Upside Down Banana Baked Oatmeal

This healthy banana bread bake oatmeal is the perfect way to use up spotty brown bananas and make a vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free breakfast recipe.

I am a huge banana bread girlie over here. I have so many different banana recipes on the blog and this Upside Down Banana Baked Oatmeal is a *must* try. Plus this is the ultimate breakfast dish to keep you fueled and satisfied for the mornings.

If you love banana bread and it doesn’t always fuel you, try this baked oatmeal version. It is healthy yet decadent and tastes like dessert. And it seems 100x fancier than it actually is because of the banana topping.

This banana baked oatmeal is made with simple ingredients that are probably already in your pantry. This is a *great* meal prep recipe and it is also super kid-friendly. My kids love to eat this for breakfast or as a snack.

What ingredients are in Banana Baked Oatmeal:

• Ground flaxseed – I use flax egg here to make it vegan/egg-free but you could use egg if you prefer
• Bananas – extra freckled and ripe is best for this so the baked oatmeal is sweeter and moist
• Creamy peanut butter – I love using peanut butter but you can use any creamy nut butter or tahini too
• Non-dairy milk – any variety works. You can use almond, oat or even cow’s milk if preferred
• Vanilla extract – this is a must for this recipe! So delicious
• Gluten-free rolled oats – if not gluten-free, use regular oats
• Chocolate chips – you can also use cacao nibs if you prefer or omit the chocolate chip addition
• Coconut sugar – this is the only added sugar besides chocolate chips and it’s for the topping. Just a couple tablespoons to caramelized and sweeten the banana topping with
• Cinnamon – you’ll need this for the caramelized banana topping

How to make Upside Down Banana Baked Oatmeal:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8×8 baking dish 
2. Make the flax egg by mixing together ground flaxseeds with 2 tablespoons water and set in fridge for 5 minutes
3. In a large bowl, mash together banana then add in peanut butter, milk, vanilla extract until smooth
4. Mix in oats, baking powder then fold in chocolate chips
5. In a small microwave save bowl, mix together coconut sugar, cinnamon and water for 30 seconds in microwave
6. Add the sliced bananas, cut side down onto baking dish then pour the coconut sugar water mixture on top
7. Add the oat mixture then bake in oven for 40-45 minutes or until fully cooked
8. Allow the baked oatmeal to cool for 30 minutes then top with cutting board and carefully flip and cut into pieces

FAQs on making baked oatmeal:

• Is banana baked oatmeal healthy? To us it is! These ingredients are simple, there is very little sugar in this. In fact no added sugar besides the chocolate chips in the baked oatmeal itself. It keeps us full and satisfied and if you wanted this to be even lower in sugar, leave out the chocolate chips and use cacao nibs (although I love them in here).
• Can I use other nut butter instead of peanut butter? Yes absolutely! Any creamy nut or seed butter can work here. The creamier the better.
• I don’t care for flax egg, can I use real egg? Absolutely!
• Is this baked oatmeal good to meal prep? Yes! It stays good in the fridge for 5 days and you can freeze it for up to 2 months.
• I’m not gluten-free, can I use other oats? Any rolled oats work. I don’t recommend steel cut for this. Quick oats could work well but I prefer rolled oats for this recipe.

A few other banana recipes to try:

Cottage Cheese Banana Bread

Gluten-free Birthday Cake Banana Bread Skillet

Gluten-free Strawberry Banana Bread

Vegan Cinnamon Roll Banana Bread Muffins