Peanut butter banana baked oatmeal is soft, perfectly sweet and loaded with peanut butter flavor! It’s naturally sweetened and 100% whole grain, making it a great healthy breakfast that can be made ahead for busy mornings.
I am really looking forward to the weekend this week!
Work has been bonkers, the kids have been wild, and we've been having work done at the house.
I'm super pumped for my new light fixtures in a few rooms that I've been meaning to do for YEARS now, but not so pumped on the massive leak from a ceiling in one of those rooms during a huge rainstorm on Tuesday.
It's always something, right?
BUT, I've got my annual girls boat day this weekend! We'll all gather at my friend Alecia's house Saturday morning, load up our coolers and the boat, and then just cruise around all day.
We usually anchor somewhere for a few hours, snack on all the food we brought and just float around in the lake chatting. At the end of the day, several of us stick around to make dinner together, watch some movies and have a sleepover party.
Yeah, it's kind-of the best. ❤️
And it's almost here so I'm gonna power through until then. And also switch gears so we can get to the food part already!
Have you ever had baked oatmeal?
It’s a serious favorite in our house!
It all started with my banana bread baked oatmeal. And that recipe has been a regular staple at breakfast time for years.
But of course I started to branch out!
I made blueberry baked oatmeal, carrot cake baked oatmeal, apple cinnamon baked oatmeal and also pumpkin baked oatmeal with chocolate chips for a fun treat in the fall.
I’ve also got tons and tons of other healthy oatmeal recipes if you want to check them out.
We are oatmeal lovers through and through.
We are also peanut butter fanatics in this house, so this peanut butter banana baked oatmeal was simply a matter of time!
(If you love PB + oatmeal like us, check out these peanut butter oatmeal cookies. They are irresistible!)
It’s LOADED with peanut butter flavor, naturally sweetened with the banana and honey and it’s completely whole grain since it’s made with oats.
It's also got 11 grams of protein per serving so it keeps you full and fueled all morning!
This is lovely on its own or you can serve it with a smear of peanut butter or a drizzle on top, like I did here.
Tip: Warm your peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl to get it to a drizzling consistency. It can also help to spoon the warmed peanut butter into a plastic bag, snip the corner and pipe it on if you want it to look pretty.
Other topping ideas: a spread of jelly or jam for a peanut butter and jelly combination, a drizzle of honey, a smear of Nutella or even a peanut butter frosting.
Now, I’ve got some notes and substitutions coming up for this recipe. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on peanut butter banana baked oatmeal:
- I always use old-fashioned rolled oats for baked oatmeal. I recommend those over quick oats or steel cut oats for this recipe.
- You can use skim or 2% milk, soy milk or almond milk for this recipe.
- The mixture will be very liquidy before baking. This is normal and the oats will soak up all that liquid as it bakes.
- Do make sure you let this sit for a while after baking though. It’ll set up all the way so that it doesn’t crumble when you go to cut it. (I recommend waiting at least 15-20 minutes but longer is even better.)
As for serving, we love this both warm and cold.
If you are making it ahead and want to serve it warm, just pop a slice in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds (maybe a little longer if it’s cold from the fridge).
This can easily be made dairy-free by using soy milk or almond milk.
Want to make a vegan baked oatmeal? Totally do-able.
- Use your non-dairy milk of choice for this recipe.
- Substitute a flax egg for the egg.
- Choose maple syrup instead of the honey for the sweetener.
The recipe doesn’t call for it, and it’s certainly sweet enough on it’s own, but feel free to add some chocolate chips to make these even more fun!
I’d recommend about a ½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips. Or you could try it with mini chocolate chips too.
Finally, peanut butter is in the title of this recipe, so yes, ahem, it does contain peanuts.
If you have an allergy or want to send this to a peanut-free school, you could certainly try making it with almond butter instead.
How to store baked oatmeal:
- This peanut butter baked oatmeal will keep covered, on the counter, for up to 2 days.
- After that, as with all baked recipes that have banana in them, I recommend you move it to the refrigerator. It will keep there for another 2-3 days.
- You can also freeze the leftovers. Cut your baked oatmeal, once cooled, into squares. Place them in a freezer-safe ziptop bag (that’s labeled!) and freeze for up to 6 months.
