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2-ingredient banana oat cookies with no added sugar! They are vegan, gluten-free, versatile, & great for breakfasts & snacks.
Healthy 2-ingredient Banana 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. You can eat them 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; you will feel virtuous, satisfied and happy no matter the occasion.
If you’re feeling like a fancy-pants, you can add a splash of vanilla, a pinch of salt and some ground cinnamon. But honestly, they are great without embellishment, too.
Important: Use Very Ripe Bananas
When your bananas reach that uber-ripe stage, no need to make cookies immediately (although you certainly can). Simply peel and freeze for future batches. Let the frozen bananas thaw at room temperature, or, if you share my level of impatience, shove into the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds until defrosted and mushy.
Be sure to let the oats and bananas sit for about 5 minutes after combining. The oats become softer, resulting in extra-tender cookies.
Vary the Cookies with Different Mix-Ins and Toppings
If you have some dribs and drabs of ingredients–dried fruits, seeds, nuts, sprinkles, etc.–in the cupboard, feel free to add them to the cookies! You can either stir them in or sprinkle them on top before baking. In the case of the jam, make indentations in the drops of cookie dough before baking; fill with a smidge of jam, then slide into the oven to bake as usual.
The nut or seed butter can be stirred right into the batter; nuts and seeds can be sprinkled or pressed into the dough before baking (no pre-toasting required!).
Now for a showcase of the possibilities!
Cacao nibs + goji berries are yummy options. I am a jumble-it-all-together kind of woman, at least when it comes to cookies.
Cinnamon and pecans. This is my husband’s favorite, hands down. We picked these very pecans last Thanksgiving while staying with his parents.
These are expressly for my peanut butter-loving Dad. I’ll make them with sunflower seed butter for my peanut-allergic sister :). The power and flexibility of home cooking!
Toasted coconut, my favorite. I like to add a smidge of almond extract to the dough, too.
Can you guess my son’s favorite (below)? 🙂
Just a little bit of dried fruit and a scant amount of chocolate chips make these taste super-indulgent.
Have fun experimenting, and happy baking!
More Healthy Vegan & Gluten-Free Cookies To Try:
- Zucchini Oat Breakfast Cookies
- Coconut Flour Zucchini Cookies
- Oat Banana Coconut Oil Energy Cookies
- Healthy Chocolate Banana Oat Cookies
- Overnight Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Vegan Double Chocolate Oat Cookies
- Flourless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
2-Ingredient Banana Oat Cookies {gluten-free, vegan}
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 10 1x
Description
2-ingredient banana oat cookies with no added sugar! They are vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, versatile, & great for breakfasts & snacks.
Ingredients
- 2 large, very ripe bananas (peel should have black spots), peeled
- 1 cup (90 g) rolled oats (quick or old-fashioned, not instant; GF if needed)
Optional Flavor Boosters
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground spices (e.g., cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, pumpkin pie spice)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet (parchment, foil or silpat) or lightly grease/spray with cooking spray.
- in a medium bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until almost no lumps remain (mixture should be almost liquid if using really ripe bananas; you should have about 1 cup/250mL). Stir in oats until well-blended. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes. Mix in any optional ingredients, if using.
- Using a small cookie scoop or rounded tablespoon measure, drop rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart (they don’t really spread). Sprinkle with any of the suggested toppings, if using.
- Bake in preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes until golden brown and firm to touch at the center. Transfer to cooling rack and cool completely.
Notes
Tip: The cookies are great soon after baking, but exponentially better after sitting for a few hours (they become softer and sweeter).
Storage: Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Stir-In or Topping Ideas: 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (gluten-free or vegan, as needed), 1/4 cup chopped dried fruit (e.g., raisins, apricots, cranberries, cherries), 2 to 3 tablespoons cacao nibs, 1 to 2 tablespoons nut butter, seed butter or coconut butter, 1/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
For thumbprints: Prepare as directed. After scooping dough onto baking sheet, make an indentation in each cookie; fill with 1/2 teaspoon jam, preserves, jelly, apple butter, or nut butter. Bake as directed.
