These quick and easy oatmeal applesauce muffins are perfect for a healthy breakfast on-the-go! With only 120 calories per muffin—you can grab two! Whole wheat flour add an additional health boost to this muffin recipe.
This past weekend, I took advantage of the extra warmth provided by our stove and made a few batches of muffins. As you know, I’ve been on a muffin kick lately in the Sweet Precision kitchen. I love muffins because they’re so easy to whip up and there are infinite variations possible. This week I tried a mixture of oatmeal with applesauce to create a tasty and classic breakfast muffin. This recipe doesn't have a lot of add-ins, which means that you can get creative by adding in fruit or nuts to spice things up a little bit!
One thing I love about the winter months is the fact you can use your stove as another heating source! Unlike the summer months when the absolute last thing you want to do is turn on the oven, it becomes an added bonus in the winter.
Seventeen degrees below zero. That is the temperature my iPhone read when Matt and I walked out the door yesterday. Even for a Minnesota girl, these temperatures are chilly enough to make me want to crawl back under the covers. Our puppy went outside and did her business in record time. She then promptly looked up at me with eyes that said, “Carry me back inside… pleeease mommy!” Given the circumstances, I didn’t hesitate to pick her up and carry her back to the door.
Let's Make Some Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins
To get started you want to mix your buttermilk and and rolled oats and let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. This allows the oats to soak up all the moisture.
Then you want to combine all of your dry ingredients together in a bowl. Next, simply add in the oat mixture along with the wet ingredients.
Pour your mixture into a 12-cup muffin tine lined with paper wrappers and you are all set! Take care not to over-fill your muffin tins. I usually aim for about ¾ full.
Store Whole Wheat Flour in the Freezer
This recipe uses whole wheat flour, which is a great healthy alternative to regular all-purpose flour. Because whole wheat flour has oil from the germ, it can start to go bad more quickly than regular flour. Kind of like that bottle of olive oil you forgot in the back of the cupboard.
To combat this, I like to store my whole wheat flour in a ziplock back in the freezer. This combination of dark and cool will allow your flour to last longer. After all, there's nothing worse than opening your bag of flour to discover that it's gone bad.
Buttermilk Substitutes
In this recipe, buttermilk is the acid that reacts with your baking soda. It is imperative that you use buttermilk and NOT regular milk. Since regular milk is not an acid, it will not react with baking soda. What does this mean? Your loaf of bread will come out of the oven flat and dense. Trust me, I’ve had it happen before.
The question is then… What do you do if a recipe calls for buttermilk but you don’t have any in the refrigerator? I have a solution! Simply add one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to one cup of milk. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and you’ve got buttermilk! Double these proportions as necessary.
Heather's Helpful Hints
- Use an ice cream scoop to make sure each muffin is a consistent size. This will ensure each muffin has an even baking time.
- If you don't use muffin liners, simply grease your muffin pan before you bake. I like the muffin liners because they make cleanup really easy!
- Muffins typically bake at a slightly higher temperature than cakes and other baked goods. Make sure you read your recipe carefully and adjust the oven accordingly.
- This might go without saying, but don't bake your muffins for too long! If this happens, your muffins will be dry and crumbly. Not to mention they will probably over-brown.
Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins
Equipment
- 12-Cup Muffin Pan
- Paper muffin liners
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup brown sugar dark
- ½ cup applesauce unsweetened
- 1 large egg room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit 20 minutes before baking your muffins. Line 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine old fashioned oats and buttermilk. Let mixture sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar).
- Mix in the oat and buttermilk mixture along with the apple sauce and egg. Mix well until no lumps remain in the batter.
- Pour batter into prepared muffins tin. Do not fill more that ¾ full.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Allow to cool at room temperature and enjoy!
Notes and Tips
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in February 2015. It was updated in February 2020 with new pictures and a few updates to the recipe.
Did You Make our Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins?
Did you make this recipe? First, let me say THANK YOU for giving it a try! Please leave us a rating above and leave any feedback in the comments section at the bottom of this post. I always love to hear your thoughts and ideas on what went well — and what didn’t — with a recipe! Be sure to check out some of our other recipes linked below!
