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My easy oatmeal chocolate chip muffins are a hearty, wholesome breakfast treat packed with old-fashioned oats, cozy cinnamon, and pockets of gooey chocolate.
These fluffy homemade muffins taste just like my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! For another easy recipe, see my classic chocolate chip muffins.

Table of Contents
Muffins are one of my favorite ways to start the day. I always feel like I’m eating dessert for breakfast (never a bad thing). Take today’s oatmeal chocolate chip muffins for example. These are satisfying, packed with wholesome rolled oats, and they’re crisp outside and soft inside, just like a freshly baked oatmeal cookie. Slathered with butter, these hearty chocolate chip muffins are a perfect anytime treat or on-the-go breakfast.
Why You’ll Love These Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Extra tender. Soaking the oats in milk before mixing the batter is my secret to an extra-thick, creamy muffin batter. The result? The softest, most tender oatmeal muffins ever!
- Made with oil. Instead of butter, I make my oatmeal chocolate chip muffins with vegetable oil. Oil stays liquid at room temperature, so the muffins stay moist for days.
- Freezer-friendly. Oatmeal chocolate chip muffins are such a great freezer recipe. Once they’ve cooled, you can wrap the muffins individually, freeze them, and thaw them for a quick breakfast or snack down the road.
Ingredients You’ll Need
These oatmeal and chocolate chip muffins taste way better than store-bought, and it comes down to a handful of simple ingredients. I’ve included notes on what you’ll need below. Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable list with amounts.
- Old-fashioned Oats – Also called rolled oats, these are the best kind for baking. Instant oats are mushy in muffin recipes, while steel-cut oats are far too tough and chewy.
- Milk – This can be whole milk, 2% milk, or any plant-based milk alternative you’d like. Make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Oil – I recommend choosing a mild-flavored oil, like canola oil.
- Egg – If you think of it, bring the egg to room temperature before you start.
- Brown Sugar – I like to use light brown sugar. Regular brown sugar or granulated sugar also works in this recipe.
- Vanilla – Substitute vanilla extract with an equal amount of vanilla paste if needed.
- Cinnamon – For a hint of cozy spice. You can also use another spice, like nutmeg or allspice, or a blend, like pumpkin pie spice.
- Flour and Leavening – This oatmeal muffin recipe calls for all-purpose flour and a combination of baking powder, baking soda, and salt for tall, fluffy muffins. Check the expiration dates on your leavening to make sure it’s fresh.
- Chocolate Chips – Feel free to use semisweet, dark, milk chocolate, or any kind you’d like. You could also swap in white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch morsels.
How to Make Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ready to bake the best oatmeal muffins loaded with melty chocolate? I thought so. Follow these steps. You’ll find the printable instructions in the recipe card.
- Soak the oats. While the oven preheats to 350ºF, soak the oats in equal parts milk for 15 minutes. Don’t skip this step!
- Mix the batter. Once the oats have softened and thickened, stir in the oil, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla. Then, whisk the dry ingredients (including the chocolate chips) in a separate bowl, and fold them into the wet oat mixture.
- Fill the pan. Next, divide the muffin batter evenly between the wells of a lined and greased 12-cup muffin tin. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top.
- Bake. Bake these oatmeal chocolate chip muffins at 350ºF for 20-22 minutes, then let them cool for 5-10 minutes. Afterward, remove the muffins from the pan to finish cooling completely.
Tips and Variations
- Soak the oats. Budget the time needed to soak the oats in the milk for 10-15 minutes before you mix the batter. It softens the oats and makes a thick batter that bakes up moist and flavorful.
- Don’t overmix. Overmixing the muffin batter deflates the air pockets and leads to tough, dense muffins that won’t rise. Take care to only mix the dry ingredients with the wet batter until everything is just combined.
- Keep the oven door shut. It can be tempting to sneak a peek at the muffins while they bake, especially with the smell of cinnamon wafting from the oven! However, opening the door risks deflating the muffins. It’s important to leave the oven door shut until they’re fully baked.
- If you don’t have muffin liners, make sure to grease the wells of your muffin pan well with cooking spray, butter, or shortening (like Crisco) to keep the chocolate chip muffins from sticking.
- Banana oatmeal muffins. Try my banana oatmeal chocolate chip muffins for a delicious variation of this recipe.
- Add nuts. Swap half the chocolate chips for crushed pecans, walnuts, or macadamia nuts.
- More add-ins. Try adding fresh blueberries for oatmeal blueberry muffins, or dried fruit like raisins, craisins, dried cherries, or currants.
How to Store
- On the counter. These oatmeal chocolate chip muffins stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store them in an airtight container or resealable bag, only after the muffins have cooled completely.
- Freeze. These oatmeal muffins are great for freezing. Wrap the cooled muffins in plastic wrap and stash them in a freezer bag. Label and date the bag, and keep the muffins frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw the muffins at room temperature before enjoying.
More Easy Muffin Recipes
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a bowl, combine oats and milk and let them rest for 15 minutes for the oats to soften.1 cup old fashioned oats, 1 cup milk
- After 15 minutes, add oil, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla and mix until well combined.1/2 cup oil, 1 large egg, 2/3 cup light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Add the flour mixture to the oats and mix until everything just comes together. Be careful not to overmix.
- Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups. Top the muffins with the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove and fully cool on a wire rack.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Oh my, these look so yummy!! I can’t wait to try them!
My kids would love these! The perfect healthy treat!
My daughter was just asking for oatmeal muffins and these did not disappoint! So tasty!