Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

GFGluten Free

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These Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies are easy to make, tasty, and perfect for breakfast on-the-go! Full of fiber, complex carbs, and healthy fats to keep you full.
This post was updated on 03/2020.

While meal prepping is fun and all, sometimes you just get tired of the standard Oatmeal Jars and Smoothies. Enter: the Breakfast Cookie.

Not only are these Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies ridiculously easy to make with only 6 plant-based ingredients, but they’re also downright delicious!

stack of banana oatmeal breakfast cookies on white speckled plate

These Cookies are essentially Oatmeal, but in cookie form. Which makes them approximately 102583 times more fun to make and eat. Made with a base of Ripe BananaOatmeal, and Walnuts, they’re also packed with fiber, complex carbs, and healthy fats to keep you full and satisfied until lunch! 

1. MASH A RIPE BANANA

hand mashing banana in glass bowl on marble background

For the record, a ripe banana = a brown and spotty banana. We’re talking Banana Bread-esque Bananas here, folks! The riper the Banana, the sweeter it will be. I’ve also given you the option to add in some Maple Syrup or another sweetener of your choice to these cookies if you think they need it.

2. TOSS IN THE REMAINING INGREDIENTS

tossing walnuts into glass bowl on marble background

We’ll add some rolled oats for texture, oat flour to help everything stick together, and some applesauce for moisture. Plus a little cinnnamon for flavor, baking powder to help things rise, and salt….because everything is better with a touch of salt 😉

After the cookie “base” is formed, we’ll add some nuts for extra energy and crunch!

I decided to go with walnuts, as I think the banana-walnut combination just can’t be beat. However, feel free to sub in chopped almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds or another nut/seed of your choosing! I love the added crunch and heartiness that the walnuts give to these cookies. Otherwise, they are pretty uniform in texture and flavor.

3. FORM YOUR COOKIES & BAKE

formed cookies on silicone baking mat

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable silicone mat, then plop 6 even-sized cookies right on there! I like to use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to make sure they’re nice and even. I recommend using slightly damp hands to press them down, because they won’t spread too much in the oven. Also, feel free to double or even triple this recipe for more cookies! They’ll last at room temperature for up to five days, which makes them perfect for meal prep.

white tray of breakfast cookies on marble background

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then you’re all good to go! These cookies are crispy on the outside and golden on the bottom, but still soft and tender on the inside. The texture is like a crossover between a breakfast muffin and chewy granola bar.

If you’re looking for more easy vegan breakfast recipes, you’ll also love these Chocolate Banana Muffins, Vegan Blender Waffles, and these PB&J Overnight Oats!

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂

 

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Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

These Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies are easy to make, tasty, and perfect for breakfast on-the-go! Full of fiber, complex carbs, and healthy fats to keep you full.

  • Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 Minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 6 Cookies 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Peel the ripe banana and break it off into “chunks” in a medium bowl. Mash the banana with a fork until it forms a paste.
  2. Next, add 1/2 cup of the oats to a blender and process for 30 seconds, or until a fine flour forms. Add in the oat flour, remaining oatmeal, applesauce, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and maple syrup, if using. Mix until everything is evenly incorporated, then fold the chopped walnuts into the batter.
  3. Use around 3 tablespoons of batter to form 6 even “cookies”, then use damp hands to press each cookie onto the tray – they will not spread out in the oven, so shape them how you’d like them to be. Bake for 15-18 minutes, then remove from the oven and transfer to a baking rack to let cool completely.
  4. Once cool, store in a loosely covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze these and reheat as needed!

Notes

  • Maple syrup may be substituted with any other liquid or granulated sweetener of choice
  • I have not tested these cookies without the applesauce, but I imagine that it could be substituted with equal parts pumpkin puree or extra mashed banana

Keywords: breakfast cookies, banana breakfast cookies, healthy oatmeal cookies, vegan breakfast cookies, on the go breakfast ideas

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About the Author

Hey there, I’m Caitlin! I make easy-to-follow, wholesome, and budget-friendly vegan recipes that are mostly gluten-free and refined sugar-free. I’m also an avid yogi, love the great outdoors, am chocolate-obsessed, and enjoy eating almond butter straight off of the spoon.

