Blueberry Steel Cut Oat Muffins are a healthy way to start the day and a new year.
I’ve been craving muffins lately. When this happens I aways return to some of my favorites, like Skinny Banana Oat Muffins. I’ve always really loved a good muffin for breakfast, like my Healthy Morning Glory Muffins or Overnight Oatmeal, Banana & Chocolate Chip Muffins, which I’ve made a million times, and are my total go-to recipes.
I’ve been busy creating some really delicious recipes lately that I know you’re going to love. These Blueberry Steel-Cut Oat Muffins are just one of many fabulous muffins that I plan to serve up again and again.
What are steel-cut oats and why should I care?
The difference between rolled and steel cut oats is that while both contain whole grain oats, they are processed differently. Rolled oats are steamed, rolled, steamed again and then toasted, ending up as thin flakes. Steel cut oats are made from oat kernels that have been chopped into 2-3 thick pieces. Steel cut oats (or Irish oats as they are sometimes called) digest more slowly than rolled ones. Like all other grains in whole or cracked form, steel cut oats rank lower on the glycemic index. The glycemic impact is the speed at which a food is digested and converted into blood sugar. Foods that have a lower glycemic load are more slowly converted into blood sugar. When it comes to your blood sugar, lower and slower are generally better.
The Steel-cut oats in this recipe don’t get pre-cooked, just soaked. They get cooked more in the baking process, but are still just a bit chewy in the finished muffin. If you see in the recipe, I did not use all steel-cut oats, it is Roger’s Steel-cut Oats Blend which blends steel-cut oats with flax, oat bran and wheat bran to reduce cooking time.
What does all that mean to the taste of the muffin?
Well, these babies have a bit more chewy, nutty texture than a muffin made with traditional rolled oats. I really liked it! Don’t get me wrong, they are still really tender and very moist from all the blueberries. I always use fresh berries in my muffins (local when in-season is best), but you can use the flash-frozen ones as well.
I may have gone too far by adding a sugar glaze to my muffins – it just looked so pretty in the photos. You can skip it, the Streusel Topping is really all you need. Enjoy!
(NOTE: The nutritional values below are WITH the topping but WITHOUT the glaze.)
Blueberry Steel Cut Oat Muffins
EMAIL Recipe Share on FacebookIngredients
- 1 cup ROGERS Porridge Oats Steel Cut Oat Blend
- 1 cup boiling water
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Streusel Topping (Optional)
- 1 Tbsp cold butter
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
Sugar Glaze (optional)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Live or spray with cooking spray a 12-cup muffin tin.
- Pour boiling water over Porridge oats in a bowl; stir. Let stand for 10-15 minutes. When ready, pour off water, and let oats cool a bit.
- In a medium bowl combine soaked Porridge oats, buttermilk, canola oil, egg, vanilla extract and brown sugar.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in blueberries to coat.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until combined. Mixture will be very thin.
- If using, prepare Strudel topping by working ingredients with your fingers until crumbly.
- Fill muffin cups to the top. Top each with Strudel Topping, if using. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- When ready to serve, drizzle with Sugar Glaze, if using.
Question about the steel cut oats: you only soak them, they don’t get cooked up before mixing into the batter?
No they don’t get cooked, just soaked. They get cooked more in the baking process, but are still just a bit chewy in the finished muffin. If you see in the recipe, I did not use all steel-cut oats, it is Roger’s Steel-cut Oats Blend which blends steel-cut oats with flax, oat bran and wheat bran to reduce cooking time.
Can I just use McCain steel cut oats? I really just want a straightforward Irish oatmeal grab and go morning muffin. Or what would the measurements be if adding pat flour and beans mentioned?
I have looked everywhere to find a baked Irish oatmeal rolled oats breakfast muffin recipe , yours is the closest but I want to stay w mc cains.
Thanks so much
I have not tried using all steel cut oats (like McCain’s Steel Cut Irish Oats). It may be too tough and chewy. Try soaking longer. Try and get back to me.
I make this recipe with steel cut oats, not the blend. I start by boiling the oats in a cup of water in a small pot. Once they’ve softened and thickened a bit, I add to the wet ingredients as directed. If anyone is looking for a lower-calorie option, I also substitute skim milk for the buttermilk and omit the sugar. It’s still bakes at 375 for 20 minutes and comes out perfect.
Thanks so much for coming back Kate! This sounds awesome, and I know lots of people will find your testing very helpful. Thanks again!!
