For all four years during high school, I participated in marching band. With nearly the same competition season as football, from mid to late September through Thanksgiving, we began practicing about two weeks before school officially started.
Band camp consisted of “9 to 9’s” almost every day. We rehearsed from 9 am to 9 pm, with two breaks from 12 to 2 pm and 4 to 6 pm. We always spent the afternoons indoors to learn the music for our field show, and we always walked down to the football field for the evening sessions to go through the show’s formations. We split the mornings between the football field and the band room — it just depended on the outdoor temperature and whether our band director was worried about heatstroke!
I basically collapsed into bed shortly after arriving home each night, completely exhausted after the full day of rehearsals, and I slept in as late as I could before heading back to campus the next day. Since each year’s show lasted nearly 15 minutes, that was a lot of music and formations to learn — and my brain needed to sleep as a break too!
Before driving back to campus each morning, I usually poured myself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Although it took very little effort to make, I couldn’t exactly eat it in the car for fear of spilling… So I knew I’d have to set my alarm a little bit earlier to have enough time to finish it.
But these ultimate healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins would’ve been a much better option! They’re totally portable and perfect for quick grab-and-go breakfasts and snacks (unlike bowls of cereal!), and they’re really moist and tender, just like true bakery-style muffins. Yet these contain no refined flour or sugar, and they’re also simple to make!
I definitely would’ve loved to eat these for breakfast back then… Yummy muffins + extra sleep = bliss!
KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY BLUEBERRY OATMEAL MUFFINS
Let’s talk about the key ingredients that you’ll need to make these ultimate healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins! I’m hoping you already have common staples like baking powder and salt… So we’ll stick with the more interesting ones for now.
Oats. To make these muffins, you’ll start with instant oats. Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats. They only contain one ingredient: oats!
Instant oats are smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats. That means they soften faster, which gives your ultimate healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins the best moist and tender texture!
Hint: You can usually find instant oats right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store. If you don’t see “instant oats,” then check for containers with one of their other names: quick cooking or one minute oats!
Tip: To make your healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins gluten-free, use certified gluten-free instant oats. They work perfectly!
Flour. I chose white whole wheat flour to make these healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins. Yes, such a thing actually exists… And it’s not just a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and whole wheat flour!
Instead, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier type of red wheat. They both have the same health benefits, like extra fiber and micronutrients, but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture, close to that of all-purpose flour… And that lets the moist and tender texture of your healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins truly shine!
Hint: It’s similar to red and green grapes. Really different appearance, somewhat different flavor, but very similar health benefits!
Tip: To make your healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins gluten-free, see the Notes section of the recipe. I’ve included how to do so there!
Cinnamon. Although cinnamon isn’t usually an ingredient in blueberry muffins, it pairs perfectly with the oats and gives these muffins an even more irresistible flavor. For an even cozier taste, I highly recommend Saigon cinnamon! It has a slightly sweeter, stronger, and richer flavor compared to regular cinnamon. Many stores now stock it, but I often buy it online here. (It’s really affordable too!)
Unsalted butter or coconut oil. Only a tiny bit! You need a mere ½ tablespoon. That really helps keep your healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins low calorie and low fat! Yet they still have a beautifully moist and soft texture because of…
Greek yogurt. It’s one of my favorite healthy baking ingredients! In this recipe, it adds the same moisture to the batter as extra oil or butter — but for a fraction of the calories. It also gives your healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins a protein boost!
Healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins + low calorie + moist and tender = math I love!
Egg whites. In an egg, the white contains the majority of the protein. That protein helps your muffins maintain their structure while cooling! It means they won’t collapse and turn out overly dense. Instead, your muffins will have tall domed tops with a moist and tender texture inside, just like bakery-style ones!
Sweetener. Instead of granulated sugar, you’ll sweeten your ultimate healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins with another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, sugar-free, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean-eating friendly!). It’s also highly concentrated… You just need 1 ½ teaspoons to sweeten the entire batch of these healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins!
Tip: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other! I highly recommend using the same one I do for the best taste and texture in your blueberry oatmeal muffins.
This is the kind I use because I love its flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste, like with some other stevia products. Although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I buy mine online because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!)
Milk. I use nonfat milk and unsweetened vanilla almond milk the most. Nearly any type will work, so feel free to use whatever you already have in your fridge. No need for a special trip to the grocery store!
