For Christmas one year, my brother and I flew to Arizona to visit our grandparents. Mom headed out before us and booked us flights that allowed us to maximize every moment with family, which meant…
Waking up at 4 am to leave for the airport.
We effortlessly cruised along the barren freeways in the pitch-black darkness that morning, making it to the terminal in record time. However, that luck ended the moment we passed through the sliding glass doors into the building. The chaos of the holiday season meant the security checkpoint line snaked through the walkways, wrapped around itself, and wound all the way around the baggage claim room too. It would’ve taken almost two hours to shuffle forward and finally pass through, at which point we would’ve missed our flight…
So with crossed fingers, we darted over to the second terminal. Bingo — only four families waited in line there! We quickly breezed through and rolled our carryon bags down the back hallway connecting the two terminals to reach our gate.
With zero nonstop flights to the small airport closest to our grandparents’ town, we disembarked in Las Vegas for our connection. We walked around the shops and stalls in search of breakfast and caffeine and to stretch our legs while we waited, yet almost every line looked as long as the TSA checkpoint. Miles and miles of people as far as we could see!
Surprisingly, Starbucks had the shortest queue, so we joined the end of it. When we reached the cashier, I immediately realized why… There was virtually nothing left in the glass bakery case and chilled snack shelves!
I ordered a tall black coffee, opting for something simple and quick, then headed back to the gate. Despite the massive crowds, we managed to snag two seats next to each other, and we pulled out snacks from our backpacks to nibble on instead. Nuts and dark chocolate… Quite the breakfast!
Since the holidays and travel chaos often sneak up on me, I’m planning ahead this year and preparing easy, portable, on-the-go breakfast recipes to avoid any repeat experiences of that crazy Christmas. These healthy gingerbread oatmeal muffins are at the top of my list!
They’re perfect both for busy travel days and for slowly savoring during a leisurely morning at home. With how much we loved them, I’d even bake a batch for our Christmas morning breakfast too!
QUICK OVERVIEW – HEALTHY GINGERBREAD OATMEAL MUFFINS
Difficulty: Mainly easy, including for many beginner bakers.
Taste: Lightly sweetened and very cozy with rich undertones and plenty of warm, comforting spices.
Texture: Moist and tender with soft oats in every bite.
KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY GINGERBREAD OATMEAL MUFFINS
Let’s go over what you’ll need to make these healthy gingerbread oatmeal muffins! I’m hoping that your cupboards already hold common baking staples like baking powder, vanilla, and salt, so we’ll focus on the more interesting ingredients.
Oats. I’m sure you guessed this would be an ingredient from the moment you read the recipe title! To make these gingerbread muffins, you’ll use instant oats. They’re also called “quick cooking” and “one-minute” oats. Contrary to what certain items on grocery store shelves may suggest, instant oats are not the ones that come in individual packets with flavors like apple cinnamon and maple brown sugar!
Just like old-fashioned rolled oats, instant oats only contain one ingredient: oats. However, they vary in one very important way. Instant oats are smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats. This size difference means that they soften faster, which gives your gingerbread oatmeal muffins the best moist and tender texture!
Tip: If you’d like to make your healthy gingerbread oatmeal muffins gluten-free, then use certified gluten-free instant oats. They work perfectly!
Flour. When developing this healthy muffin recipe, I wanted to use some type of whole wheat flour, so I tested both regular whole wheat flour and white whole wheat flour. I know the name of the latter often confuses people… Despite what it may sound like, it’s not a combination of regular whole wheat flour and white (aka all-purpose) flour!
Here in the US, regular whole wheat flour comes from a hearty variety of red wheat. White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding another type called — you guessed it! — white wheat. White wheat has a lighter and milder flavor compared to red wheat, closer to that of all-purpose flour, but both regular whole wheat flour and white whole wheat flour have the same health benefits of extra fiber and micronutrients.
Hint: It’s similar to red and green grapes. Different flavors but similar health benefits!
Because of its lighter taste and texture, I found that the cozy gingerbread flavor was a bit more pronounced in the test batch made with white whole wheat flour, so that’s the one I used to make these healthy gingerbread oatmeal muffins. However, that difference was on the subtle side, so if you can only find regular whole wheat flour, that’s completely fine. I promise your muffins will still taste festive, cozy, and comforting!
Tip: If you’d like to make your healthy gingerbread oatmeal muffins gluten-free, then see the Notes section of the recipe. I’ve included my recommendations there!
