These little baked oatmeal cakes are yummy with the seasonal goodness of pumpkin and juicy-sweet pops of dried cranberry. They are tender, warmly spiced, and surprisingly light for an oat-based bake.
Each satisfying, gluten-free, low-calorie oatmeal morsel is lightly sweetened with maple syrup and offers a nice boost of protein, fiber, and calcium—excellent fuel for mornings and good for afternoon snacks (lunch boxes, too)!
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Make a double batch for the freezer, and you’ll have, at the ready, an excellent breakfast for holiday guests!
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🥰Top three things you’ll love about these oatmeal cups
- Appealing, light crumb and irresistible flavor for few calories
- Easy to vary by replacing the cranberries with chocolate chips or walnuts
- Sustaining and nourishing with protein, calcium, antioxidants, and more
Ingredients
- Whole rolled oats
- Flaxseed
- Pumpkin spice
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Allspice (optional)
- Pumpkin puree
- Greek yogurt
- Canola oil, or another neutral oil like olive or sunflower
- Maple syrup
- Milk, any type
- Vanilla
- Dried cranberries
Oats: This recipe was tested with whole, rolled oats, not instant or steel-cut. However, you could try substituting instant oats if that is what you have in the pantry. This would probably cause them to bake more quickly. Do not use steel-cut oats.
Flaxseed: Ground flaxseed, not whole
🥧Pumpkin spice: This combo of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg is readily available for purchase, but you can make your own.
Allspice: This optional ingredient is not always part of pumpkin spice. Cloves are a nice swap for allspice, with a slightly darker flavor.
Pumpkin puree: If you’re buying a can, please read the label carefully to be sure it is puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. Also, the puree thickness varies depending on the brand. See the tips section below for advice on how to adjust for this.
Greek yogurt: Look for low-fat varieties instead of non-fat or whole milk. Low-fat will have a good taste without the large amount of saturated fat found in whole milk Greek yogurts.
Canola oil: You can use a different neutral, healthy vegetable oil, if you prefer. Sunflower and olive oil are a couple of good choices. Keep in mind that seed oils have a good track record of health benefits.
🍁Maple syrup: This natural sweetener adds to the seasonal vibe of the baked pumpkin oat cake. You can cut the amount in half if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth. However, the recipe will not bake well if you leave it out entirely.
🥛Milk: Use either dairy or plant-based milk. No milk in the house? Use water instead.
Vanilla: Add some for a cake-like deliciousness. Look for one that says Madagascar (affiliate link) on the label for excellent flavor.
Dried cranberries: Most dried cranberries contain loads of added sugar. I like the reduced-sugar type from Ocean Spray, the Craisins manufacturer, although it does contain sucralose, an artificial sweetener made from sugar.
🥣How to Make Them
Although the ingredient list is not short, these are a simple bake, even easier than most quick breads.
Wash your hands, lathering with soap and rinsing with running water for 20 seconds, before starting.
Preheat the oven and grease the wells of a muffin tin. Use non-stick spray (coconut has a nice flavor) or grease with oil. Do not use paper liner of any kind! Silicone liners (affiliate link) will work fine.
In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients: oats, ground flaxseed, pumpkin spice, baking powder, salt, and allspice or cloves, if using.
In a spouted batter bowl (affiliate link), whisk (affiliate link) the wet ingredients to thoroughly combine: pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, eggs, canola oil, maple syrup, milk (or water), and vanilla.
Pour the wet ingredients into the oat-flax mixture and create a consistent batter, stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon (affiliate link).
Add the dried cranberries and stir to distribute evenly.
Pour batter into each cup in the muffin tin (affiliate link), filling two-thirds to three-fourths full.
This makes a generous amount of batter. You may have enough left after filling the cups in your muffin tin to make 2 or 3 more oatmeal cups.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry and not moist. If any batter clings to it, keep the cups in the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes.
When fully baked, remove baked oatmeal cups from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, until the edges of the cakes start to pull away from the sides of the cups.
When fully baked, remove baked oatmeal cups from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, until the edges of the cakes start to pull away from the sides of the cups.
