Best Banana Chia Overnight Oats Recipe

These Banana Chia Overnight Oats are the perfect breakfast, with hearty oats, chia seeds, and sweet bananas to start your day off right! 

As a lover of oatmeal and a breakfast recipe developer, these banana chia overnight oats are one of my favorites. They remind me of banana bread but in oatmeal form! Overnight oats are perfect for those who like something quick & easy for busy mornings, since you can meal prep these at night and have them ready for the next morning. 

These banana chia overnight oats are easy to make and take just 5 minutes to prep at night. You can make a few ahead of time for quick grab-and-go breakfast options to take on the road with you. Not to mention they help to keep you fuller for longer in the AM!

If you are looking to try some other overnight oats recipe, be sure to check out my Nutella Overnight Oats, Oreo Overnight Oats, Biscoff Overnight Oats, Tiramisu Overnight Oats, and Chocolate Protein Overnight Oats. 

why you'll love this recipe

• You get the cozy feels of banana bread with these oats, without any baking or dishes necessary! 
• They only take 5 minutes to make and you only need 7 basic ingredients.
• This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled to make a great meal prep breakfast to make for the week so you don't have to worry about hectic morning meals. They last in the fridge for days after prepping! 

ingredients

• Banana: Banana is our main ingredient and sweetener in this recipe. You want to use ripe banana, the more ripe the better since they will be sweeter! I usually use greek yogurt in my overnight oats recipes but I swapped that for the banana and they still turned out super creamy!
• Oats: I prefer using old-fashioned oats or rolled oats (they're the same thing). You could also use quick oats in a pinch. I don’t recommend using steel-cut oats in this recipe as they won't soak the liquid of correctly. 
• Maple Syrup: I like to add this as a flavor enhancer and sweetener, but you can definitely leave you if you just want sweetness from the bananas. You could also swap this for another sweetener of choice as listed below. 
• Chia Seeds: this is going to help thicken up the overnight oats. 
• Milk: any milk of choice works with this recipe- I've used oat milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, soy milk, unsweetened almond milk, and aside from non-dairy milk, also regular cow's milk. I love using Fairlife milk.
• Cinnamon: I added this for extra flavor, you could easily leave out or swap for something else like pumpkin pie spice, or even a teaspoon of vanilla extract. 

Additions and Substitutions

• Maple Syrup: swap out the maple syrup for honey, agave syrup, brown sugar, or coconut sugar. 
• Protein Powder: want an extra boost? Add ½-1 scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein powder to this recipe. 
• Oats: feel free to swap out old fashioned oats for quick oats. 
• Nut Butter: a tablespoon or two of peanut butter, almond butter, or another nut butter you enjoy would be delicious with this recipe! Peanut butter banana is one of my favorite flavor combos.
• Chocolate: if you're a chocolate lover, add a teaspoon of cocoa powder to the oats before mixing in the wet ingredients, or add mini chocolate chips to the overnight oats.

step by step instructions

Step 1: Mix together the oats, chia seeds, and cinnamon in a jar or bowl.

Step 2: Stir the milk, mashed banana, and maple syrup into the dry ingredients.

Step 3: Cover with a lid and place in the fridge for at least 5 hours, or overnight. The next morning, give it a stir and top with additional sliced bananas and chia seeds. 

Tips & Notes

• I would wait to add your favorite toppings until the morning you're going to eat the oats, especially the banana slices so they don't turn brown. 
• If your overnight oats seem dry the next day, add in an extra splash of milk and mix. 
• If you’re dairy-free, you can use dairy-free yogurt and dairy-free milk. 
• You can leave out the maple syrup if you think the bananas will make your overnight oats sweet enough. 
• If you want to meal prep these, make a big batch and store in a large container or several jars.
• I like making these in these overnight oat glass jars, but a mason jar works perfectly as well, as well as simple tupperware containers! Anything that can be stored air-tight in the fridge.

Serving Suggestions

• A perfect breakfast option to serve along side overnight oats would be these veggie egg white bites that are packed with fresh vegetables!
• If you're looking for another great prep meal breakfast idea, try my Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches. 
• If you want other overnight oats, this overnights recipe is my most popular recipe on the blog, and for good reason! It has over 7 flavor ideas. 

Storage and Reheating Instructions

• Keep the overnight oats covered in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Mix before enjoying.
• You can eat these cold oats straight out of the fridge or heat in the microwave
• Can be frozen for up to 2 months. To defrost, allow to sit in the fridge overnight. If the oats are dry add a splash of milk. 

Want to try more oatmeal recipes?

📖 Recipe

This post contains affiliate links which means if you purchase something off of one of those links I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my blog!