Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal
Creamy stovetop rolled oats cooked in milk with mashed ripe banana, swirled with peanut butter and warmed with cinnamon. It tastes like a peanut butter banana sandwich in a bowl, and it's ready in about 15 minutes.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Wait
- 2 min
- Total
- 17 min
- Makes
- 2 generous bowls (about 1¼ cups / 300 g each)
Steps
Before you start
- Use a very ripe banana (yellow with brown freckles) for the best sweetness and easiest mashing.
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant or steel-cut; cooking times in this recipe are for rolled oats.
- Choose a medium saucepan (2 quarts / 2 L) so the milk has room to bubble without boiling over.
- Measure everything first. Once the milk is hot, the recipe moves quickly.
Mash the banana
- Peel the medium banana and mash it in a small bowl with a fork until mostly smooth with a few small lumps.
- You need about ½ cup (120 g).
- Slice the half banana for topping and set aside.
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Ready when: Banana looks like a thick, spoonable purée
Tip: Mash the banana just before cooking so it doesn't brown.
Heat the liquid
- Pour the milk and water into the saucepan.
- Set over medium heat and warm for 2 to 3 minutes, until small bubbles form around the edge and steam rises.
- Do not let it reach a full boil.
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Ready when: Steaming, with tiny bubbles around the edge
Tip: Stay nearby; milk can boil over in seconds.
Add oats and seasonings
- Stir in the oats, cinnamon and salt.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low so the mixture bubbles gently, not vigorously.
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Ready when: Oats are evenly submerged and the surface bubbles gently
Simmer the oats
- Cook for 4 minutes, stirring every 30 to 45 seconds and scraping the bottom and corners of the pan, until the oats have absorbed most of the liquid and the mixture looks thick and creamy.
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Ready when: A spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a trail that slowly fills in; oats are tender but still slightly chewy
Tip: Frequent stirring prevents scorching and releases starch for a creamier texture.
Stir in banana
- Add the mashed banana and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until it is fully blended and the oatmeal is hot and thick, like loose mashed potatoes.
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Ready when: Oatmeal looks uniformly tan and thick, with no streaks of banana
Tip: If it gets too thick, stir in 2 tablespoons (30 ml) milk or water.
Add peanut butter
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons (32 g) of the peanut butter, the vanilla and the maple syrup, if using.
- Stir until the peanut butter has melted into the oatmeal and no streaks remain.
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Ready when: Oatmeal is glossy and uniformly creamy
Tip: Add peanut butter off the heat so it blends smoothly and doesn't turn oily.
Rest briefly
- Cover the pan and let it sit for 2 minutes.
- The oats will finish absorbing liquid and thicken slightly.
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Ready when: Oatmeal mounds softly on a spoon
Serve and top
- Divide the oatmeal between 2 bowls.
- Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon (16 g) peanut butter for 10 seconds in the microwave so it drizzles easily, then swirl it over the bowls.
- Top with the banana slices and chopped peanuts, if using.
- Serve immediately.
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Ready when: Bowls are topped with a peanut butter swirl and banana coins
Tip: Slice the topping banana at the last moment to keep it fresh looking.
Good to know
Tips
- Riper bananas are sweeter, so you may not need the maple syrup.
- Stir often and keep the heat at medium-low to avoid a scorched bottom.
- For extra protein, whisk 1 tablespoon of chia seeds or a scoop of protein powder into the milk in step 2.
- Oatmeal thickens as it sits; loosen it with a splash of milk if needed.
Make ahead
"Cook the oatmeal through step 6 up to 4 days ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container. Reheat with a splash of milk, then add the toppings fresh."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 1 hour. Refrigerator: airtight container, up to 4 days. Freezer: portion into containers and freeze up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in 2 to 4 tablespoons (30 to 60 ml) milk or water per serving to loosen."
Substitutions
- creamy peanut butter → almond butter or sunflower seed butter. Use the same amount; sunflower butter makes a nut-free version.
- whole milk or unsweetened plant milk → oat milk or soy milk. Makes the recipe dairy-free; use unsweetened for better control of sweetness.
- maple syrup or honey → brown sugar. Use 2 teaspoons; stir in with the oats so it dissolves.
- old-fashioned rolled oats → quick-cooking oats. Reduce simmer time in step 4 to 2 minutes; the texture will be softer.
