Orange cranberry vegan baked oatmeal cups

Sweet-tart baked oatmeal cups packed with dried cranberries and orange zest are a perfect grab-and-go breakfast or snack. They only take seven ingredients and about half an hour to make, and my family loves them!

What is it about orange and cranberry together? In these vegan baked oatmeal cups, this classic flavor combination really gets a chance to shine. It's a healthy breakfast or snack that you're going to turn to again and again.

I consider my son the ultimate recipe tester. Like most kids his age, he knows what he likes and is not shy about telling you. He ate three of these oatmeal cups on the first day.

The next morning, he had one for breakfast and made me promise not to finish them while he was at school because, "I want some for later!"

That's high praise, y'all.

These baked oatmeal cups are based on my Creamsicle Overnight Oats, and they're adding some sweet-tart variety to our mornings.

They use mostly pantry ingredients, so they're perfect for those times between grocery shopping when you want something healthy, hearty, and delicious.

I can't wait for you to try them!

Preparing vegan baked oatmeal

Making the batter for this recipe could not be easier. Just grab a bit bowl and a big fork. Then, add your oatmeal, vegan milk, dried cranberries, applesauce, maple syrup, orange zest, baking powder, and salt to the bowl.

Mix the ingredients until they're well combined. It's okay if they don't form a proper batter. Just do your best to get an even mixture.

Now, grab a 1/4 cup measuring cup, and scoop the batter into a lined muffin pan. Before each scoop, use the measuring cup to give the batter a stir.

The oats will want to settle to the bottom of the bowl, because of gravity. You don't want to end up with some cups that are full of liquid and some that are mostly oats. They won't set.

Also, don't be shy about filling up the cups of your muffin pan. These aren't muffins, and they won't rise like muffins. Get back in there for another scoop, if you have more batter left after you scoop 1/4 cup into each section of the pan.

Got that muffin pan all filled up? You're ready to bake at 350 F for 25 minutes!

A note about binders

Normally, baked oatmeal cups use eggs as a binder. A binder is an ingredient that holds everything together. Eggs are a great binder, but they're not the only game in town.

Oatmeal actually has some binding properties of its own, so you don't need to use fancy egg replacers in this recipe. Instead, I replaced the eggs with applesauce, which is a great binder that works in a lot of vegan baking recipes.

The applesauce also brings some natural sweetness to these baked oatmeal cups, which allowed me to use just a touch of maple syrup.

Flavor variation ideas

Not a fan of orange and cranberry? That's okay! Here are some other flavor ideas for you:

• Blueberry vanilla: omit the orange zest, use 1 cup blueberries instead of cranberries, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cinnamon apple: omit the orange zest, use 1 cup diced apple instead of cranberries, add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Oatmeal raisin cookie cups: omit the orange zest, use raisins instead of cranberries, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, add an optional extra 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Peaches and cream: omit the orange zest, use 1 cup diced fresh peach instead of cranberries, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Maple walnut: omit the orange zest, increase the maple syrup to 1/2 cup, add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Feel free to experiment with your own flavor combinations, too. Basically, you can add a cup of whatever mix-ins you like, plus any fresh or dried spices, citrus zest, and extracts.

Serving, storing, and reheating

When you pull these out of the oven, don't remove them from the pan right away. They need to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. If you try to eat these right away, they will fall apart.

To store, transfer the completely cooled baked oatmeal cups to an airtight container. They will keep for around five days in the refrigerator.

You can eat these cold, but I prefer them warm. Warm them up for 10 minutes in a 350 F oven or toaster oven or for 30 seconds in the microwave.

You can also freeze these by storing them in a freezer bag. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours on the counter.

Orange cranberry baked oatmeal cups

Sweet-tart baked oatmeal cups packed with dried cranberries and sweet orange flavors is a perfect grab-and-go breakfast or snack. They only take half an hour to make!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: Vegan

Keyword: baked oatmeal cups, vegan baked oatmeal

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 170kcal

Author: Becky Striepe

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups soy or oat milk
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• orange zest from 1 orange - about 1 heaping tablespoon, or 1 teaspoon dried orange zest
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F, and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
• Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the mixture into your muffin pan, stirring the mixture each time you scoop, so you get all of the goods into each cup.
• Bake for 25 minutes. Pull them out of the oven, and let them cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Equipment

• citrus zester

Video

Notes

• The oats in the batter are going to want to sink to the bottom of the bowl, which is why you need to stir before each scoop. When you scoop the batter into the muffin pan, make sure you get an even mixture in there. If you don't, your oatmeal cups won't properly set, and you'll be sad. I'd hate that for you!
• Don't be shy about filling the cups of your muffin pan all the way up. These aren't muffins, and they won't rise like muffins. Get back in there for another scoop, if you have more batter left after you scoop 1/4 cup into each section of the pan.
• It's important that you let these cool, so they have time to set. If you pull them out before cooling completely, they will fall apart.

Flavor variation ideas

• Blueberry vanilla: omit the orange zest, use 1 cup blueberries instead of cranberries, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cinnamon apple: omit the orange zest, use 1 cup diced apple instead of cranberries, add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Oatmeal raisin cookie cups: omit the orange zest, use raisins instead of cranberries, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, add an optional extra 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Peaches and cream: omit the orange zest, use 1 cup diced fresh peach instead of cranberries, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Maple walnut: omit the orange zest, increase the maple syrup to 1/2 cup, add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcal

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