- Category: Cookies, Energy Bites
- Method: Baking
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 big cookie
- Calories: 55
- Sugar: 3.3 g
- Sodium: 1 mg
- Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.7 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
- Protein: 1.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: 2 ingredients, oatmeal cookies, vegan, banana, oat, refined sugar free, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, oil-free
Can a diabetic have these
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Nice post!
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Hi I tried these but they turned out to be very soft and rubber like in the centre. What might have gone wrong? I used convection oven at 180°C preheated baked them for 16 mins. Used Saffola Quick Oats.
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Hi Mona,
Oh no, that does not sound good! I am wondering if perhaps you used a banana that was not super ripe (lots of brown on the peel, super-squishy). The rubbery texture sounds like what happens when the banana is still fairly firm (i.e., much of the starch has not converted to sugar yet). If the banana is too starchy, you get that rubbery texture, and the lower amount of sugar means less sweetness and less browning of the cookies. I like to push my bananas to max ripeness, then I peel and freeze them if I do not have time to use them right away. I hope this helps.
what does “GF” mean?
“1 cup rolled oats (quick or old-fashioned, not instant; GF if needed)”
I crave so many things when my cycle is coming around these look like they’d satisfy the endless pit in my belly lol
Hi VRD–sorry for the confusion, it is my shorthand for “gluten-free”
Wow I have these in the oven right now- I added nutmeg and cinnamon ,peanut butter powder and almonds. I may have went a little crazy but even my husband is waiting for these to come out. Smells amazing already.
Thanks so much for the post as a vegan who doesn’t eat sugar this is a rare find for me. I shall make it my staple dessert and after workout snack.
Omg I am absolutely shocked at how good these are! I added dried cranberries and walnuts and a pinch of salt and cinnamon. I will be making these and making these and making these!! Thank you.
Wonderful, so glad for the pleasant surprise, Cheryl!
Hi Camilla
Would you be able to bake this recipe in a tray with the dough packed in and cut into squares after baking?
Hi Anria,
I actually tried to do something similar awhile back; I wanted to used the mixture as a crust for a breakfast bar. It was not great. Granted, I spread it fairly thin (about 1/4 inch) to be a crust, but it baked unevenly and was hard in an unpleasant way. I can tell you that I have made these in both mini muffin and regular muffin tin and they are great! You get more crispy edges. Just be sure not to make them too thin 🙂
Are these supposed to be crispy? thanks
Hi Linia,
Just at the edges 🙂 They should be more of a little mound, as pictured.
Are they suppose to be crispy? Thank you!
No, they are are a softer consistency, only a touch crispy at edges 🙂
Hi,
Tried these but found them to be moist at the centre even after baking for 16 mins at 350° . What might have gone wrong?
Hi Mona,
Gosh that sounds strange, sorry that happened. The only thing I can think is perhaps your cookies were large? I used a small cookie scoop so the cookies are only about 1 tablespoon in size.
Hallo! I would like to ask a question? My cookies came out rather rubbery…? Are they suppose to be crispy?
I did us less oats per banana so guess that would be the reason! Just wanted to make sure. Thank you!
Thank you!
Hi Linia–you nailed it. It is defintely a ratio of banana to oats issue; too much of the former will make these rubbery. If you like, you can make these (with the specified ration) in a mini muffin tin or regular muffin tin. You will get more crispy edges that way (do not fill them very full–cookie, not muffin–and watch the time, they will brown more quickly this way) 🙂
Would adding some baking powder add some lightness to the cookie?
Hi Phillip: yes, or a bit of baking soda 🙂
Hi, made this and it’s delicious! Can’t believe it’s super healthy. I added almond and a bit of cinnamon. Just curious, if I add buckwheat flour, will the cookies become crunchy or just rock hard? Just wanna see if I can play around with the texture of the cookies. Thanks!
Hi Shakirah–so glad you enjoyed these! Sure, you can play around with adding different ingredients to change this up, but I cannot predict how it will turn out, especially when it comes to flour (especially how much, whether you change other ingredients, etc).