Using a knife, gently remove each baked oatmeal cup to a cooling rack, sliding the knife carefully around the edges if necessary.
Cool completely before serving and eating. The baked oatmeal cups may fall apart if not cool enough!
👩🏻🍳Cooking Tips, Storage
Baked oatmeal creations tend to be moist and fragile. I love the convenience of these individually baked cakes/cups, but they may be moist, almost puddinglike if removed too early from the oven.
If you find the bottom of the oat cup is underbaked, simply pop it back into the tin and bake for another few minutes. This may not be a problem when they are eaten with a fork instead of out of hand, like a muffin.
⛰️Also, this recipe was developed at altitude. If you are closer to sea level, they will bake more quickly and thoroughly, so this may not be an issue.
The amount of maple syrup in the recipe does tend to make them softer. Reduce this amount by half to make the baked oatmeal cups firmer and less sweet.
Good substitutes for the maple syrup are maple sugar, brown sugar, and regular white sugar.
Maple syrup has great flavor and a few more minerals than white sugar, plus it is very easy to use in baking and cooking.
Pumpkin puree can be very loose or super thick. This will affect the bake of the cups. You will need a longer bake if the puree has a thinner consistency. Of course, the opposite is also true!
If you must substitute for the eggs, which supply protein and richness to these yummy gems, choose a liquid substitute instead of a flax or chia egg.
Variations
These are also delicious if you swap in butternut squash for the pumpkin puree. Since butternut squash has more native sweetness, do reduce the maple syrup by at least 1 Tablespoon.
No dried cranberries in your pantry? Use chocolate chips, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds. Any sort of nut or seed will boost the nutrition in the muffins. It's also fine to add some nut-trition along with the cranberries.
❄️Storage
The baked oatmeal cups can stay at room temperature for a day or so, and then should be refrigerated, where they will taste okay for up to 3 more days.
🧊For longer storage, they freeze beautifully. Pop a frozen one in the microwave for 30 seconds on high and breakfast is ready to go!
What Makes Them Healthy?
These pumpkin nibbles are low in calories and high in nutrition. Each little gluten-free oat cake is only about 150 calories.
You may want to pair two of them with some fruit for a substantial, but simple breakfast. Or they would be a good sidekick to a carton of yogurt and berries.
🤩For that small number of calories, you will get 4 grams of protein. Other nutrition notables are more than 75% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin A and about 6% of the RDA for calcium.
Pumpkin is an excellent source of vitamin A and is rich in beta carotene, an antioxidant precursor to this fat-soluble vitamin that can help with eye health and boost immunity.
Eggs and Greek yogurt add protein, vitamins, minerals, and especially, a tender, tasty bite to these morsels.
When a serving of two of these smallish oatmeal cups are eaten as breakfast, they earn a superior rating (4 out of 5) for bone health.
When one is enjoyed as a snack, it is still a good (3 out of 5) choice for skeletal health!
Learn more about the bone health recipe rating system developed by Practical Dietitians.
Of course, oats are a whole grain and a rich source of beneficial fibers, soluble and insoluble. Oats contain beta-glucan fiber, which can function as a sort of antioxidant while boosting gut and metabolic health.
Fat and Sugar?
Although pumpkin baked oatmeal cups are not low in total fat, they are low in saturated fat. The majority of fats are monounsaturated or polyunsaturated, which are better for your heart and blood vessels.
While they don't have excessive sugar, they have some added sugar, 4 grams from the maple syrup and 2 grams from the cranberries. Maple syrup is a natural sweetener (tree sap, vegans can use it), but it's mostly sucrose, just like white sugar.
If you want shave some sugar, use less maple syrup and keep the cranberries, which have a delightful tart-sweet pop.
If you omit the cranberries, the baked oatmeal cups would benefit from chocolate chips or perhaps a crunchy nut. Walnuts, pecans, almonds, or even pumpkin seeds (for the nut allergic) would be terrific!
FAQ
Sticking is a common problem with baked oat creations. They often need to firm up after coming out of the oven.
So, let them sit in the tin and cool a few minutes until they appear to pull away from the side of the muffin cup. However, if you let them sit in the tin for too long, they may steam.
