Delicious, Healthy Oat Muffins filled with Jam! They’re nutritious, hearty and freezer friendly. Jam muffins are perfect for a grab and go Vegan and Gluten-free Breakfast.
This post has been updated from the original published in 2017.
Jump to:
No flour, no sugar muffins that taste incredible…yes, you heard that right. These healthy oatmeal muffins are DEE-lish!
Healthy Oatmeal Muffins with jam…exactly the satisfying breakfast you want. Made with whole grain oats with no added sugar…so they’re exactly what your body needs too!
I know, they look so decadent! Part of their charm, but don’t be fooled! These oatmeal applesauce muffins are so easy to make….and perfect for meal prep too.
As a kid I always loved jelly donuts…and now…I adore healthy jam filled muffins. I’ve prioritized my health…but not at the cost of yumminess. Oh, these healthy oatmeal breakfast muffins check all the boxes for me.
Why you’ll love these
- Delicious: they taste incredible, and totally remind me of jelly donuts!
- Nutritious: No refined sugar or heavily processed vegetable oils.
- Meal prep friendly: delicious grab and go breakfast or snack.
- Quick and Easy: About 10 minutes to prep and then into the oven they go!
- Satisfying: These healthy oat muffins are hearty.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oats: Old fashioned oats work best in this recipe. A whole grain with soluble fiber. They help with blood sugar control and also with helping you to feel full and satisfied. Plus, they add great texture to these gluten-free muffins. I use sprouted oats for an easy to digest source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. I like to use Thrive Market Organic Oats or One Degree Organic Sprouted Oats. Whatever brand you use, be sure they are non-GMO and glyphosate free.
- Applesauce: A great alternative to eggs and/or oil in baked goods. Find an organic brand that doesn’t have any added sugar, or make it yourself with this 5-minute applesauce recipe.
- Bananas: Make sure they are SUPER RIPE. The more brown spots the better…they’ll be much sweeter and easier to mash. You could substitute pumpkin puree or mashed sweet potato. Avocado will also work as a substitute….with an equivalent texture, but the muffins won’t be as sweet.
- Ground flax: A great source of fiber, Omega 3s and protein. Also, flax helps the vegan muffins hold together. Ground chia seeds would work well too. Use your spice grinder to grind before adding to the blender.
- Almond milk: Look for a brand that only uses almonds and water…or make it yourself with this easy almond milk recipe. Or, use your favorite plant based milk.
- Honey: For a true vegan recipe, you could use maple syrup or date syrup in place of the honey. Not much sweetener is needed in this recipe since there are bananas and applesauce already included.
- Apple cider vinegar: A great way to activate the baking powder and baking soda so the muffins will rise without any eggs.
- Jam: I made cranberry chia jam, it honestly took me about 10 minutes. You can use that recipe with blueberries or raspberries (fresh or frozen). It is TOTALLY fine to use store bought jam. Look for a brand with no added sugar…this recipe really doesn’t need it.
- Walnuts: Optional…but I do like a bit of crunch in my baked goods. You could also use chopped pecans, pumpkin seeds or just omit the nuts.
How to make these Healthy Muffins:
Use a blender or a food processor to make the batter. It will come together quickly, so go ahead and preheat the oven to 350 and line muffin tins with parchment strips or cupcake liners before making the batter.
Place the oats, bananas, applesauce, honey, almond milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, flax, cinnamon baking powder and baking soda into the bowl of food processor. Process until everything is well incorporated and oats have broken down into the batter. Stir in the chopped walnuts by hand.
Fill prepared muffin tins about half way full with batter. You’ll want to use about half the batter for this…about 2 Tablespoons in each muffin cup.
Use 2 spoons to drop 2-3 teaspoons of jam onto the oatmeal muffin batter already in the tins.
Evenly distribute the remaining batter to cover the jam. Muffin tins will be almost full. Add a sprinkle of oats or some finely chopped nuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon to the top of the muffins.
Bake for 25-28 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean…except for maybe a bit of jam on the toothpick!
Use the parchment strips to help remove muffins from tins. Peel off the parchment paper and place muffins on a wire rack to cool.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Use EXTRA RIPE bananas! The more brown spots the better…and the sweeter.
- Totally fine to use FROZEN bananas…but make sure to thaw them first, and then drain off the excess liquid before using in this recipe.
- Sprinkle the top with a few oats for beautiful presentation.
- Definitely make a batch to bring when you visit a new momma, or drop some off for a sick friend. Super easy to make and a healthy muffin with no sugar is always appreciated!
- Carve out just 15 minutes to sit and relax with some quiet and a muffin…plus a cup of tea.
- PAY IT FORWARD: bake one of these for someone who could use a hug. You’ll both feel so much better!
MEAL PREP AND STORAGE
- Serve: These are great for breakfast, after school snacks, or dessert. Grab a cup of tea and enjoy!
- Make ahead: Make chia jam up to two weeks ahead. Muffins freeze well.
- Store: Make sure jam muffins are totally cool before storing in airtight container. They will stay good at room temperature for 4 days, in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for 3 months.
- Freeze: Be sure muffins are totally cool before packaging in freezer safe container or zip top bag.
- Reheat: For warm muffins, reheat on a baking sheet at 300 for 10 minutes.
