This easy peanut butter banana oatmeal made in the microwave in less than five minutes is a version of this classic microwave oatmeal recipe that we use all the time to make our morning oats. It's fast, affordable, nutritious, and has no added sugar.
This microwave banana oatmeal recipe is an absolute staple in our house and I was shocked to find out that I hadn't shared it yet on the website when I shared it on Instagram yesterday. It's easy to make, nutritious, and something my kids love. It's also a recipe that I love making since it keeps everyone full all morning so I can avoid multiple requests for snacks an hour after eating.
Lately, we have been relying on this recipe even more since our access to eggs has been limited. I am lucky to have lots of oatmeal on hand and tons of frozen ripe bananas in the freezer, so this is a recipe I can easily make with what we have. It's also really easy to customize for whatever fruit, oats, milk, and toppings you have at home.
How to Make Microwave Banana Oatmeal
Making oats in the microwave has never been easier. Start by grabbing a ripe banana and mashing it in the bottom of a large bowl. Since this recipe has no added sugar, you want to make sure you have a really ripe banana since that will add the most sweetness.
For an individual serving, you are going to add 1/2 cup of old fashioned rolled oats to the bananas along with flax seeds, chia seeds, and cinnamon. The flax seeds and chia seeds can be left out but that boost the nutritional value of the oats.
Stir in your milk or water. You will need 3/4 cup of liquid to cook 1/2 cup of oats. You can use traditional dairy milk, nut milk, oat milk, or water. I like to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk since it adds some vanilla flavor and makes really creamy oats.
Microwave the oats for about 3 minutes on high. Check the oats to see if they are cooked through and continue cooking in thirty second increments until cooked through. They are ready when the oats are tender and have soaked up most of the liquid.
Add the peanut butter, or any other nut butter, and stir. Add all your favorite toppings.
How to prevent oats from spilling over in the microwave?
One of the biggest complaints about making oatmeal in the microwave is that it boils over and makes a huge mess. It's happened to all of us and is a pain to clean up the sticky oatmeal. There are two solutions. The first is just to use a bowl or container bigger than what you think you need. I use a large, wide soup bowl to make my morning oats and it never boils over.
Another option that I love is this clever microwave bowl that is perfect for morning oats. It has a ceramic inside bowl for safe cooking and eating and then a plastic outer shell so that you won't burn your hands when you take out the bowl. Additionally, it has a lid and is nice and deep, so your oatmeal will basically never boil over in this dish. It's great for reheating anything since the outer shell prevents you from burning your hands on a hot bowl.
One more bonus, it's amazing for steaming 1-2 servings of vegetables in the microwave since it has a lid that traps in the steam for even cooking.
Recipe Ideas and Easy Swaps
- If you don't have any bananas, there are lots of options for swaps. You can use applesauce, cooked apples or pears (just dice and microwave for 1 minute before adding the oats), canned pears, canned apples, mashed berries (fresh or frozen), or canned pumpkin. Depending on the sweetness of the fruit, you may need a touch of honey or pure maple syrup.
- This recipe works best with old fashioned rolled oats. If you only have instant oats, reduce the cooking time to about 1 minute and adjust the liquid to 3/4 cup. It will not work with steel cut oats unless they are the instant variety.
- You can use any milk you have on hand to make these microwave banana oats. If you don't have milk, you could also use water.
- Cinnamon and bananas are a combination that I love but you could also use ground ginger, a pinch of nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice. You can also leave it out.
- Any nut butter will work with these oats and you could also use chopped nuts. Leave it out if you don't have either.
- Similarly, I like adding chia seeds and flax seeds for the nutritional boost, but you can leave these out.
- Get creative with toppings for this banana oatmeal. Not surprisingly, my kids love adding chocolate chips. We also like adding fresh berries, banana slices, hemp seeds, strawberry jam for a peanut butter and jelly style oatmeal, or chopped nuts for some texture.
Sneak in Vegetables
My whole family eats this banana oatmeal weekly and often I add some veggies to boost the nutritional content. For those who are veggie averse, I would recommend starting with some cauliflower rice since it has almost no flavor and is undetectable with the oats. You can add some of the frozen cauliflower rice right into the oats.
Another option and to add some shredded zucchini or carrots. If you little ones don't love green things, consider peeling the zucchini before shredded it so it blends in with the oats.
Can I make banana oatmeal on the stovetop?
If you are making this oatmeal for a larger group or don't have a microwave, the stove is a great option. Just combine the mashed banana, oats, flax seeds, chia seeds, cinnamon, and milk in a pan. Bring it to a low boil and turn down to a low simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often until the oats are cooked through and tender.
Can I make this with steel-cut oats? Instant oats?
If you make this oatmeal with steel cut oat, you will need to make it on the stovetop. You will also need 4 cups of liquid for every 1 cup of steel cut oats. This will make about four servings, so I would recommend using at least two mashed bananas.
For instant oats, you will need to cut down the cooking time to 1-1:30 minutes. Use 2/3 cup of liquid instead of a full cup.
Looking for more oatmeal recipes?
- Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Healthy Oatmeal Smoothies
- Microwave Apple Oatmeal
- Frozen Oatmeal Cups
- Baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal