Your new favorite way to use up overripe bananas-- 4 ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies! Oats, sweet bananas, creamy natural peanut butter, and chocolate chips make the perfect healthy breakfast or midday treat.
These were inspired by my love of oatmeal and keeping things simple. I wanted to make a recipe using just what I had in my pantry...something healthy that satisfied my sweet tooth. These turned out perfect!
If you like cooking with oats, try making Hemp and Date Granola, Oatmeal Pumpkin Pancakes or Homemade Orange and Cranberry Granola next. Looking for other healthier dessert alternatives? Try the Viral TikTok Date Snickers recipe!
Now don't get me wrong, I love making me a good banana bread when I have some overripe bananas laying around. But most days I don't have the time to be in the kitchen whipping up a full-on baked good, and I don't always want a dessert made with sugar and butter. So instead, I love making 4 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies– healthy cookies that take literally all of 15 minutes to make.
These are a great way to hit the sweet tooth while giving you lots of fiber to help balance your blood sugar levels. Plus, they are a good source of healthy fats!
Have them any time of the day. I eat these with my coffee, as a healthy snack, or a little sweet treat after dinner. Or let's be honest---all of the above. 🙂
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Why You'll Love 4 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Y'all, when I say this is an easy chewy cookie recipe, I do mean easy. They don't have all the flour, baking soda/powder, eggs, milk, etc of traditional cookies. So in a sense, they are really more of a single serving "baked oatmeal". Call them what you want--they're easy cookies, delicious and on REPEAT in my kitchen because somehow I always seem to have brown bananas laying around. If you’re looking for a healthy dessert option or snack with health benefits, this is a great option.
- EASIEST COOKIE RECIPE - You'll be in and out of the kitchen in no time.
- MINIMAL INGREDIENTS - It's in the name-- 4 ingredients. Need I say more?
- HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE - compared to other oat bars and cookies, these are super nourishing. They are gluten-free, fiber rich, and have very minimal added sugar because most the sweetness comes from the banana. With just a pinch of chocolate chips!
Ingredients for 4 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookie
*Be sure to check the recipe card at the bottom for exact ingredient measurements and full recipe.
I'm not going to pretend I'm the first dietitian or home cook to make a cookie like this! There are similar recipes online. But I AM going to tell you I tried different variations with different ingredient measurements and this is what I personally find the best ratios. 🙂
4 simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen anyway.
OVERRIPE BANANA - be sure to use a banana that is overripened meaning it's pretty brown. The more ripe & brown a banana becomes, the sweeter it is. This is how you can get away with making a cookie that is sweet without a bunch of added sugars that you just really don't need dragging you down! So next time you have an overripe banana will be the perfect time to give these banana oat cookies a try.
OATMEAL- I use Quick Oats, but you could use Old-Fashioned Oats or rolled oats too. I wouldn’t recommend using steel cut oats because they may turn out a bit tough.
NATURAL CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER - I love using Justin's Brand of peanut butter but any brand works!
CHOCOLATE CHIPS - just the tiniest amount of chocolate chips sweetens these 4 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies the perfect amount.
Step-By-Step Directions for 4 Ingredient Oatmeal Banana Cookies
When I say these take 5 minutes of prep and 10 minutes to cook, I might even be overestimating. You can probably prep them in less than 5 minutes.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 ℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, in a large mixing bowl, mash your ripe banana.
Step 2: Stir in the oats with the mashed banana. Next, add the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Stir the mixture until it's well combined.
Step 3: Scoop about 2 tablespoon of the mixture ("cookie dough") with a cookie scoop and roll it with your hands into a ball. Place it on the parchment paper on the cookie sheet and mash the cookie dough balls down as thick as you want them to be. Shape them into a cookie shape. *Note: these cookies will not flatten as they bake so be sure and smash them down as thick as you want the end result to be.
Step 4: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and enjoy them right away or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days! You can store them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months, too.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to use a brown banana! Using a banana that isn't ripe enough won't taste as sweet.
