Vegan Apple Ginger Oat Cakes
4.85 from 19 votes

These vegan apple ginger oat cakes are single-serve portions of baked oatmeal that you make in a muffin pan. They’re nutritious, filling, and a portable, make-ahead breakfast option for busy days.

A vegan breakfast treat, made with rolled oats and raisins, is broken in half and resting on a small, white plate.

Another semester of my RD program starts today (well, technically tonight). For the most part, I’m excited for new courses and a busy schedule (I get the most done when I have the most to juggle). What I don’t welcome is having less time to cook: the nicest thing about this winter break has been little baking breaks, the chance to make some more time-intensive recipes, and other small kitchen luxuries that I don’t have when school is in session. With the knowledge that grab-and-go options will soon be especially useful to me, I’ve whipped up a new, portable breakfast that’s as convenient as it is delicious: vegan, gluten free apple ginger oatcakes.

Small oat cakes, studded with raisins, rest on white parchment.

These oatcakes were initially inspired by the Scottish oatcakes that my grandmother used to keep stocked in her kitchen; these were hardly cakes, at least not as I knew “cake” to be. They were crispy and only mildly sweet, more like a dry cookie or biscuit. In spite of the fact that I tend to prefer dense and moist baked goods to crispy ones, I came to really love them, especially with tea.

A white mixing bowl is full grains, dried fruit, and nuts.

So I was intrigued when I recently came across an oatcake recipe in Myra Goodma’s book Straight From the EarthThese oatcakes, made with rolled oats and dried fruit, were much more cake-y and substantial than traditional oatcakes, andt they looked great to me.

A large, white mixing bowl is being used to prepare a breakfast baked good.

I eat oats for breakfast often, but it’s hard to sit down to a bowl on days when I’m running quickly to meet a morning nutrition client. I like baking muffins for snacks, but most muffin recipes don’t fill me up for very long.

The batter for something is being mixed in a white bowl, with a spatula. It rests on a white surface.

I love the idea of something that’s portable like a muffin, but with the heartiness and fiber of baked oats. These apple ginger oatcakes are a perfect oat/muffin hybrid, and I have a feeling that they’re going to become a thing around here, with lots of different mix-ins and flavor combinations.

For this batch, I kept it simple, with applesauce and ginger flavors taking the lead. I also stirred in some currants (raisins would be fine, too) for sweetness and some hemp seeds for a little protein and healthy fat. But there are so many ways to customize this easy recipe. No fussy ingredients or complicated steps: just stir, mix, pour into muffin cups, and in about 15 minutes you have eight nutrient-dense, portable oatcakes for the week ahead.

A white sheet of parchment rests beneath freshly baked oat cakes.
A vegan breakfast treat, made with rolled oats and raisins, is broken in half and resting on a small, white plate.
4.85 from 19 votes

Apple Ginger Oatcakes

Author – Gena Hamshaw
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 8 oatcakes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 1/3 cups oat flour (160g; substitute unbleached, all-purpose or white whole wheat flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger powder
  • 2 tablespoons hemp seeds or chia seeds
  • 2/3 cup raisins or currants (105g)
  • 1/2 cup almond milk (120ml)
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil (60ml; substitute another neutral vegetable oil, such as grapeseed or canola)
  • 1/2 cup applesauce (120g)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup (120ml)

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350F. Lightly oil 8 muffin cups. Place the oats, oat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, hemp seeds, and raisins/currants into a large mixing bowl and whisk them all together.
  • Whisk together the almond milk, oil, applesauce, and syrup in a separate, medium-sized bowl. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix evenly. Scoop the mixture by the 1/3 cup into your prepared muffin cups. Bake for 12-18 minutes, or until the cakes are lightly golden. Serve.

Notes

Leftover oatcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They can be individually wrapped and frozen for up to 3 weeks and defrosted for an easy breakfast or snack on-the-go!

Pair these with fresh, seasonal fruit for a quick breakfast, or enjoy them for a more substantial snack. I think they’re sweet enough to be perfectly enjoyable plain, but a little bit of apple butter, Earth Balance, or almond butter would definitely be a nice addition. These are easy enough that you can whip the whole batch up and bake it even on a busy day (for real: the whole thing took me 30 minutes), but you can also make these over the weekend and store or freeze them for whenever you need them. I don’t have much morning class this semester, but I’m sure they’ll come in handy for snacking through long library study sessions, and I can’t wait to pack them up along with my portable meals.

A black baking dish holds plant based, apple ginger oat cakes.

