This banana oatmeal is inspired by my favorite-ever recipe for banana nut bread. A bakery-style loaf will always have toasted walnuts, plenty of vanilla, and (of course) ripe banana. We’re bringing all of the above to a humble bowl of oatmeal for a little extra fun.
I like to give options for either chewy or creamy oatmeal. If you prefer creamy, you’ll add the larger amount of liquid and simmer it for a bit longer. If you prefer chewy, you’ll add the smaller amount of liquid and simmer for just a few minutes.
Jump to the recipe to hit the ground running, or read on if you need a bit more help deciding whether you’re in the mood for chewy or creamy oats.
Creamy vs. chewy banana oatmeal
Here’s a video to help you decide which one you might be in the mood for:
The bottom line:
- Creamy oatmeal requires a whole lot of extra liquid + a tiny bit of extra time. Creamy oatmeal has the texture of a beautiful stirred custard. If grabbing a bowl of oatmeal from a fancy hotel breakfast bar is your idea of luxury, then this is the one for you.
- Chewy oatmeal is more like what you get with the recipe on the side of the box. It sets up more firmly than creamy oatmeal, and it has a pleasantly squidgy texture, a little bit like bread pudding. If hotel oatmeal sounds just a little bit too much like cafeteria oatmeal, then this is the oatmeal for you.
Above all else, go with whichever one looks best to you in the above video (which features cinnamon oatmeal, but uses the same idea as this banana oatmeal recipe). Visuals are your best bet!
A few other notes about this recipe:
- Unless you have to for dietary reasons, don’t skip the salt! It really makes the topping stand out.
- You don’t have to toast the walnuts, but I recommend doing so if you time. You can toast them in a pan or in the oven. Keep a close eye on them—they will go from raw to burnt very quickly.
- The banana you use in the oatmeal should be ripe; anywhere from overripe to brown-spotted will work great. For the topping, I don’t recommend using an overripe banana, and just recommend a brown spotted banana. Overripe bananas are best cooked.
Banana Oatmeal (creamy or chewy)
- Yield: 2 small chewy servings, 2 large creamy servings
Ingredients
for the oats:
- ¾ cup old fashioned oats [75g]
- ⅓ cup mashed ripe banana, from about 1 banana [80g]
- Between ¾ – 1½ cups water* [175g – 355g]
- Between ½ – 1¼ cups your milk of choice* [120g – 300g]
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
for the walnut brown sugar topping:
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp chopped toasted walnuts
- A pinch of salt
- Banana slices
Instructions
- For the oats: Bring the oats, banana, water, milk, and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring every minute or so. Once it comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally. With the larger amount of liquid, this will take about 12 minutes**, until the liquid thickens and the oatmeal softens. With the smaller amount of liquid, this will take about 4 minutes, until the oatmeal thickens significantly.
- Stir in the vanilla once the oatmeal is done.
- Pour into bowls and let it cool off for a few minutes (it will thicken a little more after a couple minutes).
- For the topping: Stir together the sugar, walnuts, and salt. Top bowls with banana slices and sprinkle with the walnut mixture.
Notes
* If you are a fan of creamy oatmeal (see photos above the recipe), use the larger amount of both the water and milk.
If you are a fan of chewy oatmeal (see photos above the recipe), use the smaller amount of both water and milk.
Use whatever milk you’d like. I prefer using either soy milk or cow’s milk. In my experience, oat milk tends to be too starchy for making oatmeal. But any alternative milk will do.
** For the creamier, longer-simmering version, it will start out watery, and at a certain point it will noticeably thicken, while still remaining very pourable and creamy. Leave it uncovered the whole time, and be careful not to let it bubble over. If you’re using a wide pan instead of a small saucepan, you may need to add a bit more water as it cooks (more water will evaporate from a wide pan).
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