• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Bren Did

  • Tasty Recipes
    • Healthy Muffins
  • Green Cleaning
  • Natural Bath & Body
  • Easy Crafts & DIY
    • Fortune Tellers
    • Holiday Crafts
  • Free Printables
  • About
    • Policies & Disclosures
    • Contact
Home » Healthy Oatmeal Muffins (No Flour, Sugar Free, Oil Free)

Healthy Oatmeal Muffins (No Flour, Sugar Free, Oil Free)

Published May 23, 2017 551 comments >>

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Healthy oatmeal muffins are a convenient and nutritious breakfast the whole family will love. These delicious gluten-free muffins are made with whole-grain oats (no special gluten free flours needed) and contain no refined sugar, no flour, and no oil!

Healthy Oatmeal Muffins baked in muffin tin This post uses affiliate links. They don’t cost you a thing and help us bring you creative projects. Read more in Policies & Disclosures.

A Healthy Muffin Recipe was Needed

Let me paint you a maddening picture of sleep, chaos, and junk food breakfasts…

I have a child who HATES to get up in the morning (she’s a natural night owl like her mother) but HAS to be on the bus ready for a productive day of school at 7:30.

This undesirable combination has led to a lot of stomping, a good deal of nagging, and more than a few pre-packaged breakfasts snatched from the pantry at the last possible second to gobble on the way to the bus stop.

After one too many chocolate chip granola bar breakfasts I decided that we needed a healthier option for last minute breakfasts.

Healthy Oatmeal Muffins out of wrapper

Healthy Oatmeal Muffins Recipe

Muffins are an easy, portable breakfast choice (just grab and go)… but the amount of sugar and oil found in most muffin recipes puts them firmly in the junk food category.

This healthy oatmeal muffins recipe outshines traditional muffin recipes in three ways:

  1. Toasted oatmeal replaces bleached white flour. (Use oats labeled gluten-free for healthy gluten-free muffins.)
  2. Bananas keep the muffins moist without oil or butter.
  3. A bit of honey sweetens the recipe instead of refined white sugar.

If these substitutions sound like a recipe for cardboard, don’t be alarmed! Toasting and grinding the oats results in a smooth muffin with a slightly nutty favor while the fruit and honey provide enough sweetness to tempt even picky taste buds.

Healthy Oatmeal Muffins batter sprinkled with oats

Muffin Add-Ins

Want to customize your healthy oatmeal muffins? It’s easy! Add 1/2 cup of fresh, dried or frozen fruit or 1/2 cut of chopped nuts to the batter. You can also customize the spices: add an extra teaspoon of cinnamon, some nutmeg, or even pumpkin pie spice.

A few popular add ins:

  • fresh or frozen blueberries
  • fresh or frozen raspberries
  • diced fresh apple
  • dried cranberries, mixed berries or apricots (diced)
  • raisins
  • walnuts or pecans (chopped)
  • ground flax seed
  • unsweetened coconut (shredded)

Check out the comments section for even more great ideas from readers!

More Healthy Muffin Recipes to Try

1 – Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins or Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins – My kids’ favorite healthy oatmeal muffins! Lots of CHOCOLATE flavor but no sugar, no flour, and no oil!

Close up of chocolate muffin

2 – Healthy Pumpkin Muffins  or Healthy Zucchini Muffins – Delicious fall flavors (pumpkin spice or classic zucchini bread) with no flour, no sugar, no oil, and no guilt!

pumpkin muffins on a plate

3 – Apple Cinnamon Blender Muffins – This easy recipe mixes in the blender for less mess with lots of apple cinnamon flavor. These muffins are sweetened with dates and still free of flour, refined sugar and oil.

Looking for a healthy muffin recipe? This easy Apple Cinnamon Muffin recipe contains no sugar, is flour free, and has no butter or oil. It is sweetened with dates and tastes amazing! Your family will enjoy the muffins and you will enjoy serving a healthy breakfast treat.

