Caramelized Banana Oatmeal
This caramelized banana oatmeal is creamy, delicious and only takes about 15 minutes to make. It’s vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free and will be sure to impress! Add a drizzle of almond butter on top for a hearty and easy breakfast.
What’s your favorite breakfast? I’m a sucker for a good blueberry smoothie when the weather warms up, but oatmeal and sweet potato breakfast bowls are my go-to’s on colder fall and winter days. This caramelized banana oatmeal is one of my all time favorite recipes (an Eat With Clarity original), and yours too! I originally created this recipe over 6 years ago when my blog was just my instagram account and it was so popular over there I had to make it an official EWC recipe.
It’s creamy, vegan, gluten free super easy to make, and tastes like dessert yet is made with simple and wholesome ingredients.
It’s completely refined sugar free but somehow tastes like you’re eating a super decadent and fancy dessert, but it’s breakfast and only takes 15 or so minutes to make. The oatmeal is made on the stovetop, but you can definitely make it in the microwave instead and make this recipe even quicker! Use these caramelized bananas to top off my protein overnight oats or oat flour pancakes!
Before we get started…
- If you want to up the protein content, you can mix in some chia or flax seeds into the oatmeal. They will absorb a good amount of moisture so you may need to add more milk or water to account for this.
- To fry the bananas, you can use coconut oil or butter.
- Oats are naturally gluten free, just be sure to use certified gluten free oats if you have Celiac because they are often contaminated during processing.
How to make caramelized banana oatmeal
If I had known how easy it was to caramelize bananas, I would have been doing it years ago! They’re so good and can take a boring bowl of oatmeal and make it a million times better.
Trust me, they’re amazing. Follow these simple steps to make the perfect golden brown caramelized bananas that you can use in oatmeal, on pancakes etc.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of refined coconut oil to a pan and let it melt over low-medium heat. Add in the maple syrup once it is sizzling and the sliced bananas.
Cook the bananas on each side for about 5-7 minutes. They will start to smell nice and sweet and become a golden brown color. That’s it! Making caramelized bananas is so simple and doesn’t require any refined sugar.
You can also have them as dessert with some coconut whipped cream, on top of pancakes, or with oatmeal like this recipe. Try my baked oatmeal cups next!
Key ingredients
Oats: I prefer old fashioned/rolled oats but steal cut or quick oats also work. However, the cook time and method will vary. The recipe is written for old fashioned oats.
Banana: When it comes to caramelizing bananas, I personally find it easier to use a banana that’s yellow. Not too ripe, but also not unripe. If it’s too ripe it will get a bit mushy, and if it’s too green then it won’t soften properly. Right in the middle is what you’re aiming for!
Oil: I suggest using refined coconut oil for this recipe to make sure there is no coconut taste. If you don’t have it, regular coconut oil is fine. I used 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to caramelize the bananas, but you can probably get away with only using 1, depending on the type of pan you use. If you notice the bananas sticking at all, just add some extra oil.
Non-dairy Milk: You can sub the milk for water, but the milk helps make the oats much creamier. I usually use almond milk, but soy, oat, coconut milk or cows milk all work. Or even my homemade walnut milk.
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Maple Syrup or Sugar: In order to caramelize the bananas, they need to come into contact with a sugar. I like using maple syrup but coconut sugar or brown sugar works well and helps brown the bananas really nicely.
Cinnamon: To help flavor the oats and because it pairs so well with the caramelized bananas.
Vanilla: You can use vanilla almond milk and leave this part out. I love vanilla, so I usually add extra!
Toppings of choice: Obviously the bananas make a great topping for oats, but I also love some almond or peanut butter, crushed walnuts, and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon for this recipe.
Flavor tips
To make this recipe even more flavorful than it already is, you can mash 1/2 or 1 full banana and cook that into the oats.
It gives it almost a banana bread vibe and really takes this oatmeal to the next level. This is totally optional, the oats will still be delicious without it!
Can I add protein powder?
Yes! If you want to make this a more protein rich meal, you can add in a scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder and cook that into the oats.
You may need to add in some more milk since it will thick the oats quite a bit. You can also try collagen peptides if you don’t want to change the flavor much.
Can I prep in advance?
You can prep the oatmeal in advance but I do not recommend preparing the bananas in advance. Once prepared, the oatmeal will keep for 3 days.
If you do prep the oatmeal in advance, it will thicken a bit as it sits in the fridge, so I suggest adding it to the stove with a splash of milk so it gets nice and creamy again. Just heat until its warm through the center and enjoy!
