Creamy & delicious- this banana bread overnight oatmeal only takes 5 minutes to come together. These healthy banana flavored overnight oats make for a healthy start to any morning!
It’s no secret that my kids and I aren’t morning people.
Getting going in the morning is always a struggle for us, and we don’t often have time for a hot home cooked breakfast.
Not that I’m in the mood to make one anyway, but everybody’s still got to eat.
I’ve found that having something on hand that’s ready to grab and go is a huge help.
So before I head to bed, I throw a bowl of this banana bread overnight oatmeal in the fridge.
No actual cooking’s involved, and when we get going in the morning we’ve got a creamy bowl of oatmeal waiting.
One that tastes like dessert too.
It’s a delicious trick for an easier start to any day- especially on busy mornings!
Ingredients Needed
You only need a handful of ingredients for this easy overnight oats recipe.
You’ll need:
- Bananas – Two over ripe bananas specifically. Look for a banana that isn’t brown, but ones that have a lot of brown flecks and dots on the yellow flesh. While they aren’t pretty, they’re super soft and easy to mash and still taste great.
- Oats – Do NOT use quick cooking oats for this recipe- they’ll turn to mush. You want old fashioned oats. They can also be called rolled oats. This variety absorbs more water than the more traditional steel cut kind making them perfect for overnight oats.
- Milk – You can use any kind of milk you like- from fat to skim, or even almond milk.
- Walnuts – Chopped walnuts- you need 4 tablespoons for the recipe itself and, if you like them, extras for garnish.
- Flavoring – This recipe uses both maple syrup and vanilla extract to sweeten this oatmeal & recreate a classic banana bread flavor.
- Spices – A blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt flavors this recipe. You can adjust the seasonings to your taste.
How To Make
Making this banana bread overnight oatmeal is super easy.
In fact, it only takes 5 minutes.
Start by peeling your bananas and then add them to a medium sized mixing bowl.
Use a sturdy fork and mash the bananas into a puree.
A few small chunks are ok, but for the most part you want them to be smooth.
Add all of the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl with the bananas.
Stir everything together until the banana oatmeal’s evenly combined.
Cover the mixing bowl tightly with cling wrap. You could also use plastic wrap.
The important thing is just to make sure the seal is air tight since bananas do not like air once peeled.
Refrigerate the oatmeal for 8 hours, or up to overnight.
Uncover the banana bread overnight oatmeal, and divide it into two bowls.
If you have smaller kids, you could split it between four bowls.
Garnish each bowl with a drizzle of maple syrup, a few chopped walnuts, and a couple slices of banana.
The garnishes are all optional.
Serve it your way, and enjoy!
Storing
Because these overnight oats use fresh banana, I don’t recommend them for storing.
This is a recipe that’s best made fresh.
Should These Overnight Oats Be Served Hot Or Cold?
Banana bread overnight oatmeal is designed to be served cold.
That being said, I do realize cold oats can be an acquired taste.
They’re ultra creamy and infused with flavor, but ultimately still cold oats.
If you need your oats or oatmeal to be warm- that’s OK!
You can warm these oats in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Do I Have To Use Walnuts?
While we use walnuts in this banana bread overnight oatmeal recipe, they’re not the only option.
Chopped pecans, pistachios, and even macadamia nuts make delicious substitutions.
Use whichever nut you actually enjoy eating.
Other Easy Oatmeal Breakfast Ideas
This 5 minute banana bread overnight oatmeal is a healthy grab and go option on busy mornings.
Bring sweet treat into the start of your day with hardly any extra effort.
Your whole family will thank you!
Looking for other easy breakfast ideas with oats?
Try these:
If you’ve tried this BANANA BREAD OVERNIGHT OATMEAL, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Banana Bread Overnight Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 over ripe bananas mashed
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup milk
- 4 tbsp chopped walnuts + more for garnish
- 2 tsp maple syrup + more for garnish
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Add the bananas to a medium sized mixing bowl. Using a sturdy fork mash them into puree.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl. Stir them together until evenly combined.
- Cover the bowl tightly with cling wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours or up to overnight.
- Divide the banana bread oats into to bowls.
- Top each bowl with a drizzle of maple syrup, extra chopped walnuts, and a couple banana slices- if desired.
- Serve & enjoy!
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Simply Stacie
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