Print
clock clock icon cutlery cutlery icon flag flag icon folder folder icon instagram instagram icon pinterest pinterest icon facebook facebook icon print print icon squares squares icon
Healthy Oatmeal Muffins out of wrapper

Healthy Oatmeal Muffins (No Flour No Sugar No Oil)

★★★★★ 4.9 from 137 reviews
  • Author: Bren
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 14 1x
  • Category: Baked Goods
  • Cuisine: American
Print
Pin

Description

This gluten-free healthy muffins recipe uses no flour, no sugar, and no oil but still produces moist, delicious muffins. Customize to make your favorite muffin flavors.


Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups old-fashioned oats (1.5 cups ground, 1 cup whole)
  • 2 Tbsp old-fashioned oats for muffin tops
  • 2–3 large overripe bananas (1 cup mashed or or 1 cup applesauce)
  • 2 large eggs, (lightly beaten, may use flax eggs)
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 3/4 cup milk (or non-dairy milk)
  • 2 tsp real vanilla
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F to toast oats.
  2. Place oats on a baking sheet and toast until lightly browned, stirring once (about 4 to 6 minutes). Let cool to room temperature. (If you are in a hurry you can skip the toasting step, however the toasting adds flavor!)
  3. Divide oats into portions of 1.5 cups, 1 cup and 2 Tbsp
  4. Turn oven heat up to 350°F degrees to bake the muffins.
  5. Place 1.5 cups of oats in a food processor and blend/pulse until they reach a rough, flour like consistency.
  6. Mash bananas well, they should have no lumps. I use my mixer to mash them before adding the other wet ingredients.
  7. Add eggs, honey, milk and vanilla. Mix to combine.
  8. Add dry ingredients (including the ground oats and 1 cup whole oats) to wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Allow these to sit for 10 minutes to soak the oats.
  9. Optional: Fold in 1/2 cup fruit, raisins, or nuts.
  10. Scoop into muffin tin, well greased or lined with parchment muffin wrappers (makes 14 muffins).
  11. Sprinkle muffin tops with the 2 Tbsp of reserved oats, press lightly to make sure they stick.
  12. Bake at 350°F for 20 -23 minutes. (Tops should spring back when lightly pressed and/or a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin should come out clean.)

Notes

Healthy Zucchini Muffins contain no oil, no refined sugar, and no flour. The oil and sugar are replaced with ripe bananas and the flour is replaced with whole grain oats. Zucchini and spices give the muffins classic zucchini bread flavor. Enjoy a fall favorites with no gui


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 muffin
  • Calories: 163
  • Sugar: 8.3 g
  • Sodium: 198 mg
  • Fat: 2.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 29.3 g
  • Fiber: 3.6 g
  • Protein: 6.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 26.8 mg

Keywords: healthy oatmeal muffins

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @brendidblog on Instagram and hashtag it #brendid

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

Healthy Oatmeal Muffins batter in bowl

Tips for Making Perfect Oatmeal Muffins

These helpful pointers will help you get the most out of the healthy muffin recipe with banana:

  1. Use parchment baking cups. Healthy muffins have a habit of sticking to the baking cups and muffin tins. Parchment baking cups will prevent them from sticking, no greasing needed.
  2. Let the muffin batter rest. Allow the batter to rest for 10 to 20 minutes before scooping it into the baking cups. This allows the oats to soften for more fluffy muffin.
  3. Overfill the baking cups. Want your muffins to look as fluffy as mine? Fill the baking cups 3/4 full (muffin tins are usually filled 1/2-2/3). Gluten-free muffins do not rise as much as traditional muffins so overfilling the tins will make them look taller.
  4. Use the “press test” or cut one open. These muffins are quite moist due to the mashed bananas. It can be hard to tell when they are finished baking with the toothpick test. Try pressing gently in the center of to see if it holds it’s shape / springs back. If the muffin stays indented give them a few more minutes to bake. You can also cut a muffin one in half to see if the center is fully baked.
  5. How to store the muffins. Keep the muffins for 3-4 days in a sealed container on the counter, 7-10 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator, or for several months well wrapped in the freezer (defrost in the fridge overnight). I keep mine in the fridge and heat for a few seconds in the microwave or cut in half and warm in the oven.

