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These Healthy Flourless Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Cookies are made with simple ingredients and taste just like banana bread! Naturally vegan and easily made gluten-free with certified gluten-free oats, these cookies are perfect as a breakfast treat, afternoon snack, or healthy dessert!
Why You’ll Love These Banana Oatmeal Cookies
- Easy to Make: No stand mixers or fancy equipment needed—just a couple of mixing bowls and a baking sheet.
- Super Healthy: Packed with whole grains, protein, and low in sugar, these cookies are as nutritious as they are delicious. Perfect for kids and lunchboxes!
- Freezer-Friendly: Make a batch, freeze them, and enjoy whenever you want. You can also freeze the dough for later baking.
Ingredients & Notes
- Oats: Use quick or rolled oats for a chewy texture; avoid steel-cut oats.
- Walnuts: Add crunch and flavor. Substitute with your favorite nuts or omit entirely.
- Chocolate Chips: Mini chocolate chips work best, but chopped dark chocolate is a great alternative.
- Salt: Balances the flavors.
- Bananas: Use ripe bananas for sweetness (about ¾ cup mashed).
- Maple Syrup: Adds natural sweetness; the bananas contribute much of the sweetness already.
- Almond Butter: Binds the cookies and adds healthy fats. Substitute with peanut butter or your preferred nut butter.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor.
How to Make Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, add oats, walnuts, chocolate chips, and salt.
2. Mix Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, mash bananas and mix with almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
3. Combine Ingredients: Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. If the mixture is too wet, add a handful of oats.
4. Shape Cookies: Use a cookie scoop to form balls of dough and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten slightly with your hands.
5. Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F and bake cookies for 12-15 minutes until golden brown on the edges. Adjust baking time for softer or crispier cookies.
6. Cool and Enjoy: Let cookies cool slightly before serving.
Optional Add-Ins
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Shredded coconut
- Cacao nibs
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries
Variations & Substitutions
- Nut-Free: Use tahini or sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter.
- Sugar-Free: Omit maple syrup and use sugar-free chocolate chips.
- Gluten-Free: Use certified gluten-free oats.
Storage Tips
- Baked Cookies: Store in a sealed container on the counter for 2 days or in the fridge for 5-6 days.
- Freeze: Store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature.
- Cookie Dough: Freeze dough in a freezer bag or form cookies and freeze. Bake directly from frozen as needed.
Tips for Perfect Banana Cookies
- Use ripe bananas for sweetness.
- Use rolled oats for the best texture.
- Press cookies down slightly as they won't spread during baking.
FAQ
- How Ripe Should Bananas Be? Use bananas with brown spots for the sweetest cookies.
- Best Oats to Use? Rolled oats for best taste and texture.
- Are These Cookies Healthy? Yes, they’re oil-free and have minimal added sweetener.
- Can I Freeze the Dough? Absolutely! Freeze in a bag or form cookies and freeze.
- How Long Do They Keep? 2 days on the counter, 5-6 days in the fridge.
- Should Cookies Be Refrigerated? Not necessary, but they last longer in the fridge.
Tried These Cookies? Let me know how you liked them by leaving a comment/rating below! Follow on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more delicious recipes!
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The above recipe draws inspiration from the renowned culinary experts, Sally, Chris and Lindsay.
Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Cookies are healthy and perfect for a dessert, snack or even breakfast!
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- 2 large ripe bananas, mashed (approx 3/4 cup mashed)
- 1/2 cup almond butter (can sub peanut butter)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the mashed bananas, almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
- In a separate mixing bowl, mix together the oats, salt, cinnamon, chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together until combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the cookies onto the baking sheet, then use your hands to gently press down on each cookie to flatten slightly.
- Bake for 12-15 until golden brown around the edges.
Notes
Store in a sealed container on the counter for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5-6 days.
The riper the banans, the sweeter the cookies. Depending on your personal preference, you may want to use more or less ripe banans in these cookies. When using bananas in baked goods, you always want them to have at least some brown spots on them.
Use large flaked oats (rolled oats). This type of oats will give the cookies the best texture. Quick oats tend to be softer and I find they kind of get lost in these cookies.
Don’t forget to press the cookies down with your hands. These cookies don’t contain any baking powder or baking soda in them, so they won’t really spread on the baking sheet. When you scoop the cookie dough, make sure to press the cookies down with your hands to flatten them slightly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 139
- Sugar: 6.3
- Sodium: 114mg
- Fat: 7.1g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 16.2g
- Fiber: 3.2g
- Protein: 4.5g