Simple Bananas Foster Oatmeal – For Breakfast or Dessert

Bananas Foster Oatmeal turns a classic dessert into a healthy breakfast with steel cut oats and caramelized bananas in 20 minutes! It’s sweetened with a touch of maple syrup and flavored with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon.

Ok, I confess. I made this recipe a long time ago. (Actually, I made it recently too, but that’s because I make it all the time. I took these pictures when I made this a really long time ago.)

At the time I felt like I had just posted a whole slew of oatmeal recipes, and lest you all see me for the oatmeal junkie I am, I was planning to withhold my Bananas Foster Oatmeal recipe for a few weeks in hopes that you wouldn’t catch on to my oatmeal addiction. (And yes, now I’ve gone and blown my cover.)

Anyway, a few weeks turned into a few months and I completely forgot about posting it. At least until I craved it again. If you enjoy bananas and oatmeal, I highly recommend this take on healthy Bananas Foster!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It makes just one perfect serving! This healthy Bananas Foster is great if you’re in the mood for a sweet breakfast or if you want a healthier dessert.
• Adjust it easily. This Bananas Foster Oatmeal is easy to scale up if you’re feeding more people.
• Special diet friendly. This is gluten free (make sure to check the label of your oatmeal to make sure it’s certified gluten free if you have a gluten sensitivity or allergy), naturally sweetened, and easy to make vegan.

Easy Bananas Foster Oatmeal Recipe

The ingredients are explained in this section. For the full recipe (including ingredient amounts), please see the recipe card below.

Ingredients in Bananas Foster Oats

• Steel cut oats – also called Irish oats, steel cut oats are a less-processed version of rolled oats; this recipe was developed using steel cut oats, which need more liquid to cook than other types of oats, and also take a little longer to cook
• Banana – some of the banana goes into the oats to act as a natural sweetener, and we caramelize some of the banana to top the oatmeal with
• Plain unsweetened milk – you can use any type of plain, unsweetened milk you like here; I usually use whole milk (cow’s milk), but you can keep this recipe vegan by using plant-based milk
• Water – steel cut oats need a little more liquid to cook than regular oats, so we add a little water too
• Salt – so the oatmeal isn’t bland
• Cinnamon – cinnamon is a delicious pairing with banana; if you want, you can bump up the cinnamon to 1/4 teaspoon
• Coconut oil – this is to caramelize the banana slices; or you can use clarified butter
• Vanilla extract – for flavor and aroma
• Water – we need a splash of water to cook the caramelized banana to help release all the delicious caramelized bits from the skillet
• Chopped walnuts – nuts are an optional topping; you can omit them, or go with whatever your favorite type of nut is (I also love pecans here!)
• Pure maple syrup – along with banana, maple is the natural sweetener we use for this oatmeal; you can omit it or use any sweetener you like (honey is also delicious in this recipe)

How to Make Bananas Foster Oatmeal

Step 1: Cook the Oats:

Combine the oats, 1/3 of the sliced banana, water, milk, salt, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Cook on medium-low heat for about 12 to 15 minutes (whisking frequently), until it reaches your desired consistency.

Step 2: Caramelize the Banana:

Add the coconut oil to a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the remaining banana slices and cook until they start to brown slightly (do not stir them). Flip the bananas, add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon water, and cook 30 seconds.

Step 3: Finishing Touches:

Top the oatmeal with the bananas, walnuts, and maple syrup.

Tips for Making Bananas Foster Oatmeal

• Use steel-cut oats. This recipe was developed using steel cut oats. They need more liquid to cook an they take longer to make than other types of oats. If you want to use another type of oats (such as old-fashioned rolled oats or instant oats), you will have to adjust the amount of liquid and the cooking time.
• The perfect banana. You know how when you’re making banana bread, the more brown the better? That’s not how it is for this recipe. If you try to caramelize a brown banana, it’ll just turn to mush. For this recipe, a yellow banana (with just one or two brown spots) works best.
• Customize it to suit your tastes. You can use any type of sweetener you like. Swap out the nuts, or omit them if you prefer. Also, feel free to add more cinnamon if you want.

More Oatmeal Recipes to Make

• Easy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Recipe in Less Than 10 Minutes
• Irish Oatmeal with Hot Buttered Cinnamon Apples
• Keto Oatmeal (aka Noatmeal or Low Carb Oatmeal)

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xoxo, Faith

Bananas Foster Oatmeal Recipe

By: Faith Gorsky

Bananas Foster Oatmeal turns a classic dessert into a healthy breakfast with steel cut oats and caramelized bananas in 20 minutes! It’s sweetened with a touch of maple syrup and flavored with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 1 serving

Calories 479 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1/4 cup steel cut oats
• ▢ 1 medium banana sliced into 1/3 to 1/2-inch thick slices and divided
• ▢ 1/2 cup plain unsweetened milk
• ▢ 1/4 cup water
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut oil or clarified butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup more or less to taste

Instructions

 

• Combine the oats, 1/3 of the sliced banana, water, milk, salt, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Cook on medium-low heat for about 12 to 15 minutes (whisking frequently), until it reaches your desired consistency.
• Add the coconut oil to a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the remaining banana slices and cook until they start to brown slightly (do not stir them). Flip the bananas, add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon water, and cook 30 seconds.
• Top the oatmeal with the bananas, walnuts, and maple syrup.

Faith’s Tips

• Use steel-cut oats. This recipe was developed using steel cut oats. They need more liquid to cook an they take longer to make than other types of oats. If you want to use another type of oats (such as old-fashioned rolled oats or instant oats), you will have to adjust the amount of liquid and the cooking time.
• The perfect banana. You know how when you’re making banana bread, the more brown the better? That’s not how it is for this recipe. If you try to caramelize a brown banana, it’ll just turn to mush. For this recipe, a yellow banana (with just one or two brown spots) works best.
• To Keep This Vegan: Use plant-based milk, coconut oil to caramelize the banana, and maple syrup (or agave nectar) as the sweetener. 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Bananas Foster Oatmeal Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 479 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Polyunsaturated Fat 5g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 15mg5%

Sodium 343mg15%

Potassium 672mg19%

Carbohydrates 66g22%

Fiber 8g33%

Sugar 25g28%

Protein 13g26%

Vitamin A 276IU6%

Vitamin C 10mg12%

Calcium 199mg20%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword Bananas Foster Oatmeal, Bananas Foster Oatmeal Recipe, Healthy Bananas Foster

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