You’ll also love…
- Baked Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal
- PB & J Overnight Oats
- Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
- Blueberry Overnight Oats
- Gluten Free Granola
Lastly, if you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list! As always, if you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on instagram so I can see your creation and leave a comment below with your thoughts!
Caramelized Banana Oatmeal
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Oatmeal:
- 1 cup rolled/old fashioned oats
- 2 cups non-dairy milk I like soy or almond
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Bananas:
- 2 bananas sliced into disks
- 1-2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup plus more for topping, if desired
Instructions
- Add the oats and non dairy milk or water to a pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, add cinnamon, sea salt, and vanilla and let simmer until thickened.
- While the oatmeal is cooking, add the coconut oil and maple syrup to a large saute pan. Once it is sizzling, add in the sliced bananas. It’s best to cut them a bit on the thicker side for this recipe.
- Cook on each side for about 5 minutes, or until nice and golden brown.
- When the oatmeal is done, top with the caramelized bananas and additional maple syrup if desired.
- Top with an extra pinch of cinnamon, crushed walnuts, pecans, or nut butter and enjoy.
Notes
Comments
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Best hot oatmeal I’ve ever had!! I added pecans to the caramelizing bananas at the end. Soooo good.
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Thank you, Sarah!
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Yum this was so good and easy!
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Made this today. Followed recipe to a T, but added my own tweaks. I added a bit of vanilla extract to the oatmeal, a bit of golden Monkfruit (brown sugar substitute), 10 sugar-free chocolate chips, (once stirred in, they melt beautifully) and a sprinkle of toasted coconut on top. It tastes like banana bread 🙂
My only complaint is that the bananas didn’t crsip at all, they just turned to mush. I used coconut oil, so it’s probably just something I need to experiment with more. Thank you for the lovely recipe! It’s scrumptious!
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They should definitely crisp! You may need to cook for a bit longer, depends on your pan!
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Pretty good! I would just say to keep a close eye on the bananas as they’re cooking. I overcooked mine a little. They still taste good, but tend to stick to the teeth and everything else lol.
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This tasted so delicious. I love oatmeal!
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Loved this! Super easy, very filling. I’d recommend cutting your bananas into bigger slices. I made some of my thin, and they turned to mush! I’m trying to give a 5 ***** but it keeps reverting to three… so FIVE STARS!
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My whole life I’ve been plagued by bland oatmeal. However, recently I’ve discovered steel cut oats and I’ve been having a breakfast love affair with them ever since. I love adding fruit and brown sugar into my oats to add flavor… so this recipe was right up my alley! Instead of coconut oil, I used butter (not vegan). It turned out so yummy, however I want to experiment with cooking time and heat for this recipe because the bananas turned out more mushy and not as crispy as I would ideally want. Maybe that wouldn’t have happened if I used the coconut oil. Also my maple syrup has a bourbon flavor to it. That added a nice flavor element to the bananas but I think I would have preferred just plain maple syrup. I’m curious if anyone else has tried this recipe with a different oil and how that turned out. Nothing against coconut oil but I don’t have any rn!
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This was amazing! Just added some pecans as well and now I’m obsessed. Thank you for this!!!
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Sounds perfect, thanks Morgan!
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I recommend adding whipped topping to the top. It adds a needed creaminess. And while your at it, a twist of crushed salt. Makes all the difference.
Watch the bananas carefully, they go from carmelized to burnt real quick.
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I make bland oatmeal for my kids everyday , thank goodness they still eat it. I noticed right away the 1 cup of oats to 2 cups of milk. I figured it would be drowning, but stuck with it. unfortunately, my oats are drowning. Looks like milk with floating oats lol. What am I missing ? I’ve tried twice with keeping the heat up a little higher and then longer but with no success.
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What kind of oats are you using? If you’re using quick oats, you will need less milk. But old fashioned/rolled oats require a 1:2 ratio.
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I eat banana oatmeal with peanut butter every day for breakfast (what can I say? I’m a creature of habit) and saw this recipe while perusing on Pinterest. Figuring it wasn’t too far out of my comfort zone, I gave it a shot and WOW this was soooo delicious. On mornings where I am willing to put in a little extra effort in my breakfast prep, I’ll definitely be revisiting this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
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This was delicious it literally tastes like dessert!
I also love this site but it’s honestly so consumed with advertisements. I can barley make it through a video without being interrupted and when I scroll I’m just riddled with ads. Disappointing.-
Hi Sam, I totally get it. However, keep in mind the content I share is completely free. I do not get paid to put out content, and the only way for me to support myself and this business is to have ads on my website. It’s just the reality of the business.
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