Home » Recipes » Dessert » Cookies » Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

These chewy banana oatmeal cookies are made without gluten, dairy, sugar, or oil, but they’re packed with fiber to keep you full and satisfied. Enjoy them as a light breakfast or pre-workout snack!

I know these banana oatmeal cookies aren't the most beautiful cookies you've ever seen, but boy are they delicious. They're moist, chocolatey, and chewy. That's the perfect combo in my book!

They're essentially like eating a bowl of oatmeal in cookie form. So instead of spiking your blood sugar like crazy and leading to a sugar crash, or going through your system super quickly and leaving you ravenous an hour later, these banana oatmeal cookies will sustain you. Which means you can totally eat them for breakfast, like these Tahini Banana Breakfast Cookies and Pecan Pie Quinoa Breakfast Cookies.

Overhead view of banana oatmeal cookies on wire cooling rack
  • Hearty and satisfying. These cookies are packed with fiber and complex carbohydrates, making them a great option for breakfast or as an energizing snack.
  • Vegan and gluten-free. Banana oatmeal cookies are naturally gluten-free and vegan, which means you don’t have to buy pricy gluten-free flour blends or egg replacers.
  • Easy and quick to make. With just one bowl and 5 minutes of prep time, these cookies are perfect for busy days. Start by mashing your banana, then you'll add in your flax egg, stir in your dry ingredients and bake 'em up!
  • Kid-friendly. The sweetness from the banana and chocolate chips makes these cookies a hit with kids. They’re a great option for school lunches or after-school snacks.
Overhead view of ingredients for banana oatmeal cookies

What You’ll Need

Here are all of the ingredients you’ll need when making these banana oatmeal cookies. Make sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the exact quantities for each ingredient. 

  • Bananas – The riper the better! Not only will ripe bananas make the cookies sweeter, they’ll also add a more pronounced banana flavor.
  • Flax egg – Combine 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons water.
  • Rolled oats – Also known as old-fashioned oats.
  • Quinoa flakes – Or just use more oats.
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder – Either Dutch process or natural cocoa powder will work, or use cacao powder for a less-processed option.
  • Mini chocolate chips – I like using mini chocolate chips because they distribute more evenly into the dough, giving you more chocolate in every bite!

How to Make Banana Oatmeal Cookies

  • Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Mix the wet ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, mash the banana with a fork or potato masher. Stir in the flax egg.
  • Finish the dough. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
  • Form the cookies. Spoon the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet and gently flatten each ball of dough with the back of a spoon.
  • Bake. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until browned and mostly set. 
  • Cool. Remove the pan from the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Tips for Success

  • Shape the cookies. These banana oatmeal cookies are a non-traditional recipe, so they don’t spread and rise like a recipe made with all-purpose flour, baking powder, and eggs. Shape the cookies before baking so they bake evenly and stick together; you can wet your hands slightly when shaping the cookies to prevent sticking.
  • Let the cookies cool completely. It’s hard to resist warm cookies fresh out of the oven, but if you let the cookies cool before eating them, they’ll hold together better.
  • Add maple syrup or honey, if needed. If your banana isn’t quite as sweet as you’d like, you can add a touch of maple syrup or honey to the dough. Since this recipe isn’t made with wheat flour or eggs, you can taste it and sweeten accordingly.
Overhead view of banana oatmeal cookies on crumpled parchment paper

Variations

Here are some ideas for swapping out ingredients in these banana oatmeal cookies:

  • Banana. Unfortunately, this one is the trickiest. I think you could potentially get away with a blend of another fruit puree plus an additional flax egg, but I haven't tried it so can't be sure!
  • Flax egg. A regular chicken egg or chia egg will also work!
  • Rolled oats. You can swap in quinoa flakes or another flaked grain of choice.
  • Quinoa flakes. Quick cooking oats or another flaked grain will work here as well. 
  • Cocoa powder. You could try powdered peanut butter for peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies.
  • Chocolate chips. These are totally optional, so feel free to just leave them out or stir in some chopped nuts, hemp hearts, or dried fruit.
Half-eaten banana oatmeal cookie on wire rack

How to Store

These banana oatmeal cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days at room temperature. 

Can I Freeze This Recipe?

Yes, you can absolutely freeze these banana oatmeal cookies! Let them cool completely and then place them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for about an hour, or warm them up in the microwave.

Hand holding banana oatmeal cookie broken in half to show texture

More Healthy Oatmeal Cookies to Try

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

4 from 5 votes
These chewy banana oatmeal cookies are made without gluten, dairy, or sugar, but they’re packed with fiber to keep you full and satisfied!
author: Alyssa
yield: 12 Cookies
Overhead view of banana oatmeal cookies on crumpled parchment paper
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a small mixing bowl, completely mash the banana. Stir in the flax egg.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and mix until fully combined.
  • Spoon the cookie dough on the cookie sheet, and gently flatten with the back of a spoon.
  • Bake 13 – 15 minutes, until browned and only slightly tender to the touch. Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack and cool.
  • Store in a covered container for 2 – 3 days (if they last that long!).

Video

Notes

This recipe could be easily doubled, tripled, quadrupled even!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 84kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.7mg
cuisine: American
course: Snack

Filed Under:

Rate and review this recipe!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

52 comments on “Banana Oatmeal Cookies”

  1. Made these twice now and are amazing. Great vegan/sugar free treat! Top cookies with super seed mix. Will next time mix super seed mix through with some dried fruit.

