These healthy blackberry oat muffins are made entirely with oats - there's no wheat flour in the recipe. Oats are blended into a coarse flour to make a naturally gluten-free muffin that's lightly sweetened with honey and packed with juicy blackberries. They are quick to make in one bowl or a food processor and can be made with fresh blackberries in late summer, or with frozen blackberries at any time of year.
At a glance
Recipe Summary: Healthy Blackberry Oat Muffins
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6 large muffins
Key ingredients: Oats, eggs, oil and honey, blackberries
Nutritional highlights: A low-fat, low-sugar blackberry muffin with plenty of fibre and protein
Allergy info: Gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
Convenience: An easy 30-minute recipe, great for meal prep and freezer-friendly
Every year, in the late summer, I pick masses of blackberries from the surrounding hedgerows. I use some while they are fresh, and freeze the rest for later in the year. These healthy blackberry muffins are one of my favourite ways to use them. Unusually, there's no wheat flour in the recipe, just healthy wholegrain oats, which you grind into a coarse oat flour. As these muffins are low in added sugar, I feel quite justified in enjoying them for breakfast!
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Why you'll love these healthy blackberry oat muffins
- Gluten-free. There's no wheat flour in the muffins, they are made entirely from oats, which are a healthy wholegrain. Use certified oats to ensure gluten-free muffins.
- Dairy free. This dairy-free oat muffin recipe is made with oil rather than butter. It's easy to use and keeps the muffins moist.
- High in fibre. Fibre is good for your digestion, good for your blood sugar, and helps to keep you feeling full. Oats also contain a specific soluble fibre called beta glucan which is beneficial for heart health.
- Low in added sugar. There's just a little honey in these low sugar oat muffins. Blackberries and cinnamon add natural sweetness. Blackberries are also high in antioxidants and add a lovely colour to these healthy muffins.
- Easy to make. Healthy blackberry oat muffins take just 10 minutes to make and 20 minutes to cook. They use everyday ingredients and one bowl or a food processor. They are also great for meal prep and they freeze well.
- Versatile. Healthy blackberry muffins with oats are great in lunchboxes, after-school snacks and a healthy breakfast or snack at any time of day.
If you want to try another blackberry bake, I'd recommend this healthy apple and blackberry loaf cake, which is also gluten-free and dairy-free. And blackberry and apple crumble with oats is very popular!
Ingredients
There's just a few simple wholesome ingredients in these healthy blackberry muffins.
Oats. Healthy blackberry muffins are made entirely from oats with no wheat flour. If you are making them in a food processor, use either porridge or old-fashioned oats - these will be ground into a coarse homemade oat flour in the food processor.
If you want to mix the muffins by hand in a bowl, use instant oats, which have a finer texture.
Baking powder will help to make the muffins a little lighter.
Honey. Just 2 tablespoons of honey add some sweetness. You could also use maple syrup.
Cinnamon is optional, and adds extra sweetness. If you don't like cinnamon, you could use half a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Oil. As there's only a little oil in the recipe, you can use olive oil and you won't notice the flavour. You could substitute another healthy cooking oil if you prefer, or use melted butter.
Eggs. Eggs bind the muffins and add structure. They also add protein which will keep you feeling fuller. I've never made the recipe with an egg replacer such as flax or chia seed. If you do decide to use an egg replacer, please let me and other readers know how you get on in the comments below:)
Milk. You'll need a couple of tablespoons of milk to loosen the mixture. Dairy free or dairy milk will both be fine. You could also use orange or apple juice if you prefer.
Fresh or frozen blackberries
Either frozen or fresh seasonal fruit works in these blackberry muffins with oat flour. If using frozen blackberries, you won't need to defrost the fruit. I used wild blackberries, which are quite small. If your blackberries are huge, cut them in half to make the muffins easier to eat and ensure the fruit is well distributed.
Of course, you could also use another fruit such as raspberries or blueberries.
If you've got a glut of blackberries, you might also like to try this quick blackberry sauce or gluten-free blackberry and apple crumble. You can also make blackberry and apple compote in large batches for the freezer.
