Banana Baked Oatmeal
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Looking for a delicious and healthy breakfast option? Look no further than this tasty Banana Baked Oatmeal recipe! Like our Peanut Butter Cup Overnight Oats, it’s made with ripe bananas, oats, peanut butter, and a handful of other simple ingredients. This freezer-friendly dish is the perfect way to start your day.
“Fan favorite at our house! We eat on it throughout the week! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “- Kristin
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Oatmeal is incredibly good for you. It’s a whole grain loaded with fiber and keeps you full longer.
- It’s kid-friendly. Kids love the peanut butter and chocolate combination.
- It’s a great meal to take new moms.
- It’s freezer-friendly. Like most of our make-ahead breakfast recipes, Banana Baked Oatmeal can be prepped and frozen before baking.
- It’s a great recipe to use frozen bananas or overripe bananas. Here are more ways to use over-ripe bananas if you need ideas!
Ingredients Needed
- Old-fashioned rolled oats – Quick oats work fine as well but will make the dish a bit denser.
- Ground flaxseed – Why eat flaxseed?
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Honey
- Milk – Any kind will work, so it’s easy to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Peanut butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Banana – The riper, the better.
- Dark chocolate chips – Mini chocolate chips are a good substitution.
Variations and Substitutions
- Dairy-Free Option: Use plain dairy-free milk in the recipe.
- Gluten-Free Option: Make sure your oats say “gluten-free” on the package.
- You can use 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of the banana.
- You can use quick oats instead of old-fashioned oats in the recipe.
- Because this recipe is so easy, it works great to double and freeze like we do in our 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions.
- Top with nuts like sliced almonds or chopped pecans for additional protein and crunch.
How to Make Banana Baked Oatmeal
Combine Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flax, baking powder, and salt.
Combine Wet Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, peanut butter, eggs, vanilla, and mashed bananas.
Pro Tip!
I find it’s much easier to throw all of the wet ingredients into the blender instead of mixing by hand.
Combine Dry & Wet Ingredients
Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix well.
Bake the Oatmeal
Spread into a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350°F until firm around the corners and still a little soft in the middle, about 25 minutes. If you like it a little crunchy on top, cook for a few minutes longer.
Serve warm in bowls with milk poured over the top. We also like fresh berries on top.
How to Freeze Baked Oatmeal
We are big fan of freezer meals. In fact, we’ve worked hard to create valuable freezer meal resources for you–including two cookbooks, a library of 1 Hour Freezer Prep, and an index of tried and true freezer meal recipes.
Here’s the best way to freeze baked oatmeal:
Freeze For Later:
Assemble the baked oatmeal but don’t bake it. Tightly wrap the dish in a few layers of plastic wrap or foil (or a tight-fitting lid) and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen:
Thaw completely using one of these safe methods. Bake according to instructions.
Baked Oatmeal FAQs
Yes, you can prep baked oatmeal (unbaked) ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months. Thaw and bake per instructions.
You can also fully cook and cool the baked oatmeal ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just rewarm individual portions in the microwave. Our readers have told us that they freeze fully cooked, individual portions of baked oatmeal in the freezer, as well, and rewarm in the microwave.
While you can use quick oats in baked oatmeal, it’s best to use rolled oats because they give the dish a heartier texture. Quick oats or instant oats can result in a denser, mushier result.
Baked oatmeal can be made gluten-free or dairy-free with these substitutions:
Dairy-Free Option: Use dairy-free milk in the recipe.
Gluten-Free Option: Make sure your oats say “gluten-free” on the package.
Yes, this recipe will also work in a smaller dish. Just cook it 10-15 minutes longer or until it’s set in the middle.
Want More Make Ahead Breakfast Ideas?
Foolproof make-ahead breakfast recipes that will help you start the morning the right way.
More Baked Oatmeal Dishes You’ll Love
If you enjoy baked oatmeal as much as our families do, give a few of these others a try. They all work well to freeze before baking, as well.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Banana Baked Oatmeal
Delicious and healthy! Make this Banana Baked Oatmeal ahead of time for a warm and comforting breakfast the whole family will love. Double and freeze an extra one for later, too.
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed (Why eat flaxseed?)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup milk (any kind will do, even dairy-free)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 ripe bananas, smashed
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flax, baking powder, and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, peanut butter, eggs, vanilla and bananas. (Tip: I find it’s much easier to throw all of the wet ingredients into the blender instead.)
- Combine: Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix well.
- Bake: Spread into the dish. Bake until firm around the corners and still a little soft in the middle, about 20-25 minutes. If you like it a little crunchy on top, cook for a few minutes longer.
- Serve: Serve warm in bowls with milk poured over the top. We also like fresh berries on top. Enjoy!
Freeze For Later: Prepare according to directions but freeze the baked oatmeal before baking. Wrap tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and one layer of foil. Place in the back of the freezer for up to 3 months.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours and bake according to directions. You can also defrost in the microwave and bake.
Notes/Tips
- Dairy-Free Option: Use plain dairy-free milk in the recipe.
- Gluten-Free Option: Make sure your oats say “gluten free” on the package.
- You can use 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of the banana.
- You can use quick oats instead of old fashioned oats in the recipe.