Recipe Substitutions & FAQ

I get lots of questions about this recipe. Here are a few substitutions and frequently asked questions:

Substitutions

  • Can I replace the eggs with flax eggs? Yes. To make the flax eggs stir together 2 tablespoon ground flax seed (flaxseed meal) with 5 tablespoon warm water in a small dish and let rest for 5 minutes to thicken. Add to recipes in place of eggs.
  • Can I replace the banana? Yes. Use 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of the mashed banana. Add an extra tablespoon of honey to the batter if needed (ripe bananas are often sweeter than natural applesauce).
  • Can I use maple syrup / molasses / agave, in place of honey? Yes. Most liquid sweeteners can be substituted for the honey. Keep in mind that sweeteners vary in intensity , so you may need to adjust to taste.  I have substituted 1/3 cup pure maple syrup with great results.
  • Can I use steel cut oats / Scottish oats / oat bran instead of old-fashioned oats? No. I would not recommend this substitution.
  • Can I use quick oats instead of old-fashioned oats? Yes. Substitute equal amounts.
  • Can I use oat flour instead of old-fashioned oats? Yes, it takes approximately 1.25 cups of old-fashioned oats to make 1 cup oat flour so add  2 cups of oat flour in place of the old-fashioned oats in this recipe. Add an extra 1/4 cup of oat flour if the batter is too thin.

Additions

  • Can I add cocoa to make chocolate muffins? Please follow my Healthy Chocolate Muffin Recipe for best results. They also contain no refined sugar, no flour, no fat!
  • Can I add protein powder to the muffins? Readers have successfully added protein powder to the batter. Since protein powders vary greatly I cannot specify an amount or promise good results. My Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins get extra protein from your nut butter of choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I skip the toasting step? Yes, it is not necessary to toast the oats, but I recommend toasting because it adds flavor to the recipe.
  • Is the temperature 325°F or 350°F, the recipe says both. Toast the oats at 325°F then turn the oven up to 350°F to bake the muffins.
  • Can I make these into nursing muffins (lactation muffins)? Yes, add 2 tbsp ground flaxseed, 2 tbsp brewer’s yeast, and 1/2 cup add in of your choice (I recommend  chopped nuts for extra protein).
  • Can I make vegan muffins? Yes, use flax seed eggs and maple syrup in place of the eggs and honey.

Healthy Cookies

Can’t get enough healthy baked goods? Check out these healthy cookies with no flour, no dairy, no eggs, and no added sugar. My kids love them for breakfast!

Heathy Cookies with raspberries

Like easy recipes? Sign up for my newsletter and never miss a thing!

BrenDid-Blue-Signature

 

 

 

Tip: Have over ripe bananas but aren’t ready to bake? Peel and freeze the bananas. Defrost and use when convenient.

Bren Did Newsletter Subscribers Get Access!

Success! Please check your email to confirm the Free Printable subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We will use this to send you weekly emails from Bren Did with the latest printables, easy recipes, home care tips, and simple craft ideas. We will never share or sell your information. Powered by ConvertKit

More Posts You Will Enjoy

  • Green Cleaning Ingredients You Should Never MixGreen Cleaning Ingredients You Should Never Mix
  • Easy Tassel Flowers: DIY Dandelion BouquetEasy Tassel Flowers: DIY Dandelion Bouquet
  • Evergreen Scented Vinegar for CleaningEvergreen Scented Vinegar for Cleaning
  • How to Store Fresh CilantroHow to Store Fresh Cilantro
  • How to Make Liquid Spray Starch – 3 Non-Toxic RecipesHow to Make Liquid Spray Starch – 3 Non-Toxic Recipes
  • Easy All-Natural Foaming Hand Soap DIYEasy All-Natural Foaming Hand Soap DIY
Previous Post: « 10 Free Printable Anne of Green Gables Quotes
Next Post: Frozen Arnold Palmer Drink Recipe »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kim