How to make blackberry muffins with oats
Add the oats to the bowl of a food processor and blitz until they are fine but not completely powdery. This coarse homemade oat flour forms the basis of these healthy gluten-free muffins.
Add the baking powder, cinnamon, oil, honey, eggs, and milk and pulse until well mixed. Don't overblend the mixture, otherwise you'll lose the texture of the oats.
Depending on the size of your eggs, you may need a splash more milk. The mixture should be fairly stiff, but spoonable.
Add the blackberries, and very gently mix in with a spoon. The soft berries will break up easily, so take care.
Spoon the mixture into a 6-hole muffin tray. It's best to use paper cases so that you can easily remove the muffins from the tin.
Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden and set. If using frozen blackberries, cook for 25 minutes as the muffin batter will take a little longer to heat up.
The cooked muffins should be a light golden brown and slightly springy to the touch.
As soon as your blackberry oat muffins are cool enough to handle, remove them from the tin and cool them on a wire rack.
Expert Tips
- Mix the blackberries into the muffin mixture gently so that the fruit stays whole
- If you are using instant oats, measure the quantity by weight rather than volume to ensure you get the proportions right
- Always remove the muffins from the tin as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Otherwise, you'll end up with condensation underneath the muffins which will make the bottoms a little soggy!
- Why not make mini blackberry oatmeal muffins for kids? Adjust the cooking time to 15 minutes as these smaller muffins will cook through more quickly.
Serving and storage
These oat muffins are easy to transport, and delicious as they are.
You could also serve them warm for dessert, either with a spoonful of thick yogurt, or homemade custard.
Blackberry and oat muffins are perfect for breakfast. I like to serve them alongside some Greek yoghurt and a few almonds for extra protein.
You can store them for 2 or 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
They also freeze well. Freeze in an airtight container or bag on the day they are baked for up to 3 months.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, they are. They are made with wholegrain oats, and there are no refined grains or refined sugar. Nutritionally, these muffins are very similar to eating a bowl of oatmeal with fruit!
Yes, you can make blackberry muffins without wheat flour by using a homemade ground oat flour in the recipe. This gives a lovely, slightly nutty flavour and texture.
Yes, you can add frozen berries directly to the muffin batter without defrosting. You might find the colour runs a little, but the purple streaks look rather pretty. I add an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time when using frozen blackberries as the mixture takes longer to heat up.
Other healthy muffin recipes
If you like oat muffins without wheat flour, these healthy apple muffins are made with oats and grated apple. Rhubarb and custard muffins are also made from oats, with a dollop of custard in the middle. In both recipes, the oats are ground into oat flour.
Other healthy gluten-free muffin recipes to try include these delicious coconut flour blueberry muffins, or breakfast muffins made with whole quinoa grain.
Browse the healthy muffins category for further inspiration and fruit muffin recipes.
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Recipe
Healthy Blackberry Oat Muffins
Equipment
- Food processor or blender or bowl and whisk
- 6 hole muffin tin
- Muffin cases
Ingredients
- 200 g porridge oats certified GF if necessary
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoon olive oil can substitute another oil or melted butter
- 2 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoon milk dairy or non dairy
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 150 g blackberries, fresh or frozen halved if very large
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan)
- Add the oats to the bowl of a food processor and blitz until fine but not totally powdery.200 g porridge oats
- Add the baking powder, honey, olive oil, eggs, milk and cinnamon. Pulse until well mixed. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little more milk. The mixture should be stiff but spoonable.1.5 tsp baking powder, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp honey, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp milk, ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Stir in the blackberries gently with a spoon.150 g blackberries, fresh or frozen
- Place the muffin cases in the tin. Divide the mixture equally between the cases and smooth the tops.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden and set. If you are using frozen blackberries, cook the muffins for an extra 5 minutes.
- As soon as your healthy blackberry muffins are cool enough to handle, remove them from the baking tin and cool on a wire rack. This will avoid condensation building up underneath them and making the bottoms go soggy.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is for guidance only
Chantal says
The best recipe!
I made them with blueberry and sultanas as I had them on hand.
And then again today with strawberry, blueberry, vanilla and cardamon. So delicious!
Tom says
Excellent muffins, perfect for breakfast thank you.