Banana Baked Oatmeal boasts the delicious flavor of banana bread, but it's made with wholesome oats, pecans, and coconut oil for a healthy, filling breakfast!
Baked oatmeal is one of my family's favorite healthy breakfasts. And the delicious variation of Banana Baked Oatmeal is always at the top of the list! Totally tasty despite being hearty and wholesome? Yup…this banana oat bake is pretty much the perfect breakfast!
My kids are huge fans of baked oatmeal, and I love it as well for a variety of reasons, as evidenced by the ever-growing baked oatmeal recipe flavors that I've shared over the years. And why do I love baked oatmeal so?, you may be asking yourself. Well, allow me to explain...
Reasons to Love Baked Oatmeal
- It's quick and easy to make, stirring up with a wooden spoon in just one bowl. No fancy equipment required.
- It reheats beautifully, meaning that I can make it ahead of time for several mornings' worth of breakfasts.
- It tastes great. My kids really like baked oatmeal, resulting in cheers when I make it...and not having to listen to any whining over what I'm serving for breakfast. 😉
- This Banana Baked Oatmeal variation is a great way to use up those overripe bananas pining away on the counter. And...
- It's wholesome, filling, and loaded with healthy ingredients, making it the perfect fuel that lasts until lunchtime!
Given all of those factors -- and given my family's affinity for a nice banana baked good -- this banana oat bake is a staple recipe at our house!
Ingredients
Banana Baked Oatmeal tastes pretty much like yummy banana bread in wholesome oatmeal form. So what do you need to make it?
- Nuts. I typically use pecans, but walnuts or slivered/sliced almonds would also be great. I highly recommend toasting your nuts to boost their flavor and crunch, but you can skip that step if you're short on time.
- Mashed bananas. The riper, the better. You'll need two or three bananas to equal 1 cup mashed, depending on size.
- Milk. Any type of milk will work in baked oatmeal, so use your favorite: whole, reduced-fat, or skim milk, almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, etc. Just keep in mind that if you use a sweetened or flavored milk, you'll likely want to reduce the amount of maple syrup accordingly.
- Eggs. Help hold everything together while adding protein.
- Coconut oil. Melted and slightly cooled to boost the moisture of your baked oatmeal as well as the nutrients. You may substitute melted butter or another neutral-flavored oil if you like.
- Maple syrup. I prefer the flavor of maple syrup in this recipe, although you could substitute honey.
- Pure vanilla extract. Don't leave it out!
- Rolled oats. "Old-fashioned oats" will work, too. Both of these options are preferred as they will lend your banana oat bake its pleasant texture. Quick oats could be substituted in a pinch, but since they're cut finer, they will absorb more liquid and may result in a slightly drier baked oatmeal. I do not recommend attempting this recipe with steel cut oats as both the oats-to-liquid ratio and the baking time would need to be altered. Finally, this recipe is naturally gluten-free as long as you use GF oats.
- Cinnamon. Nicely complements the banana for another undertone of flavor.
- Salt.
How to Make It
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
- Preheat the oven and spread chopped nuts on a rimmed sheet pan. Bake for about five minutes until fragrant and just toasted. Watch carefully as they can burn quickly!
- While the nuts are toasting, combine the mashed banana, milk, eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir until smooth.
- Blend in the oats, the toasted nuts, the cinnamon, and the salt. Stir until well-combined.
- Spread the mixture into a greased baking dish.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until your Banana Baked Oatmeal is set and light golden brown on top. Cool in the baking dish for five minutes before slicing.
- Serve warm with optional garnishes: warm milk or cream drizzled over the top, additional toasted pecans, maple syrup, or fresh fruit.
Make-Ahead Recommendations
If you would like to make this Banana Baked Oatmeal recipe ahead of time, I recommend baking, cooling, refrigerating...and then reheating.
I typically reheat individual servings in the microwave topped with a splash of milk. A few minutes in a toaster oven would also work.
Alternatively, if you'd like to reheat the whole dish, cover with foil and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until just hot.
I do not recommend mixing up the ingredients ahead of time, spreading in a dish, and then popping in the fridge overnight to bake off in the morning. If you do this, the oats will absorb much of the liquid as they sit overnight and your banana oat bake will likely turn out drier than normal.
Freezing
This recipe also freezes nicely.
- Slice baked oatmeal into individual portions.
- Wrap each piece in plastic wrap.
- Stack in a freezer container or a freezer-thickness plastic baggie.
- Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating as desired.
Or, for individual portions from the get-go, you can also bake this recipe in muffin pans. Simply divide the mixture between about a dozen well-greased muffin cups and bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until set and light golden brown on top.
Doubling the Recipe
This Banana Baked Oatmeal recipe may be doubled and baked in a 9-by-13-inch dish for 30 to 40 minutes or until set and light golden brown.
If you're just now becoming acquainted with the wonderful world of baked oatmeal -- or if it's already an old friend but you'd like to explore some new flavor options -- then under the next heading, you'll find some additional baked oatmeal flavor options. Enjoy!
More Baked Oatmeal Recipes
- Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
- Coconut Almond Baked Oatmeal
- Peach Baked Oatmeal
- ...and even more flavors!
More Banana Breakfast Treats
- Chocolate Banana Smoothie
- Banana Pancakes
- Quick Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal
- Banana Breakfast Cookies
Banana Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- ½ cup pecans, chopped (plus additional for garnish)
- 1 cup mashed banana, from approximately 2 large or 3 medium overripe bananas
- ¾ cup milk, at room temperature
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or spray with nonstick cooking spray an 8-inch square baking dish.
