Healthy Banana Oat Cookies

Name: Healthy Banana Oat Cookies
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 12 min
Ingredients: 3 large bananas; 300 g plain oats ((rolled oats)); chocolate chips ((optional))

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Fat, Vegan

This looks like one of those titles that is too good to be true. But, believe me, these cookies have just 2 ingredients (and loads of options for a 3rd ingredient to make different flavours), they are nutritious and totally delicious too. Not only will kids love eating these banana oat cookies, but they will have so much fun making them as well. Try making a batch of 2 Ingredient Cookies this week!

Cookies in a stack in front of a small bottle of milk.

Who knew that combining oats and banana could make delicious little healthy cookies? We did! And these are too good not to share with you all. This recipe was born out of some leftover mixture for baked porridge we had and it's an experiment that paid off.

We love a sweet snack for an afternoon pick-me-up and these banana oat totally hit the spot. They are vegan, gluten free (if using GF oats) and nut free. These cookies are a great opportunity to get younger kids involved in the kitchen. They can help with mashing the bananas, stirring in the oats and then also choosing any extra ingredients that you want in the cookies. They will have fun getting messy forming the cookies and adding them to the baking tray too.

Looking for some more recipes with oats? Why not try our Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies, Banana Oat Muffins, Easy Baked Oats or Oaty Apple Crumble.

Jump to:

Why you will love them
Ingredients needed
How to make banana oat cookies - Step by step
What are healthy cookies?
Variations
FAQs
Extra tips
More dessert recipes
Recipe
Feedback

Why you will love them

Minimal ingredients - Just 2 ingredients go in to making these banana oat cookies. They are so easy.
Easy to adapt - There are lots of options for a 3rd ingredient, so you can make different flavoured cookies every time.
Healthy cookies - Yep, you heard me! Oats and bananas are super nutritious, meaning these cookies are perfect.

Ingredients needed

Bananas - The key to these cookies being the best that they can be is to use super soft and ripe bananas. To ripen a banana, put it in a paper bag along with a high-ethylene producing fruit such as an apple and fold the bag and let it ripen.
Oats - We used plain rolled oats for this. If you want these 2 ingredient cookies to be gluten free, then make sure that your oats are gluten free certified.

A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.

How to make banana oat cookies - Step by step

One: In a large bowl, mash up the banana.

Two: Add the oats and any other ingredients that you are using.

A mixing bowl containing the mashed banana, oats and chocolate chips.

Three: Mix well and form into cookie shapes. These won't change shape and spread when cooking, so the shape you put them on the tray is the shape they will stay. Put on a lined baking tray.

Ten balls of cookie dough on a lined baking tray.

Four: Put them in a pre-heated oven at 200°C/400°/Gas 6 for 12-15 minutes. Allow to fully cool before eating.

What are healthy cookies?

We all have different definitions of what a cookie is. Some love crispy cookies, and others love soft and chewy (which is what these are). These banana oat are never going to taste like your favourite sugar packed crispy cookie, but it's a nice lighter alternative for when those cookie cravings hit.

These "cookies" are so nutritious that you can totally eat them for breakfast. Breakfast cookies? What's not to love about that! It's basically just oats and banana, so it's porridge in cookie form.

Variations

So, the basic recipe for these banana oat cookies is just 2 ingredients, but by adding a third (which we did), you can add so much more flavour and the possibilities are endless. Why have 2 when you can have 3?

For me, it's all about the chocolate chips. Banana and dark chocolate chips are such a good combination and you can't go wrong with a chocolate cookie.

If you love peanut butter cookies then stir a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter in to the mix, or even some Nutella for a nutty chocolate mix. Other great additions are coconut, raisins, dried cherries/cranberries, vanilla or crushed nuts. Make a few different batches with different 3rd ingredients and see which is your favourite.

Oat cookies in a pile with oats scattered around.

FAQs

Do these taste like banana?

I know not everyone is a fan of banana, but we love it when it comes to baking for giving a natural sweetness. I am not going to lie, these do taste like banana because of how much is used. So, if you or your kids aren't a fan, or someone is allergic, then this isn't a recipe for you. We haven't managed to find anything suitable to replace it with.

How to store homemade cookies

You can keep these cookies in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They also freeze well. Put them on a baking tray in a single layer and then once frozen they can be put in to a freezer bag and kept there for up to 3 months.

Extra tips

• Why have 2 ingredients when you can have 3? Get creative an add in some chocolate chips, coconut or chopped nuts for different flavoured cookies.
• Allow to cool before eating.
• These are a great way to get young kids involved in the kitchen. They can mash the bananas and stir in the oats.
• You can also change these up by blending the oats to make a flour and mixing that with the banana. You could also use ground almonds instead of oats.
• An ice cream scoop is the best thing to use to get the right amount of mixture for each cookie.

More dessert recipes

If you’ve tried these healthy cookies, then let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

Recipe