Baked oatmeal cups are everyone’s newest favourite way to eat oatmeal. They’re the perfect make ahead breakfast that you can stash in the freezer for your busiest mornings. They’re healthy and filling and you can mix in your favourite add-ins so they’re perfectly suited to your tastes! Baked oatmeal cups are super simple to make, and you can easily add in nutrients like protein and energy boosters if you want a little pick-me-up throughout the day. Sound like your type of breakfast? We’ve rounded up 35 make ahead baked oatmeal cups you’re going to love!
6 Health Benefits of Oatmeal
1. High in Vitamins and Minerals
Oatmeal is incredibly healthy and nutritious, containing many vitamins and minerals, all while being low in calories. Oatmeal contains magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, folate, copper, and vitamins B-1 and B-5. Oats are also a good source of carbs and fibre, and contain more protein and good fat than most grains.
2. Rich in Antioxidants
Oatmeal contains a high dose of antioxidants, specifically polyphenols, which are plant-based compounds that are rich in avenanthramides. Avenanthramides are solely found in oats and can lower blood pressure, improve blood flow and reduce inflammation and itching. Ferulic acid is another antioxidant that’s found in large amounts in oats, and can reduce your risk of heart disease since it lowers cholesterol and trigylcerides.
3. Help Manage Weight Loss
Oatmeal is not only delicious and nutritious, it’s also very filling since it’s rich in soluble fibre. People tend to feel full more quickly after eating it than with other foods, which can help you reduce your portion size and achieve your weight loss goals.
4. Improves Blood Sugar Control
Elevated blood sugar levels are a common characteristic of type 2 diabetes. It often results from decreased sensitivity to the hormone insulin. Oatmeal contains a soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which can help improve insulin response and manage blood sugar levels, as long as you don’t add sugar to it. Beta-glucan forms a thick gel that delays emptying of the stomach and absorption of glucose into the blood.
5. Promotes a Healthy Gut
The fibre found in oats nourishes and restores healthy gut bacteria. The beta-glucan in oatmeal forms a gel-like substance when it mixes with water, which coats the stomach and digestive tract. The coating feeds good bacteria in the gut, which increases their growth rate. It can also help relieve constipation, so you’ll have healthier digestion overall.
6. Lowers Cholesterol Levels
High cholesterol levels can lead to serious diseases such as heart attack and stroke. Oatmeal supports healthy cholesterol levels due to its beta-glucan content. Beta-glucan may increase the excretion of cholesterol-rich bile, reducing circulating levels of cholesterol in the blood.
5 Tips for Making Perfect Baked Oatmeal Cups
1. Use Your Favourite Natural Sweeteners
Most recipes for baked oatmeal cups are refined sugar free. While each recipe uses a different sweetener, you can feel free to switch it up and use your favourite natural sweetener in yours. Consider options like maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, and date puree to give your oatmeal cups to perfect amount of sweetness.
2. Get Creative with Add-Ins
You can pretty much add in anything you want to your baked oatmeal cups to customize them to your taste! Think dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, orange zest, shredded coconut, lemon, banana, etc. We all have flavours we absolutely love and oats pair well with many different ingredients. Get creative with your add-ins to make a combination you can’t wait to wake up to!
3. Refrigerate or Freeze for Later
Baked oatmeal cups are the perfect make ahead breakfast you can store in the fridge or freezer for hectic mornings. You can store baked oatmeal cups in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days, or wrap them individually and store them in the freezer for up to three months.
4. Tin Tips
The last thing you want is for your baked oatmeal cups to get stuck to the tin while you’re trying to take them out. You can get a non-stick muffin tin or spray a tin with non-stick spray. You can also line a baking sheet with silicone muffin liners. Skip paper muffin liners since the oatmeal cups will stick to them.
5. Add in an Energy Booster
It’s easy to add energy to baked oatmeal cups. If you want a boost from your breakfast, add in chia seeds, hemp hearts or protein powder. These will help give you a pick-me-up throughout the day!
35 Baked Oatmeal Cups for Weight Loss
1. Lemon Baked Oatmeal Cups | Life Made Sweeter
2. Baked Banana Nut Oatmeal Cups | Eating Well
3. Healthy Baked Blueberry Oatmeal Cups | Nutrition to Fit
4. 21 Day Fix Customizable Baked Oatmeal Cups | Confessions of a Fit Foodie
5. Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Cups | Select Health
6. Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Cups | Life Made Sweeter
7. Plain Baked Oatmeal Cups | Butter with a Side of Bread
8. Healthy Baked Oatmeal Cups with Bananas and Peanut Butter | Show Me the Yummy
9. Fruity Baked Oatmeal Cups | Healthy Little Foodies
10. Easy 4-Ingredient Baked Oatmeal Cups | The Recipe Rebel
11. Baked Oatmeal Cups with Berries and Bananas | Beach Body on Demand
12. Baked Oatmeal Cups 4 Ways | Eating Bird Food
13. Mixed Berry Baked Oatmeal Cups | Healthy Liv
14. Raspberry Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal Cups | Fit Foodie Finds
15. Vegan and Gluten Free Baked Oatmeal Cups | Holistic Foodie
16. Banana Zucchini Oatmeal Cups | Hummusapien
17. Baked Oatmeal Cups with Raisins and Walnuts | Openfit
18. Raspberry Baked Oatmeal Cups | Driscoll’s
19. Healthy Strawberry Baked Oatmeal Cups | Six Sisters’ Stuff
20. Vegan Baked Banana Oatmeal Cups | Running on Real Food
21. Chocolate Chunk Baked Oatmeal Cups | Hannah Mcgee RD
22. Almond Butter Baked Oatmeal Cups | The Almond Eater
23. Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal Cups | Wholefully
24. Cranberry Orange Baked Oatmeal Cups | With Two Spoons
25. Blueberry Walnut Baked Oatmeal Cups | Three Little Chickpeas
26. Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal Cups | Sweet Spicy Kitchen
27. Cranberry Pecan Baked Oatmeal Cups | West of the Loop
28. Blueberry Pecan Baked Oatmeal Cups | Mom’s Kitchen Handbook
29. Lemon Berry Baked Oatmeal Cups | A Latte Food
30. Baked Oatmeal Cups with Hemp and Chia Seeds | Feasting on Fruit
31. Blueberry Lemon Oatmeal Cups | Once Upon a Pumpkin
32. Oatmeal Cups with Berries and Toasted Almonds | Forks Over Knives
33. Banana Nut Protein Baked Oatmeal Cups | The Noshery
34. Blackberry Cobbler Baked Oatmeal Cups | Savory Nothings
35. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Cups | Running in a Skirt
Baked oatmeal cups are the newest breakfast craze and for good reason! Try out these recipes to reap all the benefits of oatmeal while eating a delicious breakfast.