To thaw, just place in the refrigerator overnight. You can serve it cold from the fridge or warm it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
You can also warm it in the microwave from the freezer in a pinch. Start with 45 seconds and add time (and possibly turn it upside down) as needed.
I hope you give this a try!
It’s a great healthy breakfast and a perfect meal prep breakfast to make ahead for busy mornings. (Hello, back-to-school season, I see you creeping up on me... )
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Check out these other peanut butter and banana breakfast recipes:
Whole wheat peanut butter banana bread
Breakfast popsicles (with peanut butter and banana)
Peanut butter banana smoothie with spinach
Peanut butter banana baked oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup milk of choice (skim, 2%, soy, etc.)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
- In a separate medium bowl, mash the bananas. Add the egg, milk, peanut butter, honey and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. It will be very liquidy. That’s normal and totally fine.
- Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, until the baked oatmeal is browned around the edges and set in the middle.
- Let cool for at least 10-15 minutes before cutting. (Longer is better; it helps it set up all the way so it’s not crumbly.)
Notes
Nutrition
Mary Harriger
Did you ever make it with crunchy peanut butter?
Kathryn Doherty
I have not, but it should work fine. Would love to hear if you try it!
Crystal
I see it says this is GF, but unless you are using gluten free oats it is not because regular oats are not gluten free.
Kathryn Doherty
Hi Crystal, yes, you should choose labeled gluten-free oats if you are following a gluten-free diet. Pure oats are gluten-free, but they can become contaminated in the field or during production in a facility that processes other grains. So choosing certified gluten-free is the way to be safe.
SLawson
Can you please share nutrition information?
Kathryn Doherty
Hi there! The nutritional info for this recipe is at the bottom of the recipe card, underneath the Notes section.
Erin
Hello! We love this recipe. Do you think I could make the batter the night before and bake it in the am? Thanks!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoy it Erin! I'm not sure making the batter ahead of time would work, because the oats would start to soften and absorb the liquid. That could throw off the baking time and the consistency of the final product. You could certainly try playing with it to see if you could get it to come out though. We make it ahead and then just reheat pieces as we want to eat them. I hope that helps!
Ashley
I have a choice between large flake oats or quick oats, which should I use??
Kathryn Doherty
Hi Ashley! I think large flake oats are the same as old-fashioned rolled oats, aren’t they? If so, yes, you can use them in this recipe. I haven't made this recipe with quick-cook oats, but I think they would be fine as well. Hope that helps!
Gloria M.
I just made this and it is so moist and yummy, especially if you like peanut butter. So quick and easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them Gloria! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Madeline Armstrong
Wow, this is GOOD. I have been wanting to make baked oats that incorporated a lot of nut butter and this is exactly what I was looking for! The taste & texture are amazing.
I omitted the honey, did half rolled oats and half quick oats, and split the peanut butter up by also adding tahini and almond butter. I also added coconut flakes and cacao nibs on top... It is SUCH a winner-- I'll be making this again for sure! Thanks for the recipe!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Madeline! And thanks for sharing those substitutions, too - sounds yummy! 😊
Lin C
Hi!
Could you make this recipe into muffins instead of bars? My toddler loves muffins. 😊
Thanks!
Kathryn Doherty
I haven't tried it that way, so I'm not sure what adjustments might be needed. Would love to hear if you play around with it! (Also, you might want to check out these whole wheat peanut butter banana muffins for your toddler: https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/whole-wheat-peanut-butter-banana-muffins/ Or browse all of my healthy muffin recipes (cause my kiddos were muffin munchkins too!): https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/category/muffins/
Katie
Lin, did you try making these in muffin tins? Any notes?
Shelley
Hi Katie
I only buy all natural pb.
Will that masked these too dry?
Shelley
Oops that was supposed to say
Will using natural pb make these dry?
Kathryn Doherty
No, that should work just fine! I have used Trader Joe's natural PB for these before and it was fine. Different brands may vary, but I think it should be OK.
Alisa
What would be the cook time if I doubled the recipe and baked in 9x13 pan?
Kathryn Doherty
It should be about the same bake time, around 35-40 minutes. Just be sure to check that the very center is set up and not still gooey/wet.
Lucretia (Lucky) Cavanaugh
Is there a good way to incorporate strawberry jam in this recipe. THKS