Soft-baked, lower sugar Banana Breakfast Cookies made in under 25 minutes with my fave pantry staples: oats, peanut butter, coconut and chocolate chips! No butter or flour needed. Little kids adore these, and parents love that they're packed with whole grains, fiber and protein. If you're looking for nourishing cookies with a cake-like texture and simple ingredients, these are it. Recipe makes 20 smaller cookies.
My toddler wants cookies like, all the time. Oh, it's 6:40am and still dark outside? What a splendid time to bake a batch! So here we are with crazy easy breakfast cookies *mostly* naturally sweetened and totally snack-worthy, too. Boom shaka laka!
To me, the texture of these banana oat breakfast cookies (inspired by my no added sugar Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies) is totally lovely--more cakey and hearty from the oats versus the buttery, chewy texture of a classic cookie. Quite satisfying in its own right!
They're just a wee bit sweet, mostly from chocolate chips, since the batter itself doesn't have any added sugar. Impressive, eh? But don't take my word for it!
5-Star Reader Reviews ★★★★★
"I've made 2 batches in 2 weeks. These are perfect for my toddler and my pregnant self. I add what I have in my pantry and mix it up following this recipe as a base. Thank you, Alexis!" --Rachel
"Thanks for these amazing and simple cookies, Alexis!!! The coconut twist is my favorite part. We made it twice already and took it on our trip to Hawaii as a hearty, filling, tasty snack to munch on! Our toddler also enjoyed it very much and asked to make it again! Thank YOU! 🫶🏼🫶🏼" --Shilpi
"These cookies are phenomenal. It's a healthy option for my teenagers. The recipe is forgiving so you can play with it...my only problem now is the family wants me to make them constantly!" --Ceridon
Behind the scenes of recipe testing
- Bananas: It's critical you use ripe, spotty, almost brown bananas for the most intense banana flavor and sweetness since we're relying on for them for the sugar in this recipe. Mere yellow bananas are not cookie-worthy, trust me!
- Peanut butter: It was clear in testing that PB makes these cookies not only more filling, but also more delish and richer tasting. I did test them with almond butter but I really prefer the flavor of PB. When I made a batch with sunflower seed butter, they were delish but did turn green. Don't fret, its a harmless chemical reaction.
- Coconut: I developed this recipe with shredded coconut because in my opinion, the banana oatmeal texture by itself is pretty one note. We need something unique! Coconut adds much needed texture contrast, plus I love the flavor and the healthy fats it adds for staying power.
- Hemp seeds: Most recipes for banana oatmeal cookies don't call for this little powerhouse but I always add 'em since the dietitian in me can't pass up the opportunity to boost the [complete!] protein and healthy fat content. I've certainly skipped them, though--it won't change the texture or flavor at all.
Let's make it!
Cookies for breakfast....what a time to be alive.
Print
Healthy Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Soft-baked, lower sugar Banana Breakfast Cookies made in under 25 minutes with my fave pantry staples: oats, peanut butter, coconut and chocolate chips! No butter or flour needed. Little kids adore these, and parents love that they're packed with whole grains, fiber and protein. If you're looking for nourishing cookies with a cake-like texture and simple ingredients, these are it. Recipe makes 20 smaller cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed overripe banana*
- ⅓ cup natural peanut butter
- 2 large eggs (can sub flax eggs)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned oats (certified gluten free if needed)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup hemp seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an extra large sheet pan (or 2 half sheet pans) with parchment paper.
- Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl. Measure to make sure you have 1 cup (it's ok if it's a bit heaping, but too much banana will make these too moist). Add peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Add oats, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, coconut, chocolate chips, and hemp seeds. Whisk until combined.
- Use a spoon to drop mounds of batter onto the baking sheet. The batter will be wet (see process photos in the post), unlike traditional cookie dough. Don't be tempted to add more oats! You'll get 20 cookies.
- Bake for 13-14 minutes, or until golden and set. (If using 2 sheet pans, bake one at a time.) Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes and devour! Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for 2 days then refrigerate or freeze leftovers.
Notes
*2 medium or 3 small bananas, but please measure!
If you prefer sweeter cookies, you can add ¼ cup sugar.
Caitriona Loughrey says
I love these cookies 🍪
So easy to make, delicious and healthy at the same time. Great for the school lunches and with a cuppa.
