Banana Oatmeal Cookies

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These Banana Oatmeal Cookies are absolute perfection. This recipe yields a perfectly soft, cake-like banana cookie loaded with oats.

banana oatmeal cookies on a round wire cooling rack.

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This is the banana oatmeal cookie that’s acceptable to eat for breakfast! It’s a foolproof recipe that yields a pillowy soft banana cookie every single time.

The great thing about this recipe is the cookies are drop cookies, just like my banana cookies and banana nut bread cookies.

This means there is no need to chill the dough. You just scoop and drop mounds of dough right onto a baking sheet.

Pop the cookies straight into the oven until they are baked through. This only takes about 10 minutes.

Overhead view of banana cookies with oats on a wire rack.

I’m pretty sure if you love my banana cream pie, best ever banana bread, and banana pudding cupcakes, you’ll love these cookies!


How to Make Banana Oatmeal Cookies

  1. Making banana cookies with oats from scratch is very easy. You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer to make the dough.
  2. First, cream butter, shortening, white sugar, and brown sugar together. Then add an egg, mashed banana, and vanilla extract.
  3. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a separate bowl then add it to the butter mixer. Mix everything together until just combined.
  4. Gently fold in quick-cooking oats and chopped walnuts.
  5. Drop tablespoon-sized mounds of dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake.

How to Keep Banana Oatmeal Cookies From Spreading

Banana cookies that don’t spread require vegetable shortening. Shortening will the cookies a soft, cake-like texture that doesn’t spread into a flat crisp cookie.

Using quick-cooking oats also helps hold the cookie together resulting in less spread.

banana oatmeal cookies on baking sheet

How to Make Soft Oatmeal Banana Cookies

The key to soft banana cookies is to use both butter and shortening. The two work together to keep the cookies tender.

Using a combination of white and brown sugar will also yield a softer cookie. Brown sugar contains molasses which add more moisture to the cookie.

Close view of oatmeal banana cookies on wire rack.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies for Breakfast or Dessert

The thing I love most about these oatmeal banana cookies is they can be eaten for breakfast or dessert. Enjoy them as they are for breakfast. Or mix in chocolate chips, caramel bits, toffee bits, etc. to make an exquisite dessert cookie.

PRO TIP: Take these cookies to the next level by roasting the banana before adding them to the batter. Simply line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the whole banana, in its skin, on the baking sheet. Bake them for 15 minutes at 350°F. Let them cool completely before using.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

4.60 from 42 votes
banana oatmeal cookies on a round wire cooling rack.
These Banana Oatmeal Cookies are absolute perfection. This recipe yields a perfectly soft, cake-like banana cookie loaded with oats.
Jen Sobjack
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 42

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup (102 g) vegetable shortening, room temperature
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 cup (225 g) mashed banana, about 2 bananas
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (160 g) quick-cooking oats
  • ½ cup (58 g) chopped walnuts

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat; set aside.
  • Whisk the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Beat in the egg, banana, and vanilla extract on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
  • Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Take care not to over mix.
  • Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in the oats and walnuts until just incorporated. The dough will be soft.
  • Scoop cookie dough, about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie, and place 2 inches apart on the prepares baking sheet. Bake for 1-10 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. 
  • Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Notes

  • Try swapping the walnuts for chocolate chips, caramel bits, toffee bits or any other add-in you love.
Make ahead tip
  1. The cookies will keep for up to 1 week stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  2. Cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 43IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.5mg

The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
4.60 from 42 votes (37 ratings without comment)

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19 Comments

  1. Can I use old fashioned oats, instead of quick oats?

    1. Jen Sobjack says:

      I don’t recommend it.

  2. Rebecca L Tellez says:

    Made these with sugar substitutes, both white and brown, and mismeasured my flour and only had one very large banana so they didn’t get very big, but the flavor was delicious and definitely will make these again.

  3. Amanda Bohigas says:

    5 stars
    These are chewy and delicious. It is also a good base recipe to use with other fruit purees. ? I don’t like shortening though, so I just used butter.