Banana Baked Oatmeal
This dessert-like banana bread baked oatmeal is rich, sweet, hearty, and totally breakfast worthy, thanks to hearty oats and the natural sweetness of bananas. So if you’re tired of using your brown bananas for actual banana bread, you can change things up a bit with this banana bread flavored baked oatmeal, which makes a great make-ahead breakfast meal prep for the week. BONUS: it’s freezer-friendly!
“One of my all time favorite recipes. I always make this as soon as I have a few bananas getting overripe. Healthy, easy, and delicious!”
Sam
If you’re new to the world of baked oatmeal, it’s a wonderfully rich and moist breakfast treat. It’s basically oats baked into a custard. Kind of like bread pudding, but with oats instead of bread. If you think you don’t like oats because they tend to be gooey when boiled with water, try baked oatmeal!
This version leans into the sweet flavors of banana bread, with mashed bananas, brown sugar, warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and a splash of vanilla. Eggs and milk give it that custardy texture, and the walnuts add a bit of crunch and toasty flavor. It’s soft, moist, and rich, but not at all gooey. Some people also mistakenly think baked oats are crunchy, but they’re not.
Recipe Success Tips & Suggestions
- You cannot substitute steel-cut oats in this recipe without making other changes, because steel-cut oats require significantly more moisture and a longer cooking time than rolled oats. While it may be possible to tweak it to make it work, I haven’t tested this method, so I can’t offer suggestions for that particular substitution.
- Want to get a head start on breakfast? I know just how crazy mornings can be when you’re all rushing out to work or school! You can mix up this recipe the night before, store it in the fridge, and bake it the next morning. Just note it might take slightly longer to bake as it’ll be chilled.
- Play around with the mix-ins! Pecans would be delicious in place of the walnuts. I’d add chocolate chips for an extra indulgent treat. Or, if you’ve got any fruit to use up (like blueberries, chopped strawberries, or raspberries), you can add them in too.
- Pumpkin pie spice will work if you don’t have individual spice jars of cinnamon and nutmeg! Use it as an equal swap when measuring your ingredients.
- Feel free to reduce the sugar in this recipe to suit your needs. Just keep in mind it will also change the overall flavor.
Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
Cost $3.94 recipe / $0.65 serving
Ingredients
- 3 bananas (mashed, (1½ cups total) $0.84)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar ($0.15)
- 2 large eggs ($0.58)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.02)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract ($0.65)
- 1 tsp baking powder ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon ($0.02)
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg ($0.02)
- 2 cups milk ($0.36*)
- 2½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats ($0.68)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts ($0.60)
Video
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Mash the bananas well with a fork (you’ll need 1.5 cups).
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Add the mashed bananas to a large bowl along with the brown sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk until the ingredients are combined.
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Add the milk and whisk until combined again.
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Finally, stir in the rolled oats and chopped walnuts.
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Pour the oat mixture into a 9×9-inch casserole dish and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top and around the edges.
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Serve warm or refrigerate and enjoy cold!
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Notes
Nutrition Information
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal Step-By-Step Photos
Mash your bananas: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. You’ll need 1.5 cups mashed bananas, which is about three bananas. I like to mash my bananas right in a liquid measuring cup so I can see the volume on the side.
Whisk the wet ingredients: Add the mashed bananas to a large bowl along with ⅓ cup brown sugar, 2 large eggs, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp cinnamon, and ⅛ tsp nutmeg. Whisk the ingredients together until they’re evenly combined.
Add 2 cups milk and whisk to combine again. It’s easier to whisk in the milk after the other ingredients have been combined because it causes less splashing.
Add the nuts and oats: Finally, stir in 2.5 cups rolled oats and ½ cup chopped walnuts.
Bake: Pour the oat mixture into a 9×9-inch casserole dish.
Bake the oatmeal in the preheated 375ºF oven for 45 minutes, or until it’s golden brown on top and around the edges.
Serve the banana bread baked oatmeal immediately, or divide into six portions and refrigerate for later!
Serve hot or cold, alone or topped with milk.
How to Serve Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
Baked oatmeal can be eaten hot OR cold. You can eat it as-is, or pour cold milk over top. And, if you like things a little sweeter, you can drizzle a little maple syrup over top.
How to Store the Leftovers
This recipe makes a pretty big batch, so you’ll want to save the leftovers to eat throughout the week. Make sure to refrigerate your baked oatmeal soon after cooking. I like to divide my baked oatmeal into single servings right after baking, then refrigerate them in individual containers. Once chilled, you can keep the baked oatmeal in the refrigerator for about 5 days, or freeze in individual portions for about 3 months.