Hey, I made them with pure steel cut oats, they turned out delicious!!! And not chewy at all – I soaked them in milk for about 20 minutes and also baked them for 35 minutes. In fact, oats gave them a great texture, I would definitely use them again.
Will any type of rolled oats do.
This recipe does not use rolled oats.
hi lori,
i’m excited to try making these, but i wonder if i could use just plain steel-cut oats (i don’t have the blend)? would it change the cooking time, amounts, etc.?
thanks!
I used the blend because I think using all steel-cut oats would make the muffin too chewy and tough. The Roger’s Blend is really easy to find at any major grocery store in Canada or U.S. If you still want to give it a try, I would start by soaking for a much longer time in HOT water.
good point–i think i’d better go pick up a pack of the blend!
thanks for your help 🙂
Hi Lori
I see I’m not the only one looking for a way to use only steel cut oats. So if there’s a way to figure out the bran and oat flour measurements I could use my Irish rolled oats🙏🏻
This recipe uses steel-cut oats. McCain’s Steel Cut Irish Oats are perfect.
I can not find the blend in my local grocery stores.
Thank you for this recipe I made these this morning and had to substitute the buttermilk for Greek yogurt and the oil for rice bran oil but turned out great – love steel cut oats
Thanks for coming back Mellissa, I love to hear how my recipes turned out for you.
How would I need to change the recipe if I used just steel-cut oats and not the blend you used?
I’m not sure. The great thing about the blend are the steel cut oats are blended with bran and flax that reduce the cooking time by half. This makes them usable for the recipe, otherwise steel cut cuts alone will be too tough. Having said that, give it a try and get back to me with your results. I would start by soaking all the oats a little longer.
can I substitute banana for the blueberries. Wondering if this might make it too mushy.
No, you need something that will not blend into the batter. How about small apple or pear chunks?
I too love a good breakfast muffin, especially when they are filled with berries like these! These muffins look great Lori.
Thanks Thalia!
These are tasty! Thanks for the recipe. I may add in some lemon zest next time. 😀
Hi Lori,
Do I drain the water off the oats before I add them to the bowl?
Thanks
No you pour off the water. Thanks for pointing that out, I have updated the recipe.
So I was the brave one to try these with steel cut oats (not the mix you recommended). The problem is I tried a few other substitutions as well so it’s hard to tell if my problems stem from the oats I used or the other subs. I used frozen blueberries and I didn’t have buttermilk so I used milk thickened with lemon and cream of tartar. It seemed like a TON of oats when I soaked them so I didn’t use them all, but I think I should have. I soaked the oats twice in boiling water for about seven mins each, which was enough to soften it nicely.
It came out more like blueberry oatmeal in a loose muffin shape. I think I didn’t defrost the blueberries enough so that might be the problem.
I’ll definitely try these again because the daughter who only eats baked goods for breakfast ate them so that’s all that matters to me. 🙂 Hubby said they were delicious too.
I’ll make sure to have the buttermilk on hand and bring the blueberries to room temp before using them next time. I’ll report back!
Wow, thanks for all the testing Sharon. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, don’t try to thicken milk. Just add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice to 1% or 2% milk to sour.
So I made them again. I defrosted the blueberries all the way and used lemon to thicken the milk instead of cream of tartar. I used the full cup of steel cut oats. Oh, I also reduced the sugar a little, to a well packed 1/2 cup instead of 3/4 cup.
They came out amazing. One muffin and you’re full for the whole morning. It’s like eating a bowl of oatmeal!
Thanks for a great recipe.
Thanks Sharon, sounds amazing!!
Just have to say these look amazing! I had fresh blueberries and steel cut oats (not the blend), almond milk, no lemon juice, or canola/vegetable oil, only 1/4 cup brown sugar…..(can you say a trip to the grocery store is on the list) ?, so I wanted to leave my un precise adjustments! My oats soaked for about 35 min, used coconut oil (which of course hardened with the milk), I added some honey ( but not enough), and used GF 1 for 1 flour. They baked 25 min and came out just right. They are a bit chewy but I’m ok with that. I’m very pleased and would DEFINITELY make them again the same way only soaking oats longer and having more sugar (although not good for my systemic candida?). Thanks so much!
Thanks so much for coming back Holly, I love to hear about your success stories!