- Because this recipe is so easy, it works great to double and freeze like we do in our 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions.
- Top with nuts like sliced almonds or chopped pecans for additional protein and crunch.
Unfortunately, I won’t be making this again. The oatmeal tastes fine but its very stodgy – glues your mouth together. My 4 year old had trouble chewing it, and we make a lot of baked oatmeal. I used natural almond butter and followed the rest of the recipe. Not sure what happened. Your recipes are usually my go-to’s! But this one I will have to pass.
Hi Brianna. I’m bummed to hear that because Polly and I have both been making it for years (mostly with PB). I usually serve a piece in a bowl with milk over it and kind of break it up, so it’s not gummy. I do think the type of nut butter you use can affect the outcome–some are thinner than others and almond butter tends to be pretty dense. Sorry it wasn’t a success for you! Maybe if you try it again, you can try PB and adding the milk when serving.
I was wondering if the almond butter was the culprit. Unfortunately, we have a peanut allergy in the house so using peanut butter isn’t an option. Thanks for the feedback!!
Being gluten free, I love all the oatmeal bake recipes that you have! They are a great start to my day and so much less expensive than the gluten free bread I can buy at the store.
Hi Meg. I’m glad you’ve found our baked oatmeal helpful with your gluten-free diet. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Bananas vary significantly in size. What is the average weight of a banana used in this recipe?
I also love it when recipes have weights for other ingredients, especially sticky ones like peanut butter and honey. Stick the mixing bowl on top of a scale and not only is it faster, but there are fewer measuring cups to wash! Win/win. Please consider adding weight measurements for ingredients in your recipes!
Hi Stephanie. This recipe is super forgiving, so almost any banana size will work. I tested this with ripe medium-sized bananas, if that helps. Thanks for your suggestions/ideas about measurements.
Is there a way to make this without eggs? We have an egg allergy.
Hi Tiffany! We haven’t tested this recipe without eggs, however, you can try this common method for replacing eggs in recipes like this one. Chia or Flax Egg Substitute: 1 T chia seeds or ground flaxseed + 2 1/2 T water. Stir and let rest for 5 minutes to thicken. If you give it a try, let us (and other readers) know how it turned out!
I’ve made this a few times including making ahead and freezing it before baking. This recipe is a winner. Use less honey if using very ripe bananas or for it to feel more like a breakfast, more honey and it is almost a dessert. I bake it for a few minutes longer so it has a tiny bit of a crisp edge and then it also stays together better. I don’t eat it with milk poured over as suggested, just as is (or microwaved if eaten in the days after baking). Really delicious and hearty!
Hi Alison. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and letting others know the ways you tweak it.
Easy and yummy. All three kiddos loved it. Used the blender trick, very fast!
Hi Lindsey. So glad to hear this. Thank you for leaving a review!
Fan favorite at our house! We eat on it through out the week!
Anything that can be used for more than one meal is a big winner in my book! Thanks for the review Kristin.
Is there a way to do these in a muffin tin? Baked oatmeal muffins????
For sure, Taina. I haven’t tested the timing in a while, but try baking for about 15 minutes and checking the doneness. It’s a great way to prep and freeze in individual portions.
I made this for my daughter after she had her daughter. I put it in a cake pan so it was thinner. Baked it the same amount of time. and it was more like a granola “cake”. She liked it this way because it was easy to eat like a granola bar while nursing the baby. Two days later, she had me make 2 more, and a month later she is making it too.
That’s great and thanks for the idea!
I love this recipe so much that I tried out a blueberry version yesterday. I used frozen blueberries instead of chocolate chips, and almond butter instead of peanut butter. And it turned out great! It just needed a little extra baking time to soak up to blueberry juices.
Thank you for sharing such a delicious and versatile recipe 🙂
Oh my goodness, that sounds amazing! I am totally trying this. Thanks, Sarah!
Looks like a great recipe. Just wondering…the recipe calls for 8×8 pan, but the pictures show 9×12 pan. Which is correct? Thank you.
Sorry for the confusion, but definitely make it in an 8×8 pan. If you double it, you can use the 9×13. We will update these images soon. Thank you for pointing out the discrepancy!
Hi Rachel – is the pan size correct now? It says 9×13. Thank you! Love your recipe and meal plan ideas!
Yes, it is. But if you want to bake it in an 8×8 or double it in the 9×13, you certainly can. It will just take longer. If you do that, follow this bigger batch recipe (that I make all the time and can highly recommend): https://thrivinghomeblog.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-baked-oatmeal-for-a-crowd
Uh-oh….I’m worried now. I just followed the directions above and it said use a 9×13 pan, so that is what I used with the measurements for it listed with the recipe. It’s in baking right now. Should the pan size be different than what it says for the ingredients listed?
If you used a 9×13 rectangular dish, it will bake for 20-25 minutes as the recipe state.
Just wondering if I could replace butter with coconut oil
Yes, absolutely. That would be delicious.
can you leave out the egg? My little one has an egg allergy and I think you just add more of other stuff but not quite sure what…
It would definitely be worth trying. The egg adds some lift and a little more moisture, so be sure to replace the moisture with more milk. Or, perhaps try the flax egg substitute method (just google it).