- This makes a delicious breakfast and can be made up to 4 days ahead.
- This dish is packed with fiber and potassium for a heart-healthy breakfast.
- If you don’t have bananas handy, you can use applesauce or pumpkin puree instead.
Our Strawberry-Banana Baked Oats is the hearty breakfast you’ve been waiting for. Fiber-rich oats are mixed with sweet, ripe bananas and creamy almond milk. Warm cinnamon and a touch of maple syrup add a comforting caramelized flavor to the oats. Eggs are included for extra protein and to help bind it together. We studded the entire dish with fresh strawberries and added them to the top with fresh bananas—beautiful and delicious. Keep reading for our expert tips on technique, healthy ingredient substitutions and more.
Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen
These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too!
- The riper your bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your oats will be.
- Don’t overmix the oat mixture. You don’t want it to become dense.
- You can substitute the mashed banana with applesauce or pumpkin puree, and swap the maple syrup for honey.
- We like almond milk in this recipe, but you can use any kind of milk you want.
Nutrition Notes
- Bananas have varying levels of ripeness. Choose bananas with brown spots for this dish, as they develop more sugar as they become riper. Bananas are a source of fiber and potassium—two nutrients that benefit your heart health.
- Oats are rich in fiber, especially a type of fiber called beta-glucan, which helps to remove cholesterol from the body. Oats are naturally gluten-free, though they can be contaminated with gluten during processing. If you’re following a strictly gluten-free routine, you’ll want to purchase oats specifically labeled as gluten-free.
- Strawberries are another source of fiber in this dish and also a source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that can help reduce inflammation. It also supports collagen production in the body, which can be beneficial for skin health, joint mobility and wound healing.