I’m curious what calorie calculator program you used…every one I’m using is calculating that each muffin is 190-220 calories without the glaze? I like your calculation better. 😉
I use : https://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Made these this morning, but used 1 cup of steel cut oats. It is really important to soak your grains and beans properly so your body can access all the nutrients. I soaked 1 cup steel cut oats in 2 cups water and 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar overnight, then poured off the excess liquid right before baking. Followed the rest of the recipe as written and they turned out amazing!!! Super soft and a wonderful nutty flavor! It reminded me of a cross between an oatmeal cookie and a blueberry muffin in taste, and the texture had a little bit more to chew than a regular flour muffin but was delightful. I could see these being sold in a coffeeshop.
Thanks Diane, I love your idea of soaking overnight with a touch of vinegar… genius!
I made these with steel cut oats as I didn’t have the blend. I soaked them in boiling water for about 30 minutes. The only other changes i made were to substitute olive oil and for buttermilk I used whole milk with lemon juice. The oats were crunchy after baking but still yummy and the muffins have a great texture and fluffed up nicely. The frozen blueberries didn’t seem to be a problem. Will definitely make these again! Great recipe!
I just made these using McCanns steel cut oats. They are the best muffins I have ever ate. Thank you so much.
I just make my own blend with quick oats, flax and steel cut.
I had a craving for apple muffins. I had some blueberries left over from my daughter making smoothies. I used all steel oats because that’s what I had on hand. Made a combo of blueberries and apples, pretty much followed the recipe. Did not have any buttermilk on hand so I made some with almond milk and vinegar. They turned out great, very moist and delicious, better than any muffins I could buy. I did not make the strudel or the sugar topping, I think it may make it too sweet. Will use this recipe for all my muffins now.
I wanted to find a different use for my steel cut oats, so I tried this recipe. Based on others’ recommendations, I soaked the oats overnight in two cups of water and 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar. I also substituted plain Greek yogurt @ 1/4 cup with 1/2 cup 2% milk for the buttermilk. I put them in silicone muffin liners and the yield was actually eighteen muffins. On the last six muffins, my husband (the real chef) added the zest of one mandarin orange to the remaining batter. It was a beautiful, subtle, flavor add. The muffins all came out are chewy and delicious! Thanks for this recipe!
Hello! I also used 100% steel cut oats and cooked them for about 20mins first. I couldn’t get over the density of them so for the second batch, I added about 1/4 cup of shredded coconut and another 1/4 brown sugar to the recipe. We love love love the coconut! This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you!!
Has anyone used Bob’s Red Mill Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats in this recipe? Would you soak in room temperature or hot water and for how long?
Thank you
I used Quaker Quick Cooking oats. Soaked them while mixing other ingredients. They turned out fine.
These muffins are fabulous! I used President’s Choice Blue Menu 100% whole grain steel cut oats (available in Loblaw-owned stores, Canada): I used 1/2cup of the steel-cut oats (soaked in boiling water) plus 1/4cup wheat germ and 1/4 cup oat bran to approximate the mix originally used. And the muffins turned out so nicely! I love the texture of these muffins, nice and hearty yet still fluffy. The addition of the crumb topping (it’s just the right amount) gives a little bit of crunchiness and a bit more sweetness to these muffins. I really appreciated, too, that they didn’t come out too sweet (like some muffins do). I will definitely be making these guys again; they’re a great way to use whole-grain oats!
I made these muffins, and although they were good they were chewy. How long should i have soaked the oats? I soaked them for about 20 minutes
Did you use ROGERS Porridge Oats Steel Cut Oat Blend? I soaked for 15 minutes. When baked there is a slight chew to the oat bits.
so delicious!! I added the coconut and super yummy with that and the crumb topping! I will be making them again VERY SOON!
Delicious!! Awesome recipe.
These muffins are delicious. Is there anything I can substitute to make them have less cholesterol? Thanks.
So glad you liked them Fran! If you want these muffins to be healthier, eliminating the topping and sugar glaze would be a start. Then you could try to bring down the sugar with the muffin mix by reducing from 3/4 c brown sugar to 1/2 c. See how it effects the taste. Also you could stitch from blueberries to apple to up the fibre if you prefer.
Is it okay to use whole wheat flour instead of white flour and can you eliminate the oil and use apple sauce instead?
I think both would be fine, but I have not tested that. Give it a try and get back to me!
Can I substitute apple sauce for the oil?