Blueberries. They’re the star of this muffin show! It’s basically impossible to make healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins without fruit, right?? I prefer using fresh blueberries because frozen ones usually dye the batter a gray color… But both fresh and frozen will still taste very similar, regardless of how your muffins look!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY BLUEBERRY OATMEAL MUFFINS
Let’s go over how to make these ultimate healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins! This recipe is easy and straightforward, and I have some tips to ensure your muffins turn out beautifully.
Prep the muffin cups. If you’re using muffin liners like I did in these photos — whether paper or foil ones — it’s really important to coat them with cooking spray. This simple trick means your muffin liners will easily peel away from your muffins! Low-fat batters, like for these ultimate healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins, stick to liners like superglue… But coating your liners with cooking spray helps prevent that!
And if you skip the liners and plan on dolloping the batter right into your muffin pan… Coat that with cooking spray instead so your muffins pop right out after baking!
Measure correctly. It’s extremely important to measure the oats and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Do NOT scoop either one directly from the container with your measuring cups! This can result in adding up to 1 ½ times as much as the recipe calls for. Too much of either ingredient will dry out your muffins and make them bland and crumbly, instead of moist and tender. This is especially true of the oats because they act like little sponges and soak up as much moisture from the batter as they can!
Soak the oats. I’ve already built this into Step 2, but I wanted to share why you do this. This “soaking” trick makes a huge difference in the texture of these healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins… And also their appearance!
You’ll mix the oats with the Greek yogurt, vanilla, and some of the milk before combining any of the other ingredients. Just like how overnight oats recipes work, the oats soak up moisture, which means they start softening ahead of time. Soaking the oats gives these muffins a really moist and tender texture, and it also helps them rise taller!
Mix by hand. Skip the stand mixer and hand-held mixer! Those tend to overmix low-fat batters, like this one. Overmixing often yields a tough, dense, gummy, or rubbery texture. If you gently mix by hand, you’ll end up with the best moist and soft texture in your healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins!
Bake. If you’re anything like me, you just might find yourself in front of the oven as cozy aromas waft through your kitchen, flicking on the light and willing them to bake faster as you watch the batter magically rise… No? Am I the only one?? Regardless, these muffins are done when the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean or with some crumbs attached. Yum!
I’m pretty sure I just found my new favorite blueberry muffins… These truly are the BEST!! ♡ And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your ultimate healthy blueberry oatmeal muffins!
The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (75g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
- 1 ½ cups (210g) fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. (If using liners, then line 12 muffin cups with liners and coat them with cooking spray.)
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, Greek yogurt, 6 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a third bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, and stevia. Stir in the oat mixture, mixing until no large lumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining ¾ cup of milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 21-24 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Muffins
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Oatmeal Muffins
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Muffins
♡ Healthy Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins
♡ Healthy Apple Oatmeal Muffins
♡ Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Blueberry Pie Protein Overnight Oats
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy muffin recipes and healthy breakfast recipes!
I’m a novice when it comes to baking, so I’m pleased to have found your blog. It’s easy to follow and your recipes look very tasty ? Having recently been diagnosed with insulin-resistance (a precursor to type 2 diabetes), I’ve had to eliminate sugar from my diet and reduce carbs as much as possible. Do you know if the white whole-wheat flour you use is low-carb? And do you think almond flour would work in this recipe and those you’ve posted that are like it? Thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes, Martha! White whole wheat flour is still wheat-based flour, so it’s not low carb. (You can see the full nutrition information, including grams of carbohydrates, directly underneath each recipe on my blog!)
I’m hesitant to give you a blanket statement about almond flour in my recipe since it does behave differently in each type of baked good. In general, it makes baked goods that rise a lot (like muffins, quick breads, cupcakes, cakes, etc!) turn out denser. This is because gluten is what allows baked goods to maintain their shape once they’ve baked and cooled. Almond flour doesn’t contain gluten, so a 1-to-1 substitute of almond flour for wheat-based flour typically causes a denser texture.
However, there is a workaround! If you use almond flour in this muffin recipe PLUS the same amount of xanthan gum that I include in my gluten-free flour blend (in the Notes section, directly underneath the Instructions!), your muffins should turn out with a much better texture. Xanthan gum imitates gluten’s structural properties, which is why I include it in my gluten-free flour blends — it ensures your gluten-free baking turns out with basically the same texture! 🙂 Does that make sense?
I’d love to hear what you think of these muffins if you decide to try them!
Yes, that makes very much sense. I think that maybe I could have figured this out for myself without bothering you if I had actually read the notes. Sorry! Anyway, after I make them, I will come back and leave a quick reply to let you know how they turned out :O) Thank you!
No need to apologize, Martha! I’m always happy to help! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear how your muffins turn out!
