Healthy Peach Oatmeal Muffins

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This year, I flew to Northern California the weekend after Mother’s Day for a belated celebration. As usual, we hopped in the car and drove to our favorite brunch spot an hour away, just outside of San Francisco, despite the rainy weather.  

When we arrived, we found a sizable crowd waiting in the restaurant’s lobby, slightly unusual for the late morning. We put our name down on the hostess’s list, then found a bench to sit and wait for her to call our name and lead us to a table.

While in the entryway, we scanned the walls, which were completely covered in photos from patrons. For a long time, the restaurant offered a free breakfast to anyone who snapped a photo of themselves wearing the restaurant’s t-shirt at a landmark anywhere outside of California. We spotted places all over the world, including the Grand Canyon, the Eiffel Tower, Times Square in Manhattan, and Buckingham Palace.
 

 
In between pointing out fun vacation pictures, we also scanned the small chalkboard menu board right next to the hostess stand. It shared their seasonal and daily specials: a three egg omelette with sun dried tomatoes, salmon, spinach, and goat cheese; an egg scramble with chicken sausage, green apples, and Brie; and lemon pancakes with fresh blueberries and lemon cream cheese drizzle.

Yet the most tempting option was the seasonal coffee cake: a towering slice of supremely moist and tender white cake topped with sweet cinnamon sugar streusel and filled with fresh peaches and…
 

 
Walnuts.

When I spotted that last detail, I internally winced a little bit. I go crazy during peach season and eat as many as I can in any form (fresh, in pies, in crumbles, in bars, in oatmeal cookies, you name it!) but…

I’m rarely a fan of nuts in my baked treats. Especially when it comes to cake.

So I opted for the standard blueberry coffee cake that morning instead (still positively magical and worth every bite!), but when I returned home after my weekend visit with my family…
 

 
I baked these Healthy Peach Oatmeal Muffins the very next day to get my peach fix! They’re incredibly moist and fluffy with lots of hearty oats, juicy peaches, and cozy cinnamon.

Yet unlike the restaurant’s coffee cake… These healthy peach oatmeal muffins contain no heavy cream, sour cream, refined flour or sugar! (Plus no nuts!) And they’re just 109 calories!

Even better, they’re great for meal prepping or quick grab-and-go breakfasts and snacks. They also freeze really well, which is probably a blessing…

I can make the entire batch disappear in just a few days if I’m not careful. They’re that good! 😉
 

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY PEACH OATMEAL MUFFINS

Let’s go over how to make these healthy peach oatmeal muffins!

You’ll actually start with instant oats. No, they’re not the kind that comes in those individual brown paper packets with flavors like apple cinnamon or maple brown sugar…

Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats, which means they soften faster. That results in supremely moist and fluffy healthy peach oatmeal muffins!

Hint: You can usually find instant oats in canisters right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store!

Then you’ll use my secret trick to make your healthy peach oatmeal muffins incredibly moist and fluffy…
 

 
You’ll mix your instant oats with Greek yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract! By doing this first, before you mix together any of the other ingredients, it allows the instant oats to begin soaking up the moisture from the Greek yogurt, milk, and vanilla. The instant oats begin to soften ahead of time, which leads to really tender peach oatmeal muffins!

However, it’s extremely important to measure the oats and flour (more on that in a moment!) correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either ingredient will dry out your muffins. 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!
 

 
And speaking of flour… You’ll use white whole wheat flour to make these healthy peach oatmeal muffins. As crazy as it sounds, white whole wheat flour is not a combination of regular whole wheat flour and white (aka all-purpose) 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 variety of red wheat. They both have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture, which lets the moist and fluffy texture of your healthy peach oatmeal muffins truly shine.

You’ll also mix cinnamon and nutmeg into your white whole wheat flour. I absolutely love the pairing of peaches with cinnamon, and my grandma always added a little nutmeg to her famous peach pie filling. It gives the spice flavor a lovely richness and depth!
 

 
Whereas many traditional recipes call for ¼ to ½ cup of oil to keep those muffins moist, you only need ½ tablespoon for this easy recipe. That really helps keep your healthy peach oatmeal muffins low fat and low calorie!

Then the rest of their tender and fluffy texture comes from Greek yogurt. You already mixed that in with your oats, remember? Greek yogurt is one of my favorite ingredients in healthy baking recipes because it adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories. It also gives your healthy peach oatmeal muffins a protein boost!
 

 
To sweeten your muffins, you’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and use another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, 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 for all 13 muffins, which is the equivalent of nearly ¾ cup of sugar!

