Warm cinnamon spices with the comforting taste of oats and baked apples. These apple baked oatmeal cups are the perfect option for an on-the-go snack!
I wish you could smell my house right now. These baked oatmeal cups are full of all your favourite apple pie flavours with the added bonus of nutritious ingredients. Meaning you can have dessert for breakfast everyday!
Why you need these gluten free apple cinnamon muffins
At the beginning of every week I always try to prep at least one thing I can grab for a quick snack or meal if I am short on time. These apple pie oatmeal cups are perfect! They can be made in just over 30 minutes, freeze perfectly and are packed with protein and whole grains. They're such a great option for anyone who's always on the go.
Don't believe me? Here are four reasons why you NEED these apple oatmeal muffins:
- They are so easy to make: Seriously all you need is 10 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes while they bake (use this time to do that task around the house you've been putting off) and you will be eating these fresh out of the oven apple baked oatmeal cups!
- They are the perfect balanced breakfast: Protein, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates- what more could a Dietitian ask for in a balanced breakfast? These Apple oatmeal muffins are the ULTIMATE breakfast. Pair them with a little Greek yogurt for an even better gluten free high protein breakfast to get your day going!
- They're perfect for meal prep: The bes part about these muffins is that their portable! Make a batch before a busy week and you'll have breakfasts or snacks ready to grab whenever you need them!
- They are flourless! All you need for the base of these muffins is oats, if you choose to use gluten free certified oats these are the perfect gluten free apple muffins to start your day!
Is Breakfast the most Important Meal of the Day?
You might be coming to find these apple baked oatmeal cups after seeing my 'there's no reason to skip breakfast' series on Instagram and Tik tok. Or you may have just stumbled upon this page. No matter the reason I need to take a moment to clear up a misconception. Breakfast is in fact not the most important meal of the day. All meals are important because they fuel your body. SO my message is please do not skip breakfast, or lunch or even dinner!
As someone who understand mornings can be busy I completely get the tendency to skip breakfast. Why lose 10 extra minutes of sleep right? HOWEVER the Registered Dietitian in me strongly believes that every single person should have time for breakfast. It doesn't need to be overly complicated! Recipes like these apple baked oatmeal cups or banana bread oatmeal cups are perfect options for a quick and easy grab and go breakfast.
All you need is 10 minutes of prep time, and you can do WHATEVER you want while these bake. So whip these up on a Sunday night while you're watching your favourite show or scrolling on Tiktok and you are set for the entire week!
Other great meal prep options:
Other than these baked apple oatmeal cups, I also love the following recipes for easy 15 minutes or less prep time brekafast recipes that lasty ou the entire week!
- layered chia pudding
- banana bread oatmeal cups
- sweet potato egg nests
- spinach and feta egg cups
- quinoa cups
- cheesecake overnight oats
What Ingredients do I need for gluten free apple muffins?
Oats- Quick, minute or rolled! Any oats will work for these oats cups.
Collagen Powder- I love adding collagen powder to these apple baked oat cups for a little extra protein boost. However if collagen is not something you have on hand you can easily substitute with any unflavoured or vanilla protein powder or a little bit of oat flour!
Apple Pie Spice- Buy a pre-made apple pie spice. Or make your own using ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon following the measurements in the recipe below!
Maple Syrup- For a touch of natural sweetness! I have never tested these oat cups with any other sweetener. However I am sure honey would also work (if you try let me know in the comments)!
Apple Sauce- I add apple sauce to this recipe for some added apple flavour. I love using an unsweetened apple sauce because I find it's already sweet enough without additional sugar!
Eggs- I use a full egg in this recipe. This helps to find together the oats with the spices and other dry ingredients. If you are vegan or are unable to consume eggs feel free to substitute with a flax egg. You can make a flax egg by combining 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoon water and allowing it to sit for 15 minutes.
Apple- Feel free to use any variety of apple you like! I personally love honey crisp apples but red delicious, Cortland, gala any will work just fine.
I love see my recipes in action! If you make these apple baked oatmeal cups, don't forget to tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment on the recipe below letting me know how it turned out!
📖 Recipe
Apple Baked Oatmeal Cups
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2.5 cups oats quick, minute or rolled work!
- ¼ cup unflavoured collagen powder protein powder or oat flour also work!
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon apple pie spice (or 1.5 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg,⅛ teaspoon ginger)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup milk of choice
- ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 1 egg or flax egg
- 1 medium apple diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (except the diced apples!)
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir until well combined.
- Fold in the diced apples
- Evenly spoon batter into each muffin cup.
- Bake for 24-27 minutes.
Debbie White says
Yum! This is so delicious!
I have a protein powder in “Apple Pie” flavor which I added to this in place of the collagen, and I also added a couple spoonfuls of some Amish Apple Butter spread. These muffins are scrumptious!
Riley Herbeck says
Could I replace a half cup of the milk with half a cup of Greek yogurt to increase the protein? Or add it in addition to the 1 cup milk?
Nicole Addison says
Hi Riley- you should be able to substitute 1/2 of the milk with Greek yogurt though if you find the batter a little on the dry side before adding it to the muffin tin just add another splash of milk!
Nicole says
Hi Nicole! These are SO YUMMY! Definitely will be making these again. I noticed my muffins come out a little broken, do you have any tips for that?
Nicole Addison says
Hi! Typically if this happens it is either a sign that your peanut butter may have been a little too thick (not quite wet enough) or that the apples were diced a bit too large which results in the muffins not being able to hold them together! If you decide to make these again I would ensure you dice up your apples nice and small and if you are finding you peanut butter is on the thicker side adding about 1-2 tbsp of milk!