Spices. They provide half of the iconic gingerbread flavor! Well… One in particular does. No surprises here — it’s ground ginger!
Just like with the type of flour, I tested different amounts of ginger. I love my gingerbread-flavored treats on the extra spicy side, but I realize that many people don’t share my obsession for that rather zesty taste… So I’ve learned to dial it back for the recipes that I share with you. 😉
I found that 1 tablespoon of ground ginger provided a very warm and festive flavor without tasting “spicy” or overpowering, sort of like the equivalent of sitting in front of a gently crackling fire while wrapped in a soft fleece blanket. Very cozy and comfortable! That’s the version you’ll find in the recipe card below.
Personally, I prefer my gingerbread with a bit more zip, so I bump up the amount of ginger to 4 or 4 ½ teaspoons. That adds a brighter zing that lingers on your tongue at the end of every bite, as if you added a second log to that fire and scooted a few inches closer. If you’re a fan of spicy gingerbread too, I highly recommend it!
Then to round out the spice flavor, you’ll also sprinkle in cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Cinnamon adds that familiar comforting warmth, while the nutmeg and cloves provide a deep fullness and richness.
Tip: Something else I highly recommend? Saigon cinnamon! It tastes a bit stronger, sweeter, and richer than regular cinnamon. Many stores have started stocking it, and it’s really affordable. I buy mine online here. It’s practically the only kind of cinnamon I use in my baking now!
Molasses. This is just as important as the ginger… Molasses provides the other half of the iconic gingerbread flavor! In case you haven’t heard of it, or perhaps could use a refresher, molasses is an unrefined liquid sweeter with a thick viscous consistency similar to honey. It has a rich and complex flavor with a very subtle earthy undertone, yet it’s really cozy and versatile too!
There are two main kinds of molasses: regular unsulphured molasses and blackstrap molasses. The first one is the kind that you want to make these muffins! Blackstrap molasses has distinct bitter notes, but regular unsulphured molasses simply tastes cozy and pretty sweet. This is the kind I typically buy, and you can often find it on the baking aisle near the other sweeteners.
Sweetener. For the rest of the sweetness in these gingerbread oatmeal muffins, I turned to 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 only need 1 teaspoon to sweeten this entire batch of muffins!
Tip: Many stevia brands and products contain different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I highly recommend using the same one that I do! You can find it at some health-oriented stores, but I buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (You’ll also use it in all of these recipes of mine. I promise it’s not a “one-time use” ingredient!)
Unsalted butter or oil. Unlike many traditional recipes that call for anywhere from ¼ to ½ cup of butter or oil, you merely need ½ tablespoon for this one. That really helps keep your healthy gingerbread oatmeal muffins low fat and low calorie! Then the rest of their supremely soft and moist texture comes from…
Greek yogurt. It’s another one of my favorite healthy baking ingredients! I’ve used it to make everything from muffins and scones to brownies and cupcakes to cakes and cheesecakes… And even frosting and whipped cream! In these muffins, Greek yogurt adds the same moisture to the batter as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories. It gives your gingerbread oatmeal muffins a protein boost too!
Egg whites. These bind together the other ingredients, and they also play a role in the structure of your muffins. The whites contain the majority of protein in eggs, and that protein helps prevent your muffins from collapsing while cooling and turning out rather dense. Make sure you use both egg whites for the best soft, moist, and fluffy muffin texture!
Milk. Nonfat milk and unsweetened vanilla almond milk are the two types I most commonly use. Almost any type will work though, so feel free to substitute whatever you already have in your fridge!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY GINGERBREAD OATMEAL MUFFINS
Gathered your ingredients? Hooray! It’s time to talk about how to make the best healthy gingerbread oatmeal muffins. As I promised earlier, this recipe is simple and straightforward to make. I also have some tips to ensure your batch turns out beautifully!
Measure correctly. This little jingle may sound as familiar as “Frosty the Snowman” or “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer…” So feel free to sing along if you already know the words!
It’s extremely important to measure the ingredients correctly. Using incorrect amounts can ruin your muffins and make them turn out crumbly and dry, squat and sunken, or even boring and bland.
