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3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Banana Oatmeal Cookies with chocolate chips are made with just 3 simple ingredients and make healthy, wholesome oatmeal breakfast cookies or snack everyone will love!

This is one of the simplest baked recipes ever! It’s labeled a cookie, but I think of it more as a banana bread bites because they are soft, moist and chewy like banana bread.

Why We Love This Recipe!

  • Simple and delicious! Healthy 3 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies start with banana and oats with chocolate chips mixed in for a little something extra. For being so simple, they taste delicious and are easy to customize with optional add-ins.
  • Healthy! There is no need for sugar here as the ripened bananas will sweeten it just fine. The riper the banana, the sweeter it will be. With no flour, butter or oil, these vegan banana oatmeal cookies are a wonderful addition to the recipe collection.
  • Gobble them up anytime! Enjoy these for a quick breakfast, for an afternoon snack, or after-dinner snack as well. Pretty much any time of day is good with these healthy cookies. They are best served straight from the oven but will hold well for a day or two – if they last that long!

If you like these oatmeal-style cookies, you’ll love these Chunky Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies with only 4 ingredients. They are wholesome and delicious!

top down view of ingredients used to make healthy 3 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies.

Ingredients You’ll Need

In this easy recipe, oat, banana, and chocolate chips are mixed and baked into wholesome cookies free of dairy and eggs. These banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are kid tested and mother-approved!

Here is everything you will need:

  • Oats – Use old-fashioned or quick oats; even a combo is good
  • Banana – opt for ripe to overripe bananas
  • Chocolate Chips (or cacao nibs) – my favorite are these vegan Enjoy Life mini chips

Optional Add-ins

Change up the cookies by adding one or more of these add-ins for flavor or texture:

  • vanilla extract
  • cinnamon
  • shredded coconut
  • chopped nuts
  • dried fruit
top down view showing the process of mashing bananas in a glass bowl.

How To Make 3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Here you’ll find a look at the process of making Banana Oatmeal Cookies. You can find the full printable recipe at the bottom of the post.

  • Mix: In a medium size bowl, mash bananas to a fairly smooth consistency (a few small chunks is ok). Add oats and mix well (shown above). Add in chocolate chips, mix again. If the mixture is really wet, add a few tablespoons of oats (shown below).
side by side photos showing mixing and adding scoops to prepared baking sheet.
  • Scoop: Using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon or trigger scooper, scoop up mixture and place on cookie sheet 1 to 2 inches apart. I left mine in a dome shape, you could flatten it out a bit with your fingers to make a flatter shape. You should get anywhere from 12 – 16, depending on the size you scoop out.
top down view of fresh baked banana oatmeal cookies on a baking sheet.
  • Bake: Place in the oven on the center rack and bake for 15 – 20 minutes. If you made the scoops on the larger side, bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool a few minutes before eating.

And now you are ready to enjoy!

Soft, moist and chewy, just like a bite of banana bread!

These are perfect for breakfast, snacking, or anytime you are craving a healthy cookie with simple ingredients!

Top Tips

  • Add-ins: Change it up with optional add-ins such as cinnamon, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, etc. Alternatively, don’t use any add-ins for a 2 ingredient cookie.
  • Recipe can easily be doubled!
top down view of 3 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies on a plate with around.

How To Store

  • Counter: Banana Oatmeal Cookies are best eaten right away, but can be stored loosely covered on the counter for 2 – 3 days.
  • Refrigerator: You can keep them in the refrigerator for up to 6 – 7 days.
  • Freezer: Banana Oatmeal Cookies are freezer friendly for up to 2 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer safe containers. Let thaw in the refrigerator or loosely covered on the counter.

Adjusting For Dietary Restrictions

  • Refined sugar-free: Use cacao nibs in place of chocolate chips.
  • Gluten-Free: For gluten-free oatmeal, make sure the oats are labeled gluten-free, meaning they are processed in a facility that does not also process foods containing gluten.

More Healthy Oatmeal Recipes!

top down view of hand holding 3 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies split in half with items in background.

If you try this banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies recipe or have questions, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

Print

BANANA OATMEAL COOKIES (3 INGREDIENTS)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 38 reviews

With only 3 ingredients, these Banana Oatmeal Cookies with chocolate chips are little mounds of healthy goodness! Perfect for the morning time, a grab and go snack or anytime you feel like having a healthy treat.

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 20 min
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: Makes 1216 1x
  • Category: Breakfast, Snack
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 very ripe bananas (about 3/41 cup), mashed
  • 1 cup oats, rolled or quick (I used GF)
  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Enjoy Life mini chips)

Optional add-ins:

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (our favorite)
  • 1/21 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup chopped nuts
  • 1/4 cup dried fruit
  • 2 tablespoons nut butter (homemade Almond Butter)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, silicone mat, or lightly grease with oil.

Mix: In a medium size bowl, mash bananas to a fairly smooth consistency (a few small chunks is ok). Add oats and mix well. Add in chocolate chips, mix again. If the mixture is really wet, add a few tablespoons of oats (see notes).

Scoop: Using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon or trigger scooper, scoop heaping scoops of mixture and place on cookie sheet. Leave in a dome shape or flatten it out a bit with your fingers to make a flatter shape. Depending on the size you scoop, you should get anywhere from 12 – 16 cookies.

