These easy and healthy Orange Cranberry Baked Oatmeal Cups are an incredibly delicious and nutritious breakfast for those mornings when I'm short on time. They're a convenient meal prep time-saver, and packed with sweet and zesty citrus flavour.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

These Baked Oatmeal Cups are perfect for busy schedules, offering a quick and convenient grab-and-go breakfast or mid-day snack. They're popular for several reasons:

• Wholesome Ingredients - made with simple pantry staples, ensuring every bite is packed with nutritious goodness.
• Easy preparation - whether using an oven, toaster oven, or air fryer, they're quick and effortless to prepare.
• Kid-friendly - children adore them, making them an ideal choice for a satisfying and nutritious breakfast or snack.
• Customizable - easily personalize by adding your favourite mix-ins to cater to your tastes.
• Flourless - with a muffin-like texture but without flour, they appeal to various dietary preferences.
• Time-saving meal prep - ideal for batch preparation, they can be stored in the fridge or freezer, ready to grab-and-go whenever needed — a convenient time-saver.

Ingredients

Please see recipe card below for exact quantities.

• Rolled oats - these form the foundation of our recipe, offering a delightful soft and chewy texture. Old-fashioned rolled oats are recommended, but quick oats can also be used.
• Milk - I prefer unsweetened almond milk, but any milk will do.
• Egg - optionally, you can use a flax egg as a vegan alternative (see notes below for instructions on how to make it!)
• Maple syrup - I prefer using maple syrup as my sweetener - you can adjust the amount to your tastes, or substitute with honey or agave to suit your preference.
• Vanilla extract - for a pop of vanilla flavour.
• Baking powder - helps the batter rise and expand, creating fluffy oatmeal cups.
• Ground cinnamon - adds a touch of spice to enhance the flavour profile.
• Orange - for a pop of delicious bright and zesty citrus flavour. You can use an orange or mandarin, whatever you prefer.
• Dried cranberries - delicious sweetness and chewiness takes these oatmeal cups to another level.
• Coconut flakes - to add some delicious coconut sweetness and texture.
• Salt - to help bring out the flavours.

Instructions

STEP 1: Take an orange and squeeze 2 tablespoon of orange juice, and grate ½ tablespoon of orange zest.

STEP 2: Into a bowl, mix together dry ingredients.

Equipment

To bake these oatmeal cups, you'll need either an oven or an air fryer. Personally, I find my Cosori air fryer or Breville Smart Oven perfect for this recipe and my other baking needs. These appliances heat up quickly, ensure even cooking, and consistently deliver excellent results.

For baking, I suggest using a 6-cup muffin tin that fits perfectly into my Smart Oven. Alternatively, silicone liners work well - they fit snugly in both a muffin tin and an air fryer. I use Oxo silicone liners equipped with pull-tabs for easy removal of the oatmeal cups.

Meal Prep and Storage

These oatmeal cups are perfect for meal prep. You can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze them for up to 3 months. I personally recommend Rubbermaid containers for meal prep because they come in various sizes and make organizing and storing meals hassle-free.

FAQ

My baked oatmeal cups seem undercooked. What do I do?

It's important to note that cooking times can vary between different ovens and air fryers. To ensure your oatmeal cups are thoroughly baked:

• Insert a toothpick into the center of the oatmeal cup.
• If the toothpick comes out clean without any batter sticking to it, the oatmeal cups are ready.
• If there's batter clinging to the toothpick, continue baking for an additional 2 minutes.
• Check again with a toothpick to verify doneness.

This method ensures that your oatmeal cups are perfectly baked and ready to enjoy!

I'm vegan. Can I use something other than an egg?

Certainly! A "flax egg" is an excellent vegan alternative to traditional eggs. Simply combine 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes until it thickens. This flax egg mixture can then be used to replace one large egg in recipes, providing moisture and binding similar to a regular egg.

Other Flavours to Try

Check out these other easy and delicious Baked Oatmeal Cups recipes:

📖 Recipe

Orange Cranberry Baked Oatmeal Cups

Toasty Apron

These easy and healthy Orange Cranberry Baked Oatmeal Cups are an incredibly delicious and nutritious breakfast for those mornings when I'm short on time. They're a convenient meal prep time-saver, and packed with sweet and zesty citrus flavour.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Category Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 6 oatmeal cups

Calories 156 kcal

Suggested Equipment

• Air fryer
• Mini oven
• Muffin tray
• Silicone liners
• Mixing bowls

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Dry ingredients

• ▢ 1.5 cup rolled oats
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients

• ▢ ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
• ▢ 1 eggs
• ▢ 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• ▢ .5 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 tablespoon orange juice
• ▢ ½ tablespoon orange zest

Mix-ins

• ▢ ½ cup dried cranberries
• ▢ 2 tablespoon coconut flakes

Instructions

 

• Take an orange and squeeze 2 tablespoon of orange juice, and grate ½ tablespoon of orange zest.
• Into a bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
• Into a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients with a whisk.
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and stir until well combined.
• Add in your favourite mix-ins, and fold them into the batter.
• Grease a 6-cup muffin tin with cooking spray (or use silicone liners). Evenly distribute batter into each muffin cup.
• Pre-heat oven at 350°F/177°C, then bake for 25 minutes or until cooked. Alternatively, pre-heat air fryer at 330°F/165°C, then bake for 12-15 minutes or until cooked.
• When done, take it out and check for doneness with a toothpick. If batter sticks to the toothpick, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Let it cool down for a few minutes, then enjoy!

Notes

1. Watch the step-by-step video tutorial here.
2. Add-ins and toppings: customize with your favourite ingredients to enhance flavour and nutrition. You can also adjust the sweetness to your liking!
3. Substitute for egg: easily swap out the egg with a flax egg for a vegan option (see below for instructions).
4. Increase batch size: scale up the recipe by using a 12-cup muffin tray and doubling the ingredients to make a larger batch.
5. Add protein powder: boost the protein content by incorporating a scoop of protein powder. If adding more powder, adjust by adding a bit of extra milk to balance the dryness.
6. Adjust sweetness: tailor the sweetness to your liking by adjusting the amount of maple syrup, honey, or other sweeteners used in the recipe.

STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO

You can find step-by-step video tutorials for all of my recipes on my YouTube Channel. There you'll find many more tips and tricks to help you along!

Visit the YouTube Channel

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 156kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 4gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 168mgPotassium: 130mgFiber: 3gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 66IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 1mg

Note: Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Keyword baked oatmeal, baked oats, easy breakfast, healthy, healthy breakfast, healthy dessert

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