Spiced Oatmeal Muffins
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.
Nutrition
Adapted from Food.com
Post originally published on August 25, 2015, and updated on February 20, 2020.
Hi! If I use a 6 large muffin pan, how does the temperature and bake time change? Thanks!
Hi, Mandy! The oven temperature should stay the same. Unfortunately, since I haven't made this recipe in a larger muffin pan, I can't give you an exact bake time. I'd add a few extra minutes at a time until the muffins look fully risen. Then when you think they may be done, test one with a toothpick. Good luck!
Will they stick if you decide to grease tin rather than use liners?
I'm sure that would work, Tandra...just grease your muffin tin generously. 🙂
I just made these using lemon juice and coconut milk for the buttermilk. We added chopped pecans, chopped dried cherries, and a few mini chocolate chips to the batter. I turned it into an even 2 dozen, and baked for a total of 20 mins. They are delicious and the house smells good. Kiddos are happy, and breakfast tomorrow just got easier for the 6:30 AM bus crew. Thanks!
Hi. Just wanted to take the time to let you know that your muffin recipe is wonderful. I made them with oil (Didn't have any butter) and added three grated apples (I made a double batch). Delicious!
Delicious muffins. I followed the recipe exactly but added a few drops of King Arthur's fior di sicilia extract which took it over the top--along with chopped pecans. Thank you for this keeper recipe.
I used this recipe and added fresh figs and diced apples! I was a bit concerned as the batter looked thinner than I expected, but they came out perfectly and are delicious! Couldn't let my fresh figs go to waste! I ended up with more batter than I could possible fit into 18 normal size cupcakes. I have jumbo muffin tins... what changes would you suggest, if any, were I to make these again in jumbo size?
I made these tonight - they're fantastic! I make a new muffin each week for 'Muffins for Monday' to make the school mornings easier. I love that I can add ingredients to change these muffins from week to week! This recipe made more than 18 regular size muffins - more like 30! Thank you for my new 'go-to' muffin recipe! 🙂
Thanks for the reply. Looking forward to baking it over the weekend.
What can I use to replace buttermilk?
Hi Charmaine! You can easily make your own buttermilk by pouring 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (or white vinegar) into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Fill the remainder of 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 before proceeding with the recipe. The acidity in the buttermilk (or from the lemon juice or vinegar) helps break down the oats in this recipe, which gives these muffins such a creamy consistency. Hope that helps and enjoy!
Absolutely gastrogasmic! We did half batch with golden raisins and the other half with milk chocolate chips, toasted coconut chips and golden raisins. Replaced half cup of all purpose flour with cake flour. Thanks for the recipe!
Wow, MikeGen...thanks! I've never had one of my recipes described as gastrogasmic. 🙂 I'm thrilled to hear that these were such a hit, and I love your modifications!
Hi there! These look scrumptious - do you think that instead of buttermilk the oats could just soak in say Almond milk? My son is allergic to dairy and so I can't use buttermilk, but wonder if it would be a huge difference in outcome to use a non dairy milk. Thanks 🙂
Hi Ashley! I'm no food scientist, but I think that the acidity in the buttermilk helps break down the oats a bit and contributes to the final consistency of the muffins. That being said, I bet this recipe would turn out just fine with almond milk instead. The consistency of the muffins might turn out slightly less tender, but maybe not. If you wanted to take it a step further, you could soak your oats in almond milk with a tiny splash of lemon juice...not enough to change the flavor of the muffins but enough to add a bit of acidity (1/2 teaspoon?). Hope this helps and I hope these muffins are a hit if you have a chance to try them!
I sympathize, most my family is lactose intolerant so I am use to maneuvering around that in the kitchen! If you use Lactose free milk such as Lactaid you can turn it into butter milk, Add about 1 tsp vinegar (or lemon juice) for ever 1 cup of milk until it starts to thicken.
Thanks for sharing that, Sammy! I've never tried making buttermilk out of Lactaid...great to know that it works. 🙂
These are absolutely delicious! I have made them multiple times over the past month! My whole family loves them, even my picky children. I have even given them to friends who are sick or have had a baby because they are so simple and delicious that everyone will like them. I have tried many different muffin recipes in the past. But these are my new go-to recipe!
Yay, Sarah...so happy to hear that! I'm thrilled that you enjoy this recipe so much and I appreciate you taking the time to let me know. 🙂
Hi Samantha, I've just made these plain for Easter brunch and they are yummy (you know I had to taste test them!) but if I wanted to kick them up a notch how much extra cinnamon and nutmeg do you think I should use?
Thank you,
Hi Jean! I'm glad you enjoyed your taste-test of these muffins! 🙂 You may certainly add extra cinnamon and nutmeg, but I wouldn't go overboard because both of those spices can become pretty overpowering if too much is added. To increase the amounts in this recipe, I'd probably start by trying 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg and see if that suffices. 🙂 Good luck!
Hi Samantha, Thanks I'll try that next time I make them!
Hey Samantha, I have made these three times in the last few weeks. We absolutely love them! I shared a photo of them on Instagram today and linked the recipe in my email newsletter to my followers. I just wanted to let you know. Yum!
Thanks so much, Christina...I'm very happy to hear that your family enjoys these, and I appreciate you sharing the recipe with others! 🙂
These are delicious! I added 1 cup of chopped pecans. I really like the crunchy texture. I also split them up between 24 muffin wells and cooked them for 18 minutes.
So happy to hear that you enjoyed these, Brittanne! I totally agree that pecans make a great addition. 🙂
Another hit at our house! My 3 year old son LOVES them. I see myself whipping up another batch this weekend. Might throw in some dried cranberries this time around though. Question. I thought I had rolled oats when I started making these. Turned out they were QUICK rolled oats. They still tasted great. However, what is the difference?
Thank you again for the amazing recipes!
Great question, Joanna! Quick oats are simply pressed to be thinner than regular rolled oats, meaning they cook faster and have less texture. It's usually not a problem to substitute quick oats for rolled oats in a recipe, but keep in mind that they may measure slightly different (since they're thinner, more of them can get packed into a cup) and the final baked good will have less of a chewy texture. Hope that helps! At any rate, I'm so happy that your family enjoyed these muffins, and I think dried cranberries would be a yummy addition next time! 🙂
Just made these muffins tonight, and they are delicious! I appreciate how simple and classic the flavors are, and they are easy to "dress up" with other flavors. I split my batter -- half for plain muffins, and half with blueberries. I think kiddos will love the plain muffins, especially for a breakfast with some fruit or eggs. The blueberry muffins are delicious -- adds a perfect tart addition to the muffins.
I love the idea of adding blueberries, JoAnna! I agree that these muffins are a great blank canvas...have fun experimenting! 🙂
These are absolutely amazing, I made one batch and split the mixture so I could try them plain and then with fruit and nut.
The plain are perfect with just a bit of butter, super soft in the middle and have a nice little crunch on the top.
The ones with the added fruit and nut give a sweet flavour which is a nice surprise when taking a bite of these beautifully homely muffins with a palatable neutral taste, I feel like I could add anything and they would still taste great.
Will definitely be making again!
Thank you for such a great recipe.
(I didn't even have enough butter so I used half butter half coconut oil AND I also had to improvise for 1/2 cup of buttermilk but they taste tip top!)
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed these muffins, Kara! I have to agree that their simplicity is what makes them so good, as well as the contrast in texture between the soft center and crunchy exterior. Have fun experimenting with this recipe...I can't wait to try adding fruit next time! 🙂