Name: Blackberry Lemon Overnight Oatmeal Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cup quick cooking steel-cut oats; 1 cup unsweetened almond milk; 1 large egg; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; Juice and zest from half a lemon; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup whole wheat flour; 1/4 cup coconut sugar; 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut (medium desiccated); 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup blackberries

↓ Jump to Recipe

Blackberry Lemon Overnight Oatmeal Muffins are made with steel-cut overnight oats, whole wheat flour and almond milk, and are bursting with flavor from the lemon and blackberries!

This recipe was originally published in May 2017 and has been updated with new text and photos.

Up-close view of Blackberry Lemon Overnight Oatmeal Muffins cooling on a wire rack.

Want to save this recipe for later?

Enter your email address and I'll send it straight to your inbox. You'll also receive new recipes from me regularly!

What are overnight oatmeal muffins?

Overnight oatmeal muffins are essentially overnight oats with a few extra steps. The overnight oats are the base of the muffin batter, and if you enjoy oatmeal muffins, soaking the oats is a great way to ensure a creamy batter and soft muffin texture.

Ingredients to make Blackberry Lemon Overnight Oatmeal Muffins.

How do you make overnight oatmeal muffins?

Before you go to bed, just add one cup each of oats and milk to a glass container or jar, cover and let soak until the next morning.

Once the oats have absorbed the milk, you're good to go. Whisk together the egg, oil, lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stir in the oats, and set aside.

Next, stir together all the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir until just combined. Don't over mix the batter as this may result in tough muffins or cause them to bake unevenly. Fold in the blackberries and bake for 15 minutes.

You can also save yourself a few steps in the morning by preparing the lemon juice and zest the night before, and storing in a container in the fridge. And you can combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, and salt), and leave covered on the counter.

Overhead view of batter for Blackberry Lemon Overnight Oatmeal Muffins being scooped into a muffin pan.

What kind of oats should I use for overnight muffin batter?

You can use rolled oats or steel-cut oats, just make sure they're quick cooking. This will ensure the oats are extra mushy, which is perfect for the creamy muffin texture. Quick cooking steel-cut oats will take longer to absorb the milk, so you'll definitely need to soak them overnight.

If you prefer your muffins with a nuttier texture, you should use steel-cut oats. If you prefer a smoother texture, rolled oats are the way to go. Quick cooking rolled oats will absorb liquid quicker, so if you're short on time, just use rolled oats and soak them for 30-60 minutes.

What kind of milk works best in these muffins?

I normally use almond milk, but other types of nut milk work too. Cashew milk will add an even creamier texture. You can also use cow's milk, if you're not concerned with these muffins being dairy-free.

For a nut-free option, you can use seed milk. And while I've never used coconut milk, I think it would work well too, as long as it is the coconut milk from a carton, not a can.

Up-close view of muffin batter in an ice cream scoop.

Substitution suggestions

This recipe is versatile, so you can make a number of substitutions based on the ingredients you have available. As mentioned above, you can use different types of oats, as long as they are quick cooking. And nut, seed or cow's milk will all work well in this recipe.

If you don't have whole wheat flour or coconut sugar, you can use white flour, and substitute brown sugar or granulated sugar. This recipe would also work well with cane sugar.

While I love the blackberry lemon combination, feel free to substitute any kind of berry - strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, cherries or raspberries, would all be delicious.

Dried fruit is always an option too, especially if your favorite berry is out of season. And for added taste and texture, chocolate chips, seeds and nuts, are a great addition.

If you're out of eggs, you can use 3 tablespoons of egg whites, or substitute in a flax egg.

Up-close view of Blackberry Lemon Overnight Oatmeal Muffins cooling in a muffin pan.

Can I make these oatmeal muffins vegan?

As mentioned above, this recipe works well with a flax egg. So if you're looking to make these muffins vegan, use a flax egg instead of an egg or egg whites.