It’s official. I’m on a chia seed kick. Anyone else?
I find myself putting it in and on everything I can: on top of oatmeal, in my smoothies and protein shakes, on top of peanut butter toast. The best though? Dipping bananas in dark chocolate and then in a sea of chia seeds. They’re so fabulously crunchy, sweet and irresistible. Plus all that good nutrition in just a little seed? I mean, how can you not love them?
This recipe is an adaptation from my friend Katie‘s recipe for Peanut Butter and Banana Baked Oatmeal found in her new cookbook The High-Protein Vegetarian Cookbook. I was so excited when I received a copy of Katie’s cookbook because my mom is mostly vegetarian and I knew this cookbook would offer some amazing, delicious protein-packed recipes for her.
In the book, Katie makes the oatmeal with an egg and regular milk, but I opted for almond milk and a chia seeds instead.
Nutrition in chia seeds:
You might be wondering why I used chia seeds instead of an egg? Well here’s the thing… while I love the nutrition of an egg, I’m in love with the fiber, protein and omega 3s that chia seeds pack in.
In fact, did you know that 1 tablespoon (a serving) of chia seeds pack more than 5g of fiber and 3g of protein?! Yes to that.
How to meal prep this baked oatmeal:
This breakfast is great for reheating and taking on the go. Once the oatmeal is done baking, simply wait for it to cool, then cut into individual squares and place in individual containers. Upon reheating, just pour a few more tablespoons of almond milk on top to ensure the oatmeal doesn’t dry out. I love serving mine warm, spread with extra peanut butter on top and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Next time, I think I might add a few fresh raspberries before baking for a PB&J twist.
More make-ahead breakfast recipes to try:
Veggie Packed Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burritos
Vegan Paleo Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Strawberry Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal + video
Peanut Butter Blueberry Overnight Oats
Dark Chocolate, Almond & Sea Salt Banana Baked Oatmeal
Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal Bake
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/3 cup all natural creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/3 cups unsweetened almond milk (coconut, soy or skim also work)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or coconut oil.
- Combine the oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
- In another medium bowl, mash the bananas well, then whisk in the peanut butter, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla and chia seeds.
- Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is barely golden brown and set.
- Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes to cool, then slice into 6 servings and serve with extra almond milk, sliced bananas and toasted almond if desired.
25 comments
I love LOVE baked oatmeal! This looks sooooo good, love peanut butter, bananas and chia seeds! I also entered your giveaway–hope to win that!
Ok. You have to stop making all these delicious recipes because I get sucked into my kitchen every time. I have all the ingredients on hand, so i guess I’m going to make this riiiiight about now. Looks delish!
Thank you so much for sharing, Monique! I’m big into chia seeds right now too – sprinkled on top of crunchy almond butter toast is my fave!
I am not a fan of bananas. What can I substitute it with? I would love to make this.
I think you could try pumpkin, but you’d need to increase the sweetness. You could also try pureed pears!
Thank you for your reply. Can I try mashed sweet potato and how much ? A cup?
[…] I’m all about oatmeal, so I can’t wait to try this peanut butter banana baked oatmeal with chia […]
[…] Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal with Chia Seeds (Vegan & Gluten Free) […]
[…] Now on to the recipe, which is an adaption from Ambitious Kitchen. […]
Could you add ground flaxseeds to this as well?
[…] – add in some vanilla for extra flavour! Monday: Peanut butter baked oatmeal – I exclude nutmeg so add it in if your a lover! I am not gluten of vegan, so you will see on […]
I made this with almond butter and it is delicious! Thanks for the perfect fall recipe!
Perfect! I’m glad you enjoyed 🙂
This was seriously good, I am going to add blueberries in next time I think! I needed a reinvention of oatmeal- was getting tired of it. Something tells me I will be on a baked oatmeal kick for a while now, thank you!
Blueberries would be amazing in this! If you search “baked oatmeal” on my site you’ll find some delicious other flavors too 🙂
[…] “A healthy make-ahead power breakfast: Peanut Butter and Banana Baked Oatmeal to help start your day off right. Just reheat and eat! Vegan and gluten free.” Recipe: AmbitiousKitchen. […]
[…] “A healthy make-ahead power breakfast: Peanut Butter and Banana Baked Oatmeal to help start your day off right. Just reheat and eat! Vegan and gluten free.” Recipe: AmbitiousKitchen. […]
[…] AmbitiousKitchen. […]
I had some bananas that needed to be used up so I Just made this and it’s awesome! The only modifications I made was adding extra cinnamon because I love the flavor with these ingredients and I added 1 scoop of Vanilla whey protein isolate powder to amp up the protein content. Baked in a glass dish it took 34 minutes. Thank you for an awesome healthy make ahead breakfast recipe!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
This is one of my favorite make-ahead, healthy breakfasts. I love adding blueberries on top too, then warming up and adding some type of milk to the bowl to serve. It’s just perfect for winter mornings!
So delicious! Glad you love it!
I made this for breakfast this week and my whole family loved it. It was a big hit with my 4 and 2 year olds. We ate it over 2 days and it reheated well after the first day. A nice filling breakfast for the whole family!
Amazing! So happy to hear that.
Good!! I’m not sure how cooked this needs to be. Mine can be sliced into bars. But still a little wet inside. It tastes fine, joust wondering if I should have cooked it longer ?