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Cookies for breakfast? Yes, please. These Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies make an excellent grab-and-go breakfast and healthy snack. They're perfectly soft, chewy, chocolatey, and sweet! Gluten-free and vegan-friendly.
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Check out my Pineapple Raspberry Smoothie and my Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal for more breakfast recipes!
What are the healthiest cookies to eat? Breakfast cookies loaded with banana and oatmeal, of course! I love coming up with new ways to incorporate breakfast recipes into my weekly meal prep, and these banana oatmeal breakfast cookies are my new favorite.
Imagine savoring a bowl of sweet and gooey chocolate chip oatmeal rolled into a delicious bite-sized cookie. Yum! Treating yourself to one of these banana oatmeal cookies helps decrease hunger while answering a sweet tooth with a healthy cookie!
These flour-free oatmeal cookies are made with 6 fiber-rich, gluten-free, and plant-based ingredients. The results are a filling cookie to start the day off right -and who doesn't want to start the day with a delicious cookie?
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Whole food ingredients - These breakfast cookies are made with natural, non-processed ingredients.
- Great recipe for quick and easy breakfast meal prep.
- Kids love cookies. No one needs to know they're healthy cookies.
- Sweet and satisfying breakfast or snack on the run.
- Dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bananas: The riper the bananas, the better! As they ripen, they become sweeter and more flavorsome.
- Rolled Oats: Rather than using flour, rolled oats act as the cookie's structure. If gluten-free, be sure to use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- Almond Butter: Almond butter holds everything together. Feel free to use a different nut butter here (cashew, peanut butter, sun butter, etc.). The "good fats" in nut butter keep you feeling full and satisfied.
- Maple Syrup: These wouldn't be breakfast cookies without maple syrup! It sweetens the cookie perfectly -no refined sugar is needed! Feel free to use agave nectar or honey (although not vegan).
- Salt: Salt brings out the best naturally sweet, nutty, and delectable flavors.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor. For the best tasting oatmeal breakfast cookies, use quality pure vanilla extract.
- Chocolate Chips: You can use milk chocolate, semi-chocolate chips, or dark chocolate. However, to make vegan banana oatmeal cookies, make sure your chocolate is dairy-free and vegan.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep for baking.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 2: Mix cookie dough.
In a large mixing bowl, add bananas and mash them thoroughly with the back of a fork. Add oats, almond butter, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla to the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Then, fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 3: Shape cookies.
Using a large cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough into about a dozen cookies. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space in between each, and gently press on the top of each cookie to flatten them a bit.
Step 4: Bake and cool.
Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely before serving and storing.
NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!
Expert Tips
- Use ripe bananas - For baking purposes, ripe or overly ripened bananas are best. They obviously shouldn't be so far gone that they're spoiled. They're perfect when they're bruised and blemished.
- Add protein or collagen - Banana oatmeal cookies are great to enjoy pre and post work out. I sometimes add a couple of scoops of protein powder or collagen powder to the dough mixture for a protein boost. You can also add PB2 powder to the mix.
- Smush the dough a bit - After scooping the dough, lightly press down on the top of each. These cookies won't spread much while they bake, so I like to smush them down a bit, so they're the shape of a cookie instead of a round ball.
Variations
Use this simple banana oatmeal cookie recipe as a guide and customize your cookies with flavors and mix-ins. Check out the list below for some tasty ideas:
Nut Butter - Peanut butter is the best substitute for creamy almond butter. Sunflower butter, cashew butter, and walnut butter can also be used 1:1 with almond butter in breakfast cookies.
Extracts - A small amount of flavored extract goes a long way, adding great flavor. In addition to vanilla extract, you can use almond, hazelnut, coconut, orange, and walnut extracts to enhance the flavor.
Mix-ins - Instead of chocolate chips (or in addition to chocolate chips), fold in one of these yummy mix-ins:
- Dried Cranberries
- Chopped Dates
- M&Ms
- Chopped Nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts)
- Cacao Nibs
- Chia Seeds
- Marshmallows
Storing & Freezing
Storing: After cooling, transfer your breakfast cookies to an airtight container or resealable bag and keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Wrap cookies individually in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container or bag. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and enjoy cold or warmed up a bit.
Recipe FAQ‘s
You can. Just know that instant oats are more absorbent and take less time to cook. You may need to add more almond butter or maple syrup to the cookie dough to keep it from drying out. You'll also need to cut back the baking time by a few minutes.
There are about 160 calories per banana oatmeal breakfast cookie? This recipe yields 12 cookies.
More Sweet Breakfast Recipes
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Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium ripe bananas peeled
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add bananas and mash them thoroughly with the back of a fork. Add oats, almond butter, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla to the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Then, fold in the chocolate chips.
- In a large cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough into about a dozen cookies. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space in between each, and gently press on the top of each cookie to flatten them a bit.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely before serving and storing.
Notes
- For baking purposes, ripe or overly ripened bananas are best. They obviously shouldn’t be so far gone that they’re spoiled. They’re perfect when they’re bruised and blemished.
- Banana oatmeal cookies are great to enjoy pre and post work out. I sometimes add a couple of scoops of protein powder or collagen powder to the dough mixture for a protein boost. You can also add PB2 powder to the mix.
- After scooping the dough, lightly press down on the top of each. These cookies won’t spread much while they bake, so I like to smush them down a bit, so they’re the shape of a cookie instead of a round ball.
- Storing: After cooling, transfer your breakfast cookies to an airtight container or resealable bag and keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Wrap cookies individually in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container or bag. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and enjoy cold or warmed up a bit.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Alison
These breakfast cookies are irresistible! Soft, chewy, and chocolatey! I could eat them all day!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
Everyone at my house loved it! Tasted SO good!
Pamela
We love making a big batch of these and freezing them for breakfast on the go!
Rebecca
this is one of my favorite ways to use up overripe bananas! yours look so chocolatey and good
Tammy
I have a pretty big sweet tooth so breakfast cookies are right up my alley! These look and sound so good! perfect on the go snack too!
Natalie
If I wanted to use vanilla protein powder in these cookies, would i leave the vanilla extract out?
Erika
Hi Natalie, it's optional. You can leave it for more vanilla flavor, or leave it out.