Home » Course » Snacks » 3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies

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 39 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.

FOLLOW TSV on FacebookInstagramPinterest, or RSS for more updates and inspiration!

142 Comments

  1. Emma-leigh Coombs says:

    i made these and they were amazing. i was going to make a smoothie but forgot too, so i used frozen bananas and the mix went a bit sloppy so i added more oats. it is surprising how much it tastes like banana bread!

  2. Anonymous says:

    Just wonderful!! I can eat these all days and make extra to keep in fridge or freezer till when needed.Thanks!!

  3. Just stumbled upon your great site. Can't wait to try this recipe for quick, tasty back to school breakfast bites or after school snack treats. Thank you!!

  4. Roxanne M says:

    I tried this the other day, I drizzled some honey on top of them, they were a tasty snack. :) I'm not even vegan, but I love all the recipes I've tried of yours so far <3 You are wonderful! :D

  5. Anonymous says:

    my daughter visited last week and she makes these for her kids, but she left a bag of them for me. I ate a couple with a glass of skim milk for a great after a heavy work out treat. She also uses dark chocolate chips which I think adds the antioxidant aspect to them too.

  6. Anonymous says:

    how long would these keep in a biscuit tin?

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      A couple days at least. I never have them around longer than 2 days, they are eaten almost as quick as I can make them!

      1. Can I freeze them? What method would be best to defrost for eating?

        1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

          I’ve never frozen them, but I’m sure you can with good results. I would let them defrost on the counter. Warm them in a toaster oven if you like. Would love to know how it goes if you do try. Enjoy :)

          1. Ok ty will do!

  7. Anonymous says:

    I made this last Saturday and It turn out awesome. I placed raisins instead of chocolate chip. :)

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Raisin sound like a great idea! :)

  8. Anonymous says:

    Tried this recipe last night but I put my own twist on it. Made them in a Mini Muffin pan and in my toaster oven so I didn't heat up the whole house. Very delicious!

  9. Sally Strawberry says:

    I have just made these. They were delicious! I didn't use the chocolate but pumpkin seeds instead which gave them a lovely crunch. I'm trying to resist the urge to polish them all off! Thanks for a great recipe!

  10. Leone Arendse says:

    I used carob chunks in my first try but not as sweet and banana was not sweet so cookies were a bit bland. Second time around I used lindt chocolate and bananas were overripe and I ate the entire batch, they were quick and so delicious, thanks for an awesome recipe

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star