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!
1cupmashed bananafrom approximately 2 large or 3 medium overripe bananas
¾cupmilkat room temperature
2eggsat room temperature
¼cupcoconut oilmelted and slightly cooled
¼cuppure maple syrup
1 ½teaspoonspure vanilla extract
2cupsrolled oats
1 ½teaspoonsground cinnamon
¼teaspoonsalt
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.
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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.