An easy breakfast idea for busy mornings, this creamy, sweet, and satisfying homemade Banana Oatmeal recipe is ready in 10 minutes with just 6 ingredients!
Easy Banana Oatmeal Recipe
When it comes to breakfast, I am a fan of things that I can throw together quickly but that leave me feeling full and ready to take on the day, versus in a sugar coma like many of the popular (though delicious!) breakfast foods.
Made with mashed ripe banana, old-fashioned rolled oats, and almond milk this homemade banana oatmeal is both quick and easy to make, as well as filling and nutritious. Since it’s made with whole ingredients, it’s much healthier than a packet of instant oatmeal but still only takes 10 minutes to prepare.
This oatmeal is naturally sweetened by the bananas, as well as the addition of maple syrup and brown sugar – if you prefer it less sweet, reduce or omit either of time or both. It has an extra creamy texture thanks to the mashed bananas and the milk and enjoying a warm bowl on a chilly morning just feels extra cozy. It’s the perfect morning pick-me-up that will carry you through the rest of your morning.
What You’ll Need
Homemade banana oatmeal is made with just 6 ingredients plus optional toppings!
- Ripe Banana – You’ll need about 2 large bananas for this oatmeal. Spotted bananas are great while green banana may be too firm.
- Oats – Old-fashioned rolled oats will make a creamier oatmeal, while steel-cut oats will make a thicker, chewier oatmeal. I’ve added more info on oats below.
- Almond milk – You can also use dairy milk or any other type of milk alternative you keep on hand. For this recipe it’s okay to use a sweetened or vanilla flavored milk as well.
- Brown sugar – Sweetens the oatmeal as needed.
- Maple syrup – Adds a lovely maple flavor throughout the dish.
- Vanilla extract – I used a high quality one in this shoot that had flecks of vanilla beans in the extract. You can use real vanilla, imitation vanilla, or try vanilla bean paste.
- Toppings – Feel free to add any toppings you desire, like chocolate chips, extra banana slices, or peanut butter.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
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- small saucepan
- measuring cups and spoons
- spatula or spoon
How to Make Banana Oatmeal
Making this banana oatmeal is super easy and takes just 10 minutes.
- Bring the ingredients to a boil. Combine mashed banana, oats, milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent from burning.
- Simmer. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 – 10 minutes depending on your preference.
- Serve. Divide your oatmeal into two bowls and add toppings as desired.
Choosing the Best Oats for Oatmeal
The oatmeal is the most important ingredient in any oatmeal recipe. It’s responsible for creating texture and makes up the majority of the dish. Here are the different types of oats that you will most often find in your average American supermarket and how each of them will function differently when used to make homemade oatmeal. My personal recommendation: use old-fashioned oats for creamy oatmeal, steel-cut for an oatmeal with more texture.
- Steel cut oats are cut into 2 – 3 pieces, resulting in a fairly unprocessed oat. They are not rolled. These oats are going to create a chewier oatmeal and will take a little longer to cook. If you like your oatmeal to have more texture, this is your best option.
- Old fashioned rolled oats have been steamed and rolled but not cut, so they retaining a fair amount of texture. This is your middle of the road oat when it comes to processing and it’s ideal for baking and making oatmeal. If you like the texture of instant oatmeal from a packet, this is the type of oatmeal you will want to use in any cooked oatmeal recipe.
- Instant oats, also called quick oats, have been steamed, rolled, and cut into smaller pieces. The most processed of the bunch, they don’t retain a lot of texture when cooked. Instant oatmeal does not require a lot of cooking in order to achieve a soft texture. Using instant oatmeal in a cooked oatmeal recipe will result in mush, which is great if that’s your goal.
*Oats are a naturally gluten free food, however some of them are processed in plants that also process products containing gluten. For truly gluten free oats look for gluten free on the label.
Tips for Success
If this is your first time making this banana oatmeal recipe or any homemade oatmeal on the stovetop, here are a few tips to get it right the first time.
- Don’t let it burn! Left alone on the stovetop your oatmeal can burn and the added sugar can cause it to stick to the pan. Cooking over medium heat (or lower) and stirring it every few minutes can help prevent burning.
- Adjust the sugar as needed. The added brown sugar can be adjusted to taste or omitted altogether if preferred. The natural sweetness in a really ripe banana is going to add more sweetness to the oatmeal, so you may want to adjust the added sugar based on how ripe your bananas are.
- Use spotty ripe bananas. The recipe is a great way to use those spotty ripe bananas forgotten on the countertop. Unripe or green bananas are harder to mush up and won’t provide as much sweetness.
- Reserve some oats to add later. Since I like my oatmeal thick and usually cook for the complete 10 minutes, I usually add half of my oats after the first 5 minutes, so they keep their texture.
Topping Ideas
The best part of serving this banana oatmeal is adding your favorite toppings! Here are a few of my favorites:
- Chocolate is always a good choice! Try chocolate chunks, mini chocolate chips, or a swirl of chocolate syrup.
- Swirl in nut butters like almond butter, peanut butter, or even sunflower butter or nutella.
- Add a hint of spice with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, ground ginger, or even ground cardamom.
- Have a few more bananas to use? Throw a few extra banana slices on the side for added texture.
- Chopped or whole nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, or macadamias taste great with bananas.
- A sprinkle of flaky sea salt adds another layer of flavor.
- Tap into your inner health nut with a sprinkle of seeds like chia seeds or flax seeds.
- Shredded coconut or toasted coconut are also good choices.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
Leftover oatmeal can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 days. It can be reheated either in the microwave or on the stove. It will thicken as it sits, so you’ll want to add about a 1/4 cup of milk to make it creamy again.
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Banana Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed banana (1 – 2 large bananas)
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 ½ cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional toppings: chocolate chips (extra banana slices, peanut butter, Nutella, chopped nuts, ground cinnamon.)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a medium pot and bring to boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent it from burning.
- Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the oatmeal has reached the desired consistency, about five to ten minutes. The longer you cook it the softer the oats. A shorter cook time will give you more textured, chewy oats.
- To serve, divide this creamy oatmeal into two bowls. Add toppings as desired.
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Notes
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 ½ cup almond milk
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional toppings: chocolate chips, extra banana slices, peanut butter, Nutella, chopped nuts, ground cinnamon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
