Banana Bread Oatmeal Bake
Reach past your classic banana bread recipe and use your overripe bananas to prep this banana bread oatmeal bake instead. Loaded with whole grain oats, ripe bananas, and crunchy walnuts, this banana bread oatmeal bake is ready in under 25 minutes and has all of the banana bread flavors baked into a wholesome oatmeal bake that you will love starting your day with.
There are few things that make a house feel cozier than having a loaf of banana bread baking in your oven. The smell alone just puts a smile on my face!
While the smell of freshly baked banana bread is a welcome scent in the morning, it’s not always the wholesome breakfast item that I am looking to start my day with. When I want the smell and flavor of banana bread but in a nourishing breakfast form, I make this banana bread oatmeal bake instead.
This banana bread oatmeal bake is the perfect way to turn overripe bananas into a breakfast that your entire family will love. This recipe is loaded with bananas and whole grain oats that are blended into a creamy base, topped with heart healthy walnuts, and baked into soft oatmeal bars!
Drizzle your banana bread oatmeal with some walnut butter or top it with vanilla greek yogurt for a healthy alternative to banana bread. You entire family is going to love this breakfast!
Let’s get to the recipe!
Why you’ll love this banana bread oatmeal bake:
You’ll love these banana bread oatmeal because it is:
Great for a crowd: Whether the crowd is your family or a gathering of friends for brunch, these banana bread oatmeal squares are perfect to prep and serve!
Loaded with wholesome ingredients: We cut down on the refined flour and sugar content of traditional banana bread and subbed it for a freshly blended oat flour to boost the nutrition of your breakfast.
Ready in under 25 minutes: Simply blend your ingredients together in a blender and bake for about 20 minutes and voila, you have yourself a delicious and nutritious breakfast!
Blended oatmeal base: This oatmeal bake has blended oatmeal instead of the whole form oats which gives you a softer texture and a bar that holds its form better than other oatmeal bakes. Plus, you just toss everything in a blender which makes this recipe very easy to make!
Meal prep friendly: This healthy oatmeal bake can be prepped on a sunday and enjoyed as a grab and go breakfast throughout the week.
Customizable: I sprinkled this banana oatmeal base with crunchy walnuts to add fiber and healthy fats but you could add any banana bread mix ins that you enjoy like chopped pecans, chocolate chips, or shredded coconut.
Full of fiber and healthy fats: Not only is this recipe lower in added sugar than traditional banana bread, but it is also higher in fiber and healthy fats from the bananas, whole grain oats, and heart healthy walnuts.
You’re going to love serving your family this baked banana and walnut oatmeal recipe! Now let’s get into the simple ingredients you will need to make it:
Ingredients you’ll need:
This banana and walnut oatmeal bake features familiar ingredients that you would find in most banana bread recipes, but with a few breakfast friendly twists:
Over-ripe bananas: You want your bananas very spotty for the best banana bread flavor. I would use 3 small ripe bananas or 2 large ripe bananas in this recipe.
Old fashioned oats: We are going to add these to a blender and blend them into an oat flour combined with all of your other batter ingredients.
Milk: I recommend using whole milk to add protein and a creamy texture to this oatmeal bake.
Brown sugar: This recipe tastes best with brown sugar as opposed to sweetness like honey or maple syrup. This makes it taste more similar to banana bread!
Egg: This will help hold all of your ingredients together as they bake.
Vanilla: For flavor depth.
Salt: To round out the sweet.
Cinnamon: Optional but always a great addition to a banana bread batter.
Baking Powder: This will help your bars rise and give them a slightly fluffier texture.
Walnuts: I love adding chopped walnuts to this recipe for their crunchy texture and nutrients like omega-3 fats and fiber. You could swap these for a different type of chopped nut or use other flavors like chocolate chips or shredded coconut.
That’s it!
Step by Step Instructions:
1) Add your bananas, oats, egg, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and baking powder to a blender.
2) Blend until smooth.
3) Pour your banana oatmeal mixture into a lined 8x8 baking pan. Top with your chopped walnuts and bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
4) Allow your banana bread oatmeal bake to cool slightly then slice into squares and serve. These bars are best enjoyed warm and can be topped with other flavors like walnut butter, peanut butter, chocolate sauce, or vanilla greek yogurt. Enjoy!
Swaps, substitutions, and serving suggestions:
Some other ways that you can make this banana bread oatmeal is to:
Sub out the walnuts: Swap the walnuts for a different chopped nut, chocolate chips, or shredded coconut instead.
Skip the blended oatmeal: You can skip the blender and simply combine all of these ingredients into a large bowl instead, just like you would with banana bread. This will keep your whole oats and will give you more of an oatmeal texture in your squares.
Change your sweetener: This oatmeal bake recipe was intentionally written to not be overly sweet. You could always increase the amount of brown sugar in the recipe if you want a sweeter bite or choose to use honey or maple syrup as your sweetener instead.
Change your toppings: I love to top this banana walnut oatmeal bake with some creamy peanut butter, warm butter, or vanilla greek yogurt.
Add nuts and seeds: You could easily add chia seeds, ground flax seeds, hemp seeds, or pumpkin seeds to this recipe!
And more! Make this recipe your own and tag me on instagram with any fun ideas you come up with!
Recipe FAQ:
How long can I store this banana oatmeal bake?
This oatmeal bake can be baked, sliced into squares, and stored in an air higher container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Can I use firm bananas?
You can but it will not have the classic flavor of banana bread since firm bananas do not have quite as much sweetness. I highly recommend using spotty bananas for this recipe.
I want to make this! How can I make my bananas ripen faster?
If you need your bananas to ripen faster, I would keep them bunched together on the countertop OR wrap them in a sealed grocery bag. This will trap the ethylene gas naturally given off by your bananas which ripens your produce and will ripen your bananas quicker.
Other oatmeal recipes you will love:
Looking for other baked oatmeal ideas? I have a few on my blog that I think you will love:
Blackberry Baked Oatmeal
Single Serve Chocolate Chip Cookie Baked Oatmeal
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Oatmeal Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookie Oat Bars
4 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Banana Bread Oatmeal Bake
Reach past your classic banana bread recipe and use your overripe bananas to prep this banana bread oatmeal bake instead. Loaded with whole grain oats, ripe bananas, and crunchy walnuts, this banana bread oatmeal bake is ready in under 25 minutes and has all of the banana bread flavors baked into a wholesome oatmeal bake that you will love starting your day with.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 and line an 8x8 baking dish with tin foil or parchment paper.
- Add your bananas, oats, milk, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, sugar, and baking powder to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour your banana oat mixture into your baking dish and top with walnuts. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Allow it to cool slightly before slicing into squares. Enjoy as is or top with peanut butter, vanilla greek yogurt, or butter and honey!
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Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a Registered Dietitian and busy toddler mom committed to bringing you delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-make recipes!