Also, make sure you are not decreasing the amount of oil in the recipe. If they do not have enough fat, they will stick.
I have experienced this too! 😖 Use a greased muffin tin or silicone liners (affiliate link) for easier release.
Even parchment liners are not the best for baked oatmeal cups.
Don't expect baked oats to achieve the same kind of structure as muffins made with gluten-free or wheat flour. Because they don't contain gluten proteins or gums, they will be more fragile and tend to fall apart easily.
This recipe uses eggs to help counteract this and also a longish bake at a lower temperature, so the middle firms and bakes through.
They lift slightly in the oven thanks to the baking powder and the eggs, but it's not dramatic. However, that does not mean they are not delicious and soft.
Grinding the oats is a different baked oatmeal recipe. This recipe works with rolled oats and probably, instant oats. It is not meant for oat flour or ground oats or steel-cut oats.
This Banana Bread with Oat Flour is moist and sweet, one of the most popular recipes on Food Hall!
Unfortunately, the eggs are essential to the texture of the baked oat cups. So, this is a great recipe for vegetarians since each oatmeal cup has got more protein than a muffin, but it does require eggs.
But, it is not a good vegan recipe.
Other recipes you might like…
If baked oatmeal is your idea of healthy breakfast bliss, you must try these Chocolate Brownie Baked Oats. These delicious bars don't rely on bananas for sweetness and are packed with antioxidants!
Of course, no baking is needed for these Overnight Oats with Peanut Butter Powder. The blog offers easy ideas for variations including cinnamon-apple and banana.
Pumpkin is wonderfully nutritious food—for humans and dogs. Spoil your pet pooch the healthy way with these 2-ingredient Pumpkin Yogurt Dog Treats!
Healthy Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups with Cranberries
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- Large bowl or large measuring cup
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Medium whisk
- Muffin tin, and/or silicone liners
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats, old-fashioned, not steel cut or instant
- 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, fine grains
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice, or cloves, optional
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt, low-fat
- ¼ cup canola oil, or another neutral oil like olive or sunflower
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup milk, dairy or plant-based
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
Instructions Start Cooking
- Wash hands thoroughly, lathering with soap and rinsing with running water.
- Turn the oven on to 375℉ and grease the inside of the cups in a muffin tin with baking spray (coconut oil is delicious) or use oil to grease them.
- Combine oats, flaxseed, spices, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix together until ingredients are evenly distributed.2 cups rolled oats2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed1½ teaspoons pumpkin spice1 teaspoon baking powder¼ teaspoon salt⅛ teaspoon cloves (optional)
- In a large bowl or large measuring cup, combine the pumpkin puree and Greek yogurt, eggs, maple syrup, oil, milk, and vanilla. Whisk thoroughly.¾ cup pumpkin puree¾ cup Greek yogurt2 eggs¼ cup maple syrup¼ cup canola oil¼ cup milk1 teaspoon vanilla
- Add the oat mixture to the wet ingredients and stir, creating an even-colored, oat-studded batter. Stir in the dried cranberries.Pour batter into the muffin tin, filling the cups a half to three-quarters full, no more.¼ cup dried cranberries
- Bake in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until the tops are set and slightly crusty. (Reverse the oatmeal cups front to back halfway through the baking.)Check doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center. If the toothpick comes out moist with any crumbs or batter clinging to it and the centers seem soft, bake 3 to 5 minutes longer.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool about 5 minutes. When the cakes start to pull away from the sides of the cups, carefully remove to wire racks, running a knife around the edges to help with release.The bottoms of the baked oatmeal cups have a tendency to be soft and can fall apart if not completely cooked. If you pull one out of the tin and it seems too soft, place it back in the tin and return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes.
- Let them cool completely on wire racks before eating or storing. If they are stored before they are cool, they may fall apart. These are especially good when warmed in a toaster oven or microwave before eating. You can add a dollop of yogurt on top and enjoy with a fork or spoon!
Jani H. Leuschel
Love to hear how they turn out for you!
Ruth Hall
Sounds just perfect—just have to get the flaxseeds!