Banana Bread Vegan Baked Oats

Name: Banana Bread Vegan Baked Oats Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 medium ripe or overripe bananas (see note 1); 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave (see note 2 for adjustment if omitting); 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (any variety, original flavor is best); 2 tablespoons chia seeds or ground flaxseed + 4 tablespoons water (see note 3); 2 ½ cups rolled oats (old fashioned oats) (see note 4); 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional; ¼ teaspoon sea salt (see note 5); ½ cup vegan chocolate chips, optional (or chopped walnuts, etc. see note 6 for ideas) + a few more for topping

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This pan of hearty, sweet, delicious Banana Bread Vegan Baked Oats is the breakfast MVP! Make it once and you’ll have enough for most of the week, plus it’s naturally sweetened and it tastes like dessert.

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Why This Recipe Works
Ingredients
How to Make Banana Bread Vegan Baked Oats
Frequently Asked Questions
Pro Tips for Success
More Recipes Like This
Banana Bread Vegan Baked Oats Recipe

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Hey Internet, back in the early days of this blog (I’m talkin’ first few months!), I published an apple pie baked oatmeal recipe. And honestly, I go back to it every fall (multiple times!) because it’s that delicious.

So that left me thinking I should come up with some more flavors of vegan baked oatmeal. And why not? It’s tasty, it’s filling, it’s great for meal prep, and it’s inexpensive.

I struggled with breakfast most of my life. But now that it’s my job (or one of my jobs, haha) to develop recipes, I’ve come up with a bunch of great breakfast ideas and recipes.

Some of my favorite vegan breakfast recipes include vegan egg muffins with JustEgg vegan egg product, plant based omelette (not with the aforementioned product), plant based pancakes, vegan cheesy grits breakfast bowl, and vegan quiche with a hashbrown crust.

I usually like savory breakfast, but this vegan baked oats recipe tastes legitimately like banana bread AND it fills me up for hours upon hours. I’m not joking--I eat this at 7 a.m. and don’t get hungry again until 1 p.m. Amazing.

I like to divide up my baked oats into individual portions in glass meal prep containers and store in the fridge as soon as it’s all cooled after baking. That makes it so easy to grab and go during the week!

But for extra decadence (or a fun but slightly healthier dessert), try serving your baked oatmeal a la mode, with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream on top and a few sliced bananas. Yum.

These banana bread vegan baked oats are honestly my new favorite thing. They’re fridge friendly (still great after 5 days!), freezer friendly, budget friendly, tastebuds friendly--see what I mean by breakfast MVP?

Why This Recipe Works

Baked oats (or baked oatmeal) is not gooey (which is probably why I like it), it’s not crunchy either. It’s chewy. Kind of like a bread pudding, but also kinda like cake. And honestly it’s really just its own thing.

This is a very easy recipe, just follow the amounts and you’ll do great! I tested and retested this recipe to make sure all the plant milk gets absorbed and the oats turn out to be this great texture that holds together.

There is definitely some chocolate in there, but it’s optional. If you prefer raisins or walnuts you can easily swap those out.

Other than the chocolate, this oatmeal is somewhat but not overly sweet. It’s naturally sweetened, with most of the sugar coming from the bananas (and just a splash of maple syrup, which is optional).

You want the spottiest bananas for this recipe, much like with regular banana bread (if you’re interested in that, I also have gluten-free vegan banana bread and vegan chocolate banana muffins recipes).

If your bananas are still just plain yellow, throw them in a paper bag with an apple for a night or two and it will ripen them quickly! Additionally, some grocery stores sell overripe bananas at a discounted price so be on the lookout in your area.

Finally, this is a dump and bake recipe, meaning you can just mix all your ingredients either directly in the baking dish or in one bowl and transfer to the baking dish and bake!

