sugar on top before baking....huge hit with my family....thank you...glad I found your website.
Heather
Added chopped apples, subbed 1/2 cup coconut oil for one stick off butter, and subbed 1/2 cup sparkling water for 2 eggs (I was out.). The muffins were amazing! Will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing this recipe. ♥️
Lainey H.
LOVED these! Made as written with raisins -- perfect afternoon snack for me and the kids. Thanks for a great recipe!
Rose
Hi, Can you use neutral oil instead instead of butter?
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Rose! The short answer is yes. 🙂 I haven't tried it in this particular recipe, but I have swapped oil for butter in other muffin recipes and they've turned out fine. Just keep in mind that you'll lose the rich buttery flavor and the texture of your muffins could be slightly affected. Here's an article that gives a good summary of the swap...hope it helps!
Nonnie
2 questions. Can this recipe be halved and can they be frozen
Samantha Skaggs
Yes and yes! 🙂
Michelle
Can’t wait to try this recipe! I don’t usually have unsalted butter. Can I use regular buyer and use less salt?
Samantha Skaggs
Yes! 🙂
Lene' Burnett
Delicious! Followed the recipe, added a bit more cinnamon. Raisins and pecans went in. I made 12 perfect jumbo muffins. Baked about 25 minutes. A keeper, thank you!
Bunny
I'm wondering if you don't use all-purpose flour, wouldn't you need to add baking powder to the whole wheat pastry flour?
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Bunny! This recipe does call for both baking powder and baking soda, whether you use all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour. Neither all-purpose flour nor pastry flour have any raising agents added to them (like self-rising flour does). Hope that helps! 🙂
Debra Addley
have tried many oatmeal muffin recipes but not happy and this one looks great but I don't normally have buttermilk on hand, can it be substituted with milk, suggestions please.
Samantha Skaggs
Hi Debra! This recipe does require buttermilk to help break down the oats during the soaking step, which is what gives these muffins such a lovely consistency.
If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, you can make your own by pouring 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (or white vinegar) into a 2-cup (or larger) liquid measuring cup. Fill the measuring cup up to the 2-cup line with milk (whole milk is preferred but low-fat/skim milk will work). Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes and stir before proceeding with recipe.
Hope that helps! 🙂
Bethany Collins
The flavour and texture is superb, but they WAY overcooked in 15 minutes. The bottoms were completely blackened with the oven temp at 400!!! Going to try again and turn the oven down to 350.
Samantha Skaggs
Sorry to hear these muffins burned on the bottom for you, Bethany! I always bake them at 400 with no issues and, based on comments from others, it seems that they do as well. At any rate, ovens can certainly vary, so yes...turning down your oven next time may help avoid this problem. 🙂
Candace
These were delicious! I made 20 and baked for 17 minutes. I also added the 1 cup of chopped pecans. I liked that they weren’t sweet. Yum! Yum!
Susan H
These turned out just great. I love spicy muffins, so maybe indulged a little extra spice to mine. Texture was great. They were gone in a few days. (Shared with friends, it makes plenty!) Played a bit with the recipe today....made cocoa, banana and candied orange peel additions, 1/2 butter, 1/2 oil, and..I was out of brown sugar, so used white.
Mama G
Delicious, nutritious. I’ve made these a number of times and shared them with my family. Freeze well!