- Mash the cookies to the thickness you want before baking because they won't fall!
- Use natural peanut butter if you can! This is because natural nut butter is more moist. If you don't have natural peanut butter, you can use regular and add a little extra banana to make up for the moisture.
- Feel free to customize these and make them sweeter using maple syrup, vanilla, or honey.
Storage
- Fridge: store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days
- Freezer: store in freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Variations and Substitutions
When it comes to substitutions for this one, the sky is seriously the limit. The only part I wouldn't change is the banana and oatmeal. Otherwise you can change it up!
Different nut or seed butter: If you want to use a different nut butter, go ahead! Might I suggest almond butter as an alternative to the peanut butter? Or if you want to make it allergy-friendly, use Sunflower Seed Butter!
Different additive: if you aren't into chocolate chips or don't have any laying around, add something else! Coconut is a great option if you're looking for something dairy free. You could also use peanut butter chips, caramel bits, or dark chocolate chips! Or try them with a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to keep it more natural. You could add a little vanilla extract for more sweetness or pumpkin seeds for extra texture, too.
FAQS
Yes! Just make sure you use gf oats. As a note, all oatmeal is naturally gluten free but often made in a facility that also makes gluten-containing products. So if you have celiac disease or are making these for someone who does, be sure to check and make sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
No, these are not dairy free because of the milk chocolate chips. But you can absolutely make them dairy free by either using a dairy free chocolate chip or switching the chocolate chips out for coconut or honey! One of the best things about these cookies are how customizable they are.
From a nutritional perspective, these easy 4-Ingredient Oatmeal and Banana Cookies are a great healthy alternative to a pre-packaged oat bar or cookie. They have few ingredients, are natural, and also contain very little added sugars. You get a lot of fiber and other nutrients from the oats, complex carbs and potassium from the banana, and healthy fats from the peanut butter. I call this a major win! Especially if you are looking for something sweet and want to still keep it healthy.
One note here: they don't have much protein. So if you want to turn these into breakfast, just add some protein like some scrambled eggs on the side! This will keep you full longer.
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I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I would love to hear from you! If you made this recipe, please leave me a review below or tag me in a photo or story on Instagram….I LOVE knowing there’s people out there trying out my recipes! 🙂 IG: @mallorythedietitian
📖 Recipe
4 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
Ingredients
- 1 ripe, brown banana
- ¾ cup oatmeal (I use quick oats but you can also use old fashioned)
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter (see notes)
- 2 tablespoon chocolate chips (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 ℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then, in a large mixing bowl, mash your ripe banana.
- Stir in the oats with the mashed banana. Next, add the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Stir the mixture until it's well combined.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoon of the mixture ("cookie dough") with a cookie scoop and roll it with your hands into a ball. Place it on the parchment paper on the cookie sheet and mash the cookie dough balls down as thick as you want them to be. Shape them into a cookie shape. *Note: these cookies will not flatten as they bake so be sure and smash them down as thick as you want the end result to be.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until they are golden brown.
Notes
- If you want to make this recipe dairy free, you can skip the chocolate chips or replace them with a dairy free alternative such as shredded coconut or honey.
- This recipe is low in added sugars. If you want to make it free of added sugars, either skip the chocolate chips or replace them with blueberries or another add sugar free alternative of your choice!
- Be sure to use the ooey-gooey natural peanut butter or other nut butter. The key here is make sure what you use is runny to make the cookie more moist! if you don't have a natural nut butter, feel free to just a use what you have and add a bit more banana for more moisture.
- Use a brown overripe banana! Bananas get sweeter as they get more brown so this is the key to making a sweet cookie without all the added sugars. 🙂Â
- Fridge: store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days
- Freezer: store in freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.Â
Sharon
I made these this weekend and already ate all of them! The easiest, most delicious cookies. Will be making again soon!
Mallory
Thank you so much for taking time to leave a review! 🙂 I am so happy you made these and loved them...I hope you'll make them again and reach out anytime if you have recipe requests! 🙂 -Mallory