Ingredients

Ripe/overripe bananas: The riper your bananas, the sweeter this dish will be (and easier to mash!). I highly recommend bananas covered in brown spots, but fully brown (but not moldy or falling apart) bananas will also work.
Unsweetened non-dairy milk: Any is fine--almond, soy, oat, etc. I highly recommend the “original” flavor over vanilla. This is supposed to taste like banana bread!
Maple syrup: Grade A preferred. Agave is also fine. If you wish to omit, add one extra tablespoon of non-dairy milk.
Pure vanilla extract
Chia seeds + water: This is for the “egg.” You can substitute ground flaxseed 1:1 OR use your favorite vegan egg substitute. Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer would work well here (I’d use 2 tablespoons of that and however much water the package says).
Rolled oats: Also known as old fashioned oats. Do not substitute quick oats or steel cut.
Baking powder
Cinnamon
Nutmeg, optional
Sea salt: If substituting table salt or iodized salt, use half the amount.
Vegan chocolate chips, optional: The chocolate is optional. You can omit it, or swap it for chopped walnuts, cacao nibs, raisins, pecans, raw pumpkin seeds, etc.

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How to Make Banana Bread Vegan Baked Oats

First, prep your egg replacer by mixing chia seeds (or ground flaxseed) with water and setting aside. Note that the refrigerator can speed up this process (especially with flax). I would not recommend doing that with the chia since it can get hard to mix if it stands for too long or gets too cold.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius). Lightly grease a 9x9-inch or 8x8-inch baking dish if you want tall but thin portions or a 9x13-inch dish if you want thinner but wider portions.
In a large bowl, mash up the peeled bananas until they are relatively uniform and a little glossy. Then add the non-dairy milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and gelled vegan egg replacement (chia seeds + water or whatever you’re using). Mix well.
Sprinkle the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt on top and mix again.
Stir in the chocolate chips (or walnuts, etc.).
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and flatten with your spatula. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips (or whatever) on top.
Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes for the 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch OR 35-40 minutes for the 9x13-inch dish. Oats will be lightly browned and all the liquid should be absorbed. Allow to set while it cools, about 30-40 minutes.
Serve, with or without a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream and a few fresh banana slices. Or serve with a little cold non-dairy milk poured on top. This vegan baked oatmeal is great cold or warm.
Store your vegan baked oats in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge or in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months in the freezer. I like to portion mine out into individual glass meal prep containers as soon as it’s cooled so I can grab and go in the mornings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use steel cut oats or quick oats instead?

No, do not substitute steel cut oats or quick oats. Steel cut oats require more cook time and more liquid, which this recipe is not suited for. Similarly, quick oats require less liquid and less cook time. You are of course welcome to experiment, but please don’t come and give me a bad rating if it doesn’t work out! I may think about making recipes in the future that use either of these types of oats, but as it stands, this recipe requires rolled oats with no substitution.

Will sprouted rolled oats work?

Yes. You might just need a slightly different bake time so keep an eye on them!

How to store?

Refrigerate this eggless baked oatmeal in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze in a freezer-safe container or food storage bag for up to 3 months! I recommend thawing in the fridge overnight and warming in an oven or microwave. Air fryer works too for a chewier texture!

How to serve?

Serve warm or cold--it’s delicious either way! I highly recommend you try these vegan baked oats with a little vegan vanilla ice cream on top at least once, as a dessert if you like! SO GOOD. But honestly, great either way. And some people eat their baked oatmeal with a little cold non-dairy milk on top. If you want it sweeter, you could always drizzle on a little more maple syrup or agave before eating.

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Pro Tips for Success

Don’t go outside of the recommended portions for dry and wet ingredients. It may seem like there’s not enough non-dairy milk, but there is!
If you aren’t using the maple syrup, you may need another tablespoon or two of non-dairy milk. The key is for all the oats to get wet from the wet ingredients.
Don’t want to use chocolate chips? Swap them out for cacao nibs, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, raisins, raw pumpkin seeds, etc. Or leave them out!
You’re welcome to play with the spices and add whatever you like! These would be great with ginger and/or cardamom.
Don’t use any other kind of oats. Rolled or old fashioned oats only.
Missing a banana or two? Swap out ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce per missing banana if you don’t have enough. But I used the number I did (5) because I wanted a lot of delicious banana bread flavor in my vegan baked oatmeal!

More Recipes Like This

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