For the flour and oats, use this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Do not dip your measuring cup into the container to scoop out either one. This can result in adding 1 ½ times as much, and that extra flour or oats will immediately throw off the ratio of wet and dry ingredients. It’ll make your muffins too dry, and they’ll also taste not nearly sweet enough. Yet if you use the proper technique, your gingerbread oatmeal muffins will be perfectly flavorful and soft!
For the molasses and milk, use regular measuring cups, not a kitchen scale. I know many digital kitchen scales offer a “fluid ounces” option, but that only works for liquids whose density is exactly 1.0g/mL, like water. Most liquid ingredients have a different density — aka they weigh a different amount (grams) per volume (cups or mL) — so unless you want to look up the exact density of each liquid ingredient and do the math to convert them… Regular measuring cups are much faster and easier — and more accurate too!
“Soak” the oats. I’ve already built this into Step 2 of the recipe! You’ll mix the oats together with the Greek yogurt and molasses first, before whisking together any of the other ingredients, to let the oats begin absorbing moisture. This soaking “head start” helps them soften even more, which yields an even more moist and tender texture in your gingerbread oatmeal muffins!
Mix by hand. Put away your stand mixers and hand-held mixers! Those tend to overmix low fat batters, like this one. Overmixing often leads to a tough, gummy, rubbery, or dense texture. Not good! Yet if you stir together the batter by hand and use a gentle touch, you’ll end up with incredibly soft and moist muffins.
So use a whisk where explicitly instructed and a fork for everything else. That’s right — a fork!
Yes, it’s unconventional. Yes, it’s my secret trick. Yes, it works like a charm. (Or like a little holiday magic, if you prefer that reason during this time of year!)
The open spaces between the fork’s tines allow the ingredients to pass through and mix more efficiently compared to the wide, flat, impenetrable surface of a wooden spoon or spatula. More efficient mixing helps guard against overmixing, which therefore creates a better tender texture. (Bonus: Forks are dishwasher safe, so you’ll have fewer things to wash by hand!)
Alternating additions. This technique is commonly used to make cake batter, but I find it works really well for muffin batter too. If you haven’t heard of it before, “alternating additions” is a shorthand way of saying to switch between folding in a bit of the flour mixture until it’s just incorporated, stirring in a splash of the liquid (milk, in this case!), and going back and forth until you run out of both.
Like mixing by hand, this “alternating additions” approach helps guard against overmixing. If you use a gentle hand and stop folding as soon as the ingredients have just barely “disappeared” into the batter, you’ll end up with perfectly soft, moist, and fluffy gingerbread oatmeal muffins!
Prepare the muffin pan. Another important thing to know about low fat batters? They stick to muffin pans and muffin liners like superglue. A liberal coating of cooking spray solves that! Mist your muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or, if you’d like to use liners (like I did for the batch of muffins in these photos!), nestle those into the muffin cups before generously spraying them. This helps the liners peel away much more easily!
Tip: If you forget to coat your liners — or just don’t quite spray them enough — then pop your muffins into an airtight container once they’ve cooled and place them in the fridge overnight. That will loosen the liners a bit more!
Bake. It’s time! Slide that muffin pan of yours into the oven, set a timer, and wait. How impatiently is up to you… And so is whether you sit cross-legged in front of the oven and watch them like an elf. I bet you already know under which category I fall. There’s something so irresistible about that cozy spiced aroma escaping from the oven!
Your muffins are done when the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with some crumbs attached. Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack — or before peeling off the paper and popping one directly into your mouth!
FAQS ABOUT HEALTHY GINGERBREAD OATMEAL MUFFINS
Are these healthy gingerbread oatmeal muffins low calorie, low fat, sugar-free, gluten-free, or clean eating?
Yes — to almost everything! As written, the recipe for these gingerbread oatmeal muffins is naturally low fat, clean eating, and low calorie (compared to many traditional recipes!). I’ve also included how to make them gluten-free in the Notes section of the recipe. Because of the molasses, they’re technically not sugar-free, but these gingerbread oatmeal muffins contain no refined sugar, if that’s important to you!
Can I substitute old-fashioned rolled oats?
Kind of! Before using them, blitz your old-fashioned rolled oats in a blender or food processor until they’re about ⅛ to ¼ of their original size. This makes them closer to the thickness and shape of instant oats, so your muffins will have a similar soft and tender texture.
What about a different flour?
You bet! Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour all work wonderfully. (See the “Flour” header in the “Key Ingredients to Make Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Muffins” section above for more info about the options that I found were the best!)
Can I add more spices?
