These easy Baked Oatmeal Cups are an ideal way to serve oatmeal to babies, baby-led weaning style, and to toddlers who like to feed themselves. Oatmeal as finger food with much less mess? Yes please!
Baked Oatmeal Cups
I love this method of making oatmeal into little cups that can be eaten with hands or a fork—and are so easy to make ahead and stash into the fridge for easy kids breakfasts. You can make these in either a mini muffin tin or a silicone mold and both will create little oatmeal bites that are super yummy.
TIP: These use chia seeds to help bind them together, without any eggs, and are a great source of healthy fats, fiber, and protein.
Ingredients in Baked Oatmeal Cups
To make this easy kids breakfast idea, you’ll need:
- rolled oats
- milk or water
- chia seeds
- cinnamon
- vanilla extract
- raisins or other dried fruit
- maple syrup or honey, optional
TIP: If making these for a baby who’s not yet ready for cow’s milk, use unsweetened plain nondairy milk.
Baked Oatmeal Cups Step-by-Step
To make this recipe, here’s what you do. Scroll down to the bottom of the recipe for the full information.
- Gather your ingredients.
- Place the oats and chia seeds in a medium bowl and stir in the hot milk or water.
- Add the cinnamon, vanilla, dried fruit, and honey, and stir well. Let sit.
- Press batter into each mold or mini muffin cup. Bake!
TIP: These store well in the fridge, so you can plan to serve the batch throughout the week. You can serve them slightly warmed or cold according to what your kiddo prefers. (My middle kiddo ate a lot of these cold packed in daycare lunches when she was one years old!)
Why do we use chia seeds in this recipe?
Yes! The chia seeds plump up and gel as they absorb the liquid, which is so handy for helping to hold the batter together. And since the seeds also add a dose of healthy fats and fiber, it’s a simple way to pack this meal with a little extra nutrition. The texture of the chia seeds blends in nicely with the rest of the ingredients.
Are rolled oats or instant oats better in this recipe?
These baked oatmeal cups are made from ground rolled oats—just stick them into a food processor or blender and grind into smaller pieces—or you can use store-bought quick or instant oats. The texture of the oats, in addition to the chia seeds, helps the batter hold together nicely.
Vegan Baked Oatmeal Cups
By adding chia seeds to oats and water, you can bind everything together into little bites without needing to use eggs. This is great for kids who have an egg-allergy and just because it’s one less ingredient! (The chia seeds and milk add some protein, so we’re not missing out on nutrition here.)
TIP: To make these egg-free and dairy-free, choose your favorite nondairy milk.
Make-Ahead Toddler Breakfast
I like to make a quick batch of this baked oatmeal and have it on hand for busy mornings. I also pack the bites in lunches and serve them as snacks. You can dice them for older babies and younger toddlers to make them a little easier to eat—and limit too much food being stuffed into a little mouth!
TIP: We even sometimes have them with a smear of nut butter on top!
Tips for Making the Best Baked Oatmeal Cups
- You can use dairy or nondairy milk in this recipe according to your preferences. If you use nondairy milk, check to see if it’s flavored or sweetened before adding the vanilla or optional sweetener. You may not need either.
- Use unsweetened nondairy milk for kids under 1.
- Avoid honey for babies under 1.
- Grind the oats in a food processor or blender, or use instant oats.
- You can use leftover cooked oatmeal in this recipe too, though it works best with cooked oatmeal that’s thick. Simply stir 1 tablespoon and 1-3 tablespoons milk into cooked oatmeal and proceed with Step 3 of the recipe.
- You can use raisins or other dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, and the like) or chopped fresh blueberries or raspberries. You may want to cut bigger pieces of fruit with scissors or a knife.
- You may also like DIY Instant Oatmeal, Oatmeal with Fruit, Banana Bread Oatmeal, and Apple Oatmeal.
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipes, so please comment below to share!
Cinnamon Raisin Baked Oatmeal Cups
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (ground in a food processor or blender or use quick oats)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons raisins or other dried fruit snipped into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey (optional)
- 3/4 cup milk, warmed until hot (but not boiling)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the silicone molds or mini muffin tin.
- Place the oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla, raisins, and maple syrup or honey, if using, into a medium bowl.
- Add the warm milk and stir. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Press about 1 tablespoon batter into each molds or mini muffin cup. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or chilled.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days.
- You can use dairy or nondairy milk in this recipe according to your preferences. Both work just the same. If you use nondairy milk, check to see if it's flavored or sweetened before adding the vanilla or optional sweetener. You may not need either.
- Use unsweetened nondairy milk for kids under 1.
- Avoid honey for babies under 1.
- Grind the oats in a food processor or blender, or use instant oats.
- You can use raisins or other dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, and the like) or chopped fresh blueberries or raspberries. You may want to cut bigger pieces of fruit with scissors or a knife.
- You can use leftover cooked oatmeal in this recipe too, though it works best with cooked oatmeal that's thick. Simply stir 1 tablespoon and 1-3 tablespoons milk into cooked oatmeal and proceed with Step 3 of the recipe.
- Serve with fruit or a smoothie or a drink as breakfast or even lunch. They work for snack too!
My one and three year old loved these! We were out of raisins so I snipped a few dried apricots into very small pieces – 3 apricots worked perfectly. I’ll definitely make them again.
Hi – do you think baby oatmeal would work in this recipe?
It won’t have the same final texture and the flavor may be different if it’s fortified with iron, but it might work okay. I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.
My 17 month old LOVES this! Thanks for the recipe 👌
Hi, can I use fresh bananas for this and water instead of milk?
Sorry, one more question: what consistency should the ground oats be? Like flour?
Thanks
Yes like a coarse flour.
Yes you can use milk. For banana, I think that would work as long as you dice them finely.
Could I add fresh apples in these instead of the other fruit? Looking to use some that are about to go bad and need an easy snack for on the road!
I would grate it and squeeze it dry to ensure it cooks through and doesn’t make them too moist. Or very finely dice them. If they are too big, they won’t cook in the time stated in the recipe. Hope that helps!
Would love to try making these but do they store well in the freezer? I only see fridge guidelines. Thanks!!
Sure, you can freeze once cooled in a freezer bag in one layer for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge, at room temperature or for about 15 seconds in the microwave.
These are so yummy and perfect! Recipe was so easy and they came out great. My 9m old likes oatmeal but wanted to feed herself – she loves these! Thank you!
I’m so glad!
These are delightful! I wish I had doubled the recipe. I love that they can be eaten right out of the fridge and the texture is so nice.
Making another batch, now.
I made this with dried cherries because that’s what I had and made no other substitutions. My 12 month old loves these! I make a double batch every week. This recipe was one of the first finger foods he accepts besides puffs and cheerios and helped transition him to all kinds of different foods. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m so glad to hear that!
This was genius. I used steel cut oats (all I had) and worried it would be too chewy or wouldn’t cook through but it was great! Been looking for a way to incorporate oatmeal into my finger-food-loving 1-year old’s diet (he gags on regular cooked oatmeal and hates it) so this is a definite win.
I’m so glad to hear that!
I love this recipe! Do you have something similar to this one ?
Taste is great, but they seem a bit soggy, and I’m afraid of I bake them longer they might get crunchy – my Tiny Human is only just now a year old so her teeth options are pretty limited if they get too hard – any suggestions?
It would be hard to make them crunchy, so I would suggest baking them a little more. They will be soft though.
Made these for my granddaughter in a mini muffin pan. She loved them! Thank you so much for the recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that!