Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Cups

As that crisp fall morning air creeps in, you’ll fall in love with today’s recipe – pumpkin baked oatmeal cups.  Think hearty oatmeal, earthy pumpkin, rich dark chocolate, and sweet bananas and dates – all combined into a lovely morning treat. This simple recipe is great to meal prep ahead of time on the weekend and enjoy throughout the week.

Note: This recipe was first published in 2017. The post and photos have been updated in 2023.

Ingredient Notes

Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need, along with selected ingredient notes:

• Pumpkin puree – You want to use plain pumpkin puree for this recipe, not pumpkin pie filling. You can also use homemade pumpkin puree.

• Bananas – Choose very ripe bananas with lots of brown spots, as these mash easier and help sweeten the recipe.

• Dates – These are usually found in the produce section or dried fruit section of the grocery store. Depending on the type of date, they may vary in size a bit, which is fine.

Instructions

You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.

Start by making a “flax egg” – combine the flaxseed with hot water and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes. It will become gelatinous, kind of like an egg.

Meanwhile, add the bananas and dates to a small food processor bowl. Process until relatively smooth (it’s OK if there’s still some chunks of dates).

Add the oats and baking powder to a big mixing bowl and stir until combined.

Add the flax mixture, the pureed bananas and dates, pumpkin, and pumpkin spice. Stir until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips (if you want, you can save some of the chocolate chips to sprinkle on top – completely your call).

Pour the batter into a greased muffin tin, dividing evenly.

Bake that for about 20 minutes, then let cool in the muffin tin.

Enjoy now, or store in the fridge to enjoy later!

In the batch above, you can see I just folded all the chocolate chips in. If you decide to save some chocolate chips and top the batter right before baking instead, you’ll get pumpkin baked oatmeal cups that look like this older photo!

Recipe FAQ

Here are some common questions that may come up as you prepare these:

Nutrition Benefits

These are a great option for buys women who are looking for a quick breakfast that fuels their fitness goals. You can pair two of these pumpkin baked oatmeal cups with a hardboiled egg or a string cheese for a simple, balanced grab-and-go meal.

One of the best things about this recipe is that the only added sugar comes from the chocolate chips (and you could purchase no-added-sugar chocolate chips if you’d like!).

Instead, they’re sweetened naturally with bananas and dates.  That means you get additional vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals – compared to making baked oatmeal with regular sugar where you lose out on some of those benefits.

I also love that each baked oatmeal cup packs in 5 grams of fiber – a nutrient most people don’t get enough of.

And they’re not just for breakfast – these are also a great snack choice when you’re looking for some healthy carbs to fuel your body.  Let’s say you’ve got an afternoon workout, but you’re feeling that energy dip between lunch and your sweat sesh.  You can snack on one of these a little while before your workout to top off those energy stores.

More Healthy Pumpkin Recipes

If you’re looking for more healthy pumpkin recipes, try one of these delightful dishes:

• Healthy pumpkin breakfast bars
• Pumpkin protein muffins
• Greek yogurt pumpkin dip
• Pumpkin spice protein bars
• Pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies
• Cold brew pumpkin smoothie

Break out the pumpkin and give these a try – then be sure to stop back over and let me know what you think.

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Cups

Snacking in Sneakers

These pumpkin baked oatmeal cups are great to meal prep and heat up on cool fall mornings!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 12 baked oatmeal cups

Calories 157 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tbsp ground flax seed
• ⅓ cup hot water
• 2 medium overripe bananas
• ¾ cup whole pitted dates
• 2 cups rolled oats (if gluten free, look for certified gluten free)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp pumpkin spice (or cinnamon)
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips (if vegan, look for dairy-free chocolate chips.)

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a muffin tin.
• Place the ground flax in a small bowl or cup with the hot water. Set aside for a few minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the bananas and dates to a small food processor bowl. Puree the mixture until well combined (there may be a few small chunks of dates in there; that’s fine). Set aside for now.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats and baking powder. Stir until combined.
• Add the flax mixture, banana date mixture, pumpkin, and pumpkin spice to the bowl with the oats. Stir until well combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.
• Divide mixture evenly in the muffin tin. Bake for about 20 minutes (or until the top no longer looks damp). Let cool in the muffin tin. Enjoy slightly warm!

Notes

• The only added sugar in this recipe comes from the chocolate chips. If you want a no-added-sugar recipe, use stevia-sweetened chocolate chips.
• These are denser than some other baked oatmeal recipes, but I find them to be quite delicious.

 

Nutrition analysis (approximate per baked oatmeal cup): 157 calories, 5.5 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 45 mg sodium, 28.5 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 12 g sugar, 3 g added sugar, 3.5 g protein, Vitamin D: 0%, Calcium: 4%, Iron: 14%, Potassium: 7%

Nutrition

Calories: 157kcal

Keyword pumpkin baked oatmeal cups

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Chrissy Carroll

Chrissy Carroll is a Registered Dietitian and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach. She specializes in sharing nutrition and fitness tips, as well as recipes, for runners, triathletes, and active women.Chrissy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition, a Masters Degree in Public Health, and is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer.

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