- Spread chopped pecans on an ungreased baking sheet and toast for 4 to 6 minutes or until fragrant and light golden brown. Cool on baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, mix together mashed banana, milk, eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Blend in oats, ½ cup toasted pecans, cinnamon, and salt; stir until mixture is well-combined.
- Spread oatmeal into prepared baking dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until set and light golden brown on top. Allow to cool in the baking dish for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with optional garnishes: warm milk or cream drizzled over the top, additional toasted pecans, maple syrup, or fresh fruit.
Video
Notes
- You may substitute your favorite nuts for pecans. But whatever you use, I highly recommend toasting extras for garnish...sprinkled on top of the creamy baked oatmeal, they contribute fabulous crunch!
- You may use any milk you like...whole milk, reduced-fat or skim milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, etc. If the milk you use is sweetened, however, you may want to slightly reduce the maple syrup.
- You may substitute melted butter or another neutral-flavored oil for the coconut oil.
- Rolled oats or old fashioned oats are highly recommended for moisture and texture in this recipe. Using quick oats may result in a drier baked oatmeal and using steel cut oats would require an adjustment to the ratio of liquid and baking time.
- The reason the milk and eggs should be at room temperate is because if they are cold, they will cause the coconut oil to re-solidify. To quickly warm everything up, I usually just put the whole eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes and zap the milk in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Reheat oatmeal by placing an individual serving on a plate, drizzling with a little milk, and then heating in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Post originally shared on January 2, 2017, and updated on March 20, 2021, and January 18, 2023.
Jo
Made this ahead of time and even after reheating, it turned out sooo good! Everyone enjoyed it. Highly recommended!
Karen
Could I use just straight egg whites instead of whole egg?
Samantha Skaggs
Straight egg whites should work fine, but you'll probably want to use 4 egg whites in place of 2 whole eggs to make up for lost volume. 🙂
Kim
These were great! Baked individually in ramekins for quick reheats. Thanks for the recipe!
Sharina
We love this banana baked oatmeal. It's such a yummy, filling breakfast. A must try!
Jordan F
I love a make ahead breakfast and this was amazing. Even my picky 13 year old loved it- which is huge!
Jessica
I make a lot of baked oatmeal recipes (including a lot of banana variations) and this is hands down my favorite ever. I don't know if it's the generous vanilla or cinnamon or what, but there is something about it that takes it to the next level! I've given up trying any other banana baked oatmeal recipes because they don't compare.
Amy
Do you know if I could make this recipe with walnuts instead of pecans?? I really want to make it, it looks SO SO good 😊. Thanks
Samantha Skaggs
Yes, any nut will work! 🙂
CARINA SAWYER
We have been using this recipe for over 5 years! We discovered it when a sweet friend brought it for us after we had our 2nd baby. Love your updates and just wanted to let you know that it's a favorite around here!
Marissa
This sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it! Do you know if it freezes well?
Samantha Skaggs
It does! If you like, you can even make your baked oatmeal in a muffin pan (like this recipe: https://www.fivehearthome.com/strawberry-baked-oatmeal-cups/) and then thaw/reheat individual servings as you need them. Hope that helps! 🙂
Lisa
My overripe bananas were piking up in my freezer and I wanted to try something other than banana bread. This recipe was quick and easy. I meal prepped it for the week. One word...delicious! I put a little butter and cream in the bowl and warmed it up. Loved it. Next time I will try to put the mixture in my muffin tins for easier storage for my weekly meal prep. Thank you for this great recipe.
Christine
This is so delicious! I had a few overripe bananas and didnt want to do some of the same old things with them so I searched and found this recipe! I was a little distracted when I was putting the ingredients together - and although I read the entire recipe first, I mistakenly put the oats in before they were supposed to go in. In fact, I just put everything in a big bowl and mixed it briefly with a whisk and poured it into my pan. It is a very forgiving recipe - it came out delicious! Thank you so much!
Annette Lupico
This is so good! Nice to have for when company comes over. Easy to throw together.
Deb
Delicious. Made this for my family today and they asked me to make a double batch next time! My son doesn't like nuts, so I didn't put them in the batter bowl but stirred them into part of the batter after it was in the pan - worked well to make a couple pieces without nuts.
Kaitlyn Friesen
wow this stuff is incredibly delicious! i added a spoonful of peanut butter to my portion. 😉 made it even better. love the simplicity of this recipe.
Mary
Can you use vegan chocolate chips?
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Sure! 🙂
Jill
Amazing!!!! So so good!!!! Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe <3
Courtney Evans
I love this recipe so much and even my picky husband and toddlers eat it for breakfast! Definitely a winner. I’ve meal prepped this on Sunday for the last few weeks. Thank you!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Yay...I'm so glad it's a hit with your family, Courtney! 🙂
Sallyjojo
We love this recipe, have made many times, love that it tastes so wonderful and stays with me all morning! I top it off with vanilla yogurt. Love your site! Your strawberry Almond is in the oven now!
SALLYJOJO
Love this recipe, the only thing different I do is leave out the cinnamon. Healthier than banana bread!
Mary
Hello, I do not have coconut oil, can I use a different oil instead? Or melted butter?
Samantha Skaggs
Yes! Another type of oil or melted butter will both work. 🙂