Instant Oatmeal Muffins

In this post I’m going to show you how to take leftover packets of instant oatmeal–in any flavor you happen to have on hand–and turn them into luscious muffins.

Can I Bake with Instant Oatmeal Packets?

I found myself asking that very question as I put a box of Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal packets into my pantry earlier this evening.

I’m not even sure where the idea came from, exactly. Except, of course, my overactive imagination is always trying to dream up new ways of doing things. Instant Oats seemed like a great baking ingredients.

So, I went to the web and typed in that questions. Imagine my surprise when I discovered my new-to-me idea wasn’t completely unique or original. (Go figure!)

Instant Oats are So Versatile!

Turns out folks are making all sorts of things out of instant oatmeal packets–everything from scones to cookies to muffins.

I’m expecting overnight company this week and have been trying to think of quick breakfast items. So, of course, the idea of muffins sounded perfect to me. I have muffins on the brain already. I just made some delicious Banana Nut Muffins. But the idea of using instant oatmeal was just too tempting, so I had to give it a try.

As always, I had to make the recipe my own. It’s difficult for me to follow anyone else’s recipe to the letter, after all. So, I decided to wing it. (Dangerous, I know!)

Let’s talk about what I used to make these delicious muffins.

Instant Oatmeal Muffin Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but I’m going to give you a quick peek at what you’ll need. These are such simple ingredients, y’all! You probably have them on hand.

Streusel Ingredients

• salted butter (room temperature)
• brown sugar
• white sugar
• quick oats
• chopped pecans (optional)
• all purpose flour

Muffin Ingredients

• melted butter (or vegetable oil)
• granulated sugar
• large eggs
• vanilla extract
• instant oatmeal (in any flavor you like)
• all purpose flour
• milk
• baking powder
• salt
• ground cinnamon

How to Make Instant Oatmeal Muffins

These came together so easily!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start by making your streusel. This is such an easy one to whip up. Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a fork until it’s crumb-like in appearance. Set aside.

(Side note: I happened to have the streusel topping on hand. I posted a recipe for my easy streusel topping last week and had a cup and a half in my freezer for just such an occasion as this!)

Now it’s time to make the muffins.

Place paper liners in muffin tin. (This recipe will make a dozen muffins so you’ll just need one cupcake tin.)

Melt butter in a medium bowl. Add sugars and mix well. You can use an electric mixer if you like but I opted to use my whisk.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.

Add packets of instant oatmeal. Mix well.

In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder.

Add half of the dry ingredients (flour mixture), along with half of the wet ingredients (milk). Stir well.

Add the rest of the flour mixture, along with the rest of the milk. Fold together but don’t over mix.

Fold in pecans. You will end up with a thick batter. This is what you want.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill your muffin cups to the 3/4 point with muffin batter. This recipe will make a dozen regular-sized muffins. (Make sure you’ve added cupcake liners first!)

Now it’s time to add the streusel topping. There’s a little trick to adding these coarse crumbs.

Add a heaping spoonful of streusel topping to each mound of batter and then press down using your palm. You want the streusel to adhere to the muffin. Otherwise, as the muffins bake (and grow in size) the streusel will fall off. (Ask me how I know! I made this mistake on a batch of muffins I made several months ago.)

Place your muffin tin in the oven on the center rack and bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown. They should spring back to the touch.

Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Once cooled, enjoy!

You can store these at room temperature for 3-4 days. I put mine in freezer bags and froze them for later use. Frozen muffins are good up to two months. Allow frozen muffin to thaw naturally or defrost in the microwave. (Perfect for busy mornings! I love to bake and freeze my muffins.)

What to Expect from these Muffins

I knew the minute these came out of the oven that I would love them. The streusel baked up so beautifully!

These muffins were crunchy on top, light but firm in the middle, and loaded with cinnamon flavor. I particularly loved the crunch of the nuts. (Great choice!)

More than anything, I’m intrigued that my overactive imagination led me to a completely new recipe, one I plan to make again and again! (And aren’t those muffin tops gorgeous?!)

Variations on this Recipe

Now that I know I can bake with instant oatmeal, I’m so excited about the possibilities. Let’s look at how other flavors might be incorporated.

Blueberries and Cream: Follow the recipe exactly, but add a cup of fresh blueberries in place of the pecans. (Blueberry muffins are great! They’re packed with delicious flavors.)

Apples and Cinnamon: Follow the directions but add a cup of finely chopped apples and a couple tablespoons of applesauce.

Peaches and Cream: Follow the directions but add a cup of finely chopped peaches in place of the pecans.

Maple and Brown Sugar: Follow the directions but add maple extract along with the vanilla. Drizzle maple syrup on top.

Raisin, Date, and Walnut: Follow directions but substitute walnuts for the pecans and add half a cup of raisins (or Craisins).

Strawberries and Cream: Replace pecans with chopped berries.

Chocolate: You can add three packets of chocolate oatmeal. (I didn’t even realize chocolate oatmeal was a thing, to be honest!) Add half a cup of mini chocolate chips if you like.

Brown sugar: Substitute brown sugar for white for an added layer of flavor.

Mini Muffins: Bake these in a mini muffin pan if you like.

Oatmeal Coffee Cake: Bake this in a bundt pan to turn it into a coffee cake.

Pumpkin Pie Spice: Add a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and one teaspoon of cinnamon for a little extra flavor.

Oat Flour: If you’re trying to avoid gluten you can use ground oats in place of all purpose flour. The texture will change somewhat but it’s still a good choice.

Peanut Butter: While still warm, slice these muffins in half and add a thin layer of peanut butter.

No matter which flavor you use, homemade muffins are always a good choice.

Other Muffins from Out of the Box Baking

If you love delicious breakfast muffins we’ve got you covered! Here are some of our fan favorites:

Easy Cake Mix Banana Muffins: If you’re in the mood for banana muffins but you don’t want to take the time to make them from scratch, I have great news for you! You can start with a simple white cake mix and turn it into the best banana muffin you’ve ever tasted!

Luscious Lemon Berry Muffins: You love lemon. You love the tangy sweetness of berries. And when you merge the two? Perfection! These luscious lemon berry muffins have the right blend of fruity flavors. They’re perfect for breakfast or even for dessert or a mid-afternoon snack!

Double Dark Chocolate Espresso Muffins: If you’ve been following my posts for a while you know that I love to add coffee (espresso powder) to my chocolate cakes and cupcakes. Coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate. Well, that’s kind of where the idea for this amazing muffin began. But y’all. . .did it ever morph from there!

Cookie Butter Banana Muffins: If you’re a fan of cinnamon, spice, and everything nice, then this yummy recipe for my Cookie Butter Banana Muffins will be just the ticket! They are simple to make and have a light fluffy cake-like texture that you simply don’t find in most banana-based products.

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That’s it for this post, friends! Enjoy a delicious muffin with a cup of tea.

See this recipe at

Full Plate Thursday 

Weekend Potluck

Busy Monday

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.