To all of the students reading–college, grad school, lifelong learning, self-teaching, and more–I wish you a wonderful semester. And I hope that these oatcakes will be appealing to all of my busy readers as a quick, sweet, and nutritious option. I’ll see you this weekend for Weekend Reading!

xo

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Categories: Recipes, Muffins & Scones, Snacks
Method: Oven
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: Meal Prep

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Recipe Rating




    39 Comments
  1. 5 stars
    We love these muffins! I make them with cranberries. SO yummy and filling! I am look for the nutritional content but I don’t see it. Just curious. They are delicious!

  2. 5 stars
    These are the best!! Filling and delicious, full of flavor. The full package! Thanks for a great recipe!

  3. 5 stars
    I am currently enjoying one of these oatcakes with a cup of tea. I love how hearty they are, and lightly sweetened. I subbed extra applesauce for half of the oil, which worked just fine. I’ll definitely be making these again!

  4. 5 stars
    Great recipe, thanks so much for sharing! I tried it today for the first time and used a square baking dish, so I cut them into little squares. I used fresh ginger, frozen blueberries (sub raisins) and Greek yogurt (sub apple sauce). It took around 30 min at 350°F and turned out SO good. I couldn’t wait and tried one warm out of the oven and can’t wait to have them for breakfast this week. 😀

  5. 5 stars
    Just made these – they are easy and delicious. I made them 99% sugar-free by switching out the maple syrup for an extra half cup of applesauce plus 1 TBS Coconut Nectar (very low glycemic) and 3 TBS golden Lakanto (zero glycemic. Probably would have worked just fine using 4-5 TBS golden Lakanto alone = sugar free.) Will def make again, and add some chopped pecans next time!

  6. My mother in law used to make oatcakes and I always loved them, but haven’t been able to eat them since I had to go gluten-free and never thought to experiment. I love how easy yet hearty and delicious these look Gena! I’ll plan to make a batch soon!

    • I love them, Christine, and so far a lot of readers have had good success with them, too. Let me know how they turn out! (And I know you know this, but be sure to get GF certified oats.)

  7. 5 stars
    I just made these and am now eating two of them with a cup of tea for a study break. So delicious! I made mine with stevia and they still turned out great. Thanks for another great recipe Gena.

  8. These are definitely going to come in useful. I almost always have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. But that’s because I wake early. These are going to come in VERY useful when I have breakfast at 6 and lunch isn’t till 14. They’ll be great for eating in-between lectures!!!!!! Have a wonderful semester yourself!!!

  9. Ooooh Gena! I love it when I find something that is super hearty and whole, like these oatcakes. I’ve been lacking breakfast inspiration this week, this sounds like a good project for the weekend- and then I’ll get to eat them for the rest of the week! <3

  10. Can’t wait to try these; I always need on-the-go breakfast options. My favorite is leftover tofu scramble wrapped in a tortilla with hummus and greens but unfortunately I don’t typically have the time for such undertakings! These seem more realistic.

    It’s so great to read about your program; beyond the fact that I’m interested in the curriculum there’s an obvious difference between how you write about your previous program and your current one. It seems like you’ve found your happy place! Enjoy the semester 🙂

    • Thanks, Amy! Yes, there is a world of difference in how I feel about school now vs. then. It’s still a big challenge (I know Advanced II will be tough), but I’m so much more emotionally engaged.

      I love tofu scramble too, but yes, it’s not always time-efficient! I do lots of leftovers for savory breakfasts. These aren’t as filling as those options, but with fresh fruit, they’re so, so easy to grab-and-eat. Enjoy!

  11. Another RD, yeay! It’s such a great field! Good luck in your RD program! I teach Advanced Nutrition at my local University!

  12. 5 stars
    This recipe sounds absolutely healthy and delicious. I’ll try adding maca root powder(may be a spoon) and see how it comes out. Thanks for sharing.

  13. Gena, these look wonderful and remind me of what I call my “breakfast cookies,” which are just oats (and sometimes cooked millet or quinoa processed in the food processor with fruit (banana, dates, citrus) a few nuts and/or seeds and raisins stirred in, Yum yum. Hardy, easy to eat and good for you. I guess your Scottish grandmother knew what she was doing. 🙂 Good luck with your new semester. Your line-up of classes sounds fascinating and I look forward to hearing more about what you learn and how you apply it. xoxo

    • Your breakfast cookies sound fantastic — and as you can see, I like “hardy” baked goods the best. Lots of texture and so filling 🙂