Laurilyn
I love the chewy consistency of these muffins! I followed the recipe as is but also added 1 mashed banana and some chopped walnuts. My husband does not like muffins, but he loved these! This will be my new go to muffin recipe.
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Hi Laurilyn, I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed these muffins! Great idea adding some walnuts into the mix! And I'm sure the bananas gave some nice moisture and flavor. Thanks for letting me know how they turned out :)
Lyanna
Delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except I used all purpose flour because I didn’t have whole wheat. The batter was amazing, they smelled amazing baking in the oven and they tasted incredible! Thanks so much
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Wonderful, Lyanna! I'm so glad the recipe worked out for you. Hope you enjoy making them again in the future :)
Pam
These muffins are delish! Second time I have made them. My husband and I are nut freaks, so I add pecans. Great with a cup of tea or coffee.
Heather @ Sweet Precision
YAY! I am SO glad that you have enjoyed the recipe, Pam. I love pecans so I will have to try it with some!
Relentless
Absolutely love these muffins! Even recommended them to my own readers because they’re so good! ;) Also love the difference letting the oats soak in the buttermilk makes. Thank you for all the delicious recipes! :)
Heather @ Sweet Precision
YAY! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the recipe! I've been doing so much more baking lately with more time at home. Hope you have some more fun baking adventures :)
Amy Papenhausen
Can I use an unsweetened almond milk instead of the buttermilk?
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Hi Amy! The buttermilk gives the muffins a nice rise because it interacts with the baking soda. I wouldn’t do a substitute... BUT if you don’t have buttermilk at home there is a trick. Simply mix one cup of regular milk with one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and you have buttermilk! Hope this helps!
mom
I love all the muffin recipe's that you post. They are one of my most favorite foods. I, too, enjoy the richness of buttermilk and the chewy texture of oatmeal.
Heather @ Sweet Precision
These are definitely a healthy tasting muffin! They aren't very sweet at all but do have a nice chewy flavor. I'm still in awe that you have a recipe that is only 30 calories per muffin... I have to see this recipe next time I'm back in MN.
mom
I will definitely have it ready for your suggestions as when I made them they were less than a success.
Sherri
Heather, that is freezing! No wonder you want to keep baking, I bet Matt is happy :-) Eddie, our cat, hates it when it's cold and wet like it is here (but nothing as cold as the weather you are experiencing) and can't wait to come back in to nap on the radiator! These muffins look wonderful...and healthy too! I made your Valentine's Day Rice Krispie treats, here is a photo I took to show you, but not as good as yours. They were a hit though! Hope the photo comes out okay, here goes: https://sherrimatthewsblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/valentines-day-rice-krispie-treats-2.jpg
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Oh Sherri, your Rice Krispies treats look absolutely beautiful! I'm so glad that they turned out. I hope that Aspie D enjoyed them :) Thank you for sharing your picture, now you've got me wanting one as an afternoon snack. It's so interesting how our pets are affected by the weather just like we are. I can't wait for warm summer days and lounging outside reading a good book.
Sherri
Yay, thank you Heather! Aspie D loved them and we had fun making them too, I was very careful to use a very low heat and be patient :-) Spring will be here before we know it thank goodness. Have a lovely weekend :-)
CakePants
These look so fluffy and moist - a wonderful way to make mornings more pleasant, since, like you said, these temperatures lately make people want to crawl back into bed! Having one of these muffins waiting for me will make taking the pup outside in the morning more bearable :)
Heather @ Sweet Precision
It's been so cold this past week and it doesn't look like it's warming up anytime soon :( I'm glad I'm not the only one that doesn't like morning potty time with the puppy! Sometimes I think I hate it more than she does lol ;-)
Zoale.com
These looks great! I can't wait to try them. Stay warm :)
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Thank you! I hope that you enjoy them :)
vinoinlove
These muffins look delicious :) Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Heather @ Sweet Precision
You're welcome! It's fun to have a basic recipe that you can jazz up when you want :)