Last Updated on August 11, 2026 by Carrie Korem, FNTP
A warm bowl of overnight banana bread oatmeal is just about as comforting as it gets in the morning!
Soaking oatmeal overnight reduces the nutrient inhibitors and makes it easy for the body to digest. If you’d like to read more about the importance of soaking grains, click here .
You can serve this banana bread oatmeal cold, but it really does taste lovely warmed with some toppings like toasted pecans, chia seeds, maple syrup, or raw cream. I haven’t tried it yet, but I think you could even switch out the banana for pumpkin, add some ground clove and allspice and have yourself a warm bowl of pumpkin spice oatmeal. How nice does that sound?!
Overnight Banana Bread Oatmeal
Adapted from Bon Appetit
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Units
For the oatmeal:
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 cup organic rolled oats or steel cut oats
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk or coconut milk
- 1/4 cup whole plain yogurt (use coconut or almond milk yogurt for dairy-free)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of Celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Toppings:
- Sliced banana
- Chia seeds
- Maple syrup
- Raw cream or coconut cream
- Ground flaxseed
- Unsweetened, flaked coconut
Instructions
- Place the bananas in a medium-size mixing bowl and mash with the back of a fork. Stir in the oats, milk, yogurt, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Cover and leave on the countertop overnight. In the morning, pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and heat over low until warm. Serve with toppings of your choice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Serves 2
Doesn’t soaking grains and nuts only work if you soak them in water and then drain it off? Seems to me that whatever you soak out of the oats is then absorbed by the milk and you are consuming it anyway. I could be wrong about this and that’s why I’m asking. Not criticizing … just curious. Thank you.
My daughter did a research paper on this years ago and some of the science used the term “neutralizing” the phytates, which kind of implied a deactivation or “rendering harmless”. Others referred to it as “removing” phytates and said to drain and rinse thoroughly. I drain what I can and leave it for recipes like this (Nourishing Traditions’ soaked muffins are another example.)
okay,so maybe not so much that there’s anti- nutrients to rinse away, but more of a neutralization of the oats,like you said. Hmmm, I’m so curious about this.
Soaking grains, particularly in yogurt or fermented products, begins to break down the more difficult to digest qualities of grains. Thus, it’s easier on your own digestive process.
I was going to ask the same question
Hi,
Is it safe to leave out overnight with the milk and yogurt ? I would think that would need to be refrigerated.
Thanks for the help!!
Yes, you leave it out overnight. Foods such as sour cream, mascarpone, creme fraiche, buttermilk, kefir, etc. all require dairy to be left out for long periods of time to culture or ferment. If you’re not comfortable with this, then I’d let it sit in the fridge to soak for at least 12 hours.
I was wondering the same thing. I am new to this. Also, di I really leave them out in the counter over night? Will the milk go bad?
Yes, you leave it out overnight. Foods such as sour cream, mascarpone, creme fraiche, buttermilk, kefir, etc. all require dairy to be left out for long periods of time to culture or ferment. If you’re not comfortable with this, then I’d let it sit in the fridge to soak for at least 12 hours.
My first thought when I saw your title was that I hoped this would be a recipe using real oats, as that would mean that you were healed enough to add in a grain like oatmeal and be able to enjoy it. I’m not there yet, but I just wanted to share that with you.
Would almond milk work as a replacement for the coconut or whole milk? Thank you.
I don’t see why not. The only thing I would say is that almond milk tends to be a bit thinner than coconut and whole milk so perhaps take that into consideration. 🙂
I am excited to try this porridge! I have been pretty bored with breakfast recently and this looks like just the thing to spice it up. Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t tested it, but I think it would work well.
What can you use instead of a yogurt?
I haven’t tested this recipe with substitutions, so I’m not sure what else would work.
I made these for the first time last night – woke up to fresh snow this morning and oats ready to warm up and eat…. they’re delicious. I used steel cut oats and a combination of whole milk and full fat coconut milk. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made it! It was delicious, as expected everything we’ve made thus far from your cookbook and website hasn’t disappointed!!
My four year old however still prefers Apple cinnamon oatmeal. What would you suggest for a soaked version?
Just follow the same recipe above minus bananas and cook apples in butter prior to adding the overnight oats to heat?
Thank you in advance!!
I haven’t tested it, but I think that would really well! Let me know how it turns out!