Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (use certified gluten-free if needed)
- 2-3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1½ cups)
- ½ cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups milk (any kind)
- ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
- ⅓ cup chopped peanuts or walnuts (optional)
- 1 banana, sliced (for topping, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Your Oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease a 9×9-inch baking dish with butter, cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper for easy cleanup and removal.
- Mash the Bananas: In a large mixing bowl, mash your ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are fine—they’ll add texture to the finished dish.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Add the peanut butter to the mashed bananas and mix until well combined. Then add the eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and stir everything together until smooth and creamy. The mixture should be well incorporated with no large streaks of peanut butter remaining.
- Add Dry Ingredients: To the wet mixture, add the rolled oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir everything together until the oats are completely coated and evenly distributed throughout the mixture. If you’re using chocolate chips or nuts, fold them in now, reserving some for topping if desired.
- Transfer to Baking Dish: Pour the oatmeal mixture into your prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly with a spatula or spoon. Gently tap the dish on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. If using, arrange banana slices on top in a decorative pattern and sprinkle with reserved chocolate chips or nuts.
- Bake: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the center is set and doesn’t jiggle when you gently shake the pan. The edges should be lightly golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool and Serve: Remove from the oven and let the baked oatmeal cool for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing. This cooling time is important as it allows the oatmeal to firm up and makes cutting much easier. Cut into squares and serve warm with your favorite toppings—more peanut butter, banana slices, honey, Greek yogurt, or fresh berries.
Notes
- Make It Vegan: Use plant-based milk, replace eggs with flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 6 tablespoons water, let sit 5 minutes), and use maple syrup instead of honey.
- Nut-Free Version: Substitute peanut butter with sunflower seed butter or tahini for a nut-free alternative that’s school-safe.
- Adjust Sweetness: If your bananas are super ripe and sweet, you can reduce or eliminate the maple syrup entirely.
- Texture Preference: For creamier baked oatmeal, add an extra ¼ cup milk. For firmer, more cake-like squares, reduce milk by ¼ cup.
- Banana Ripeness: Very ripe bananas with brown spots work best as they’re sweeter and easier to mash.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square (approximately ⅛ of recipe)
- Calories: 275
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 215mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 47mg