Banana Bread Overnight Oats
These banana bread overnight oats feel like self-care in a mason jar. Creamy, lightly sweetened and packed with micronutrients, this is an excellent recipe for meal prep, it’s budget-friendly without compromising on powerful nutrient-dense foods like oats, flax seeds, and fiber-rich fruits.
Flavor Profile
toast | banana bread | vanilla
Pairing SUggestions
mason jar | espresso | nut butter
Jump to RecipeThis website uses affiliate links and I may earn a small commission off of purchases made using these links at no additional cost to you.
Reasons to love these banana bread overnight oats
- Vegan: no animals were harmed in the making of these oats 🙂
- Sugar free: and no syrups, either! These overnight oats are naturally sweetened with ripe banana and chopped medjool dates
- The last ripe banana: when you’re left with a single, overripe banana, banana bread just isn’t in the cards. Make these banana bread overnight oats instead! One banana yields two jars.
- No milk required: A great budget recipe keeps things simple, and these overnight oats are no exception. Just add water – the banana and flax seeds take care of the thickening.
- Meal prep friendly: make these in advance at the beginning of the week to show yourself some love on those weekday mornings.
Ingredients for banana bread overnight oats
Banana one ripe banana is all you need – but be sure it’s suuuuper brown!
Steel cut oats less processed means a low glycemic index. Steel cut oats make up half the base of this overnight oats recipe. Pan-toast them first to enhance their nutty flavor!
Rolled oats whole rolled oats are the other half of this recipe. The mixed oats adds texture and interest!
Flax seeds to thicken the recipe and to support brain health with omega-3 fatty acids.
Water a necessary component to soften the oats and allow space for a creamy texture to develop
Dates chopped dates get mixed into the oats for extra little pockets of sweetness
Cinnamon an essential addition to any banana bread recipe, including these banana bread overnight oats
Vanilla to add a hint of sweetness and a lovely aroma
Salt to bring out the sweetness of the banana while cutting through any bitterness from the oats.
How to make sugar-free banana bread overnight oats
OPTIONAL: Pan-toast your steel cut oats. This step brings out their natural nutty flavor.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium sized bowl, combine both types of oats, ground flax, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to incorporate.
Mash the banana. Using a fork, mash the ripe banana until no lumps remain.
Add the banana, water, and vanilla and stir thoroughly. Add ¾ of the chopped dates.
Divide the oats into to two 8 oz glass jars and refrigerate overnight (at least 6 hours). Top each jar with the remaining ¼ chopped dates.
Serve cold with a spoon and any toppings you desire!
Customizations
These overnight oats are wonderful on their own, but here are a couple ideas to enhance the flavor, texture, or to simply round out the meal.
- Nut butter: add a drizzle of nut butter overtop the oats just before serving. Make it yourself at home, or try out a specialty nut butter from my favorite brands:
- Ground Up (women owned)
- Big Spoon Roasters (local to Raleigh-Durham)
- Chocolate chips: chop up a square of your favorite dark chocolate and toss it in – the perfect addition to any banana bread recipe. If you’re keeping this recipe refined-sugar free, try one of these two brands:
- Hu – dark chocolate gems (coconut sugar)
- Just Date – oat milk chocolate chips (date sweetened)
- Spring & Mulberry – dark chocolate bars (date sweetened)
- Maple syrup: for those of you who appreciate a little extra sweetness, go for a teaspoon of maple syrup to the oats mixture along with the mashed banana. Date syrup and honey (if you’re not vegan) are great options, too.
- Nuts: walnuts are the best option with this recipe (but you do you). Mix into the oatmeal or sprinkle overtop. Walnuts have a mild, buttery flavor, plus they add omega-3’s.
- Milk: I love that water is all you need to make these oats, but if you have milk on hand that you’d like to use, go ahead! Substitute ½ or all of the water in these overnight oats with an equal volume of plant milk. Here are my favorite clean-label brands:
- Elmhurst (just two ingredients)
- PlantStrong (fortified and date-sweetened)
- Nutmeg: a teeny bit of nutmeg (⅛ tsp) goes a long way in this recipe to make it feel super warming and cozy.
- Fresh banana: if you have any extra bananas, they’ll work beautifully as a topping for serving.
Expert Tips
Flax Seeds
Preserve the powerful nutrients in flax seeds by storing freshly ground flaxseeds in the freezer. Unsaturated fatty acids (like omega-3s) and fat-soluble vitamins are highly susceptible to oxidation, a reaction that is triggered by heat, light, and oxygen exposure.
A Super Ripe Banana*
Bananas become sweeter as they ripen due to a process called hydrolysis, through which starches in the banana get broken down into fructose and sucrose. This very process occurs due to naturally occurring enzymes in the fruit, but it would have happened in your digestive system regardless of the banana’s ripeness. Allowing the starch to break down as the banana ripens means you get to enjoy the sweetness of those simpler sugars (starch is less sweet in its complex form).
*wait until the banana is at least 90% brown (10% yellow) before making this recipe!
Oats
This recipe was developed to be made with ½ rolled oats and ½ steel cut oats. Do not use quick-cooking oats, as these will turn into a mashed-potato like texture while sitting in the fridge.
- Pan toasting the steel cut oats is optional, but recommended to bring out their natural nutty flavor.
If you are worried about glyphosate residues in your food, be sure to choose your oats carefully. Anthem Oats grows glyphosate-free oats. Their facilities do not process gluten, making this a great gluten-free brand for those with celiac disease.
Ingredient Substitutions
Water – you can replace the water with your favorite plant milk at a 1:1 ratio in this recipe.
Steel cut oats – if you need to replace the steel cut oats with traditional rolled oats in this recipe, just be aware that you’ll require an extra ½ tablespoon of liquid (water or plant milk)
Dates – if you don’t have dates on hand, I recommend you use raisins, chopped dried figs, candied nuts, or chocolate chips in their place. They’re simply acting as an extra pop of sweetness in this recipe.
Flax – the ground flax seeds help the oats firm up as they sit in the fridge. Substitute them with chia seeds at an equal volume.
Recipe Card
Banana Bread Overnight Oats (vegan + sugar free)
Equipment
- 2 8 oz glass jars
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana
- ½ cup steel cut oats*
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ tbsp flaxseeds, ground
- ½ cup water
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 medjool dates, chopped
Instructions
- OPTIONAL: toast the steel cut oats on a dry pan over the stove on medium high heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
- Mix the oats, flax seeds, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium sized bowl.
- Mash the banana with a fork, then add to the oats mixture along with the water and vanilla extract.
- Stir in ¾ the chopped dates.
- Divide the mixture evenly between two 8oz glass jars. Top with remaining ¼ chopped dates.
- Chill 6 hours or overnight in the fridge. Serve cold with extra toppings, if desired! See blog post for customizations and toppings ideas.
Notes
Recommended Products
Joolie’s Dates
Joolie’s grows their organic, glyphosate-free dates in California. The quality is consistent and never dry!
8 oz Glass Jars
Use this space to add a short description. It gives enough info to earn a click.
Anthem Oats
These oats are certified glyphosate free, grown in South Dakota on a 5th generation family farm.