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Comments

  1. This recipe is so good, have a batch in the oven as we speak. Very versatile. Have made many different ways, different ingredients. This recipe helps me stay on track with my healthy eating! Thank you!!

  2. This is the first of your recipes that I’ve made, and these cookies came out great! I omitted the maple syrup (because it said it was optional if bananas weren’t sweet enough) and the nuts (to reduce calories) and I love them! I’ll try other variations in the future, but as soon as I tasted a cookie this recipe got printed out and put in my recipe book 🙂 Looking forward to trying your other recipes now!

    1. Glad you loved the recipe, Rachael! Excited for you to try more of the recipes on the blog!

  3. Made these with peanut butter instead of applesauce and sugar free chocolate chips instead of the walnuts, they were delicious!!!!! About to make them for the second time

    1. I totally agree with you!! I switched applesauce for almond butter and will swap walnuts for sugar free chocolate chips next time too.

  4. Stumbled upon this pearl last week with a huge craving, but very little time. So so good and done in no time ! Was out of apple sauce so replaced it with 2 tbs of natural peanut butter. I used one generous tbs of date syrup instead of maple syrup and added chia seeds & sunflower seeds. Also added a dash of nutmeg & ginger powder. Spilled a bit of oatmeal in the batter but they still turned out fine ! Thank you 😀

  5. I like to make a huge batch of these and put them in the freezer. Then on my way out the door I put three in my bag and eat them on the way to work! Great quick breakfast to have on hand.

      1. Glad your children love the flavor! You can try baking the cookies for 13-15 minutes only so that they retain more moisture. However, this might make them fall apart more easily, so letting them cool completely will be extra important.

  6. Made these this morning and they were surprisingly good! I didn’t have apple sauce so I just substituted it for another ripe banana and I added in a little bit of honey to sweeten it up. I love that they’re healthy and that they kept me full for a while. These will be my go-to breakfast for when I have a couple of ripe bananas left 🙂

  7. Seriously can’t thank you enough for this recipe its my go-to! Love that it’s made with healthy ingredients. I add in agave, vanilla extract, nutmeg, flaxseeds, & goji berries and it’s absolutely amazing. Can’t wait to try other substitutes too.

  8. These cookies are super good and it’s an added plus how wholesome the ingredients. Super easy to make, I didn’t have to go out and buy anything (but I did replace the applesauce with banana). My family loves them and I make them all the time when we don’t eat the bananas fast enough. The first time I made them, I made the bad mistake of putting them into a container when they weren’t cool yet. They ended up being softer (but still good) so make sure to let them cool completely to keep them crispy.

    1. Over ripe bananas really are the best ingredient when it comes to baking. And yes good tip – let baked goods cool down completely before storing them in a sealed container, the excess moisture will build up and make them soggy.

  9. My husband is always on the go; he loves breakfast food but he detests the thought of having to sit down and eat breakfast (pffft men…). These have been a saver! He’ll take them on his way to work and it’ll satisfy his hunger until lunch.
    Not to mention they’re delicious! They taste like tiny apple pies! ☺️❤️

  10. I love this recipe! So easy, quick, and delicious. Will definitely be making it a lot more!

  11. I just made these and they are really great! “Essentially oatmeal, but in cookie form” is the best way to describe them, which is great for me because I love oatmeal :). I used sliced almonds instead of walnuts and when they were ready to eat I topped them with vanilla almond butter YUM! I had 3 cookies and I’m saving the rest for tomorrow. Thank you Caitlin!

  12. Love your recipe! I skip the applesauce with no problems. I usually add berries and flax meal. On one desperate day I made them with sweet potato instead of bananas– it worked! Delicious no matter what! Thank you for breakfast!!

    1. Hey! You can store them in a loosely covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze them and thaw as needed!

  13. OMG- so good!!! i left out the applesauce and maple syrup, just added a bit of water and threw some hemp seeds in there too. I baked them in a donut mold and they turned out so cute! YUM YUM YUM. Thank you!