Baked Oats Without Banana

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Naturally sweet, delicious baked oats without banana is going to become your new favorite breakfast! This easy baked oats recipe is moist and fluffy, and actually resembles the texture of cake. It’s healthy, super easy to make, family friendly, great for meal prep, customizable with over 10 variations, and ready in just 35 minutes!

Cake for breakfast? Yes, please. Okay, so this baked oats without banana recipe is not cake, but it definitely qualifies as a cake-like breakfast. It’s super moist with crispy edges, is naturally sweet and has a cake like texture – which makes it pretty much irresistible!

This nutritious breakfast hits all the marks: healthy, naturally sweetened, simple ingredients and satisfies your sweet tooth. These banana free baked oats can be made ahead of time, and reheating individual servings for breakfast is quick and easy.

Not only is this healthy baked oats no banana recipe packed with wholesome ingredients, it’s also naturally gluten free, easily made vegan, dairy free, and a total crowd pleaser.

The rich flavors of vanilla and cinnamon combine with the perfect amount of natural sweetness to create the best baked oats you’ll ever taste! 

👩🏽‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

• Quick and easy 5 minute prep
• Great for meal prep – make ahead and reheat individual portions all week
• Packed with healthy ingredients
• Banana free
• Fluffy texture
• Makes busy mornings less stressful
• Great for a slow weekend or holiday morning too
• Cooks in just 30 minutes
• Easy to make vegan
• Over 10 variations and different flavors to try!

Latest Recipe Video!

🥘 Ingredients

This baked oats with no banana recipe requires simple ingredients easily found at your local grocery store. You can find the full recipe and nutritional information in the recipe card below.

• Almond Milk: Unsweetened almond milk is a low calorie, healthy plant based substitute for dairy, but you can use any type of milk you want for this recipe! Unsweetened oat milk, soy milk, or even regular lowfat or whole milk will work. You can use coconut milk, but it will give this recipe a slight coconut-y flavor.
• Pure Maple Syrup & Vanilla Extract: Maple syrup is a great natural sweetener that we use instead of refined sugar. You can also use honey, coconut sugar, agave, date syrup, or brown sugar. Vanilla extract adds rich sweet notes to this baked oats without banana recipe. It also helps to bring out the sweetness of the rest of the ingredients.
• Applesauce: Unsweetened applesauce takes the place of mashed bananas in this no banana baked oats recipe. Applesauce helps bind the oats together, and adds texture, moisture and flavor to this dish.
• Eggs: Eggs are primarily used as a binding agent for this baked oats recipe without banana (there vegan options down in the variations section below). 
• Rolled Oats: Rolled oats are one of the main ingredients in this dish and are high in fiber and whole grains. Make sure you don’t get instant oats or quick-cooking oats, just the regular old fashioned rolled oats. Quick oats or steel cut oats won’t work quite the same. Note: Use certified gluten-free oats to make sure this recipe stays gluten free.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the oats rise while cooking and makes them nice and fluffy. You might already have some in your pantry, just make sure your baking powder is fresh before using it!
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon is another key to the depth of flavor in this dish. It’s a warm sweet spice that helps highlight the other ingredients.
• Golden Raisins: Raisins provide natural sweetness to these baked blended oats without needing added sugar. Instead of raisins you could also use fresh berries or frozen berries. If you use frozen berries, don’t defrost them first or your oats will turn out soggy!
• Slivered Almonds: Almonds add a slight crunch, healthy fats, and a nutty flavor to this dish. Feel free to use any other nuts in place of almonds!

📖 Variations

This baked oatmeal no banana recipe is a great “base recipe” for a variety of different toppings, mix-ins and customization options. See 11 of our favorites below!

• Chocolate Baked Oats Without Banana: Add chocolate chips instead of the raisins, or substitute half of the amount of raisins with chocolate chips. You can also add up to 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder into the batter, and drizzle chocolate sauce on top before serving – and it’ll taste just like a chocolate chip cookie!
• Banana Caramel Flavor: Replace half of the almonds with chopped pecans, and add a drizzle of caramel sauce on top before serving.
• Protein Baked Oats No Banana: Add one scoop of your favorite plant based protein powder to this baked oatmeal without bananas for additional protein.
• Blueberry Oats: Instead of the raisins, use the same amount of either fresh or frozen blueberries.
• Vegan Baked Oats Without Banana: To make this vegan friendly, substitute the eggs for 2 flax egg (2 tbsp ground flax seeds and 6 tbsp water mixed together to form a paste.)
• Pumpkin Pie Flavor: Use pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon, and replace the applesauce with an equal amount of pureed pumpkin! Feel free to omit the raisins as well.
• Sugar Free: Replace the maple syrup with monk fruit or omit it altogether, and omit the raisins.
• Apple Cinnamon: Use 1 tsp apple pie spice in addition to cinnamon, and replace the raisins with diced apples.
• Peanut Butter Oats: Add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or 1 large scoop of powdered peanut butter into this recipe, replace half the almonds with chopped peanuts, omit the raisins if you like, and drizzle some peanut butter on top before serving. You can also use almond butter or cashew butter instead of peanut butter if you like.
• Mixed Berry Or Strawberry Baked Oats: Replace the raisins with the same amount of either fresh or frozen strawberries or your favorite mixed berries.
• Toppings: You can literally add anything on top of this baked oatmeal no banana recipe! Try different crushed nuts, nut and seed butter drizzles, diced fresh fruit, sweet drizzles like maple syrup, blackberry simple syrup, or honey, coconut whipped cream, lemon zest and more!

🔪 Instructions

Preheat Oven, Whisk Wet Ingredients: The oven should be preheated to 350 degrees F (180 C). Spray a 8×8 baking dish with spray oil. Whisk almond milk, vanilla extract, maple syrup, applesauce, and eggs until smooth.

Add Dry Ingredients: Add remaining ingredients and stir the oatmeal mixture until combined.

Pour Into Baking Dish: Pour the oat mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer.

Bake & Cool: Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove and allow the baked oatmeal to cool and set for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serve: Serve no banana baked oats warm or at room temperature, topped with whipped coconut cream, drizzle of maple syrup or toasted almonds.

❓Recipe FAQs

💭 Expert Tips

• Make sure to use rolled oats. Any other type of oats won’t cook in the same way and will change the texture of this recipe.
• For best results, let it cool for at least 20 minutes! If you try to cut into the oats before you let it fully cool, it won’t hold together as well and will fall apart.
• Feel free to double the recipe: Just use two 8×8 baking pans and bake them one at a time in the oven!
• Don’t skip the applesauce: It’s your replacement for banana and ensures the oats turn out moist and hold together well.

🍲 More Tasty Breakfast Recipes using Oats!

• Vegan Baked Oatmeal
• Protein Baked Oats
• Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal
• Healthy Flapjacks
• High Protein Overnight Oats
• Matcha Overnight Oats
• Spicy Oatmeal Recipe
• Chocolate Chip Baked Oats
• Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats
• Blueberry Banana Bread

📋 Recipe Card