Super healthy, super delicious and very simple! Thanks for sharing 🙂
You are so welcome, Nikoletta! 🙂
I really liked it! The cookies taste delicious! The only thing I suggest is that my batch came out to half of the number of servings, so I doubled the recipe to make 24.
Thank you!
Can you make these with already cooked oatmeal? These sound great but I have 1.5 cups of old oatmeal from yesterday that I want to use up…oh, and I am high altitude!
Hi Beth,
I really do not know how that would work; I am thinking you would need to use more banana in relationship to the oatmeal because liquid has already been added to the oats. The best thing to do is try!
I just made these and their delicious! Added some dark chocolate nibs on top. I can’t wait to eat them for breakfast – what a healthy treat! Just one thing, I doubled the recipe and still only got 12 cookies. Maybe I made them bigger…? Next time I might triple the recipe.
GReat, Marisa! I love cacao nibs 🙂 Yes, they should be pretty small 🙂
Do the bananas have to have black spots?
Hi! They just need to be very, very ripe–they usually have dark spots when they are the degree of ripeness needed for this recipe (i.e., they should be quite squishy inside).
How much is one cup of oats? About 200 g?
Looking on my package of rolled oats (Bob’s Red Mill brand), 1 cup is 96 grams.
i am diabetic type 2 and been looking for something as a snack that is fat free and sugar free and tasty ,this looks perfect, gonna go buy some cheap black bananas tomorrow ,and definitely make these, geeze i been looking for ages for something that has few ingredients ,and as i can eat as much fruit as i like ,and porridge oats is good to bring colestral down as i had heart attac 3 yrs ago, and as oats are very filling this should satisfy me as a snack ,looking forward to shopping tomorrow
I am so glad you found the recipe, Jacqueline! It is a great, super-frugal treat, and it does sound perfect for your needs! 🙂
In the directions you have “Drop by heaping tbsp onto prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart”. Did you mean “Drop a heaping tbsp”?
Hi JOhn, that’s what’s meant; my version (drop by heaping tbsp) is the lingo used in lot on standard baking terminology 🙂
Thank you for the recipe. Question – do they suppose to be musshie inside? Mine were hard on the outside and musshie inside so not sure if i did it correctly.
Hi Irina: No not supposed to be mushy. Perhaps you made them too large?
Hi Camilla,
can’t thank you enough for this wonderful easy oatmeal/banana cookie recipe. They are super quick to make and unbelievably delicious, adding seeds like sunflower or sesame makes them energy giving treats. I have been totally gluten free and organic since many years and actually gave up baking back then. The recipes these days are with too many ingredients for me to get into UNTIL I found your site. I enjoy experimenting with different toppings and spices as well. Anyway, many, many thankies for bringing this recipe, thanks to you I am baking again.
Take care and God bless!
Lieselotte–thank YOU for such a lovely note! I am so glad you are enjoying the recipe–it is a staple at our house, too (we always seem to have bananas on the brink of decrepitude, which means they are perfect for these cookies!)
Hi,
I just made these. I added cinnamon and ginger, with a pinch of sea salt. This was so simple and tasty. I used a bar/mini loaf pan that was silicone to bake them, and I’m glad I did. They came out perfect. My next batch will have junior mints(i know odd, but so tasty). I think I will make a snicker doodle version too. Thank you for this recipe, I have been on a gluten free diet for a month now and these hit the spot.
THANK YOU,
Destiny
Wonderful, Destiny!!! 🙂
Made with apple puree and equally as good as my banana biscuits. Anyone know if these can be frozen?
They freeze well, Di! Store in an airtight continer and freeze for up to 3 months. 🙂
Wow been looking for a recipe just like this for my sons school treats..thank you
Wonderful! Enjoy, Jyotsna 🙂
I blended the banana with 3 prunes for added sweetness, mixed this with oats and cooked as instructed. Delicious. Thank you 🙂
Ooh, that sounds great, Scotty! I am a big fan of prunes–I am going to have to try these with your addition (I have some prunes in the refrigerator right now)
I am loving these vegan cookies. I baked mine in the morning so I jus tasted one and they taste really good. thanks for the recipe love.
