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 ¼ 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 ¼ 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 ¼ 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 ½ cup, add ¾ 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
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups soy or oat milk
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- orange zest from 1 orange - about 1 heaping tablespoon, or 1 teaspoon dried orange zest
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ 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 ¼ 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
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 ¼ 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 ¼ 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 ½ cup, add ¾ cup chopped walnuts
Marge Teilhaber
These muffins are FABULOUS! I followed the recipe exactly and won't change it when I make it again except I'll use almond milk the next few times to get rid of my frozen almond milk and I might add chopped walnuts and a touch more milk MAYBE. I've been washing & zesting oranges before peeling and keeping a container in the freezer. Maybe I'll increase the orange zest by 1 teaspoon just to experiment. I used a 4-ounce bag of organic dried cranberries sweetened with apple juice from Vitacost and DIY applesauce. Greased the muffin pan with coconut oil, and all 12 slots got filled to the top. Next time I'll mix and pour into the pan with a large spoon. 1/4C doesn't fill them up so no need to bother measuring. I don't use paper liners. Let it sit for 15 minutes and the muffins set beautifully and super easy to take out. Kudos, Becky, on a super interesting and delicious and healthy treat/meal!!
Becky Striepe
Oh I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for sharing your tweaks!
Marge Teilhaber
I'll come back when I've tried the tweaks and report the results!
Marge Teilhaber
Made a second batch last night. Increased the orange zest. I did heaping tablespoon + 1t and I might try 2T next time. Used 2C almond milk. Roasted 1/2C (maybe more) chopped walnuts. Delicious!! It's a lot better with more moisture. Next time I might remove 1T of the cranberries because there seems to be wiggle room to keep them delicious and reduce the sweetness. Also, the extra half cup of plant milk made the cranberries pop open, which is a great thing, but the end result is maybe a tad too sweet now.
Marge Teilhaber
Made third batch tonight and it's fabulous. I just ate 3 and could eat all 12! I'm done tweaking. I have a perfect recipe, which is Becky's recipe with 3 changes:
1. 2 heaping tablespoons of fresh orange zest
2. 2C almond milk + a small splash. I'm sure any nut or seed milk would work
3. 1C packed chopped toasted walnuts. (Bake 1.5C unchopped walnuts for 30M @ 250 degrees [shake pan and/or turn the nuts over after 15M] and then chop. You'll end up with 1 packed cup of chopped nuts)
Soooooo good!!
Marge Teilhaber
Made the fourth batch yesterday, 6-13-20. I upped the orange zest to 3T heaping and 1T level. It seems that the orange zest can't be overdone! Each muffin slot is piled high with batter. I cooked for 30M, turned off oven, and cooked for about 15 more minutes in the turned-off oven. Soooooo good!!
Becky Striepe
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Marge, and for taking the time to leave a rating! The orangier the better...I agree!