Indulge in the ultimate breakfast bliss with our delectable vegan banana bread baked oats. Made with mashed bananas, old-fashioned oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar, this wholesome treat is topped with sliced bananas, more brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts. In a little over one hour you can start your day with a warm and comforting delight that’s both nutritious and irresistibly delicious!
Our delightful baked oats are a taste sensation reminiscent of freshly baked banana bread. Infused with mashed bananas, warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and rich brown sugar, each spoonful transports you to the comforting flavors of classic banana bread. Enjoy a nourishing and satisfying breakfast that captures the essence of this beloved treat in every delicious bite.
I've recently become obsessed with oats as part of a complete breakfast. Whether I'm making basic 2-minute healthy oatmeal, or something fancier like apple overnight oats or chocolate chip baked oats, I enjoy my oatmeal as part of a complete breakfast with a little juice, fresh fruit salad, and vegan sausage.
After falling in love with peach-baked oatmeal, I decided to switch up a few ingredients and make baked oatmeal that tasted like banana bread. You’ll love a dish of banana bread baked oats for its comforting taste, reminiscent of freshly baked banana bread. It combines the sweetness of mashed bananas, warm spices, and a nutty crunch from the walnuts, offering a nourishing and delightful breakfast that feels like a treat.
Ingredients needed to make banana bread baked oats
For the baked oats
- mashed bananas – You will need three-fourths cups of mashed bananas. Plan on using two medium-sized bananas but do measure so that you will use the correct amount! It’s best to use very ripe bananas for this part.
- vegan butter – You will be melting the vegan butter before adding it to the other ingredients. This recipe was developed using salted vegan butter. If you are not vegan then use salted dairy butter.
- vanilla extract
- flax meal – Or ground flax seeds.
- old-fashioned oats – Make sure you are using old-fashioned oats – not quick oats and not steel-cut oats. You will be using a total of two cups (divided) in this recipe. One cup to make into oat flour and the other cup to use as whole oats. If you happen to have oat flour then you can substitute that for the one cup. Don’t bother to go out and buy oat flour for this recipe though.
- brown sugar (packed) – You will be using some brown sugar for the baked oats mixture and more brown sugar for the topping.
- baking powder
- ground cinnamon – You will also be using some more ground cinnamon for the topping.
- nutmeg and salt
- vegan milk – Use any neutral-flavored, unsweetened, vegan milk of choice. My top choices are pea milk for the added protein or extra creamy oat milk.
- You will also need an 8×8 baking dish and a blender.
For the topping
- 1 large banana – It’s best to use a banana that is NOT overripe for the topping. You will be slicing this banana on top of the mixture before baking.
- brown sugar– This is in addition to the brown sugar listed above.
- ground cinnamon– This is in addition to the ground cinnamon listed above.
- chopped pecans or walnuts
STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING BANANA BREAD BAKED OATS
The exact ingredients with measurements can be found in the recipe card below along with more concise abbreviated instructions. Read on for more details, tips, and tricks so that you will feel confident making this recipe.
Step 1: Getting started – the preparations
Gather your ingredients together so that you will be ready to go. Preheat the oven to 375°F and make sure the rack is in the center position in the oven. An 8×8 baking dish works best for this recipe. Grease the pan with vegan butter, shortening, or cooking spray.
Cooking spray is just so easy to use but it can get messy! Anyone else guilty of holding their pan in the air and spraying willy-nilly only to get messy slippery cooking spray all over everything? No? Just me? Well…
I learned to put my pan in the kitchen sink (if it will fit) or on paper towels if it’s too big for the sink. Spray the pan with cooking spray and then wipe the edges so that they don’t get that oily hard-to-remove stain around the top of the pan.
Step 2: the bananas
You will be mashing some of the bananas to add to the mixture and saving one nice big banana to slice onto the top of the mixture before baking. Slightly overripe bananas are best to add to the mixture because of their natural sweet sweetness. It’s best to use a ripe banana – not overripe – to slice on top.
Mash the bananas. You need three-fourths cups of mashed bananas. But remember: Don’t slice the banana for the topping until the oats are ready to cook. I like to mash the bananas directly into a one-cup liquid measuring cup so that I can measure as I mash. Depending on the size of the bananas you use, you might need anywhere from one (large) banana to three (small) bananas.
Stir the melted vegan butter, vanilla, and ground flax (or flax meal) into the mashed bananas and allow to sit while you are preparing the other ingredients. The flax meal will soak up some of the wet banana mixture and will form a sort of “gel” to make a flax egg.