I am so glad, Shirley!!! 🙂
Hi just wanted to say thanks for this recipe – recently gone refined sugar-free (already dairy and gluten-free) and lamenting my lost love -cookies! This has restored hope and happiness to my rumbling belly!! Just made a batch and they are delicious, and what’s more so simple I will always have the ingredients in the house and can make add to with whatever else I have. Now… to leave some to get exponentially better….. hmmm….. not so easy! XX
xxxooo Hannah!
These cookies may not contain white sugar, but they still have sugar in them. Your basic recipe using just oats and 2 ripe bananas has 32 grams of sugar in it. That means each cookie has 3.2 grams of sugar, pretty close to the amount of sugar in a Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookie. You are misleading your followers.
Lorna, I meant no refined sugar. Keep in mind that even a stalk of celery has sugar (2 grams per 2 medium stalks); a large carrot has about the same amount of sugar (over 3 grams) as these cookies. I think people get it.
Hi!
I love your recipe and I think the cookies are delicious, but I would prefer them crispier/crunchier. Any ideas on how I can make that happen?
Thanks.
Hi Rosie,
You could flatten the cookies with your palm (moisten your hand to do it) as flat as you can before baking. You may need to cut back on the baking time 🙂
I used this receipe as a guide and added my own combo of goodies for co-workers this a.m. they loved them and asked me for the recipe. LOL. 🙂 Thank you. ~Namaste.
Wonderful!!! 🙂
Wow I made these this evening with some peanut butter in the mix and jam in the middle OMG 😀 the whole family loved them I see me making loads of different types of these, thank you :-))
Ok, you are making me hungry Jenni–sounds yummy!!!
This recipe seems amazing ! I really want to try it
But I want to know if I can make it with “white quick cooking oats from Quaker ” (cuz that’s the only thing available in here :/ ) thanks
Those should work, Kitty!
Could I sub apple sauce for banana?
Hi Jeane,
I have not tried it, but it’s worth a shot. They will definitely be far less sweet (unsweetened applesauce is not sweet, so these may turn out more like biscuits than cookies).
I tried it with applesauce, and it worked great. I started with 1 cup oats and 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, but I needed to add another 1/2 cup of oats. It may be that you’d need 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup applesauce for every 1 cup oats. I cooked it a little longer, because they were wetter than with bananas, and in the end I turned the oven up to 400 for the last 7 minutes. But then, my cookies were larger, because I still made 10 cookies when I should have made 15 (had 1.5 cups oats) and I flattened them somewhat. So, yes, with some maneuvering, you can make these with applesauce ( I used organic unsweetened applesauce, btw). I’ve also made them the original way with bananas, and they were fantastic, too! Thanks for the recipe!
I would like to use up some ripe pears. how did the pear ones go?
I am on a vegan cleanse and made these for a candle party. Everyone loved them. Couldn’t believe the recipe. I liked mine with unsweetened coconut added and sliced almonds on top. I didn’t have enough bananas for second batch so I used some very ripe pears. Making these for my mom tomorrow.
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed these, Laurie! I’d love to hear how the pear version turns out 🙂
Yesturday, I was craving for something sweet, we didnt have anything, then I remembered your two ingredients which I had on hand. I made some, cookies and my 7 yr. old and myself loved them!!!!!! And to top it off no sugar was needed thanx for making my evening, Many blessing!!!!!!!
You are so welcome, Eliza!!!
Wow! I just made these cookies and the vegan in me thanks you!
You are welcome, Nickhil!!! 🙂
I loved these!! So excited that I can make a cookie that doesn’t have any added sugar. They tasted like banana bread to me. I made them with dried cherries and dark chocolate-YUM. Even my one year old approved. Can’t wait to try out different flavor combinations. I’m definitely going to do a cinnamon, raisin, walnut one next. Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!
I am so glad that you loved them, Cheri!
These are so yummy! Thank you. My three year old had fun helping me make them too.
Yay! So glad you and your little one liked them, Audrey!
Made these with flax meal instead and added honey and a bit of coconut oil, turned out great! Thanks.
MMM, sounds delicious, Sam!
