This easy, healthy Banana Bread Overnight Oats recipe has delicious banana flavors and is full of crunchy, nutrient-rich nuts. Bonus, this is also a vegan, dairy-free overnight oats recipe! It’s like your favorite banana bread in a healthy breakfast jar.
Do you love banana bread (like my 3-Ingredient Banana Bread), but you feel like you have to jump on the overnight oats bandwagon because, you know, chia seeds, antioxidants, and so on? This recipe is for you! It has all the flavors of the best banana bread and it’s supercharged with a ton of nutritious ingredients.
Banana Bread Overnight Oats is a simple, plant-based breakfast recipe made with oats that are soaked overnight in a plant-based milk and yogurt mix. It’s loaded with bananas, spices, and nuts for a banana bread taste.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This breakfast recipe is for you if you can’t decide between overnight oats and banana bread. And it is:
- Dairy-Free
- Gluten-Free
- 10 Minutes Of Prep
- Real Banana Bread Flavors
- Rich in Micronutrients
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats – I prefer classic old-fashioned rolled oats for overnight oats. Steel-cut oats don’t absorb liquid as well and it would be more like muesli. Instant oats or quick oats absorb too much liquid so your overnight oats would be a thick batter in the morning.
- Chia Seeds – Chia Seeds are my signature addition to most of my overnight oats recipes. They add a gel-like texture and are full of nutrients.
- Almond Milk – I prefer using either unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You can use any plant-based milk in this recipe.
- Yogurt of Choice – The best for overnight oats is to use a slightly sour yogurt such as Greek yogurt. Any plant-based Greek yogurt work in this recipe.
- Chopped Walnuts – Walnuts are rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, so I love to add them for more benefits.
- Bananas – There’s no banana bread without bananas, so it’s a must-use in this overnight oats banana bread recipe. Measure them mashed.
- Maple Syrup – I love to use classic maple syrup, but you can use any liquid sweetener such as coconut nectar, agave syrup, rice malt syrup, or sugar-free maple syrup.
- Cinnamon – For a classic banana bread flavor.
- Vanilla Extract – This is an optional flavoring that can be added for a perfect taste.
How To Make Banana Bread Overnight Oats
This recipe is a variation of the base overnight oats recipe. My favorite ratio between dry ingredients (oats and chia seeds) and milk is 1.5 to 1. And a milk-to-yogurt ratio of 3 to 1. If I want a large batch, I use 1 cup of Oats (16 tablespoons) with 2 tablespoons of Chia Seeds, a total of 18 tablespoons of dry ingredients.
This translate into 12 tablespoons of almond milk (18/1.5 = 12 or 3/4 cup). In turn, this makes 1/4 cup of yogurt.
- Combine the rolled oats with the chia seeds in a mixing bowl before pouring the liquid ingredients gradually: almond milk, yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
- Stir and incorporate the mashed bananas before wrapping the bowl with plastic wrap and leaving it in the fridge.
- The next morning, your banana bread overnight oats are ready.
- To serve them, take the bowl out of the fridge, and alternate layers of overnight oats with fresh bananas, peanut butter, and chopped walnuts.
Storage Instructions
You can store the banana bread overnight oats in airtight 8-ounce glass mason jars for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them in the freezer for later. Thaw them in the fridge the day before serving.
Allergy Swaps
If you are allergic to any of the ingredients, you can make the following substitutions:
- Almond Milk – You can use any plant-based milk such as soy milk, oat milk, or coconut milk.
- Maple Syrup – You can use any similar liquid sweetener such as agave syrup, coconut nectar, or sugar-free maple syrup.
- Yogurt – Any yogurt works such as soy yogurt, coconut yogurt, almond yogurt, or cashew yogurt.
- Gluten-Free – As long as you use certified gluten-free oats, this recipe will be gluten-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Overnight oats get all their texture and flavor after about 6 hours.
If you’re in a rush, you can absolutely make them quicker, but they wouldn’t be as creamy.
Yes, you can pop your overnight oats in the microwave for a few minutes for a warm banana bread taste.
There’s no such thing as too long for soaking. After a few hours, the reaction that makes overnight oats so creamy stops, and you can then keep your jar in the fridge for a few days.
More Overnight Oats Recipes
If you like overnight oats, we’ve got you covered with these other recipes:
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Banana Bread Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1 cup Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 2 tablespoons Chia Seeds
- ¾ cup Unsweetened Almond Milk - or unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- ¼ cup Dairy-Free Yogurt
- ¼ cup Chopped Walnuts
- 2 medium Mashed Banana - equivalent 1/2 cup mashed bananas
- 1-2 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Topping
- 2-3 Banana - .slices
- 1 teaspoon Peanut Butter (Unsalted)
- 2-3 tablespoons Chopped Walnuts - toasted
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: rolled oats and chia seeds.
- Stir in almond milk, yogurt of choice, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and mashed banana. Stir until evenly distributed.
- Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Serving
- Store in airtight glass mason jars for up to 4 days or freeze for later. Thaw in the fridge the day before serving.
- The next day, serve your banana bread overnight oats with the recommended toppings.
THISWAS SOGOOGOOOD AND EASY TO MAKE RAAAHHH WAS SO HAPPY HOW IT TURNED OUT THANK U FOR THIS
Tastes delicious!
This was my first go around for overnight oats and it was delicious. I used the almond milk, and regular vanilla yogurt. It had the sweetness to satisfy my sweet tooth and was creamy. For me it definitely is more then 2 servings. I can’t wait to try more of these recipes.
The recipe says 4 servings. It also says use 8 oz jars. When I made it, it only gave me 2-8 oz servings. Am I suppose put 1/2 cup each, into 4 – 8oz jars?
Thank you, first time maker!
Sorry the serving is 2, I updated the post for you.