Banana Oat Recipes: Easy Banana Baked Oatmeal, Step by Step

Soft, custardy squares flavored with banana, cinnamon and nutmeg, baked in 35 minutes.

There are two versions, maple and brown sugar, and each has its own oat-to-milk ratio: 3 cups oats to 1¾ cups milk, or 2½ cups oats to 2 cups. Mix the two and the pan comes out soupy or dry.

Ingredients for Banana Baked Oatmeal

Both versions fill one 9×9-inch or 11×7-inch pan. The maple version:

• 3 large ripe bananas, mashed (300 g or 1 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 1¾ cups milk, any kind
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon each vanilla extract, baking powder and cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon each nutmeg and salt
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted (optional)

The brown sugar version changes these amounts and keeps 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon baking powder:

• ⅓ cup brown sugar instead of maple syrup
• 2 cups milk
• 2½ cups rolled oats
• ½ cup chopped walnuts, built in rather than optional
• 1½ cups mashed banana (about 3)
• ½ teaspoon each vanilla and salt, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

Pick one set and keep its oat-to-milk ratio intact. Mixing the two is how you end up with a soupy or dry pan.

Steps to Bake It

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×9-inch pan with nonstick spray.
2. Mash the bananas in a large bowl with a fork.
3. Whisk in the eggs, milk and sweetener until combined.
4. Stir in the oats and any chopped nuts.
5. Pour the batter into the pan.
6. Bake 35 minutes, until the center looks almost set. That gives a soft oatmeal; bake longer for a firmer one. A 375°F oven needs about 45 minutes, until the edges turn golden. For a doubled batch in a 13×9-inch pan, plan on 10–15 extra minutes, but start checking at 35 and trust the center over the timer.
7. Cool at least 5 minutes, then cut.

Oat Type and Texture

Old-fashioned rolled oats are the ones to buy for this bake.

They have more texture and chew than quick oats, and they soften in the oven without the long cooking that steel-cut oats need. The result is a soft, custardy square that slices cleanly and still has some bite.

Quick or instant oats will work in a pinch, but they don’t give the same chew and they bake up differently.

Skip steel-cut oats. Steel-cut oats soak up much more liquid and need a longer cook, so swapping them one-for-one into a recipe written for rolled oats leaves you with hard, dry results unless the liquid and bake time change too.

For a slightly crispier exterior, make breakfast cookies instead: golden and a little crispy outside, soft and chewy inside.

Ripe Bananas and Sweetness

Spotty, soft bananas work best here.

They mash easily, add sweetness, and give leftover fruit a job. Plan on about 2 bananas for 1 cup mashed; 3 bananas gives you 1½ cups.

Green bananas need days, and the counter is the place for them:

To ripen green bananas, remove any plastic wrapping and store them at room temperature until ripe.

— American Heart Association

Once they’re ripe, the refrigerator holds them. The peel darkens, but the fruit stays fine.

Short on time?

Wrap yellow bananas in foil and bake them at 350°F for 10–15 minutes. Peel and freeze any that go past spotty, and save them for another batch.

Add-Ins and Toppings

Baked oatmeal is good plain, and each of these add-ins pushes it a different way:

• Nuts: Walnuts or pecans add crunch. Toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4–5 minutes, until fragrant and golden, then slide them onto a plate so they stop cooking. They burn fast.
• Chocolate: Chips are the best match for banana and oats. Stir them in or scatter them on top.
• Fruit: Blueberries, raspberries, or banana slices go on top. Dried fruit works stirred in.
• Coconut: A small handful of shredded coconut gives a macaroon-like note.
• Warm spices: Cinnamon and nutmeg suit banana. Use extra cinnamon if you add chopped apple.
• Nut butter: Peanut or almond butter on warm squares makes them richer.

Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating

Bake it on Sunday and breakfast is handled for the week. Let the pan cool completely, then cover it with foil or plastic wrap, or cut it into slices and pack them in individual containers.

Refrigerated, it keeps about 5 days, and some bakes hold up to about 7. Plan around 5 if you want the best texture.

For longer storage, cut cooled portions, wrap each in plastic wrap and then foil, and slide them into freezer bags. They keep for about 3 months.

Microwave a refrigerated slice for 30–60 seconds.

A frozen portion goes straight in, unwrapped on a microwave-safe plate, for 1–2 minutes in 30-second bursts, with no thawing first. A whole frozen bake reheats at 350°F for 20–25 minutes, covered with foil.

Dietary Substitutions

These swaps cover the common dietary needs without changing the method:

• Gluten-free: buy certified gluten-free oats. Regular oats are often processed in facilities that also handle wheat. Check chocolate chips and other add-ins for a gluten-free label too.
• Dairy-free milk: almond, coconut, oat, or cashew milk all work in place of dairy milk.
• Dairy-free fat: melted coconut oil stands in for the melted butter.
• Egg-free: leave out the 2 large eggs and add more mashed banana. Eggs add protein and bind the oatmeal, so the banana has to do that job.
• Vegan: combine the egg swap with non-dairy milk and coconut oil, and sweeten with maple syrup instead of honey.

Frequently Asked Questions