Hi Amy ! I’m sorry if you have already answered this… but you so mention in the beginning that it would be beneficial to soak the oats first . Would you recommend water, milk? How much and for how long ?
I apologize for the confusion Valerie! You soak the oats in yogurt, milk, and vanilla (the first sentence of Step 1). I already built the soaking step into the Instructions! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins!
Just what I need to use the blueberries in my fridge! I used unsweetened almond milk and GF flour. They turned out wonderful. Love the flavor, burst from the berries and the cinnamon! Yum!
I’m so glad you loved these muffins, Jen! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. That means a lot to me! 🙂
Your site is among the top of all baking sites that I’ve seen. The recipe instructions are clear and informative. You seem to anticipate any questions about substituting similar ingredients and you offer flexibility that addresses real-life bakers. So thank you for that, always. I’d like to ask you about one more possible switch/substitution: I use non-fat yogurt by the quart, but for many reasons, I prefer the regular, not “Greek”. I know the main difference between them is simply that the whey is strained out to make the Greek yogurt, so I typicall strain my regular yogurt until it reaches the consistency of the Greek yogurt.. I have to guess at the amount to start with and sometimes I think I have strained it too much, but generally it’s a successful substitution. Maybe others would be interested in doing that too, so among all the other suggestions you have, perhaps you could add this one too. But, bottom line — keep sending your good stuff out. I look forward to all of it.
Thank you so much for your kind words about my site and recipes, Roz! That truly means a lot to me. 🙂 Yes, you can use your regular nonfat yogurt in this recipe! I’m glad to hear that’s been working for you. I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins if you try them!
Hi Amy
I adore blueberry anything…so when I say this in my inbox, I RAN to our local blueberry batch because this weekend was last call for the season : (
These are super tender and just perfect in every way…except one. The are ADDICTIVE ! I ‘ll make a double batch the next time.
Thanks so much Amy : )
I’m so glad you loved these muffins Kimberly!! That means so much to me that you plan on baking a double batch next time. That’s the best kind of compliment! 😉 I hope you’re still able to find some juicy blueberries after this weekend so you can bake them again! 🙂
Any substitute for vanilla stevia? Like honey ? If so, what are the measurements please?
Yes! I’ve actually covered that exact question already in the Notes section of the recipe, located directly underneath the Instructions. I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins Hesty!
I’ve had a rather bad time of dealing with diabetes and high blood pressure (and recovering from a mini-stroke), and trying to find sugar-free, wheat free ANYthing turns out to be either Keto (which medically I can’t manage) or just tastes like cardboard. When I found these muffins, I was skeptical–since everything else I seem to bake comes out too dense, or with some weird flavor. Not so with these–I made a couple of changes: I used fat-free sour cream instead of yogurt (all I had in the fridge, will try the yogurt next time); almond flour instead of a gluten-free blend; and 1/4 cup Swerve confectioners sugar instead of stevia. I also followed your directions on using gluten-free flours in your Baking Basics 101…man did that THAT ever make a difference!!! I can really see where I’ve been doing this all wrong. Thank you! And thank you for the most delicious muffins. I don’t feel so “weird” when I can finally find something I can eat that isn’t so limited!
WOW!! Ellyn, this is the best compliment ever — I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins! That means the world to me!! 🙂 So happy you found the gluten-free tips useful too! A doctor had me go gluten-free for a few months a while ago, and I quickly learned a lot so my baked goods wouldn’t come out with weird textures or flavors. I’m always happy to pass along that knowledge! 😉 I hope you continue to make progress on your health and recovery journey!!
Hi Amy. I tried baking these wonderful muffins today and they were absolutely delicious! I made a few alterations to the recipe. Instead of skim milk-almond and added 1/4 cup more. This is because I used a small amount (1/8 cup) of coconut flour. I used unbleached white flour for the rest. Instead of the Stevia I added 1/2 cup of the backing Truvia for sweetness. The moisture was beyond what I expected! The sweetness was almost to my liking so I will add a bit more of the Truvia next round. For toppings-shredded coconut flakes and a sprinkle of slivered almonds! Super moist and nice to look at too! Oh also used coconut oil liquid non flavored in place of butter. Thank you for an excellent recipe I plan on making over and over again. I needed a healthy version of muffins since my blood pressure is a little high. Need to cut back on sweets so this is a perfect pairing with my afternoon Dandy Blend decaf healthy coffee substitute.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins Jeri! That means the world to me that you’d want to bake them again in the future. That’s the best kind of compliment, so thank you! 🙂 I really appreciate you sharing your recipe modifications too — I always love hearing what tweaks work!