Name: 2 Ingredient Banana Oat Cookies (V, GF, Oil-Free)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cup mashed banana ((VERY ripe, finely mashed or puréed; see tip below)); 1 cup rolled oats ((certified GF, as needed; old-fashioned or quick-cooking. Optional: roughly chop)); Optional: pinch of salt; Optional: Ingredient Add-Ins (see notes for ideas)

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Looking for a delicious and healthy treat? These 2 ingredient banana oat cookies are vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free, making them the perfect anytime snack. Add any number of add-in with what you have in your cupboard!

2 ingredient banana oat cookies on a cooling rack

Healthy 2 ingredient Oat Cookies
Recipe Benefits
Ingredients
Pro Tips for the Oats & Bananas
Tip: Use Very Ripe Bananas
Step by Step Instructions
Step One: Preheat Oven & Prepare Pan
Step Two: Make the Cookie Dough
Step Three: Portion the Cookie Dough
Step Four: Bake
Step Five: Cool the Cookies
Taste & Texture of the 2 Ingredient Oat Cookies
Storage
FAQ
Ingredient Add-Ins (Suggestions)
More Healthy Vegan & Gluten-Free Cookies To Try:
2 Ingredient Banana Oat Cookies (V, GF, Oil-Free) Recipe

Healthy 2 ingredient Oat Cookies

You know those black-spotted bananas on your countertop?

They’re ready for a love match. With oats.

Mix these two together and in a matter of minutes, you have cookies. Staggeringly simple, scrumptious cookies. Cookies that are sugar-free, frugal, vegan, and gluten-free.

Enjoy the cookies for breakfast, dessert, as a snack, to fuel up before a workout, to refuel after a workout, or even for dinner on one of those days when you need cookies for dinner (the same holds tru for breakfast and lunch 😉). You will feel virtuous, satisfied and happy, no matter the occasion.

Recipe Benefits

Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
Gluten-Free
Oil-free (e.g., no coconut oil, olive oil, butter, or avocado oil)
Nut-free (e.g., no peanut butter, almond flour, or other added nuts)
Seed-free
Added Sugar-Free
Fast & Easy to Make
Rich in potassium
Frugal
Endlessly variable with different mix-ins

Ingredients

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.

Making these nutritious cookies requires only two ingredients. However, you can customize the cookies in countless ways with flavorings, add-ins, or toppings. You can find suggestions for these additions near the end of the post, as well in the recipe card.

Here is what you will need:

Very ripe, finely mashed bananas
Rolled oats (old-fashioned rolled oat or quick oats; certified gluten-free, as needed)

One add-in I strongly recommend is a pinch of salt. The salt will not make the cookies salty. Rather, it enhances the sweet flavor of the bananas and the toasty flavor of the millet flakes.

Pro Tips for the Oats & Bananas

Making these 2 ingredient banana oat cookies is very easy. If you like, you can spend an extra minute or two on the ingredient prep to make sure they come out PERFECT, every time.

2 photo collage showing pureed banana and chopped oats

Puree the bananas (by hand, or with a blender)
- The cookies come out best if the ripe bananas are very well mashed, or better yet, pureed, or blended. I like to use my handheld stick blender to get out all of the lumps and bumps, but you can use extra elbow grease to mash with a fork by hand (really work the bananas until they are almost liquid). Note: Measure the bananas AFTER finely mashing or pureeing.
Chop the oats (by hand, or with a blender or food processor)
- Give the oats a rough chop in a food processor, with your stick blender, in a regular blender, or by hand (with a large kitchen knife). The combination of very small pieces and some larger pieces allows for the banana to absorb into the smaller pieces more easily, making for better flavor and texture overall.

Tip: Use Very Ripe Bananas

It is critical that you use very ripe (lots of black on the peel), super-soft and squishy bananas for this recipe to work. As bananas ripen, their starch breaks down (soft squishiness) and becomes sugar (sweetness). Starchy, not so sweet bananas = dreary, dry muffins.

I suggest freezing your ripe bananas. Once my bananas reach the super-squishy ripe stage, I peel and freeze them for my future baking recipes. When you are ready to use the frozen bananas, defrost (on the counter, or use a microwave). Do not drain off any of the liquid from the defrosted bananas (use it all).

Step by Step Instructions

Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.

Step One: Preheat Oven & Prepare Pan

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or use a silicone baking mat.

3 photo collage showing the dough for banana oat cookies

In a medium mixing bowl, or large bowl, stir together the finely mashed bananas, oats and optional salt until blended.

