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!
What is Baked Oatmeal?
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. It’s soft, moist, and rich, but not at all gooey. Some people also mistakenly think baked oats are crunchy, but they’re not.
Try these other baked oatmeal flavors: Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal, Oatmeal Cookie Baked Oatmeal, or Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal.
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 for about 3 months.
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.
Can I Use Steel Cut Oats?
You can not substitute steel cut oats in this recipe without making other changes because steel cut oats require a lot more moisture and a longer cooking time than rolled oats. While it may be possible to tweak it to make it work, I have not tested this method so I can not offer suggestions for that particular substitution.
Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3 bananas) ($0.63)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar ($0.12)
- 2 large eggs ($0.46)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract ($0.15)
- 1 tsp baking powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg ($0.02)
- 2 cups milk ($0.75)
- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats ($0.45)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts ($0.60)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Mash the bananas well with a fork (you'll need 1.5 cups).
- 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.
- Add the milk and whisk until combined again.
- Finally, stir in the rolled oats and chopped walnuts.
- 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.
- Serve warm or refrigerate and enjoy cold!
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Nutrition
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You might also like my Yogurt Banana Bread recipe!
How to Make Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal – Step By Step Photos
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.
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.
Finally, stir in 2.5 cups rolled oats and ½ cup chopped walnuts.
Pour the oat mixture into a 9×9-inch casserole dish.
Bake the oatmeal in the preheated 375ºF 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.
Awesome, just made it and it was amazing! Will be making again more often.
Thanks for this great recipe! I made it this morning for me and my picky boys, and it was loved by all! I used a tad less brown sugar, and the sweetness of the banana was just perfect. I had run out of nuts, so while the oatmeal was baking, I left my husband to babysit the oven and ran to the store to get pecans. I toasted them on the stovetop, chopped them up and sprinkled over the finished oatmeal. The texture contrast with the oatmeal and crunchy nuts was amazing.
So good and much better than any other baked oatmeal I tried in the past. I followed the recipe exactly – thanks!
I have made this so many times. This most recent time I subbed vanilla soymilk for the milk and 1 3.9oz cup of unsweetened applesauce for the eggs. Still tastes amazing, the applesauce doesn’t change the flavor much (if at all). I usually portion out the squares and freeze them until needed; defrosting in the fridge the night before works great.
I made the chocolate banana oatmeal and also this one. Both were yummy! I divided it into two baking pans that are similar in size to 8 inch pie plates and baked it uncovered for 30 minutes. Works well for me! My boyfriend is a drone in the mornings, so he loves how he can just scoop some into a bowl and nuke it for 40 seconds and have breakfast.
Has anyone made this with vanilla almond milk? I’m wondering if you have to adjust the amount of vanilla in the recipe.
Sounds yummy….in the oven now…..can’t wait!! Thanks!
just tried the recipe and no offense but it was not very good. maybe i missed something, but i wouldn’t make it again.
Beth, I usually have trouble cooking in bulk and making a plan to eat on it for the next week because I get tired of the dish! I end up throwing it in the freezer and coming back to it. Not with this oatmeal! I’m actually just sad that I won’t get to eat it again tomorrow, ha ha! Great recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Have you ever tried putting this together the night before and baking it in the morning? I am wondering if the oats would soak up all the liquid. This looks delicious and I might try mixing everything except the oats the night before, then stirring in the oats and popping it in the oven before I get the kids out of bed. Wish me luck!
i love your site! thanks for the delicious meals :)
YUM. I made this this morning! After reading the comments, I used a 13×9, took the foil off after 20 minutes and baked for another 20 and it was perfect. I reduced the sugar to 1/4 c. and it is still very sweet! I didn’t have any walnuts on hand, but I did add craisins and it is delicious! Typing this as I eat it!!!
Yum yum yum! This is seriously good eats. I made it yesterday night and give it a go with a splash of cold milk and it was delicious. I can’t believe either how full I feel even after 2h30. Next time I will add more spices (I’m a freak for nutmeg!), but the sugar content was perfect for me! For me too, I had to wait another 15 min (making it a full hour of baking) to have a firm middle (that makes me giggle!).
Wow this is so good! We made you pumpkin pie oatmeal before, with great success, but I like this even better!
I made mine with sucanat (which works great as brown sugar) and added a little more spices than called for, and it turned out SO perfect!
:)
I’m really not sure what that might be… perhaps the stringy things that are on bananas sometimes? I didn’t have anything pink or stringy in mine.