Adding oats to muffins

These muffins are tender and delicious, especially still warm, straight from the oven. They are not overly sweet as I have reduced the sugar right down, mincemeat is very sweet, so we don’t need to add much more.

This recipe was originally written in 2014 and was refreshed and updated in April 2025.

There are several recipes using oats, which Mike really likes, so I have tweaked this one to include them, and changed a couple of other things too. You could add oats to any other muffin recipe too, just take out several big spoonfuls of flour and replace them with oats. You can’t actually taste the oats in the baked muffin, but I like the idea that they are there. I wanted to use mincemeat as I bought 4 big jars of it to make things at Christmas and didn’t even open 1 of them!

What do I need to make easy mincemeat muffins

• Flour, either plain flour and baking powder, or self raising flour. Sometimes, I use wholemeal flour for extra fibre and that nutty taste
• a hand full of of ordinary, cheap, porridge oats. You can’t taste the oats in the finished muffin, but they provide a nice texture and lot of extra fibre
• a pinch of salt, this is just seasoning and helps to bring out the flavour of everything
• sugar, just ordinary granulated. Or use any of the types of brown sugar for extra flavour
• milk, this could be any kind of milk, depending on what you have in – cows milk, semi-skim or full fat, or any of the plant milks
• about half a small jar of mincemeat
• a bit of oil, not very much, use a neutral vegetable oil, we don’t want the lovely flavour of olive oil here. Or use melted butter or margarine
• Note that there is no egg in this recipe

How to make mincemeat muffins

• Pre heat the oven to 375F/200C/fan 190C/gas 6. If you have a fan oven, there is no need to pre-heat
• Put muffin cases in a 12 hole tin, or use silicone muffin cases that don’t need to be put in a tin
• Put all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another bowl or jug.
• Mix everything well in both bowls, then mix the two together, just enough to combine, mixing too much will make them tough.
• Divide the mixture between the 12 muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until browned and the top springs back when pressed. These were really easy, as I suppose all muffins are really, and I will definitely be making them again to use up that mincemeat.

Storage of Christmas muffins

Muffins don’t stay fresh for ages, so if you haven’t eaten them after 2 or 3 days, pop them in the freezer in a well wrapped bag, or air tight box. Take one out whenever you want one, it will defrost in the microwave in a few seconds.Or pop it in a lunch box still frozen, it will be defrosted by the time you want to eat it.

Variations for easy muffins

• Use ReadyBrek type very fine oats instead of ordinary cheap porridge
• Or go the other way and use jumbo oats for more texture
• Haven’t got any oats at all? Just replace the oats with more flour
• If you want your muffins to be vegan, use plant milk and baking spread, and check that the mincemeat is vegan, it usually is

Other muffin recipes you might like

Chocolate Muffins. Quick, easy, great for packups and very cheap

Chocolate, Coconut, Raisin and Chopped Nut Muffins

Vegetable Muffins

Mincemeat and oat muffins

5 from 4 votes

Add oats to any kind of muffin!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Course:

Dessert

,

Snack

Cuisine:

American

Gluten Free

,

Vegan

,

Vegetarian

Dairy Free

,

Freezes Well

Servings: 12 muffins

Cost per portion 17p per muffin

Calories: 255kcal

Author: Thrifty Lesley

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Ingredients

• ▢ 200 g plain flour
• ▢ 2 tsps baking powder (or use self raising flour instead)
• ▢ 80 g oats
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ 85 g sugar
• ▢ 280 ml milk
• ▢ 240 g mincemeat
• ▢ 90 ml oil

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• ▢
  Pre heat the oven to 375F/200C/fan 190C/gas 6. If you have a fan oven, there is no need to pre-heat
• ▢
  Put muffin cases in a 12 hole tin, or use silicone muffin cases that don't need to be put in a tin
• ▢
  Put all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another bowl or jug.
  200 g plain flour, 2 tsps baking powder, 80 g oats, ½ tsp salt, 85 g sugar, 280 ml milk, 240 g mincemeat, 90 ml oil
• ▢
  Mix everything well in both bowls, then mix the two together, just enough to combine, mixing too much will make them tough.
• ▢
  Divide the mixture between the 12 muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until browned and the top springs back when pressed.
  
• ▢
  Muffins don't stay fresh for long, so if you haven't eaten them by the end of day 2, pop them in the freezer

Equipment Needed

mixing bowl

jug

large mixing spoon

silicone muffin cases

Notes

Storage of Christmas muffins

Muffins don't stay fresh for ages, so if you haven't eaten them after 2 or 3 days, pop them in the freezer in a well wrapped bag, or air tight box. Take one out whenever you want one, it will defrost in the microwave in a few seconds.Or pop it in a lunch box still frozen it will be defrosted by the tine you want to eat it.  

Variations for easy muffins

• Use ReadyBrek type very fine oats instead of ordinary cheap porridge
• Or go the other way and use jumbo oats for more texture
• Haven't got any oats at all? Just replace the oats with more flour
• If you want your muffins to be vegan, use plant milk and baking spread, and check that the mincemeat is vegan, it usually is

 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Mincemeat and oat muffins

Amount per Serving

Calories

255

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

9

g

14

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Cholesterol

 

2

mg

1

%

Sodium

 

220

mg

10

%

Potassium

 

140

mg

4

%

Carbohydrates

 

41

g

14

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

22

g

24

%

Protein

 

4

g

8

%

Vitamin A

 

38

IU

1

%

Calcium

 

61

mg

6

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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