Creamy, chewy oats, bananas, and pecans are topped with a generous drizzle of maple syrup to make this warm and filling Banana Nut Oatmeal. Less than 10 minutes of effort is required to put this hot breakfast on the table.

Oatmeal with Bananas

I love making oatmeal for breakfast. The fillings and toppings are endless and the different variations keep it interesting.

Different variations of banana oatmeal tend to be my go-to addition to stovetop oatmeal recipes. We pretty much always have a basket of bananas on the counter and everyone enjoys them.

My two youngest boys are always happiest with a bowl of oatmeal first thing in the morning.

Maple Oatmeal

While you can sweeten oatmeal in any number of different ways, I’ve found that a small amount of maple syrup provides a lot of flavor and sweetness.

Depending on the oatmeal add-ins, some fruits will provide all the sweetness I want, but when the oatmeal needs just a little something more, I reach for the maple syrup.

When I have it on hand a dollop of whipped cream is a big treat for the kids and it gives the illusion of eating dessert for breakfast. (That is a win with everyone!)

Healthy Apple Fritter Baked Oatmeal

I’m am obsessed with apple fritters. I am obsessed with baked oatmeal. So I mashed the two together in a healthy apple fritter baked oatmeal and it is rockstar status!

Our first Saturday morning without an ounce of errands or unpacking and we needed a good, old fashioned family breakfast and surprisingly one of the kiddos had asked for oatmeal so obviously I had to go all out.

Oh dear, so begins another obsession. Get ready, folks because I’m about to start creating 50 different versions of baked oatmeal recipes.

What flavor combination would you like next?

When we had finally settled into a new city back in August I was dragging my feet to get cooking again. I’d barely cooked real meals all summer due to packing and now most of our kitchen stuff is in a storage unit and it’s been hard to find the motivation to get going again. But alas, I also detest not having sit down family dinners or eating out all the time, so I put on my big girl pants and totally eased into it. No jumping in when you’re exhausted from life, am I right?

What better way to ease in than to make breakfast for dinner recipes?

This healthy breakfast recipe is the perfect solution and came about from me winging it with random pantry ingredients. But my goodness, when you have both a 16 and 6 year old raving over OATMEAL you know you’ve found a winner! 

Ingredients for Apple Fritter Baked Oatmeal

In the next section, I’m going to go into how to make this simple breakfast recipe, but first thing’s first, here are the ingredients you will need:

• Old Fashioned Oats – old fashioned really do work the best, instant oats get too soggy and steel cut outs don’t soften up enough
• Eggs – bind the baked oatmeal together
• Milk – you can use any kind of milk you want
• Apple Butter (or Applesauce) – apple butter adds a little extra richness and buttery flavor, but applesauce works just great too
• Maple Syrup – pure maple syrup is preferred
• Vanilla – adds the best flavor
• Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice – all the warm fall spices that go so well with apples
• Salt – enhances all the flavors
• Baking Soda – gives the baked oatmeal some rise and fluffiness
• Golden Raisins – regular raisins will work fine too, I just prefer the flavor of golden raisins
• Sliced Almonds (optional) – sometimes I include them and sometimes I don’t, they add some nice crunch and protein
• Minced Dried Apples – be sure to get dried apples

For the Glaze

• Powdered Sugar – all the swe

Rich, nutty notes and rolled, hearty oats create true poetry in this creamy, dreamy Peanut Butter Oatmeal. It’s pure comfort food for breakfast.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal

I still remember the cringe I felt when my son suggested I make peanut butter and jelly oatmeal, so many years ago. Well, my kids loved this breakfast. How could they not, when it reminded them of their favorite sandwich?

The peanut butter thickens the oatmeal and creates a distinct peanut butter flavor. Combined with the jelly, this oatmeal really is reminiscent of my boys’ favorite sandwich. I actually enjoyed eating it, too.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal

When I mentioned this new concept to my brother, he laughed and informed me that he stirs peanut butter into his oatmeal pretty much every day. I was simply late to the game.

