These 3 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies are incredibly easy to make! They require only three ingredients and no flour is involved. These cookies are a healthy snack or breakfast option!
What if I told you that you could make cookies with only three ingredients? You probably wouldn’t believe me! But it’s true! These tasty treats only need three basic ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
The best part about these 3 ingredient oatmeal cookies is that they are healthier than your normal cookie! Each cookie has only 60 calories. Other than the chocolate chips (which are optional, but highly recommended) there’s no added sugars. Also, there’s no added fats like butter or shortening.
These cookies are moist, sweet and addicting. Who knew that all you need is banana and oatmeal to make a cookie?? I love to keep these on hand and snack on them during the day!
Ever since I started breastfeeding my son, I’ve been craving sweets hardcore. The “I need sugar right NOW or I’m gonna lose it” kind of cravings. Chocolate, cookies, candy...it all sounds good. Unfortunately, the cravings are not exactly helping me lose some of the baby weight I gained.
In search to both satisfy my cravings and remain somewhat nutritious, I started making these three ingredient healthy cookies. The sweetness from the banana and the small amount of chocolate chips helps to satisfy my sweet tooth without having to eat something really unhealthy.
I’ve started making a large batch of these on the weekends so I’m stocked on snacks for the week. I store them in the freezer and then whenever a sugar craving hits, I pull one out of the freezer and zap it in the microwave for a few seconds.
Ingredients Needed For Banana Oatmeal Cookies
There’s only three ingredients required for these cookies. It doesn’t get much easier!
- Bananas: it’s really important that the bananas are ripe (lots of brown spots). They are easier to mash and a lot sweeter. The bananas must be ripe in order to hold the cookie together.
- Oatmeal: use old fashioned oatmeal. Quick cooking oats are another option. Choose a gluten free brand of oatmeal if concerned about allergens.
- Chocolate chips: adds a hint of sweetness to the cookies. I love the semi sweet chocolate chips because they aren’t overly sweet. Another option is to use dark chocolate chips.
Let’s Make Some Banana Cookies!
Mash the bananas using a fork until they create an almost liquid consistency. It’s ok if there are a few lumps, but overall they should be a smooth consistency. This may take a couple of minutes to achieve.
Tip: it’s really important that the bananas are ripe. A banana that has lots of brown spots on the peel is a good thing! Ripe bananas help the cookie hold together and provide a natural sweetness. I’ve tried it with bananas that were not fully ripened and the texture and overall flavor didn’t turn out as well.
Add the oatmeal and chocolate chips. Mix well with a spoon until combined.
Drop the cookies by rounded tablespoons (or use a cookie dough scoop) onto a greased cookie sheet. It’s ok if the cookies seem a little crumbly, they will hold together when they cook. You may have to use your hands to help mold them into a round shape.
Bake in the oven and remove from the cookie sheet immediately when cooked. These taste best warm in my opinion. Store in the refrigerator for up to two days and warm in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.
Serving the Cookies
I believe that these are best when served warm! The combination of melted chocolate and the moist texture of the cookie is best warm.
Leftovers
Allow the cookies to cool completely after cooking. Store in an airtight container or a zip lock bag in the refrigerator for 2 days. These cookies can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Add-Ins
These banana oatmeal cookies are easy to customize! There are several different ingredients that can be added into the cookies before cooking.
- Cinnamon: add 1 tsp of cinnamon to the cookie batter before cooking
- Raisins: substitute raisins in place of the chocolate chips. Or, add in ½ chocolate chips and ½ raisins.
- Walnuts: substitute chopped walnuts in place of chocolate chips.
- Vanilla: add ½ tsp of vanilla for a little bit of extra flavor
Tips and Tricks
- Use an extra ripe banana. Speed up the ripening process by sticking your bananas in a brown paper bag for a few days. I also like to freeze my banana's when they go brown, that way I always have some on hand when needed.
- If your bananas are on the small size, consider adding an extra half to whole banana. The recipe works best if you use large bananas.
- Don't overcook! These cookies will be dry if overcooked. I recommend cooking 9 minutes and then if you do need to continue to cook them, check them every minute.
- Grease the cookie sheet- I made the mistake of not doing this the first time I made these cookies.
- Consider making a double batch because these will be hard to put down!
Nutrition Information
Listed below is the nutritional breakdown for these 3 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies. The serving size is 1 cookie.
- 60 calories per serving
- 2 grams of total fat
- 12 grams of carbohydrate
- 1.5 gram of protein
- 1.3 grams of fiber
Oatmeal Nutrition Benefits
The oatmeal in these cookies has some excellent nutritional benefits. The old fashioned oatmeal is an excellent source of fiber. If you eat 4 of these cookies (because let's be honest, it's hard to eat just 1), they have 5.2 grams of fiber. Often people think of beans as a high fiber food (1 serving has 5 grams of fiber), however oatmeal is also a great source!
Fiber can help to maintain bowel health and aid with constipation. Additionally, studies have found that fiber can help keep you full for a longer period of time. This is because high fiber foods provide a large volume and are typically more bulky, taking a longer time to digest. For more information on fiber, check out this article by the Mayo clinic on the benefits of fiber.
Allergen Information
Gluten Free: These cookies can be made gluten free by using 100% certified gluten free oatmeal. I love the brand "Bob's Red Mill" gluten free oatmeal. Bananas are naturally gluten free and the chocolate chips are usually gluten free, however always double check labels!
Dairy Free: To make these dairy free, replace the chocolate chips with a different add in that does not contain dairy. Some alternatives are craisins, raisins or chopped walnuts.
More Delicious Desserts
- Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies
- Flourless Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
- Healthy Blueberry Crumble Bars
- Gluten Free Blueberry Crumble
These sweet treats are the perfect healthy breakfast cookie, snack or dessert! I hope you love them as much as I do! Please tag me on Instagram or leave a comment below if you make these 3 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies!
3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 large bananas very ripe (if bananas are small or medium, use 2 and a half bananas)
- 1.5 cups old fashioned oatmeal gluten free if needed
- ¼ cup chocolate chips semi sweet
Optional Add-In's
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a cookie sheet.
- Peel bananas and place in a medium mixing bowl. Use a fork to mash the banana. This make take a couple minutes; the banana mixture should be smooth, with a few small lumps.
- Add in the oatmeal and chocolate chips. Stir until combined.
- Drop cookies by the rounded tablespoon (or use a cookie dough scoop) onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and place on cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- The banana must be ripe (lots of brown spots on it) for these cookies to taste good and have a good texture. The riper the banana, the sweet the cookie will be. An unripe banana will make the cookie more bitter.
- Feel free to add any optional mix in's, such as chopped walnuts, vanilla or cinnamon.
- The serving size is 1 cookie. This has 60 calories/cookie.
Nutrition
Yummy - love the simplicity of this recipe! Thank you!