Oat Muffins with Pecan Streusel Topping
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A bakery-style muffin with real breakfast energy. These are soft, golden, and loaded with oat goodness and a nutty brown sugar crown.
These are my husband’s favorite muffins, so when they mysteriously disappear from the countertop, I know who is the likely culprit! They’re hearty with a wholesome “oatey” flavor and crunchy streusel topping. I love them because they bake up so nicely. Typically, homemade muffins don’t rise as high as bakery muffins. It’s not the fault of the home baker; it’s simply difficult to create those dazzling high domes without an industrial convection oven. But this oat muffin recipe domes beautifully— guaranteed—and will make you proud.
If you’re a fan of muffins that are crowned with “goodies” on top, you may also like these banana nut muffins, pumpkin muffins, and apple muffins.
“I almost never write a recipe review. These need one…I stumbled upon muffin heaven—absolutely divine.”
What You’ll Need To Make Oat Muffins
You’ll need rolled oats, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, pecans, eggs, and milk.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the streusel topping. In a small bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and salt. Drizzle with melted butter and stir until the mixture is clumpy. Set aside.
Pro Tip: Make sure to use old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats. Quick oats are cut smaller and steamed longer, so they cook faster but break down more when cooked. Old-fashioned oats keep their shape and add better texture.
Step 2: Toast the oats. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the oats and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until golden and fragrant—this boosts their flavor.
Step 3: Grind the oats and remaining dry ingredients. Transfer the toasted oats to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the remaining dry ingredients and process until uniform.
Step 4: Start the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth.
Step 5: Add the milk and eggs. Pour in the milk, then add the eggs, one at a time. Whisk until fully combined.
Step 6: Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Gradually whisk in the dry mixture until evenly moistened. The batter will be thin and slightly lumpy—don’t worry. Let it sit for 20 minutes to thicken up before baking.
Step 7: Fill the muffin tin. Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, fill the muffin cups to the rim with batter. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the tops.
Step 8: Bake and cool. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until golden and set. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or after they are completely cooled, store in an airtight container for a few days. For longer storage, the muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Note: My starting point for this recipe was this oatmeal muffin from Cook’s Illustrated. I found their version to be a bit too dense, so I adjusted the ratio of oats to flour (increasing the flour and reducing the oats), and I also increased the leavening agents. For flavor, I added more cinnamon and reduced the salt.
Additional Pro Tips for Muffin-Making Success
- Measure flour the right way: Always spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Scooping directly from the bag can pack it in and throw off the texture. Even a little extra can make a difference.
- Chill the streusel if necessary: If your streusel is looking soft or greasy, pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes before using—it’ll hold its texture better in the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter: Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, stir just until combined—overmixing can make muffins tough.
- Keep the oven door closed: Muffins are sensitive to temperature changes—particularly in the first 10 minutes or so of baking—if you want to take a gander, don’t open the door; just peek through the window.
- Use your eyes (and a toothpick): Ovens vary, so while the recipe time is a guide, your eyes are your best tool. Muffins are usually done when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Bake Your Way Through These Muffin Recipes
Oat Muffins with Pecan Streusel Topping
Ingredients
For the Topping
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ⅓ cup (packed) light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup finely chopped pecans
- 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Muffins
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
- 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1⅓ cups (packed) light brown sugar
- 1¾ cups milk
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
For the Topping
- Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. Drizzle the melted butter over top and stir to combine. The mixture will be clumpy. Set aside.
For the Muffins
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners (or grease with a nonstick baking spray with flour in it).
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in 10-in (25-cm) skillet over medium heat. Add the oats and cook, stirring frequently, until the oats turn golden and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the oats to a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process into a fine meal. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda to the oats and pulse until the mixture is uniform.
- Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Pour in the milk, then add the eggs, one at a time. Whisk until fully combined (if you have lumps, I find it helpful to warm the mixture a bit in the microwave.) Gradually add the flour/oat mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring gently with the whisk until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Do not over-mix; the batter will look a little lumpy -- that's okay. You will notice that the batter is very thin; let it sit for 20 minutes to thicken (don't worry -- it will thicken quite a bit). Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Using an ice cream scoop with a wire scraper or large spoon, divide the batter equally into the muffin cups; they will be filled to the rim. Evenly sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter. Bake until golden and domed, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes. (If your oven has hot spots, rotate the muffin tin halfway through baking.)
- Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Serve warm or after they are completely cooled, store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi,
Would you be able to use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar?
Thanks
Yep that’s fine 🙂
I made these yesterday. Thanks for the clear instructions, We all liked them, but they stuck to the paper liners. What did I do wrong? Thanks!
Hmmm…that’s strange – I’m sorry you had a problem with them! If you make these again, I’d also spray the liners once you’ve put them in the wells.
I almost never write a recipe review. These need one. I was almost finished with this recipe when I thought, where is the pumpkin? I thought I was making the pumpkin muffins with pecan streusel. Y’all, I made the “wrong” recipe.Turns out it wasn’t wrong at all and I stumbled upon muffin heaven. These oat muffins are absolutely divine. I did use buttermilk instead of regular milk. I saw baking soda and my brain made the leap. I probably should have had the coffee before I started anything. Absolutely would do it again. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Question: Any tips for freezing these? I want to have them for breakfast for the next few weeks and I’m a household of 1. Thanks!
Hi Emma, these freeze nicely. See the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions. 🙂
Our kids get so excited when I make these muffins.
Do you think these would work with almond milk instead of regular milk?
Sure, Rakhi, that should be fine. Hope you enjoy!
These muffins are awesome! Hearty and not too sweet!!! I served them with homemade peach jam…yum! Next time I would like to make some of them in mini muffin tins…what cooking time would you suggest?
Glad you liked them! I’d start checking mini versions of these at 11 minutes. Enjoy!
These muffins are delicious. They aren’t necessarily quick to make but they are worth the time! We live them.
Can you add bananas to this recipe? Looking for an oatmeal banana recipe
Hi Michelle, I haven’t tried it so it’s hard to say how it will impact the recipe. While they’re not muffins, you may want to give these Banana Oatmeal Cookies a try. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Another great muffin recipe. I substituted dark brown sugar for light as that’s what I had and they were delicious.