These healthy gluten free oatmeal muffins have very little added sugar and plenty of whole grains. They're a kid-approved easy make-ahead breakfast!
I love a good make-ahead gluten free breakfast. I just … do. Make my weekday mornings easier and I'll love you forever.
Today's addition to the line-up is so simple, healthy and hearty that I predict it will quickly become a family favorite. I can't even count how many times I've already made these naturally gluten free oatmeal muffins.
Just look at how few ingredients there are! A note about bananas, first. Bananas, like scallions, Bartlett pears and avocados, are ingredients that you have to catch at just the right moment or have them lost to you forever.
How to have bananas on hand for baking
I loathe throwing out food (who doesn't?!). But I never, ever throw out bananas, now matter how many I buy.
I buy a bunch, and the moment they reach peak ripeness (for me, that's yellow with a few freckles), I get them ready for the freezer. I peel them, chop them into 1-inch chunks and freeze them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.
Then, I pile them into a zip-top bag and return them to the freezer. For a recipe that calls for mashed bananas, like this one, I either let the proper amount of bananas thaw at room temperature or I microwave them for about one minute at 60% power. Then, mash away!
Ingredients and substitutions
These muffins are a lot like baked oatmeal in muffin cups. They're very adaptable. Here's how to change things up, if you need or want to:
Coconut oil: You can easily swap out the virgin coconut oil for an equal amount, by weight, of butter (tried it; loved it) or vegetable shortening (tried it; loved it more with butter). I haven't tried straight-up liquid oil, though, and I really don't recommend even trying olive oil as the flavor is just too strong.
Bananas: You must use bananas, as they give the muffins sweetness and structure. Often, applesauce will work similarly, but here it won't work properly.
Mix-ins: The dried fruit and/or coconut flakes can be substituted out for any sort of mix-in you like (chocolate chips?).
Sugar: The couple tablespoons of sugar can be left out completely, since there's so little and the recipe is so simple. I've tried them both with and without the sugar. I certainly prefer them with it but it doesn't affect the texture at all to leave it out.
Oats: Oats are safe to eat on a gluten free diet if you use certified gluten free oats. But if you can’t have oats, you can actully replace the old fashioned oats in this recipe with flattened (or beaten) rice. For a full discussion, please see this post about replacing oats in gluten free baking.
You’ll even find a photo in that post of a batch of our gluten free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies made with beaten rice. They look perfect, and although the texture isn’t identical to oats, it’s closer than I ever thought I’d get for oat-free oatmeal cookies!
Eggs: Normally, I'm optimistic about replacing each egg in a baking recipe with one “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel). But this recipe has 4 eggs, and I'm afraid that's too many to replace successfully.
Easy Gluten Free Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups (275 g) certified gluten free old-fashioned rolled oats
5/8 cup (50 g) unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons (30 g) coconut palm sugar (optional!)
5/8 cup (100 g) small dried fruit (I have used raisins, dried cranberries and diced dried apricots)
5Â tablespoons (70 g) virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled
3 ripe bananas (300 g), mashed
4 eggs (200 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease the wells of a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set it aside.
In a large bowl, place the oats, coconut flakes, salt, cinnamon, optional sugar and dried fruit, and mix to combine well. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the coconut oil, mashed bananas and eggs, mixing to combine after each addition. The batter should be thick, but soft. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared wells of the muffin tin, and smooth the tops with a wet spoon or spatula.
Place the tin in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the muffins feel firm when pressed gently in the center (about 20 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan until firm (about 10 minutes) before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. A toothpick or small offset spatula can be useful in removing the muffins from the wells.
Serve immediately or wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for longer storage. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature before serving.
Recipe originally published on the blog in 2015. Recipe amounts scaled up slightly, recipe otherwise unchanged. Photos and video all new.
Sheila says
Nicole these muffins are really great. I have been looking for just the thing because I have busy teenagers who skip breakfast. Everybody loves them. I used cranberries and walnuts for some crunch. I also used regular GF oat flakes and quick GF oat flakes because I thought the regular flakes might be too whole for my kids. This recipe is a winner, thank you for developing it. Sheila Ottawa
Erika Terrel says
Nicole, these sound fabulous and I would love to try them but I am vegan, can I just add more mashed bananas in place of the 4 eggs?
Allison Dawkins says
I wonder if you could use flax “eggs” in place of regular eggs?
Lyn says
These look amazing, Nicole. I wish there was a good substitute for banannas–they give me instant migraines–but I haven’t heard of one yet. :( But my grandkids would probably love these!
Jessica Ramer says
Unsweetened apple sauce? I sometimes use grated apples, peel and all, for a natural sweetener. Not the same as bananas, but not too bad, either. I can’t help but wonder what apricots would taste like as an addition.
Lyn says
Someone suggested apple sauce but Nicole said it wouldn’t work in this recipe. I never thought of apricots! Might be a good alternative. Guess you would have to mash them in a food processor?
Jessica Ramer says
It is not clear to me what the mashed bananas are for–sweetener only or also for texture and binding. I will have to experiment with the recipe and see what happens. Mashed pears seem like another idea.
BeenThere says
Hi Nicole,
I love your recipes; love getting your blog; have all your books!
Do you think I could use date sugar in the muffins? It is icy here in Kansas City today and perfect muffin weather.
Doris
Rhianna says
Hi, my name is Rhianna and I live in Australia. Just would like to know where I can buy the gluten free rolled oats online?