Bake: Place in oven, on the center rack, and bake for 15 – 20 minutes. If you make your scoops dome shaped and on the larger side, bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool a few minutes before eating.

Makes about 12 – 16

Store: Leftovers can be kept loosely covered and eat within a 1 – 2 days (if they last that long!).

Notes

Looking to make this refined sugar free, use cacao nibs in place of chocolate chips.

The riper the banana, the sweeter your end result will be. I’ve used rolled oats (like you see here) and quick oats, both with great success. Also, I’ve had batches come out looking lighter than what you see here, usually when using quick oats, so your coloring may vary. They may also darken a bit overnight due to the banana.

I’ve made this recipe many times since sharing. I find that each time my mixture might be a little different. It’s never been too dry but sometimes seems too wet. This may be that my bananas were large, or extra ripe and soft. If you happen to think the mixture is too wet, add more oats.

You can play around with adding more bananas and oats making a larger batch as well. Since these don’t spread on the baking sheet. I’ve made 24 on an average baking sheet.

Try using this DIY Muesli Mix in place of plain oats. It delicious and makes it more of a trail cookie!

Updated: 3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies was originally published in September 2013. It has been retested and updated with new photos and helpful tips in September 2020.

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141 Comments

  1. Anjelica Santana says:

    These were delicious! However, I added a tablespoon of peanut butter for a little protein. Thanks for the great recipe!

    1. Anonymous says:

      Just what I need to keep up with my high energy out put. They are delicious and easy to make. I added some crushed almonds, a little desicated coconut and a few raisins. Thanks!

    2. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Sounds great Anjelica! I'll have to try that too :)

  2. Kenia Bender says:

    My. my, my! These were (are) soooo good! EVEN MY HUSBAND LIKED THEM–and he doesn't do too many sweets or snacks. We love that these are natural, simple, and actually healthy. I added a little vanilla extract, as mentioned in the optional section, and that was just what was needed to satisfy the taste buds. Side note: we love tons of your recipes! Have been using your site for almost a year now. Keep up the great work :)

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Wonderful! Thank you so much for stopping to share your thoughts. Cheers :)

  3. Wow! I made these last night… Couldn't expected cookies with only two basic ingredients to be so delicious! I didn't have chocolate chips so I used carob chips instead! And I blended half the oats. It mixes real good with the bananas. My boyfriend, who's not a vegan, totally loved them! We ate a whole batch within 24 hours! Thanks a lot for the recipe, I'm going to make them often :)

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      I love the half blended and half whole on the oat mix! So glad your boyfriend like them too! They're easy to love. :)

  4. Anonymous says:

    Oh my…they were soooooo good and good for you too! Such a bonus! My 4yo daughter, who is quite picky when it comes to healthy sweets, she loved these and ate a couple of them!!! We almost finished the whole batch and yes, we are going to make this often, especially since it's super simple too! Thanks soooo much! xoxo

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      My daughter who is a bit picky loved these too! Hope you get to enjoy them often. Cheers :)

  5. Celeste Li says:

    i made this last night and its AWFULLY GOOOD! just completely indulged myself in the entire batch and shared the joy with my roommate and house mother. They just couldnt stop themselves from walking away from it!

    1. Celeste Li says:

      ps. i did not have chocolate or honey on hand, so i just put a spoonful of jam to add some sweetness to my not-so-ripe-bananas-mix

    2. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      That's awfully good to here! Lol They are very easy to eat! I love the idea of using some jam with not so ripe bananas. Great idea!

  6. domesticgoddess says:

    This looks delish! Will steel cut oats work in this recipe rather than rolled or quick oats?

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      I wouldn't recommend using steel cut oats in this recipe. But I suppose you could try pre-cooking them or softening them before using. If you give it try…I would love to know how it went! :)

    2. alice automatic says:

      i have made these now with rolled oats and with steel cut oats, and i actually prefer the steel cut version. they are both delicious and quick, but i thought the texture was better on the steel cuts. it seemed to me that the the steel cut oats absorbed some of the moisture of the bananas during cooking, giving the cookies a more crunchy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside texture. the rolled oats were a little gummier, though still very good. i think i cooked the rolled for about 18 minutes and the steel cut for 22. also added a handful of walnuts to the steel cut, which worked well.

      1. Did you cook the steel oats at all before putting them in cookie recipe????

        1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

          I call for old-fashioned or quick cooking oats which do not need to be cooked prior. Steel cut oats are a bit too tough to use in this recipe.

  7. Gnammmmmmmmmm.. They seem to be delicious!!
    How long do they retain? And where is best place to store them?
    Sorry for my English.. I'm Italian! :-)

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Eat within a day or two and store loosely covered. Enjoy!

  8. Anonymous says:

    Could not wait to make these and just whipped up a batch and they did not disappoint…I had barely ripe bananas so I added just a sprinkle of coconut sugar…then a big handful of cocoa chips, cinnamon, vanilla…My bananas were a little on the small side so I used four…they were delish…will definitely make these again and again! Thank you thank you…

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Wonderful! Thank you for sharing your experience and outcome, it will help others too. Enjoy! ♥

  9. Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says:

    You had me at 4 ingredients. :) I can't wait to make these!

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      I hope you love them too! :)

  10. Harp Gosal says:

    Made these tonight and they were delicious! Thank you :)

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Yah! So glad you liked them! Thanks for sharing :)

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