These convenient, single-serving freezer oatmeal cups are laced with maple and brown sugar and make the perfect on-the-go breakfast for busy mornings!
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Need a healthy, filling breakfast for those busy mornings when you’re trying to get the whole family out the door in time? These Make-Ahead Freezer Oatmeal Cups are it! The perfect meal prep dish, these cups can be made days, weeks, or months in advance and kept in the freezer to heat up at a moment’s notice. Pair one with a protein-packed smoothie to really start your morning off on the right foot!
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s a tasty recipe that pleases all ages.
- These cups are loaded with healthy, filling whole grains and high-protein coconut milk.
- They can be made way in advance (we’re talking months!) and kept in the freezer in individual servings to heat up at a moment’s notice.
- They take only a couple of minutes to reheat on a busy morning.
- You can use the same concept and modify the ingredients for tons of different variations.
- The recipe yields 18-24 cups which means your freezer will be stocked for a very long time.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The great news is you need very few ingredients to make this huge batch of oatmeal cups. Chances are you already have most of these ingredients in your pantry. Here’s all you need:
Coconut milk – Use the canned coconut as opposed to coconut beverage that comes in a carton. You’ll need two whole cans for this recipe.
Rolled oats – Grab as big of a bag as you can find. This recipe calls for 6 cups!
Maple syrup – This lends the perfect sweetness to your oatmeal cups. Use pure maple syrup if you can. Costco has a great one!
Brown sugar – The other half of the sweetness in these cups.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This recipe calls for very little proficiency in the kitchen – it comes together so easily!
First, bring the water, coconut milk and salt to a boil in a large saucepan.
Once the liquids come to a boil, stir in the oats. Cook over low to medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until the oats have absorbed all the liquid.
Once the oatmeal is cooked, stir in the maple and brown sugar.
Let the mixture cool down a little bit, then scoop it into jumbo muffin tins (or regular muffin tins) coated with cooking spray. To make them even easier to remove, try using silicone muffin tins like these.
Place the tins in the freezer until they are solid, at least a couple of hours or overnight.
Once the oatmeal cups are frozen, use a butter knife or icing spatula to gently pry them out of the muffin tins. If you have trouble prying them out right away, set the muffin tins over a pan of hot water for about 5 minutes to loosen up the bottoms.
Wrap each cup individually in plastic wrap and keep in the freezer until you’re ready to eat them.
To reheat, unwrap the oatmeal and place it in a bowl. Microwave for 2-4 minutes, add any toppings you desire (some personal favorites include nut butters, jams or jellies, nuts, raisins or fresh fruit) and enjoy right away.
FAQs
You can make these oatmeal cups up to a few months in advance and store them in the freezer.
Sure! You can literally use any kind of oats, prepare them how you would normally make your oatmeal, and freeze what you’ve prepared in muffin tins following the freezing instructions I’ve provided.
This is actually a great recipe to prepare for your little one’s baby-led weaning journey. Simply omit the salt, maple syrup and brown sugar.
You can put anything from nut butters to whole nuts to seeds to fresh or dried fruit to jams or jellies on your oatmeal.
More Make-Ahead Breakfasts
Lemon Vanilla Buckwheat Pancakes with Blackberry Syrup
The Easiest Pumpkin Apple Baked Oatmeal Cups
Maca Chia Cocoa Protein Pancakes
Weekday Festive Funfetti Waffles
Slow Cooker Cherry Pie Oatmeal
Easy Pumpkin Macadamia Nut Muffins
Find the web story for this recipe here.
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Make-Ahead Freezer Oatmeal Cups with Maple and Brown Sugar
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups coconut milk (two 13.5-ounce cans)
- 8 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 6 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Bring coconut milk, water and salt to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and add oats.
- Cook for about 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has absorbed into the oats, stirring occasionally, then stir in the brown sugar and maple.
- Spray 18 jumbo muffin tins with cooking spray (or as many as you have and work in batches) and scoop oatmeal evenly into the cups. Place in the freezer until solid, at least a couple of hours or overnight.
- Remove the tins from the freezer and, using a butter knife or small offset spatula, gently loosen the oatmeal cups from each tin. If they seem stuck, place the tins over a pan of hot water for 5 minutes or so and they should loosen up. Wrap each cup in plastic wrap and place back in the freezer.
- When you’re ready to heat up your oatmeal, take one of the cups, unwrap it and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally if needed and top with any additional toppings you desire. Some of my favorites include nuts, peanut butter and more maple syrup.
Notes
- To make this recipe baby-led weaning-friendly, omit the salt, maple syrup and brown sugar.
- You can prepare any oatmeal recipe you like and use this exact same freezing method.
- These cups will keep in the freezer for 3 months or more.
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