This is the kind I use because I 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 here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
 

 
Of course, it’s impossible to make these muffins without the fruit… So you’ll also need diced peaches! Try to cut your peaches to be about the size of chocolate chips. This ensures your muffins bake evenly and every bite contains a juicy bit of fruit!

However, before your add them to your muffin batter, you must drain your diced peaches. Yes, this is mandatory! I typically dice my peaches first, set them in a colander, turn to the instant oats, and finish by measuring and mixing together everything else. This lets the peach juice drain as long as possible, which is key!

Ripe peaches typically contain a lot of juice, which they release into the batter as the muffins bake. Too much liquid will cause your muffins to collapse while cooling, and sometimes it can also prevent the insides from fully baking. But if you thoroughly drain the peach juice, you end up with really fruity and flavorful healthy peach oatmeal muffins with the perfect moist and fluffy texture!

Tip: Both fresh peaches and peaches canned in 100% juice will work in these healthy peach oatmeal muffins! As long as you make sure to thoroughly drain them in a colander, they both work equally well. (And using canned peaches means you can bake these all year round!)
 

 
One last thing! Low fat muffin batters like this one tend to stick to muffin liners like superglue, which means it’s nearly impossible to peel away those liners… However, I have another special trick for you!

Thoroughly coat your muffin liners with nonstick cooking spray first. If you do this before dolloping in the muffin batter, your liners should peel away from your fully baked healthy peach oatmeal muffins much more easily!
 

 
Now the only question left is… Would you be able to stop at one? Or would you be tempted to reach for a second (or third), like me? 😉

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 healthy peach oatmeal muffins!

Healthy Peach Oatmeal Muffins

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 13 muffins

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 26 mins

Inactive Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 1 min

These just might be my all-time favorite peach muffins! They’re incredibly moist and fluffy with lots of juicy peaches in every bite, and that sweet fruit pairs beautifully with the warm spice flavors. Leftovers will keep for at least five days if stored in an airtight container (if they last that long!), and they also freeze really well.

5 from 3 votes

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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 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 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
• 1 ¼ cups (250g) diced peaches, thoroughly drained (see Notes!)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat 13 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. (If using liners, then line 13 muffins 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, nutmeg, 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 peaches.
• Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 23-26 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

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE: Remember to measure your oats and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either will make your muffins turn out dry. This is especially true of the oats because they act like sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the batter.

 

IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE: Do not use an electric mixer to mix up the batter. This will result in dense or tough muffins. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.

 

OAT NOTES + SUBSTITUTIONS: Instant oats are also known as “quick-cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned oats. To make your own out of old-fashioned oats, add ¾ cup (75g) of old-fashioned oats to a blender or food processor, and pulse until they’re ⅛ to ¼ of their original size. Do not substitute steel-cut oats; they don't soften properly.

 

FLOUR SUBSTITUTIONS: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat flour.

 

GLUTEN-FREE OPTIONS: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.

 

EGG WHITE NOTES: The muffins require 2 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the muffins maintain their shape and texture while cooling. Without both egg whites, the muffins may collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.

 

If you'd prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 whole eggs AND reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon (15mL) to compensate for the added volume.

 

STEVIA NOTES: I do not recommend substituting for the liquid stevia, if at all possible. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!) I buy mine online here because that's the cheapest price I've found. For sweeter muffins, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ¼ or ½ teaspoon.

 

Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not always a 1-for-1 substitution. If using a different brand and product than this one that I use, you may need a different amount, and you may need to make other modifications to compensate as well.

 

OTHER SWEETENER OPTIONS: If you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the muffins, substitute ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) granulated sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar AND reduce the milk to ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (195mL). You may also substitute ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150mL) of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave AND reduce the milk to ½ cup (120mL) instead. The baking time may vary with either of those substitutions as well.

 

MILK SUBSTITUTIONS: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

 

IMPORTANT PEACH NOTES: You MUST thoroughly drain your peaches! If you don’t, there will be too much liquid in the muffins, which causes them to not fully bake through and collapse while cooling. To thoroughly drain your peaches, add the diced peaches to a colander. Let them rest for at least 20 minutes or while you measure and mix together the muffin batter ingredients.

 

Make sure to finely dice the peaches! They should be no larger than the size of peas. This smaller size ensures your muffins bake evenly.

 

Both fresh peaches and peaches canned in 100% juice will work. If using fresh, peel them first. I haven’t tried using frozen peaches.

 

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amyshealthybaking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Peach Mini Muffins
♡  Healthy Peach Pie Bran Muffins
♡  Healthy Peach Scones
♡  Healthy Peach Pie Pancakes
♡  Healthy Peach Pie Banana Bread
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy muffin recipes!