    November 9, 2020 at 9:35 pm

    These rock! I literally have made this recipe >10 times. I have one before my morning workout and normally add in walnuts and shredded carrots. The ones I just I made also added canned pumpkin. I just tried using steel cut oats for the flour and they turned out well. So grateful to have found this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Sinead Healy

    November 6, 2020 at 10:01 am

    Hi. I just made these and loved them. Not too dry and not too moist. I was looking for a healthy school lunch snack and these will do the trick. They would also make great pancakes! I have a similar recipe that I use for pancakes and I’m just realizing that I could probably make those into muffins (would need to play around with the baking time) or yours into pancakes, which would be much easier.

    Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Lyne Bergeron

    October 30, 2020 at 4:56 am

    Great muffins, I chopped up 5 Medjool dates and only 2 tablespoons of honey and stuffed pecans in the muffins after it was in the muffin mould.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Marilyn

    October 25, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    Can these be made with grated zucchini instead of bananas? What other changes should I make if I use zucchini?

    Reply
    • Bren

      December 7, 2020 at 1:03 pm

      I would use my zucchini muffin recipe!

      Reply
  5. Marianna

    September 20, 2020 at 7:12 pm

    I steamed and puréed carrots instead of bananas and the muffins were delicious! Awesome recipe!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Antoinette

    August 14, 2020 at 7:43 pm

    I love this recipe! It’s always moist and very tasty!
    I use the original recipe with bananas.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Sunny

    August 1, 2020 at 3:29 pm

    Has anyone tried this recipe with shredded carrots and raisens mixed in?

    Reply
  8. Galit

    July 27, 2020 at 9:54 am

    Hi
    What oat’s amounts needed if I’m using the instant oats?

    Reply
    • Bren

      December 7, 2020 at 1:34 pm

      The same volume as old fashioned oats.

      Reply
  9. Roslyn

    July 3, 2020 at 6:49 pm

    When doubling the recipe for these muffins, what do you do to the baking soda and baking powder? I read somewhere when you have both soda and powder in the recipe to just add a little more of the soda, or as long as the ratio of the two in nearly the same. Should I have added more baking powder too? I don’t know what to believe as there are different suggestions

    Reply
    • Bren

      July 5, 2020 at 2:45 pm

      I double the amount listed for both baking soda and baking powder.

      Reply
  10. sara

    June 29, 2020 at 4:01 pm

    Can I add fresh strawberry pieces to the batter?

    Reply
    • Bren

      July 5, 2020 at 2:50 pm

      It shoould work as long as the strawberry is not frozen and you only add 1/2 cup total. Freeze-dried strawberries would work great too just add them before the batter rests.

      Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

My projects have caused friends to mutter, "Of course you did!" I'll show you how you can too. (read more)
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Footer

Connect with Bren

Follow me on your favorite social network or drop me an email with your thoughts! Read more...

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Bren Did Copyright & Policies

©Bren Fey & Bren Did. All information should be used at your own discretion. All content/photos are property of blog owner. Use or duplication of materials without written permission is prohibited. Learn more at: Bren Did Policies & Disclosures

Reader Favorites

Healthy Oatmeal Muffins out of wrapper
Natural Homemade Laundry Detergent Question and Answer - Natural Homemade Laundry Detergent recipe is a popular posts that raises many questions, comments, and emails. Get answers to your questions about making non-toxic all natural laundry detergent and then try this green DIY recipe.
scrubbing grout
Want to naturally unclog a sink or clean a slow moving drain? Learn why you should not use baking soda and vinegar to clean your drains and what green solutions really work!
Fresh Lemon Homemade Dishwasher Detergent uses real lemons, salt and vinegar to make liquid dishwasher detergent. Learn more about this DIY recipe and its effectiveness.
These two easy recipes for laundry detergent liquid makes 14 loads of non-toxic laundry detergent for about $3.oo and rates an A on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Healthy Cleaning scale. Learn the simple way to make liquid detergent in small batches.
Privacy Policy · BrenDid.com© 2013–2021 · As Seen In