  2. The title of these cookies don’t lie. These are Insanely Good. I made these the other and will be making these weekly. Thank You for sharing. These are crazy good!!!

  3. The title of these cookies don’t lie. These are Insanely Good. I made these today and will be making these weekly. Thank You for sharing. These are crazy good!!!

  4. Really unsure of these as I was mixing these up … what a wonderful surprise! So moist and chocolatey! Thanks for all you do!

  5. I had some bananas just waiting for a purpose…. I added an additional flax seed egg along with some dried shredded coconut and chopped dates. My husband gobbled them up as soon as they came out of the oven!Will definitely be making these again.

  6. Avatar photo
    Valerie P Vargas

    Hello, Just curious…2 bananas – ok, but which size small ? medium or Large ? Or proportion 1 CO ? or how many grammes ? Thanks –

    1. I don’t see why not! I haven’t personally tried so I’m not sure how long they would take, but I think it would work!

  7. I love them! My mom thinks they came out kind of dry but I don’t think it is. The only problem is that it made 28 cookies instead of 12. That’s a really big difference! I subbed one of the tbsp. of cacao with powdered peanut butter so it wasn’t too bitter. Maybe I should have added a little more banana for the sweetness and moistness? Thank you for this recipe. All of the other ones on the internet add butter and eggs and flour, and these cookies are perfect. My coworker is on her military diet since she’ll be deployed in a few months and it hurts my heart to know she can’t indulge so I went on a mission! haha

  8. Hi.. would love to try your recipes! 😉 looks so yum and healthy.. anyway how long can this cookie last in a room temp? Thanks

  9. Pingback: 16 Yummy Recipes to Make with Your Kids! - KidzShake

  10. Pingback: Healthy Quinoa Cookies (with banana and avocado) GF | WhatChuLove

  11. Hi again…my email address was a bit inaccurate…here is the corrected email address…thank you…please see my question above…

  12. Hi…just a question…what size banana (and avocado) did you use for this recipe? Bananas vary greatly in size! I always do much better when I can follow a recipe using measuring cups for the items listed…thanks! 🙂

  13. I thought these were good and definately super healthy. Texture was great for a non-fat cookie. I doubled the recipe and used 1/4 cup of maple syrup in place of stevia. My 14 year old son and my 18 months liked them too. Thanks for the recipe!

    1. Hi Gaby – So glad you liked them! I love the idea of using maple syrup. That really reminds me of breakfast!

  14. I really loved them (and ate the whole batch… but hey, it was post workout 😉
    I put the unpeeled banana in the preheating oven until it became black. It was so much sweeter afterwards that I didn’t need any sugar!

    1. What a great idea!! I’m going to have to try that next time. Or perhaps with the banana bread I’ll be making tomorrow. Awesome, awesome. So happy you liked them too 🙂

  15. I was seriously disappointed in these cookies after the buildup. They tasted strongly of banana and nothing else to us.

    1. Judy – I’m very sorry to here you didn’t like these. As banana is the main ingredient, it doesn’t surprise me that it had a strong banana flavor. Next time, I would suggest reducing the amount of flour, and upping the chocolate. Or conversely, you could try just doing half a banana and then adding half an avocado (or more). That might help. These are definitely one of my favorite cookies, so I’m sorry you’d didn’t enjoy them. Another thing you could try is substituting applesauce for the banana, but it won’t be the same quantities, so reduce the amount of applesauce to compensate for the fact that it’s more liquidy.

      1. Thanks…I may try the applesauce. We(one of my daughters and I) are still adjusting to being gluten free….Sorry if I sounded short, but it was a letdown.

        1. I’m sorry that they let you down. I love bananas, so maybe that’s why I thought they were so good. You could also try to make them with just avocado – try a whole avocado, but you would need some sugar (or a lot more stevia) to give it some sweetness (that’s where the banana comes in). I also think these would be awesome with pumpkin. If you go the pumpkin route, I would not use avocado or chocolate, but simply make them like pumpkin pie oatmeal cookies. Hope you have some luck! If you have any questions about going gluten-free, please let me know!

    2. Were you really “Seriously disappointed” that they tasted like the main ingredient?? awww… that’s so sad.. I’ve never let the taste of a healthy alternative to anything leave me “Seriously disappointed” try adding more butter and sugar – that should leave you more satisfied, you clown…. On a serious note: I think one thing that might add a little bit to these is some ground Flax seed and chopped spinach. Boom Roasted.

  16. What can I use as a substitute for the avocado. I live in the Caribbean and can only get avocados when in season and unfortunately they are not at the moment.

    1. Hi Candice – You have a few options. You could go with more banana (maybe another half), you could try to substitute applesauce (but reduce a little bit since it has more water to it), you could try pumpkin or another pureed fruit (mango? papaya? pineapple?). You could also try to just use some coconut oil (also do a little less, maybe 3 Tablespoons max). Hope you enjoy!

  17. I don’t have any stevia and am not familiar with it enough to know what you can substitute. I have regular granulated sugar, and turbinado. Would the turbinado work? Or honey?
    Thanks!

  18. Avatar photo
    Erin @ Texanerin Baking

    Nice! I’m all for *truly* healthy cookies and not the shenanigans I pull. 😉

    I think they look quite nice! I’d eat the entire batch, too, I’m sure.