Here is an easy recipe for banana porridge made with a handful of basic ingredients. It's ready in less than 10 minutes and can easily customized to personal taste. Enjoy a small bowl of this steaming, creamy porridge on a cold morning; you will feel so satisfied.
I love how quickly this porridge comes together; such like my Sorghum Porridge or Millet Porridge, it is such an easy breakfast.
This banana porridge recipe can be made as is or used as a base to add other lovely ingredients and flavors.
If you’re in the mood for banana breakfast ideas, try my Dairy-Free Banana Smoothie or this easy 5-Ingredient Vegan Banana Bread.
For more oat-based recipes, check out these Overnight Oats with Coconut Milk, Almond Milk Overnight Oats or these tasty Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit. All of them are simple recipes with ingredients you can easily pick up at the grocery store.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick and easy: These porridge oats can be on the table in under 10 minutes.
- Whole family-friendly: Kids will love the creamy banana flavor of this simple breakfast idea.
- Healthy and sustaining: Oats keep you fuller for longer and are loaded with great health benefits, such as keeping you feeling regular and maintaining good blood sugar levels.
Ingredients & substitution notes
- Oats: Rolled oats are the number one choice for this recipe.
- Pure maple syrup: The best vegan sweetener for this recipe. Substitute it with honey, brown sugar, coconut sugar, or agave nectar. Note that all of these deliver different levels of sweetness.
- Milk: Coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, rice, or oat milk. The type of milk you use is up to you.
- Bananas: If you want a creamy banana porridge, use regular bananas that are ripe and mash easily. Unripe bananas (or worse: green bananas) won’t mash and won't taste great.
- Salt: This is optional, but salt balances the overall flavors in this healthy breakfast.
- Cinnamon: Just a sprinkle is good – totally optional too.
- Yogurt (optional): Delivers extra creaminess to the dish. Coconut is perfect if you want a vegan version of this delicious breakfast.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make banana porridge
STEP 1: Add the oats, maple syrup, cinnamon, and water to a medium or large saucepan.
STEP 2: Bring the water to the boil. Lower the temperature and simmer gently on medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the water is absorbed.
STEP 3: Add the milk and allow it to simmer for another 1-2 minutes.
STEP 4: Mash the banana and stir it into the porridge. Allow the mixture to sit for 2-3 minutes more. If the consistency seems too thick, add a bit of extra liquid.
Top tips
- Ripe bananas: Give the best creamy consistency and sweetness in this hot cereal.
- Right Oats: Use old-fashioned rolled oats rather than instant or steel-cut.
- Cook in water first: This prevents the oats from becoming gloopy and sticky.
- Cook on low heat: to ensure the liquid absorbs rather than quickly evaporates.
- Adjust sweetness: Taste and adjust the level of sweetness to your preference by adding more maple syrup or mashed banana.
- Adjust liquid amounts depending on the texture you prefer.
- Creaminess: add yogurt for a velvety mouthfeel.
Variations & add-ins
- Dairy-free/ vegan: Use plant-based milk and yogurts.
- Gluten-free: Use rolled oats that don’t contain any gluten.
- High protein: add protein powder, chia seeds, or a spoonful of natural peanut butter.
- Cocoa powder: For chocolatey goodness.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a dessert-type flavor.
Topping ideas
- Caramelized bananas: this is the perfect topping to this banana oatmeal.
- Fresh fruit: Fresh banana slices and other diced fresh fruit or this Breakfast Fruit Salad.
- Homemade Almond Butter or regular peanut butter.
- Dried fruit: Sliced dried pear and prunes are so delicious with this simple breakfast.
- Nuts: Toasted pecans, almonds, or cashews are a great way to add taste and texture.
- Granola: Sprinkle over some of my Applesauce Granola for a little crunch
- Seeds: Sunflower, pumpkin, and flaxseeds are delicious additions to this healthy breakfast.
- Yogurt: Try Greek, plain, fruit, or vanilla yogurts.
- Vegan Caramel Sauce if you're into caramel flavors
Pairing
These are my favorite hot drinks to serve with this porridge:
Meal prep
It is possible to save time by cooking the porridge up to step 3 in the recipe.. It will thicken a bit overnight so you might need to add a splash of milk the next morning.
Stir in the mashed banana and any toppings shortly before serving.
Storage
Leftover porridge can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow them to cool before packing them into the container.
Leftovers are best consumed within a day if the banana has already been added in. Otherwise, it will store for about 4 days in the fridge.
FAQ
I don't recommend cooking porridge only in milk because I find that it results in a goopy and sticky porridge. However, feel free to experiment and text it yourself.
I recommend using a ripe banana because it results in a creamier and sweeter porridge.
Sure, simply stick to certified gluten-free oats and use a plant based milk of your choice (I love barista versions).
More porridge recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
More banana recipes
📖 Recipe
Banana Porridge
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
- ¾ cup rolled oats *see notes
- 1 ½ cup water
- maple syrup to taste
- cinnamon *optional
- tiny pinch of salt
- ½ cup milk of choice
- 1-2 ripe bananas
- 3-4 tablespoon yogurt for more creaminess *optional
Instructions
- Add water, rolled oats, maple syrup, salt and cinnamon to a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for about 3-4 minutes or until almost all the water has been absorbed.
- Then add the milk and let simmer for another 1-2 minutes or until desired thickness.
- Mash one of the bananas with a fork and stir into the oats followed by the yogurt if using..
- Let the porridge sit for about 2-3 minutes (it will thicken even more). If you prefer a thinner porridge, add a splash of milk. For a thicker texture, continue simmering the oats to desired thickness.
Video
Notes
- Bananas: make sure to choose ripe bananas, they give the best creamy consistency and sweetness.
- Dairy-free/ vegan: Use plant-based milk and yogurts.
- Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free oats.
- High protein: add protein powder, chia seeds, or a spoonful of natural peanut butter.
- Storage: Store porridge in an airtight container before the banana is mixed in. Add mashed banana and any toppings shortly before serving.
- Nutritional values calculated without any topping.
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