Jennifer S. says
amazon
Becky says
How “banana-ey” is the taste?
Nicole Hunn says
Not very, Becky! If you’re concerned, try adding a dried fruit with a stronger taste—or substitute chocolate chips. And some vanilla extract!
Nicole Hunn says
I haven’t, Carole, and it might alter the moisture balance in the recipe but it’s worth a shot!
Juanita says
Nicole I absolutely hate banana’s, can I substitute with applesauce or something?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid not, Juanita! Applesauce will not serve the same function as mashed bananas.
Dana Schwartz says
Ooh I also love a good breakfast muffin! Making these ASAP as in now :)
Carole says
I’m going upstairs and make them now .. Have you ever used fresh fruit in them like maybe diced apples??? How about blueberries ??? My husband is going to love these, he’d eat muffins at every meal if I let him.
Eileen Fodor says
Hello dear Nicole. I have your book, “G/F on a Shoestring” and am planning on treating myself to your “G/F OAS Bakes Bread. I have printed and also posted a bunch of your wonderful recipes on Pinterest, and I have a question about this particular one…..dried cranberries….sweetened, as in Craisins ? I know that you can buy some dried fruits unsweetened, but I’m not sure about cranberries. This sounds delish and I’m looking forward to trying them. Thank you so much for all of your hard work and dedication to helping us. God Bless you and your family.
Eileen Fodor
youngbaker2002 says
i am so mad at my banana’s! they are all green. i want to make these for a snack for when every ones hungry before supper but all i have is green banana’s!
Nicole Hunn says
You can actually ripen your bananas in your microwave, believe it or not. They won’t be exactly the same, but you can pierce them with a fork (so steam can escape), then put them in the microwave on a plate in 30-second bursts (usually takes about 2 bursts) until they “give” like ripe bananas when pressed. Or just put them in a brown paper bag with an apple and check back tomorrow. :)
Sandy says
Can the coconut be “optional”? I’m not a fan of it at all.
Nicole Hunn says
Sure, Sandy. As I mention in the post, you can swap that out, by weight, for another dry mix-in.
Jennifer S. says
I wish my kids ate like yours. I don’t know if mine would eat these – it makes me so sad. but speaking of dried cranberries – you know those starbuck cranberry bliss bars …. oh how I want one. BAD!
Nicole Hunn says
They don’t like oatmeal, Jennifer? All 3 of my kids love these oatmeal muffins, but my youngest is an enormous pain in the behind about the consistency of her cooked oatmeal. If it’s not exactly fresh out of the pot, she won’t eat it. So so annoying. But these muffins? She’s all over them. :)
Oh, and of course I know those bars. I have a recipe for them but meant to post it before Christmas and never got around to photographing it. Think it would go over well in February? ;)
Donia Robinson says
They don’t like oatmeal, Jennifer? All 3 of my kids love these oatmeal muffins, but my youngest is an enormous pain in the behind about the consistency of her cooked oatmeal. If it’s not exactly fresh out of the pot, she won’t eat it. So so annoying. But these muffins? She’s all over them. :)
Oh, and of course I know those bars. I have a recipe for them but meant to post it before Christmas and never got around to photographing it. Think it would go over well in February? ;)
Nicole Hunn says
She’ll eat oatmeal that I’ve just made. And she’ll eat overnight slow cooker oatmeal—but only first thing, and not leftovers again the next day or anything. Okay I’m getting annoyed just thinking about it!
Donia Robinson says
We all have our things that set us off! Mine would probably be being FED oatmeal. ;)
Michelle says
I’ll gladly take your oatmeal! It can’t be wet and gloppy at all, though. I like it fairly dry. I really like it with a tbsp. of apple butter and a handful of walnuts mixed in.
Jessica Ramer says
I think the Scottish used to do something like that. Let oatmeal solidify and then fry it like corn pone.
Pam Tidrow says
Can you use an egg substitute like flax meal & water? I’m allergic to eggs, but these sound delish!
Jennifer S. says
Try it and let us know!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m honestly not sure, Pam. There are 3 eggs in these, and I generally don’t recommend replacing eggs when there are that many in a recipe. Sorry!
Vivian says
Here you list 3 eggs but the recipe says 4. I followed the redipe so hope it still turns out and not “too eggy”.
Nicole Hunn says
Vivian, the comment above that you are quoting was written 2 years ago, before I republished this recipe. I scaled up the recipe a bit when I republished. It is correct as written, with 4 eggs. It was properly proportioned before as well, with 3 eggs, but made slightly smaller muffins.
Mare Masterson says
I, too, have bananas in the freezer! I have all the ingredients on hand to make these. Oh yeah baby! Oatmeal is my go to breakfast in the winter. This is just another lovely way for me to enjoy it. Nicole, I just appreciate you and what you do for us more and more each day!
Jennifer S. says
Mare – way too many bananas in my freezer too. way too many.
Michelle says
We keep lots of banana in the freezer, too. They make smoothies so creamy! These muffins look so simple and delicious.
Mare Masterson says
Plenty of bananas in our freezer too for breakfast smoothies (yes even in winter), banana pancake muffins, banana pancakes, etc.
Nicole Hunn says
Aw, you’re the best, Mare!
Lucy says
Nicole, these look beautiful! Always have bananas on hand or in the freezer, I’ve learned from the best :)
Nicole Hunn says
Thanks, Lucy! Love bananas in the freezer. :)