Banana Overnight Oats Recipe

December 18, 2020
updated Apr 28, 2023

5 from 52 votes

This easy banana overnight oats recipe tastes like bananas foster! Full of flavor and alcohol-free it is the most epic way to start your day.

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Can you imagine eating Bananas Foster for breakfast and calling it healthy? With this banana overnight oats recipe, you’ll be ready to eat a delicious and filling meal first thing in the morning!

One of my favorite restaurants in New Orleans, Brennans, makes the most amazing bananas foster dessert. Ordering it, is an experience on its own. The waiter brings a cart next to the table and combines the bananas, brown sugar, butter, liquor, cinnamon, and rum right on the skillet. Then, cooks it and flambés the dessert prior to serving it over vanilla ice-cream.

It sounds amazing, right? I won’t even tell you how delicious it tastes. Let’s just say… that if you ever come to New Orleans, Brennans is definitely a place you want to experience.

image: two jars of banana overnight oats

These oats are clearly super easy to make but still have all the “wow” factor in the taste department. Check out this quick video to see how easy they are to make.

Banana Overnight Oats Ingredients

It doesn’t take much to make a batch of delicious oats for breakfast; here is what you’ll need:

Coconut oil: to sauté the bananas. Butter is also welcome!
Bananas: with deep yellow color and a few specks.
Vanilla: really revs up the banana foster flavor.
Cinnamon: will make your kitchen smells A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
Maple syrup: helps the bananas caramelize.
Old-fashioned oats: the optimal choice this recipe.
Ground flax: a great source of healthy fats and thickens the mixture.
Milk: use regular or your favorite non-dairy option.

*Ingredient measurements are provided in the recipe card at the end of this post.

The recipe works best with steel-cut oats and with old-fashioned oats. Using quick or instant oats will yield a cup of delicious runny mush. The measurements are a little bit different if you want to make Banana Overnight Oatmeal with Steel Cut Oats.

image: ingredients on the counter for banana overnight oats

How exactly did I decide to make a healthier version for breakfast? Well, my husband loves oatmeal. He used to buy oatmeal packets with the different flavors, bring fruit with him and mix it all up at work with milk. Feeling bad about the high content of sugar and fake flavors, I began pre-mixing his oatmeal in single-serve jars.

image: wide view of two glass jars of overnight oats with banana

After a while, I had to get creative making overnight oats… so I began adding fruits, cream, maple syrup… and recreating some of our favorite desserts right in the jar. The entire process is so easy and comes together rather quickly; so this is one breakfast staple you’ll often find in my fridge.

Making the Banana Topping for Overnight Oats

The caramelized bananas are what take these oats to the next level, and it’s so easy to make.

Heat the coconut oil in a small saucepan. Add the bananas, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until the bananas become golden brown and begin to soften.
Drizzle on the maple syrup, cook for an additional minute, and remove from heat.

image: sliced bananas in a skillet cooking

Easy, right? By now, your kitchen should smell A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, and you are ready to make these overnight oats.

How to Make Banana Overnight Oats

Once you give overnight oats a try, you will have a hard time going back to the stove-top version. The oats practically cook themselves overnight, and in the morning, you know you are waking up to a delicious and satisfying breakfast.

Grab your ingredients, glass jars, and let’s get to it!

Make the Bananas Foster
Prepare the bananas foster on the stove-top.
Make the Oat Base
In a glass jar, combine the oats, ground flax, and milk. Stir to combine.
Combine
Top each jar with the bananas foster and seal.
Chill out
Refrigerate overnight or up to 5 days.

And that’s all there is to it. When you’re ready to eat, give the oats a good stir, and enjoy chilled or warm up in the microwave- there’s no wrong way to eat them!

Assembly is fast and the fridge does the rest. While I like to make these overnight oats when bananas are at their prime, you can also use the overly ripe bananas you meant to use to make banana bread but somehow never got to baking. The mixture will be a bit more saucy, but just as delicious.

Make next: Easy Banana Waffles!

image: in process making banana overnight oats, oats and milk in the jar with banana slices in a skillet behind the jar.

How Long to Soak Overnight Oats

Instead of cooking, overnight oats get their creamy, thick texture from slow soaking in milk. It takes about 4 hours for the oats to absorb the liquid and soften, but they can sit a lot longer, which is why you can make them the night before and eat the next morning.

Hot Or Cold Overnight Oats

Overnight oats can be enjoyed straight from the refrigerator or reheated. It’s entirely up to your taste and preference. Personally, I love them chilled, straight out the jar. It’s refreshing and just as hearty as oats cooked on the stove-top.

How Far Ahead Can You Make Overnight Oats

Once you make the overnight oats, you have up to 5 days to enjoy them. That’s a long time and another reason this is the perfect breakfast meal prep recipe.

Just combine the ingredients, refrigerate, and you have satisfying, delicious breakfasts on hand for the week. I often grab a jar after a run or pack them with me to the office for lunch; they are good any time of day!

image: closeup view of bananas foster overnight oats

More Overnight Oat Recipes

If you are eager for more tasty breakfast ideas, you’ll definitely want to check out my recipe for Honey Almond Butter Overnight Oats. This is another great one to make ahead so you have a healthy and hearty breakfast every day of the week!

I have many more healthy overnight oats recipes, and I’ve shared a few favorites in the list below. You’ll find ones made with old-fashioned oats as well as steel-cut.