5🌟
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Love this, thank you so much!
Leslie says
So good ! Great way to use up extra bananas. I thought they were perfect without adding any sugar. I follow the recipe (250 g bananas) and didn’t find the mixture to be too moist. Will be making again!
Carolyn says
I’d make this again, but don’t add the salt! My peanut butter included a little salt and so did my toasted coconut flakes , so they were too salty.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Oh I’ve never heard of salted coconut! Thanks for the feedback.
Suzanne Bryan says
Love this healthy recipe. And will try some other variations in the future. I refrigerated the "dough" before dropping it onto the parchment lined baking sheet. The oats seemed to soak up a little of the moisture and were a little less wet. The oats were also a little chewy for my young granddaughter so I might pulse them in a food processor slightly before mixing next time, too. I didn't have hemp seeds so I used sunflower seeds and they were good. I only had desiccated unsweetened coconut, which worked fine, but think I'll use shredded next time. Healthy and No added sugar! a win win!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Love these changes, thanks Suzanne!
Shilpi Joshi says
Thanks for these amazing and simple cookies, Alexis!!! The coconut twist is my favorite part of this recipe because my 'no chocolate chip cookies for me, please' husband also loved them because the coconut shreds added so much texture and flavor. 🙂 🙂
We made it twice already and took it on our trip to Hawaii as a hearty, filling, tasty snack to munch on the almost 6-hour flight and while going out and about in Hawaii! Our toddler also enjoyed it very much and asked to make it again! Thank YOU! 🫶🏼🫶🏼
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
This made me so happy! I love that coconut texture, too 🙂 thanks so much!
Michele says
These taste pretty good, but I had to add a lot more oats. I was over 2 cups before I decided to just pour into a pan to make bars. Far too wet to make cookies. (I had about 1.25c of bananas from 3 bananas)
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Sorry you didn’t love these. The recipe calls for 1 cup of banana so if you have more you will need more oats! I also specify that the batter is wet unlike traditional cookies.
Sondek says
Hi, I’m not a great cook. How does one know when these cookies are done? Mine were very spongy, is that normal? They tasted great by the way.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
13-14 minutes should do it, they'll have golden bottoms and be set. Since these don't have butter/sugar like traditional cookies, they're more dense. Enjoy!
Kat says
I wanted to love these but they turned out too cake-like. I subbed for sunbutter and added pumpkin seeds. Any feedback as to why they could have turned out that way or is that the consistency they are supposed to have?
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Hey Kat! Yep--the texture is soft and hearty (I always describe in the post in case that's helpful!) versus a traditional cookie since these don't have butter, flour or sugar. "If you're looking for a chewy, buttery, more classic cookie situation, do yourself a favor and make my Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Cheers!
Rachel says
I’ve made 2 batches in 2 weeks. These are perfect for my toddler and my pregnant self. I add what I have in my pantry and mix it up following this recipe as a base. Thank you, Alexis!
Alexis Joseph says
This is the best, us too! Thanks you Rachel!
Jessica says
These are so easy to make; however, I forgot that when you use the sunflower butter (so they're school friendly for my two year old) they turn green so they were harder to tell when they were baked. I also didn't measure the banana and think I had too much bc they were super soft but they were still tasty. Next time I'll measure the banana and try the peanut butter. Thanks for another easy recipe and I can't wait to see the meat ones you come up with. Your black bean burger recipe is my go to for burgers for me!
Alexis Joseph says
Thanks Jessica! Yes, I'd love to hear the results with the 1 heapingcup banana since bananas vary so much in size--they would definitely be softer with more banana. Glad you still liked them! You can also omit the peanut butter entirely for school; I've made them that way too (my son doesn't like sunbutter).
Sarah says
Great support of people eating healthy.
Ceridon says
These cookies are phenomenal. It’s a healthy option for my teenagers because we don’t eat cereal. I also added coconut as well. The recipe is forgiving so you can play with it, but I followed it and only added coconut because we love it. You certainly don't need to change it because it’s perfect. My only problem now is the family want me to make them constantly!
Alexis Joseph says
You made my day, Ceridon! We love coconut, too (recipe calls for 1/4 cup!). They freeze well, too. Enjoy!
Alexis Joseph says
Yayyy! Love a toddler snack win, thanks Michelle!