Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal (Easy and Healthy)

This quick-and-easy Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal is perfect for a cozy breakfast or healthy snack throughout the week. It’s great for meal prep and a delicious way to use up those too-ripe bananas. This freezer-friendly recipe is one that everyone will enjoy. It’s a good idea to double the recipe and freeze half for an easy breakfast or snack option down the road.

 

An Easy Breakfast that everyone will love

Buying an extra bunch of bananas is always a good idea. Having overripe bananas on hand leads to so many possibilities. In fact, we have an entire blog post on delicious ways to use overripe bananas featuring 12 easy recipes, one of which is this Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal. This baked oatmeal can be served warm or cold and is so good topped with a drizzle of peanut butter. For a boost of protein, we recommend adding Greek yogurt (as a side or as a topping) or a couple Turkey Sausage Patties to the meal. The result is a delicious breakfast that is sure to satisfy.

Chocolate Chip Banana Baked Oatmeal Ingredients

You can change up the ingredients with what you have on hand. Really, the only ingredients you need for the base of this recipe are oats, milk, overripe bananas and an egg (or egg substitute). Beyond that, you can make this recipe your own by adding what you have on hand. For example, don’t have walnuts? Try chopped pecans or omit the nuts altogether. No chocolate chips? Add blueberries or raisins instead. Here’s what to gather:

• Old-fashioned rolled oats – if gluten-free is needed, use certified gluten-free oats.
• Ground cinnamon
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Egg – for egg-free, mix 1 tablespoon flax meal + 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl- let set for 5-10 minutes before using in place of the eggs in this recipe
• Overripe bananas – you’ll need 3 medium size ripe or overripe bananas
• Milk of choice – use non-dairy milk of choice to make dairy-free
• Pure vanilla extract
• Walnuts – may sub any nut of choice or omit for nut-free
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – use diary-free chocolate chips to make it dairy-free

How to make Chocolate Chip Banana Baked Oatmeal

This recipe is so easy. It’s made all in one bowl, in fact you could even combine all of the ingredients right in the baking dish, if you’d like. This one is as easy as add, stir, and bake. Now you’re starting to see why we loved baked oatmeal so much! Here are the quick steps to make this banana baked oatmeal with chocolate chips:

1. Preheat the oven and prep the dish: Get started by preheating an oven to 375ºF and greasing a square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, oil, or butter.
2. Mix the ingredients: Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl (or the baking dish) and stir well. Then transfer to the prepared baking dish and top with extra walnuts and chocolate chips.
3. Bake the oatmeal: Bake 35-40 minutes or until center is cooked through. Then remove from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
4. Top and serve: Top servings with peanut butter, banana slices, chopped walnuts, cinnamon and/or yogurt, if desired.

Scroll down for the printable recipe card, including ingredient amounts, complete directions, and full nutrition analysis (which includes calories, carbs, grams of fiber, grams of protein, minerals, and more).

Banana Baked Oatmeal: Recipe substitutions and Simple Swaps

One of the winning qualities of this recipe is its versatility. You can easily change up the ingredients with what you have on hand, what sounds good to you, or to accommodate for any food allergies and/or sensitivities in your home. Our goal is to make every recipe work for you and those you are serving.

Gluten-Free

Oats are naturally gluten-free but there’s always a small chance of cross-contamination during the processing of oats. So if you’re highly sensitive to gluten or have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, we recommend using certified gluten-free oats.

Dairy-Free

To make this recipe dairy-free, use a non-dairy milk such as almond milk and dairy-free/vegan chocolate chips such as Enjoy Life brand.

Egg-Free

To make this recipe egg-free, mix 1 tablespoon flax meal + 3 tablespoons water in a small – let set for 5-10 minutes to thicken before using.

Nut-Free

To make this baked oatmeal but-free simply omit the walnuts.

Vegan

For 100% plant-based or vegan, follow the dairy-free and egg-free suggestions above.

Make this baked oatmeal your own with simple swaps

Here are a few suggestions for simple swaps and additions you can make to this easy baked oatmeal recipe:

• For the chocolate chips – sub raisin, dried cranberries, dried apricots, or any other dried fruit. Fresh or frozen blueberries would also be delicious
• For the walnuts – try pecans, almonds, or a mix of your favorite nuts
• For a pumpkin flavor – use pumpkin puree instead of bananas and pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon (or try our Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal)
• For even more flavor, add toppings – great topping suggestions include a drizzle or dollop of nut butter, sliced banana or other fruit, a spoonful of yogurt, a drizzle of milk, whipped topping, maple syrup, honey, chopped nuts, and/or a few extra chocolate chips
• For a nutritious boost – add a little flax meal, chia seeds, hemp hearts, or coconut flakes
• For a protein boost – replace a 1/2 cup of the oats with a 1/2 cup of your favorite protein powder. Click here for our favorite plant based protein powders or click here for our favorite whey protein powders

Banana Baked Oatmeal is Perfect for meal prep!

Add Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal to your weekend meal prep menu and enjoy it throughout the week, warm or cold. A classic bowl of oatmeal is pretty tasty, but the convenience of having it already made and ready for eating, is quite nice. To meal prep this recipe, simply follow the recipe as written. Once out of the oven and cooled, store the oatmeal bake in the refrigerator, and enjoy it throughout the week.

How to store Banana Chocolate chip Baked Oatmeal

You can store baked oatmeal in the refrigerator or freezer.

• In the refrigerator – after the baked oatmeal has cooled, cover the baking dish or transfer the baked oatmeal to an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• In the freezer – after the baked oatmeal has cooled, cut the baked oatmeal into individual portions, transfer to an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutritious ingredients in This Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal

When you keep Baked Oatmeal on hand, you’ll always have an easy, delicious, and healthy breakfast or snack option within reach. Here are some stand-out ingredients in this recipe:

• Oats – the oats contain a great soluble fiber known as beta-glucan, which has been shown to reduce LDL and total cholesterol, keep your gut microbiome healthy, and help balance blood sugar
• Banana –  known for being a great source of potassium (important for heart-health), bananas also provide a good amount of fiber and antioxidants
• Egg – this healthy ingredient gives you high-quality protein, healthy fats, iron, and two eye-health ingredients, lutein and zeaxanthin
• Walnuts – a plant-based powerhouse, walnuts are tasty, easy to source, and being packed with fiber, healthy fats (omega-3 fatty acids), and antioxidants you’ll be fueling your brain and heart in a healthy way
• Cinnamon – a fragrant spice, cinnamon is a good source of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, is may improve gut health

The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.

For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!