Camilla, you saved me! We don’t eat sugar nor wheat and I still wanted to make holiday cookies. I was trying to edge my way around the sweetness issue without spending on processed syrups. Thank you for posting!
You are so welcome, Mimi!
Made these tonight with only adding vanilla, cinnamon and sugar free chocolate chips to the banana and oats. They were barely off the cookie sheet when they were magically disappearing. Will definitely make these with the spotted bananas instead of all the work to make banana bread, which seems to disappear just as quickly but it more work.
So I tried this recipe. I used 1.5 ripe bananas about 1/4 cup of mashed strawberries with 1 cup oats GF old-fashioned. Cooked at 350 degress for 15-20 minutes. It came out terrible. The oats were not cooked Everything tasted raw. We live at a very high altitude 4300 ft about sea level in a very dry climate. Any suggestions?
Hmm, something definitely went kuckoo, they should not taste raw at all. Perhaps a lower temp (325) for 20 to 25 minutes?
These are spoon good. Thank you.
Oh, I’m so glad you like them, cousin! 🙂
I made these yesterday with orange zest, dried cranberries, and chopped pecans. It was a little late when I realized I should probably put in only 1/3 cup total of cranberries and pecans, rather than 1/3 cup each. But they were fantastic anyway, and I shared them with all my marathon training buddies. They liked them lots too. Some of the pickier ones were quick to point out that they’re not technically sugar-free, but only free from added sugars (not counting the dried cranberries, of course).
Great recipe!
So glad you liked them, Katie–and your training buddies, too 🙂 I love these for quick snacks pre- and post- run as well! True, my point was that there is no added sugar of any kind (you could point out to them that almost every fruit and vegetable has natural sugars (even lettuce!) 🙂
I don’t have oats at the moment but there are some rice flakes lying around – would those work as well?
Hi Sol,
Like the Eden brown rice flakes? I think those would be GREAT! Keep in mind that I have not tried it, but I think they might be even better! Please try and let me know. I’m thinking you might want to add a little but more of the rice flakes…play it by ear if the initial batter looks too loose. The batter should hold together when you scoop it onto the cookie sheet 🙂
I made these yesterday as soon as I saw this post! They are awesome and husband approved! What a great snack/treat that is easy and healthy. Great when you’re craving something sweet or before or after a workout or run. These will be a regular staple in our house. Another great thing, these are items that most people almost always have on hand!!
Jena! We are of the same mind 🙂 I am so glad you are enjoying them. Hee Hee, I just had two following my morning run today–cookies any time of day is a joyful thing!
I made these last night with the suggested spices and only a few chocolate chips. My husband and I loved them! (By the way, you were awesome on Katie last week!)
Lisa! Thank you on two counts!!! 🙂
Made these (double batch!) last night! LOVED them! The kids were really into them, too. We all had them for breakfast this morning–I know I will be making these again and again!
In a word, FABULOUS! Glad they were a hit, Cyndi!
Check the cut banana bin at the grocery store. Usually the bananas are at least 10 cents/lb cheaper. Also they freeze up nice and are great as ’emergency’ ingredients. 🙂
Brilliant, Carla! I love bargains 🙂
Had two on -the-verge-of-garbage bananas at home, so I made these. Wow! Thanks for such a great recipe. I had about 2 tbsp of chocolate chips so I chopped them up and added them. It’s amazing that a little bit added so much. Thanks!
Phew, glad you were able to round up some chocolate, Alison! 🙂
I swear, I am never buying granola bars or energy bars again, all thanks to you, Camilla! These are winners with the whole family! My three year old helped make them. 🙂
Well, you just made my day, Mandy! 🙂
I think this is one everyone in the family is going to love. The photos look awesome (and tempting!)!
Thanks so much, Ellen–enjoy!
I ned a half dozen of the chocolate chip ones right about now! These look perfect for marathon training , Camilla–thanks!
I can attest that they are perfect inside a zip-pouch for running (put in a baggie first, though, to avoid crumbs 🙂
Oh my goodness, Camilla! I am going to make these as soon as I get home!!!
Happy to oblige, Jenni!
Camilla, these look AMAZING!