We’ve since added sliced bananas and chopped apples to this oatmeal recipe for a fun variation. When adding apples, I add them at the beginning, so that they have a few minutes to soften.

I add slices of fresh bananas as a topping after the oatmeal has cooked. Personally, I prefer creamy over crunchy peanut butter for this recipe. But, if you like nuts in your oatmeal, it’s a great way to get them in there.

Just as with apples, be sure to add them early enough to let them soften a bit during the cooking process. Otherwise, the texture is too crunchy for me.

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I’ve been making peaches and cream oatmeal all summer long; filled with soft pecans and sweet peaches, this is a memorable breakfast. I save a couple of peaches to make this oatmeal almost every time I buy fresh peaches.

And if you dare to top your oatmeal with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this really might be the best oatmeal you’ll ever eat. We aren’t new to the ice cream and oatmeal combination over here. 

If you haven’t tried ice cream with your oatmeal yet, you are missing out on some serious awesomeness for your breakfast! While it may sound a little crazy at first, I figure that a small scoop of ice cream has to be comparable to a spoonful of sugar and a splash of milk, right? If I’m wrong, just don’t tell me.

Oatmeal and Peaches

Peach oatmeal is pretty amazing on its own though, so feel free to skip the ice cream and eat it plain. Or top it with a pat of butter and a sprinkling of brown sugar.

Like the blueberries and cream oatmeal I’ve raved about in the past, this oatmeal is pretty awesome with a drizzle of cream as well.

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Protein Chocolate Chip Cookie Baked Oatmeal in a Mug

If you want a simple and delicious high protein breakfast (27g!) that tastes like a chocolate chip cookie, then you have to try this protein chocolate chip cookie baked oatmeal in a mug!

I’ve seen the recipes for oatmeal in a mug, aka mug cake, a slightly healthier mug cake, haha, but I wasn’t loving a lot of the recipes. It turns out that they all had a piece of a puzzle and merely needed to all be put together! This healthy baked oatmeal in a mug has a little protein powder which gives extra flavor and nutrients without overcomplicating the recipe.

Whenever we have a busy day or I’m not in the mood to cook I’ll make a little baked oatmeal and let the family pick out their toppings. It’s like pancake night, but less sugar!

Speaking of, if you want to go all crazy with this protein breakfast recipe you can totally mix up the flavors and add-ins (see ideas below).

Ingredients for Baked Oatmeal in a Mug

Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for blended baked oats. This is meant to be a quick snippet of what is included. For all the details, scroll down to the recipe card.

• Banana: adds natural sweetness and moisture
• Egg: binds all the ingredients together
• Oats: You can use old fashioned oats or quick oats since you blend it up. I prefer old fashioned because it’s been processed less. You could also use oat flour if you prefer (since that’s what we are making when we blend these oats up). Use a scant 1/2 cup of oat flour. NOTE: Steel cut oats will not work for this recipe.
• Protein Powder: You can use any flavor you want. Vanilla is my favorite for that true chocolate chip cookie flavor. We have been using coconut flavored protein powder lately which is also yummy because that’s what we have right now.
• Milk: any type of milk works great…whole, 2%, 1%, fat free, almond milk, oat milk, etc.
• Baking Powder: gives the mug cake some rise and fluffiness
• Salt: enhances all the flavors

Substitutes for Banana

I know that there are strong feelings about bananas out there, so if you aren’t a banana fan or you don’t have any, here are few ideas for substitutes:

• Applesauce
• Zucchini
• Apple Butter
• Yogurt
• Canned Pumpkin

You’ll want to use about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of these.

Ideas for Toppings and Mix-Ins

You don’t have to stop at chocolate chip cookie flavor! The possibilities are endless! You can change the flavor of protein powder you use as well as the toppings or mix-ins you add. Here are a few ideas to customize your own baked oatmeal in a mug…

• Chopped nuts – pecans, almonds, walnuts, etc.
• Nutella
• Caramel
• Granola
• Yogurt
• Chopped fruit
• Nut butter – peanut butter, almond butter, etc.
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