Stir in any additional flavorings (e.g., spices, vanilla extract) and/ or mix-ins (such as chocolate chips or dried fruit). Stir until completely blended.

Using a small cookie scoop or rounded tablespoon, drop rounds of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet or cookie sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.

cookie dough portioned on a cookie sheet

With damp fingertips, flatten each mound of dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Step Four: Bake

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until light golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch.

baked banana oat cookies on a cookie sheet

Step Five: Cool the Cookies

Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet with a spatula and cool completely on a cooling rack.

Taste & Texture of the 2 Ingredient Oat Cookies

The texture of the banana oat cookies is tender, with slightly crisp edges, though not as crisp-tender as cookies made with added fat (e.g., oil, butter, or margarine).
The taste of the oats cookies equal parts mild banana and toasty oat flavor. Adding spices, vanilla or finely grated citrus zest will enhance the cookie flavor. The cookies are not too sweet since they get all of their sweetness from the ripe bananas.

two cookies, one with a bite taken out of it

Storage

Store the cooled banana cookies in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 3 days, the refrigerator for 1 week, or the freezer for up to 6 months.

FAQ

Do my bananas need to be extremely ripe? And can I use frozen bananas? Yes and yes! It is very important to use very ripe (lots of black on the peel), super-soft and squishy bananas for this recipe to work. If using ripe bananas that have been frozen, do not drain off any of the liquid after thawing. Use any accumulated liquid as part of the total measurement.
Can I use something other than banana? You could use an equal amount of unsweetened apple sauce. The cookies will not be very sweet, since applesauce is not as sweet as very ripe banana. If using applesauce, add in one or more sweet mix-ins (e.g., chocolate chips or chopped dried fruit), or add a small amount of sweetener to the cookie dough (see question below regarding how to make the cookies sweeter).
How can I make the cookies crisper and also more tender?
- Oil Version: Replace 2 to 4 tablespoons of the mashed banana with oil (e.g., avocado oil, melted coconut oil, olive oil) or melted vegan butter.
- No-Oil Version: Replace some of the banana with cashew cream, full-fat coconut milk, or runny nut or seed butter (e.g., peanut butter, almond butter or sunflower seed butter)
How can I make the cookies sweeter? You can add 1 to 3 tablespoons of the sweetener of your choice, such as coconut sugar, maple syrup, brown sugar, or (if you are not following a vegan diet) honey. Adding other ingredients (e.g., chocolate chips, dried fruit or fresh fruit) will also make the vegan oat cookies sweeter (see ideas below).

Ingredient Add-Ins (Suggestions)

If you have some dribs and drabs of ingredients lurking in your pantry, including dried fruits, seeds, nuts, sprinkles, etc., consider adding them to the 2 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies for a tasty variation! It is a great way to use up what you already have (and make the cookies different, every time, in the process).

Thumbprints (Jams & Butters): After flattening the cookie dough portions, make an indentation int the center of each with the round end of a teaspoon measure (or your thumb). Bake. After baking, but while still warm, fill each indentation with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of jam, preserves, marmalade, smooth nut butter (e.g., peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter) or smooth seed butter (e.g., sunflower seed butter, pumpkin seed butter).
Spices: Add 1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon of your favorite spice, such as cinnamon, nutmeg (stick with 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, at most), cardamom, allspice, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, or your own combination of spices (no more than 3/4 teaspoon total).
Cinnamon Sugar: Sprinkle cookies with cinnamon sugar before baking.
Dried Fruit: Add up to 1/2 cup of chopped dried fruit, such as raisins, dried apricots, dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or dried figs.
Chocolate: Add up to 1/2 cup of your favorite dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate chunks, or two to three tablespoons of cacao nibs, tot he cookie dough before baking. Alternatively, drizzle or dip the cooled with melted dark chocolate (set on wax paper or parchment paper; chill in the fridge to harden the chocolate).
Nuts or Seeds: Add up to 1/2 cup chopped nuts or seeds, such as walnuts, pecans, peanuts, almonds, pepitas, or sunflower seeds. Alternatively, sprinkle a few nuts or seeds on top before baking (or press in a pecan or walnut half).
Extracts or Zests: Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. You could also add a teaspoon of finely grated lime, lemon or orange zest to the cookies.
Coconut: Add up to 1/4 cup finely chopped shredded coconut or flake unsweetened coconut (toasted or un-toasted).

Have fun experimenting, and happy baking!

More Healthy Vegan & Gluten-Free Cookies To Try:

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