These Baked Oatmeal Cups are a fantastic hand-held breakfast (or snack) for all ages. They are perfect for baby-led weaning and freeze well for a quick "on-the-go" breakfast option.
When my youngest was a baby/toddler he just wasn't interested in eating porridge/oatmeal. Instead, he used to use it as hair gel or catapult it across the kitchen! However, when I gave him oats in the form of porridge fingers or oatmeal cookies, he was more than happy.
This is a prime example of how texture and appearance can play a big part in a child's acceptance of food. He eagerly munched away on oats in finger food format but when I plated the exact same ingredients up in a bowl, he refused to eat them. This is when I first started making Baked Oatmeal Cups and they were an instant hit.
WHY I LOVE BAKED OATMEAL CUPS
- Little Mess - No oatmeal to clean up from chairs, tables, floor etc!
- Great for Busy Mornings - You can make a big batch and store in the freezer for a super quick breakfast option.
- Hand Held - Fantastic for baby-led weaning
- Great for lunchboxes - The perfect size for popping into lunchboxes or snack box.
- Easy to Modify - The flavour combinations are endless
HOW TO MAKE BAKED OATMEAL CUPS
One of the best things about this recipe is how easy they are to make. This is a fantastic recipe for getting your kids involved in the kitchen (see my kids making them in the video below.)
- Mash Banana
- Mix in Rolled Oats
- Add milk, egg and vanilla.
- Stir in mixed berries
- Fill a mini muffin tray with the mixture and bake
ALLERGY OPTIONS
- Dairy Free -use plant-based milk, almond milk works well
- Egg Free - Replace the egg with 1 tablespoon of flaxseed. Mix with 3 tablespoon of the milk and whisk until gelatinous.
OATMEAL CUPS - FLAVOUR OPTIONS
Although this is a mixed berry oatmeal cup recipe the recipe is easy to adapt and the flavour options are endless. Why not try -
- Apple & Cinnamon - Replace mixed berries with finely chopped apple pieces, cinnamon and raisins (pre-soak raisins to stop burning).
- Carrot Cake - Replace mixed berries with grated carrot, grated apple, cinnamon, ginger, raisins (pre-soak raisins to stop burning).
- Coconut and Mango - Use coconut milk and replace the berries with chunks of mango
- Bakewell Tart - Use almond milk, and replace mixed berries with cherries and almond flakes
These are just a few suggestions, the combinations are endless really. If you make your own version then I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below!
MINI OATMEAL CUPS VS REGULAR OATMEAL CUPS
I have always made these in mini muffin trays. The mini size is perfect for babies or for adding into the lunch box. This recipe fills a 24 mini muffin tray but if you do not own one you can just use a regular muffin tray. The cooking time is longer but they work just as well.
STORING INSTRUCTIONS
Store in a covered, air-tight, container and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. I personally store any that I will not use the next day in the freezer.
REHEATING INSTRUCTIONS
Oatmeal cups can be enjoyed both cold or hot. If you wish to reheat, the microwave is your fasted and quickest option.
- Microwave until warm throughout, about 30-60 seconds (depending on microwave).
Thaw frozen cups by transferring them from the freezer to the fridge the night before. Alternatively, cook the oatmeal cups directly from frozen.
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Baked Oatmeal Cups
Ingredients
- 2 Ripe bananas, mashed
- 200g (2 cups) Rolled oats
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 180ml (¾ cup) Milk (of choice)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract (optional)
- 150g (1 ¼ cup) Frozen Mixed Berries
- 1 teaspoon Coconut oil (or butter) for greasing.
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 180c / 350F / Gas 4
- In a large mixing bowl add the mashed bananas and oats, stir until combined
- Add the milk, egg & vanilla and stir until fully combined.
- Add the berries and stir until evenly distributed through the mixture. I like to break up some of the bigger berries through the mixture.
- Grease muffin tray using the oil (or use a silicon tray) and divide the mixture between the 24 cup sections (mini tray)
- Bake until cooked through (a cocktail stick should come out clean) approx. 18 mins if using a mini muffin tray or approx. 25 min if using a standard tray.
Video
Recipe Notes
- DAIRY FREE - This recipe works well with both dairy and plant-based milk.
- EGG - You can replace the egg with a flax egg. Mix 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds with 3 tablespoon of the milk until it forms a gel.Â
- FLAVOUR - Fed up with mixed berries? Replace them with other fruits or flavour options. See above post for suggestions.Â
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months
Nutritional facts
* Originally posted Feb 2016, updated June 2019 to include new photos and recipe information.
Carolina says
You make such a great job helping other Moms like me ! Thank you!
Amy says
Thanks Carolina, glad I can be of help 🙂
Jen says
I made these and they fell apart. They turned mushy and didn’t have a mini muffin shape at all.
Amy says
Hi Jen, sorry the recipe didn't work for you. Did you use cup or gram measurements? Did you break down the berries when mixing? Perhaps the berries were too big for the mini muffin tray and so there wasn't enough of the oat mixture to hold it together?
M says
Could you use breast milk instead of cows milk? aMy boys haven’t switched over to regular milk yet 🙂
Kari-Ann D. says
Easy to make; they freeze well and my one year old LOVES them! No more trying to feed her oatmeal while packing her lunch and trying to get myself ready for work!
Amy says
Perfect! Thank you 🙂
Michelle says
Hi, does this need the structure of a muffin tray or could I get away with making them into balls and baking on a flat tray, do you think?
Amy says
Without trying I can’t say for sure but I believe these would work as flat cookies. Alternatively you could try baking it in a baking dish and cut into squares.
Chloe says
I replaced the egg with 1/4 cup applesauce and they turned out great. I love this recipe it’s my favorite!
Amy says
Great to know applesauce works as an egg replacement in this recipe. Thanks Chloe for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Katelyn says
Do you think I could add flax/chai/hemp seeds to add more fiber?
Amy says
Hi Katelyn, yes you could add a little of any of these to the recipe. 🙂
Kathi says
I simply just love this recepy 🙂
Amy says
Thanks Kathi 🙂
Darcy Ayers says
This is a very easy and acceptable
Snack or breakfast food for toddlers! Thank you.
Amy says
Thanks Darcy 🙂
Jamie P says
Just want to say how much I appreciate your recipes and I've been making them since my oldest was able to eat finger foods! Now making them all over again for my 10 month old. Without your recipes I would have been so lost! Thank you for all you do!
Amy says
Thank you so much Jamie, you have made my day. It is comments like this that makes me love creating this site 🙂
G Pickering says
Followed recipe exactly, and I'm a very competent baker, but the results were poor. Really quite dense and not at all suitable for baby led weaning as it just gummed together in their mouth and became very hard to process or swallow. My 3 year old took a bite and left the rest, so not a fan either. I might try with some flour and a rising agent, or less banana
Amy says
I'm sorry you feel that way but thank you for the feedback. Were you expecting these to be more like muffins as they are cooked in a muffin tray? They are really more of a hand held baked oatmeal. My kids never had a problem with these as babies and I actually still make this years later as an easy freezable breakfast or snack.