More Healthy Muffin Recipes
📖 Recipe
Healthy Jam Filled Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 2 ripe bananas
- ½ cup apple sauce
- ⅓ cup honey *
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons ground flax
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup chopped walnuts*
- ½ cup jam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and generously spray (or use pastry brush to brush oil onto) muffin tins with olive or avocado oil.
- Place everything but walnuts into food processor or blender. Puree until smooth.
- Stir in nuts by hand, if using, and mix well.
- Fill prepared muffin tins ½ full with batter. Drop 1-2 teaspoons jam onto batter and then cover with additional batter until muffin tins are just about full. When they rise, they will form nice round mounds on top.
- Sprinkle the tops of muffins with the walnut/cinnamon mixture and bake until set and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean (well, maybe some jam on it, but o uncooked batter), about 25 minutes.
- Store muffins in air tight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Lisa
These are awesome and easy to make. I’ve never looked forward to breakfast before I made these. Thank you Debra!!!
Debra Klein
Fantastic! A great way to start your day.
Lili
Making these the next time kids are home on break – no more store bought coffee cake and doughnuts!
Debra Klein
Yay!!! No reason you can’t have something you’re craving…..just do it the healthy way. Easy swaps from refined sugar and refined carbs. Your girls will LOVE these.
Jane
are these freezer friendly? I need something to make ahead so I can have breakfast for the next (very busy) month 🙂 xx
Debra Klein
Yes. I’ve frozen them many times. Perfect for meal prep ahead.
Chloe
I just made these and they are excellent! Was curious if I could get the nutritional info?
Debra Klein
Thanks for asking…..the recipes are all about to get nutritional info labels at the bottom….hang in there, the info is coming soon!
Lili F
I sub out maple syrup for the honey and make these for my vegan gluten-free daughter. My biggest problem is that they are so good, everyone in the family wants to eat them – so I always have to make a double batch!
Debra Klein
A great problem to have! I keep these in the freezer…mostly so I don’t eat them all, and also so they’re always on hand when needed.
Yvonne
We are not a walnut family. I made them once without the walnuts and they were delicious. However, I would like to add an alternative to the walnuts. Can raw cashews be used as an alternative to the walnuts? If not, do you have other suggestions? Thank you!
Debra Klein
Thanks for reaching out. I like the crunch of adding the nuts on top…and you can absolutely substitute whatever kind of nuts or seeds YOU prefer. I’ve done them with pepitas (pumpkin seeds), a sprinkle of hemp seeds and almonds….all great tasting. I’d say to use what you have or what you love.
Rob
Great recipe and easy to make.
Marcellina
So tasty and healthy!
Ramona
Absolutely amazing. I loved the idea of adding the jam – that has made me try these and I’m in love. These will be a regular for breakfast and to snack on. Thanks so much for sharing!
Debra Klein
You’re welcome! So glad you gave them a try!
Brianna
My kids loved these muffins!
Luca
These are great as breakfast and snack!
Rob
These muffins were super delicious and so easy to make. Everyone loved the surprise filling!
Debra Klein
ah…my favorite part!
nancy
the jam center reallly hit the spot!! perfect on the go food!
Debra Klein
Thank you, totally agree!
Megan Ellam
What a great way to make muffins. I cannot wait to try them!
Amy Liu Dong
Delicious and healthy snacks to prepare for my siblings this coming weekend.
I am sure they will love this as they love oatmeal so much!
Debra Klein
Oh, you know your audience…these will be a hit!
Jeannie
Love these muffins are vegan and healthier, bonus that they are filled with jams.
Adriana
Yummy, that jam surprise in the middle is so good! I cannot stop eating these muffins so good! Perfect for breakfast and any time as a snack.
Debra
Just discovered your website when looking up healthy banana muffins. This is a GREAT recipe. Thanks so much. I’d never tried muffins with jam filling, don’t know why, but took the plunge with these. They’re incredible and I love that everything goes in the processor (I added the nuts too) and – Voilà!
Thx again, will be checking out all your recipes since I’ve been making things from scratch for several years, new ideas are always welcome! Did I say thanks enough, LOL!
Debra Klein
Thanks for that lovely comment. Those jam filled muffins are a favorite in our house.
Nancy K
Can you omit the flax seed?
Debra Klein
The flax helps the muffins to gel together, since there aren’t any eggs. I haven’t tried it, but my guess is that you could use ground chia seeds in place of the flax. I’ve only tested the recipe as it is written though.
Carolee
Seriously Debra… I love you!!!!! Thank you so much for all of your delicious recipes!!!!!!!! You really are such a good influence on so many!!! I am especially grateful for the help you have provided my family as we have tried to make our mostly vegetarian life much more enjoyable!!!!!!!!
Debra Klein
You’re welcome. So glad I have been able to add value to your journey!
JANA Elaine BENTLEY
These are easy, filing, and delicious
Debra Klein
Thank you so much for that. These are a favorite in our house!
Michael
If you added honey… you added sugar. If you added fruits, you added sugar. The carbs in that muffin are long chains of… sugar. Just what your body will break them down into. So tons of glucose and fructose in these muffins. Added sugar is only a problem if you are ingesting too much sugar. Foregoing the honey and using the equivalent amount of sugar to sweeten, makes no difference other than missing the small amount of other nutrients that small amount of honey would also bring.
Anyways, very yummy recipe. Thank you.