Can you make banana bread baked oats in the microwave?

While I prefer the texture of this banana bread baked oats when baked in the oven as it’s more cake-like and not gooey, you can make it like you would a mug cake in the microwave. Prepare and assemble as per the recipe and microwave in 30 second increments for about 1.5 to 2 minutes.

Can banana bread baked oats be made ahead?

You can make it up 3-4 days in advance. Once the baked oats have cooled completely, cover tightly with a small sheet of aluminum foil or cling wrap and store in the fridge. When ready to eat, reheat in the microwave on high for 1 minute or until warm throughout.

Can you use whey protein for baked oats?

Yes! This recipe is made with whey protein and the texture is still moist and cakey. That said, a whey-casein protein is also an excellent option and yields and even moister texture. Plant-based proteins work well in baked oats too but you will need to add more milk as they tend to absorb more liquid.

Banana Bread Baked Oats (29g Protein)

Banana Bread Baked Oats

Easy to make, full of all things good-for-you, and has a delectable cake-like texture, these Banana Bread Baked Oats get a serious boost of protein from protein powder! It’s high in fiber and guaranteed to keep you full for hours!

Author: Lavina
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 29
Total Time: 39 minutes
Yield: 1 1x
Category: Breakfast
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

1 spray Cooking Oil Spray
40 grams / ½ cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (use gluten-free if needed or oat flour – note 1)
20 grams Vanilla Protein Powder (whey, whey-casein or plant-based – note 2)
2 grams / ½ TSP Baking Powder
¼ TSP ground Cinnamon
80–85 grams / 1 small ripe and spotty Banana (reserve 35 grams for the topping)
50ml / 1.7 fluid ounces Unsweetened Almond Milk (or any plant-based or regular milk)
40 grams / 2 TBLS + 2 TSP Liquid Egg Whites (note 3)
7.5ml / ½ TBLS Sugar-free Maple or Pancake Syrup (such as Walden Farms pancake syrup, or use regular maple syrup)
5 grams / 3 pieces unsalted raw Pecan Halves – chopped, divided
5 grams / ≈ ½ TBLS Sugar-free Dark Chocolate Chips (or more to taste – I used ChocZero brand), divided
2 grams / ½ TSP Sugar-free Sweetener (I used Swerve Brown Sugar – note 4)

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Instructions

Prep: Preheat oven to 180°C / 356°F / Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease a (12 or 14-ounce) ramekin or oven-safe bowl with 1 spray cooking oil spray. (Tip: Use your fingers or a pastry brush to coat the inside instead of spraying to coat. This way you won’t use more than you need unnecessarily.)
Combine the dry ingredients: Use a mini high-speed blender (Blend Jet, Nutribullet, or a small food processor) to blend the oats into a fine flour. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the vanilla protein powder, baking powder and ground cinnamon. Mix well to combine.
Combine the wet ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, mash 50 grams banana using a fork. Add the unsweetened almond milk, liquid egg whites and maple syrup. Mix well to combine.
Combine wet and dry ingredients: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir in half of the chopped pecans and chocolate chips.
Assemble: Pour the batter into the prepared ramekin and sprinkle with the sugar-free sweetener. Slice the remaining 35 grams of banana into coins and add on top, along with the remaining chopped pecans and chocolate chips. Allow to sit for 10 minutes so that the oats can absorb some of the liquid and the batter can “set”.
Bake: Bake on the 2^nd rack from the top of the oven (note 4) for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The top will have risen and will be golden brown and the edges will have set. (Note: If you prefer your baked oats to be gooey in the center instead of cake-like, bake for 15-20 minutes.) Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Serve: Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

whole grain rolled oats

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Notes

Old fashioned rolled oats. If preferred, use store-bought oat flour which is already fine ground and won’t require blending. While quick oats will work too, rolled oats yield the best cake-like texture.
Vanilla protein powder. Feel free to use any whey, whey-casein or plant-based vanilla protein powder. I’ve used Rule 1 Vanilla Crème protein powder which is a whey protein powder. You can also use an unflavored protein powder. Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract if doing so. If you prefer to skip the protein powder, use more blended oats (60 grams) or oat flour (55 grams) instead.
Liquid egg whites. These come in cartons that you can store in the fridge. It’s convenient for baking needs, high in protein and lower in calories and fat than using a whole egg. You can use 1 whole egg if you wish or egg whites from 1 extra large egg (USA) or 1 large egg (UK).
Sugar-free sweetener. I used Swerve Brown Sugar which is made from erythritol and great for baking. Either a clumpy packed type of sugar-free brown sweetener like Swerve or granulated white or golden sugar-free sweetener is fine. Erythritol, stevia, or monkfruit sweetener like Natvia are other great options. Regular granulated sugar also works if you prefer to use it instead.
Baking time and oven tips. If your oven is not too large, you can bake on the center rack and it should still be done in 25-30 minutes. If you have a large oven, baking on the 2^nd rack from the top is best due to the small surface area size of the ramekin. This will ensure the center cooks within 30 minutes. (Mine usually take 28-29 minutes with a whey protein.) Any longer than 30 minutes in the oven will result in a dryer texture.
Make ahead and storing. You can make these baked up to 4 days in advance. Once the baked oats have cooled completely, cover tightly with a small sheet of aluminum foil or cling wrap and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. When ready to eat, reheat in the microwave on high for 1 minute or until warm throughout.
Meal prep option. Double or triple the recipe ingredients by clicking the ‘2x’ or ‘3x’ button at the top of the recipe card to make two or three servings respectively. Mix all of the dry and wet ingredients in two separate large mixing bowls before combining together. Then stir in the the chopped pecans and chocolate chips. Divide the batter evenly into oven-safe ramekins or bowls. Assemble and bake as indicated. Once cooled, cover each ramekin tightly with a sheet of foil or cling wrap and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Blended baked oats shortcut method. If you’re short on time and not too fussy about losing and wasting some of the ingredients that’ll inevitably get stuck in the blender, you can opt to blend all the ingredients except the reserved 35 grams of sliced banana for the topping, pecans, dark chocolate chips and granulated sugar-free sweetener in a high-speed blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in half of the chopped pecans and chocolate chips then pour into a greased ramekin. Then assemble and bake as indicated in steps 5 and 6 in the recipe.
See ‘Variations’ in the post above if you’d like to customize these baked oats.