Chocolate Banana Baked Oatmeal

This Chocolate Banana Baked Oatmeal is a healthy, easy breakfast that can be made ahead of time, making breakfasts a breeze. This vegan-friendly recipe can also be drizzled with peanut butter for added protein or left as is. Who doesn’t love a good chocolate and peanut butter combo though?

Chocolatey baked oatmeal that tastes like a dessert but is made with only healthy ingredients! Chocolate Banana Baked Oatmeal is easy to make, delicious and nutritious! The three main requirements for any breakfast in my book!

This oatmeal is easily one of my favorite ways to have oatmeal in the morning! What’s not to love?! It’s rich and chocolatey but made entirely with healthy ingredients that are good for you. Who wouldn’t want to satisfy a chocolate craving without any guilt?

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it can be made ahead of time. I just cut a slice and warm it in the microwave for a bit in the morning. Breakfast is literally ready in seconds!

My recipe for Chocolate Banana Baked Oatmeal is refined sugar free, gluten free and vegan too.

If you love make ahead baked oatmeal recipes, be sure to also check out my Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal.

Ingredients in Chocolate Banana Baked Oatmeal

• Bananas: mashed overripe bananas are used in this recipe. You will need 1 1/2 cups worth. Overripe bananas also provide some sweetness to this baked oatmeal without requiring too much added sugar (or maple syrup in this recipe). If your bananas are not very sweet, you may want to consider adding a bit more maple syrup to this recipe.
  
  
• Rolled oats or Old Fashioned Oats
  
  
• Milk: You can use any type of milk you like for this. 1% milk, 2% milk, whole milk, or even nondairy milks like almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk. Opt for a sugar-free non dairy milk so you can control the sweetness in this recipe.
  
  
• Maple syrup: The sweetener of choice in this recipe offers a delicious flavor while keeping this refined sugar free. If you don’t have maple syrup or aren’t a fan, you can substitute honey (it won’t be vegan anymore if you do this though) or a granulated sugar.
  
  
• Ground flaxseed: optional but adds extra nutrients to this recipe without affecting the flavor or texture. The flax is undetectable in the end.
  
  
• Vanilla extract: adds another dimension of flavor to this baked oatmeal.
  
  
• Cocoa powder: Dutch processed or unsweetened cocoa powder.
  
  
• Salt: enhances the flavor of baked treats.
  
  
• Chocolate chips: This optional topping adds a little more chocolate flavor. You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips (make sure they are vegan if you wish to keep this recipe vegan).
  
  
• Peanut butter: This optional ingredient is melted and drizzled on top before serving. Highly recommend it as chocolate and peanut butter are a match made in heaven. I left is optional, however, so if you are serving this to anyone with dietary restrictions preventing them from eating nuts, you can forego it.

**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**

How to make Chocolate Banana Baked Oatmeal

1. Mix all of the ingredients together. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
   
   
2. Bake. Pour into baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or until set.
   
   
3. Adding chocolate chips and cool. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips (optional). Let cool completely before slicing.
   
   
4. Optional: serve with peanut butter or sliced bananas. You can drizzle peanut butter on top before serving if you wish. If you are using the peanut butter, microwave it for a few seconds to make it thinner and easier to drizzle. You can also serve this with sliced banana, if you wish.

Sneaking in extra ingredients for a nutrition boost

I already sneaked in some extra nutrients to this recipe through the ground flaxseed which is a source of fiber as well as Omega-3 fatty acids. This addition doesn’t affect the taste of the baked oatmeal and is undetectable in the final result.

In addition to the ground flaxseed or instead of it, you can also add some of the following ingredients for a nutrition boost:

• hemp seeds
  
  
• chia seeds
  
  
• nuts: for added crunch, healthy fats and protein, you can sprinkle in some nuts. Pecans and walnuts are my personal favorites but you can use pretty much any you like.

Can you prepare this in advance?

Yes! As mentioned earlier, this recipe is great for meal prepping. The entire dish can be baked in advance so you have breakfast ready to go for the week.

Storing leftovers and reheating

Once cooled completely, leftovers can be placed in an airtight container or covered in plastic food wrap and placed in the fridge. If stored properly, it will keep in the fridge for about 4 days. For longer storage, see below for freezing option.

To reheat the oatmeal, you can simply microwave for about 30 seconds or until warmed through.

Can you freeze baked oatmeal?

Yes, baked oatmeal can easily be frozen and ready to go for future breakfasts.

To freeze the oatmeal, cover it well with plastic food wrap and place it in a freezer safe bag or container. Ideally, you will want to slice and wrap individual servings so you can heat up as many slices as you need on a given day.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

-Cathy

You may also like:

If you, like me, like a good make ahead breakfast, check out some of my other go-to recipes:

Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal
Sausage, Squash and Spinach Breakfast Bake
Healthy Dark Chocolate Granola
Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Pumpkin Baked French Toast Casserole