Step 3: the oats
This recipe uses a total of two cups of old-fashioned oats. Do not use quick oats (too mushy) or steel-cut oats (too firm). Old-fashioned oats will provide the best texture for the baked oats. You will be dividing the old-fashioned oats into two. One cup to make oat flour and the other cup to add to the mixture whole.
Take one cup of the oats and make oat flour by putting the oats into a blender and blending until powdery. If you are using a high-speed blender, it should take less than one minute to make oat flour. If you happen to have oat flour on hand then you can use one cup of the oat flour instead of blending one cup of oats. Don’t go out and buy oat flour though – because congratulations, you’ve just made it!
Step 4: the dry ingredients
Use a medium-sized bowl to mix the ingredients. Your bowl should be able to comfortably hold six cups or more. Add the oat flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix everything together. Make sure any little bits of brown sugar have been broken up and that the mixture is well-mixed.
Step 5: Adding the wet ingredients and mixing it all together
Add the plant milk and the mashed banana mixture on top of the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl. Stir everything together until it’s well mixed. It will look quite runny at this point and you will wonder if this will ever resemble baked oats or if it will just be a pan of mush!
Steps 6-8: Finishing and baking the banana bread oatmeal
Transfer the batter to the prepared casserole dish, smoothing it into an even layer. Remember that the batter is still quite runny at this point but will firm up in the oven. The cooked baked oatmeal will not be as firm as a cake would but will be more firm and “cakey” than a bowl of oats (see photo below).
Slice the banana evenly on top of the oatmeal mixture in the baking pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar, chopped nuts, and cinnamon on top of the sliced bananas and oatmeal mixture.
You can use chopped pecans or walnuts to top your baked oats. I purchased my walnuts already chopped very finely. If your nuts need to be chopped smaller then you can use this convenient hand chopper with a pull cord. It gets the job done quickly with no mess or fuss.
Place the baking pan with the oatmeal mixture into a 375℉ preheated oven. Bake the oatmeal for 45 to 50 minutes. You will know it is done when the sides have firmed up but the middle is still a little soft. Allow the cooked oats to rest for 5 to 10 minutes prior to spooning out and serving
Serving and saving the banana-baked oatmeal
This baked oatmeal doesn’t really save well. It’s best consumed right away. You can certainly keep it in the fridge in an air-tight container for a few days. The baked oatmeal won’t go bad or anything, but the texture will definitely change. Refresh it with a little plant milk when reheating.
Keep in mind that the texture of the baked oats is somewhere between cake and oatmeal, with the edges more firm resembling cake and the center being a little softer and more like oatmeal. This dish cuts well into four even sections so you can get a little bit of the edges and the center in each of the four generous servings.
You can serve your baked oats with a spritz of whipped topping, a drizzle of maple syrup, or thinned jam. It’s also deliciously served with a dollop of plant milk poured on top – just like oatmeal!
Of course, I like to make a full breakfast with baked oatmeal being the main character surrounded by freshly cut fruit and vegan bacon or sausage! Round it out with a glass of freshly squeezed juice and you’ve got a meal the whole family will love!
The printable recipe card
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Banana Bread Baked Oats, Vegan
Equipment
- 8×8 baking pan
Ingredients
For the baked oats
- ¾ cup mashed bananas see notes
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter melted, see notes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons flax meal
- 2 cups old fashioned oats divided
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups vegan milk see notes for suggestions
For the topping
- 1 large banana sliced
- 1 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons chopped pecans or use walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Prepare an 8×8 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Mash the bananas. Don't slice the banana for the topping until the oats are ready to cook. Stir the melted vegan butter, vanilla, and ground flax into the mashed bananas and allow to sit while you are preparing the other ingredients.¾ cup mashed bananas, 2 tablespoons vegan butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 Tablespoons flax meal
- Take one cup of the oats and make oat flour by putting the oats into a blender and blending until powdery.
- In a bowl, stir together the oat flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.2 cups old fashioned oats, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add the plant milk and the banana mixture to the mixing bowl containing the oat mixture. Stir together. It will look quite runny at this point.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared casserole dish, smoothing it into an even layer.
- Slice the banana evenly on top of the oatmeal mixture in the baking pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar, chopped nuts, and cinnamon on top of the sliced bananas and oatmeal mixture.1 large banana, 1 Tablespoons brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 2 Tablespoons chopped pecans
- Place the pan into a 375℉ preheated oven. Bake the oatmeal for 45 to 50 minutes. Allow the cooked oats to rest for 5 to 10 minutes prior to slicing and serving.
- Serve topped with maple syrup, vegan whipped cream, granola, Greek yogurt or your favorite oatmeal topper.