Absolutely! You’re definitely my kind of person. I love my gingerbread on the spicy side too!
Can I substitute something else for the molasses?
If at all possible, I highly advise against it. Molasses is required to create that iconic and cozy gingerbread flavor. However… I know it’s not always easy to locate in stores outside of the US. If that’s true for where you live, then pure maple syrup, honey, and agave will provide the same muffin texture. Just keep in mind that your batch won’t taste like true gingerbread!
What about the stevia?
Yup! I know stevia isn’t something that everyone enjoys or can consume, so I’ve provided multiple alternatives in the Notes section of the recipe. Check there for the best substitutes!
Can I use a different type of milk?
Yes again! Nearly any type will work, so feel free to use whatever already sits in your fridge.
My batter was thick like cookie dough, and/or my muffins turned out dry. Why is that?
There are a few common culprits! The first is incorrectly measuring the ingredients. If you add too much flour or too many oats — or not enough molasses or milk — then that throws off the ratio of wet and dry ingredients. I’ve covered that in more detail in the “Measure correctly” header in the “How to Make Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Muffins” section above, so review the explanations there!
The second is swapping in ingredients that aren’t good substitutes. Oat flour and coconut flour can both dry out the batter, and sugar-free maple syrup will also yield a different texture. Stick with the alternatives included in the Notes section instead!
The third is overbaking your muffins. Check out the “Bake” header in the “How to Make Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Muffins” section above for more information about how to tell when they’re done!
What’s the best way to store these healthy gingerbread oatmeal muffins? And how long will they last?
Store any leftover muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least four days, if not closer to a week. I highly recommend reheating them before enjoying at a later date. It makes their insides turn really moist and soft like they’ve been freshly baked all over again! (I pop them in the microwave on 30% power until warmed all the way through. Yum!)
Can I freeze them?
You sure can! These healthy gingerbread oatmeal muffins freeze and thaw really well. If you baked them in paper or metal liners, I highly recommend removing those first. It’s noticeably harder to peel them away after thawing. Just like with the chilled and refrigerated muffins, I like to reheat individual frozen muffins in the microwave until they’re warmed all the way through. They almost taste freshly baked when thawed like that!
Ahhhh… Can life taste any more festive and cozy?? 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 gingerbread oatmeal muffins!
Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (75g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) molasses (not blackstrap!)
- 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tbsp (5g) ground ginger (see Notes!)
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
- 1 cup (240mL) nonfat milk, divided
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, and molasses. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a third bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla, and stevia. Add in the oat mixture, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in ½ cup of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining ½ cup of milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 24-28 minutes or until the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs attached. 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…
♡ Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Scones
♡ Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Classic Gingerbread
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Muffins
♡ Healthy Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Muffins
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy muffin recipes and healthy holiday recipes!
Can I use freshly grated ginger?
We appreciate your interest in this recipe, Norma! We haven’t tried freshly grated ginger, so I’m not personally sure. From past experiences, I’ve learned that fresh ginger isn’t nearly as potent as ground ginger. If you’d like to experiment on her own, you’ll probably need to use a lot more than the 1 tablespoon in this recipe. We’d recommend trying about 3 times as much and then go from there, depending on your preference! I’d love to hear how it goes if you decide to give it a try! 🙂
I’m in the UK and I find that treacle is a fantastic substitute for molasses! A lot closer in flavour than maple syrup for example. Although the quantity might need to be adjusted but I won’t recommend anything here haha
Thanks so much for the tip, Ginte! It’s always helpful to hear about other substitutions and modifications that could work, especially ones we may not be as familiar with here in the US! 😉
Do you have any high altitude baking tips for these muffins. I’m at 7000 feet and baking sure is different here than in TX where everything’s is normal baking wise.
We really appreciate your interest in this recipe, Carol. We don’t have any personal experience baking at high altitude. However, we’ve had multiple blog readers at high altitude say that my other recipes that they tried worked great as written, without any tweaks necessary. (Some of them tried making the “normal” high altitude modifications, and the recipes turned out worse than when they followed them exactly as written!) We’d love to hear if you experience the same if you decide to try making these muffins! 🙂
Can you skip the yogurt?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Cat! The yogurt can’t be omitted, but you can easily substitute other varieties. Regular (non-Greek!) yogurt works well, and non-dairy versions (ie soy-, almond-, or oat-based) do too. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these muffins if you end up making them!