Simple Creamy Banana Oatmeal
This simple creamy banana oatmeal made on the stovetop is sure to be your new favourite oatmeal recipe!
About Recipe
Cooking stovetop oatmeal with mashed banana is a recipe for the creamiest, coziest bowl of oatmeal ever!
You’ll love how easy this recipe is and you’ll be sure to make it again and again, especially during the colder months.
This banana oatmeal recipe has the most delicious, fluffy and creamy texture! Bonus: You’ll need just 5 healthy ingredients and 10 minutes to make it.
Making oats with banana is a great way to add creaminess and sweetness to oatmeal without the need for sugar or milk. In addition to the banana, all you’ll need is rolled oats, cinnamon, chia seeds and non-dairy milk of choice.
To make it, just add everything to a pot and heat it up, mashing the banana as it cooks, until you have a thick and creamy texture. There’s no need for additional sweetener as the ripe banana does the trick.
Once cooked, scoop it into a bowl and enjoy as is or with toppings like walnuts and peanut butter.
Enjoy these oats for a healthy breakfast any day of the week!
Ingredient Notes
- Oats: The best oats for this recipe are rolled oats (old-fashioned oats) or large flake oats. These will give you the best thick and creamy texture. You can use quick oats if needed but rolled oats are best!
- Banana: You can use a perfectly ripe banana or overripe banana. The riper the banana, the sweeter the oats will be. I wouldn’t go as far as a completely brown and mushy banana but a lightly brown-spotted banana works great!
- Chia or Flax: Both of these seeds absorb moisture helping to thicken the oats. I love using chia seeds in oats and find they add the best texture but ground flax works too. Use whole chia seeds if you’re using chia but make sure it’s ground flax, not whole flaxseeds, if you’re using flax.
- Flavouring: To make it banana cinnamon oatmeal, I like to add a generous pinch of cinnamon. Cinnamon and banana just pair perfectly together. A little pinch of salt also helps to enhance the flavour!
- Milk: I suggest using half water and half milk for the liquid, though if you don’t have milk on hand, you can use all water. Any plant-based milk you enjoy works. I would suggest almond milk, cashew milk or soy milk. If you want to use canned coconut milk, I would suggest using light coconut milk as full-fat coconut milk is a bit too heavy in this recipe.
Variations & Add-Ins
- Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal: Add 1-2 tbsp peanut butter or powdered peanut butter with the rest of the ingredients.
- Protein Banana Oatmeal: Add up to 1 full scoop of vanilla vegan protein powder and use more liquid to reach a creamy consistency.
- Other spices that work well are nutmeg, ginger or allspice. A pinch of apple pie spice also works well.
How to Make Banana Oatmeal
Step 1: Add all of the ingredients to a small pot on the stovetop.
Step 2: Cook the oatmeal over medium-low heat, stirring frequently and mashing the banana as it cooks.
Cook for 8-10 minutes until thick and creamy, making sure to stir it often so it doesn’t burn. I like to remove it from the heat after 7-8 minutes and let it sit for a few more minutes to further thicken.
You can stir in more plant-based milk as needed to adjust the consistency to your liking.
Step 3: Scoop the oatmeal into a bowl, add your favourite toppings and enjoy your warm and delicious banana oatmeal!
Topping Ideas
- Any nuts like chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds.
- Any seeds like hemp seeds, toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
- Easy homemade berry chia seed jam.
- A spoonful of homemade date paste or drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
- Melted coconut butter.
- Any nut or seed butter like peanut butter, almond butter or tahini.
- Baked apple slices, sautéed apples or sliced baked pears.
- Fresh or frozen berries like blueberries, raspberries or chopped strawberries. If you’re using frozen berries you can mix them into heat or thaw them separately in the microwave before adding as a topping.
- For a treat, try chocolate chips or homemade caramel sauce.
- Cacao nibs or shredded coconut.
- Sliced stone fruit like nectarine or peach.
- More banana!
FAQs
Yes, banana oatmeal is naturally gluten-free but be sure to use gluten-free certified oats if cross-contamination with gluten is a concern.
Yes. To make banana overnight oats, mash the banana in a jar then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix it up really well then place in the fridge overnight.
Yes. You can make this as is or double or triple the recipe for meal prep and store the portions in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Note that it will get thick and congealed after storing. When you’re ready to reheat the oats, heat briefly in the microwave or in a small pot on the stovetop, then add more milk and break it up with a fork or spoon to loosen the oats.
Continue heating and adding milk as needed until it’s creamy and heated through.
Yes. To use steel cut oats, the recipe is the same but you may need more liquid as they cook since the’ll take up to 25 minutes to finish cooking.
For the additional liquid, you can use milk or water. Keep an eye on it, stirring often to prevent burning and stirring in a little extra liquid as you go until the oats are cooked through.
Did you try this recipe?
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I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review and be sure to tag me @runningonrealfood if you post it on social media.
Simple Creamy Banana Oatmeal
- Prep Time: 2 min
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 1
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free
Description
This simple creamy oatmeal is made with just a few wholesome ingredients and is ready in just 10 minutes. Dig into this filling and nourishing bowl of oats anytime you want a warm and cozy breakfast to start your day.
Ingredients
- 1 ripe, spotty banana (110 g)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (50 g, use GF-certified if needed)
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (12 g) or ground flax (7 g)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup almond milk (or other plant milk of choice)
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a small pot stovetop.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring and mashing the banana with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes until thick and creamy, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn. I like to remove the pot from the heat after 8-10 minutes and let sit for a few more minutes to thicken a little more. If you want it a little creamier, stir in a little additional almond milk, light coconut milk or other plant milk of choice to reach desired consistency.
- Scoop into a bowl and add any desired toppings (chopped walnuts, blueberries or almond butter are delicious) and enjoy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 345
- Sodium: 1 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 64 g
- Fiber: 13 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Cholesterol: 0 g
Keywords: easy, quick, healthy, sugar-free
I have been sick with the flu and finally got my appetite back, so I wanted to have something different than the usual.
This was perfect! Nice and creamy, no absurd amounts of sugar- just nice and tasty.
★★★★★
I don’t like bananas or oatmeal, but I LOVE this recipe! I do add vanilla and a packet of sweetener.
★★★★★
Well I’m very glad to hear you like it even if those aren’t ingredients you enjoy! Vanilla and some sweetener sounds perfect.
Perfect! The taste was so good and going to make it soon.
I’m not a morning person, so I made this recipe like overnight oats, and it was so good! The banana was definitely sweet enough and very filling!
★★★★★
Glad to hear it, Nora!
This is the best banana oatmeal recipe I’ve come across! It’s so good and comforting on a chilly morning. Will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
Can this be made with thawed frozen bananas?
Yes, sure.