Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.

Upgrade your steel-cut overnight oats experience by adding bananas. This 2-minute step makes them taste like dessert!

Whether it’s the large bag of unused steel-cut oats in your pantry or the drool-worthy idea of bananas foster for breakfast that brought you to this post, let’s make the best overnight oats recipe!

four mason jars on a plate filled with bananas foster overnight oats with steel cut oats

Bananas Foster Steel Cut Overnight Oats

I live right outside of New Orleans, where the classic Bananas Foster dessert is a thing. When I crave all that deliciousness in the form of a healthy breakfast, banana foster overnight oats is the answer!

This recipe and my strawberry overnight steel-cut oats are among my favorites when I want a sweet oatmeal that’s creamy and nutritious. Steel-cut oats are an excellent source of protein, soluble and insoluble fiber, and minerals. Woohoo!

Can You Make Overnight Oats with Steel-Cut Oats

I’ve made the mistake of using traditional steel-cut oats, and they did not soften up overnight! Instead, you’ll want to use quick-cooking steel-cut oats, where the groat has been cut into smaller pieces and can soften up overnight in the fridge.

If you have traditional steel-cut or Irish Oatmeal and want to cook it overnight, you can use this overnight crockpot oatmeal recipe or grind it to make oat flour.

Ingredients

To cook the bananas, you’ll need butter (or coconut oil), vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup. To assemble the overnight oats, use quick-cooking steel cut oats, regular or dairy-free milk, and ground flax (optional for extra nutrition).

a mason jar filled with quick cooking steel cut oats

Steel Cut Oats to Water Ratio

The ratio in the bag for steel-cut oats to water (or milk) is 1 to 3. This means that for every 1 cup of steel-cut oats, you’ll need 3 cups of liquid. However, you’ll want to reduce that amount a little so the mixture is nice and thick. You can always add more. For creamier oats, I use milk, but you can also use water to make overnight oats.

How to Make Overnight Steel Cut Oats

You can make bananas foster overnight steel-cut oats in single-serve jars or one big bowl. Here is how:

Sauté the bananas with vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup in a saucepan for 3-4 minutes until it begins to break down and juice out its natural sugars.
Fill each jar or one bowl with steel-cut oats, ground flax (if using), milk, and the banana foster mixture.
Refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.
Enjoy cold, straight out of the fridge, or warm them up 30 seconds in the microwave.

How Long Do Overnight Oats with Steel Cut Oats Take?

Look for “quick-cooking” steel-cut oats for overnight oats recipes. These whole oats are cut into smaller pieces that can be soaked for 12 hours (overnight) to make this type of recipes.

Favorite Mix-Ins

In this recipe, I use bananas, but below are other ways you can customize your one-bowl meal. Some of my favorite mix-ins:

ground flaxseed, ½ teaspoon per serving
honey or maple syrup, 1 teaspoon per serving
hemp seeds, 1 teaspoon per serving
chia seeds, ½ teaspoon per serving
nut butter, 1 teaspoon per serving
protein powder, 2 tablespoons per serving
fresh fruit, ½ cup per serving
dried fruit, 1 tablespoon per serving
chopped nuts, 1 tablespoon per serving

Make Ahead Steel Cut Overnight Oats

One of the claims to fame of overnight oats is that they can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for several days. If you're making overnight oats without fruit, you can make them up to 5 days in advance.

If you are adding fruit to your overnight oats, I recommend no more than 3 days since the fruit loses its texture and tastes different-especially berries. You can read more about how long overnight oats last here.

Steel Cut Overnight Oats with Bananas Foster

Servings: 4 jars

Prep Time: 5

Chill: 12

Total Time: 12 5

Upgrade your steel-cut overnight oats experience by adding bananas. This 2-minute step makes them taste like dessert!

5 from 11 votes

Print Pin

Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

1 teaspoon butter or coconut oil
2 medium bananas, sliced
2 teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 cup quick cooking steel cut oats
2 cups milk, any
2 teaspoons ground flax, optional

Instructions

Sauté the bananas:

Heat a medium pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt the butter or add the coconut oil. Add the banana slices and cinnamon to the heated pan and sauté them for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bananas begin to release their natural sugars. Add the maple syrup and stir to combine for one more minute. Add the vanilla, stir, and turn off the heat.

Fill the jars:

Line up 4 overnight oats jars and fill each with ¼ cup of the quick-cooking steel-cut cut oats, ½ teaspoon ground flax (if using), and ½ cup of milk. Using a spoon, and stir to combine.
Divide the bananas foster mixture among the 4 jars and close the lid. You can mix them into the oats or in the morning.

Refrigerate:

Refrigerate the oats for 12 hours (overnight). In the morning, enjoy them cold, straight out of the jar, or warmed in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Microwaving them lightly will also soften them up if they did not soak in the liquid long enough or, if they're too tough for your liking.