Spiced Banana Bread Oatmeal

This grainless & dairy free version of banana bread oatmeal from http://meatified.com is minimally sweetened, full of warm spices and perfect morning comfort food.

Nary an oat was harmed in the making of this warmly spiced banana bread oatmeal! Just like my Apple & Cranberry Oatmeal recipe, this one is totally oat free, with a good amount of hidden veggies. It’s got the same mouthfeel as a warm, comforting bowl o’ oats, without the grains. I’ve just never been down with the long winded recipe names: oatless oatmeal, n’oatmeal, fauxtmeal… pah, life’s too short for those shenanigans!

 

Just as with the real oaty hot breakfast cereal, you can flavor my base aip-friendly “oatmeal” recipe a million ways. (There are four different flavors in my print cookbook, Nourish, alone!). This time, I wanted to make a variety that crossed the classic morning meal with the flavors of one of my favorite sweet treats, banana bread. So! This banana bread oatmeal has plenty of banana in the mix.

A great side effect of that is that it’s really sweet enough on its own, so you don’t have to add any additional sweetener at all if you don’t want to! It’s also swirled with a generous amount of warm spices – cinnamon, ginger and mace – that make a pot of this simmering on the stovetop makes your house smell as if you were about to pull a loaf of banana bread right outta the oven at any minute.

This grainless & dairy free version of banana bread oatmeal from http://meatified.com is minimally sweetened, full of warm spices and perfect morning comfort food.

If you can tolerate nuts and have reintroduced them successfully after the elimination phase of the AIP, I’d heartily recommend topping a bowl of this banana bread oatmeal off with some toasted walnuts or pecans and crystallized ginger chips for a pop of heat. But if you want to keep elimination phase friendly, try adding some extra banana slices and toasted caramel sea salt coconut chips to finish. A little sprinkle of salt just before serving is also fantastic, if you’re like me and love a little contrast of sweet and savory.

All of my grainless oatmeal recipes reheat really well and this banana bread oatmeal is no exception to that rule! Which means you’ll want to make a batch of this at the weekend, portion it up and stash it in your fridge or freezer. That way, you can grab a jar in the morning for a quick and easy breakfast. Bonus points that it looks totally “normal” and won’t freak out your co-workers.

This grainless & dairy free version of banana bread oatmeal from http://meatified.com is minimally sweetened, full of warm spices and perfect morning comfort food.

 

This grainless & dairy free version of banana bread oatmeal from http://meatified.com is minimally sweetened, full of warm spices and perfect morning comfort food.

You’ll see in the recipe below that I’ve given you two alternatives for cooking your acorn squash. You can do it the traditional way, baking it in the oven with a little water in the bottom of the pan, or use your Instant Pot to get ‘er done in a fraction of the time.

Both methods work just fine, but there will be a slight difference in the texture and water content of your cooked acorn squash. The traditional baking method makes for a drier squash (weighing in at 200 g per cup), whereas the Instant Pot squash retains a lot more water (weighing in at 230 g per cup).

 

This grainless & dairy free version of banana bread oatmeal from http://meatified.com is minimally sweetened, full of warm spices and perfect morning comfort food.

This grainless & dairy free version of banana bread oatmeal from http://meatified.com is minimally sweetened, full of warm spices and perfect morning comfort food.

This won’t cause you any problems, but if you bake rather than IP your squash, you may find that you want to add a little extra coconut milk or a splash of water if you prefer a looser, more milky oatmeal. If you like a thicker oatmeal, though, you should be set! Oatmeal is a pretty personal thing, so don’t be afraid to tweak the recipe to give you the texture you want. Simmering the oatmeal on the stovetop for longer will give you a thicker texture the longer you cook it, as the liquid cooks off and the oatmeal reduces. Choose your own banana bread oatmeal adventure!

This grainless & dairy free version of banana bread oatmeal from http://meatified.com is minimally sweetened, full of warm spices and perfect morning comfort food.

 

This grainless & dairy free version of banana bread oatmeal from http://meatified.com is minimally sweetened, full of warm spices and perfect morning comfort food.

Looking for more AIP / egg free breakfast recipes? Check out 85 Amazing AIP Breakfasts!

Looking for more oatless oatmeal recipes? Try my Golden Milk Oatmeal with Orange & SpicesApple & Cranberry Oatmeal, Tropical Plantain Oatmeal Bowls with Coconut & Mango or my Rooibos Tea Oatmeal with Vanilla Scented Blueberries!

Print

Spiced Banana Bread Oatmeal

This grainless & dairy free version of banana bread oatmeal is minimally sweetened, full of warm spices and perfect morning comfort food.

  • Author: Rachael Bryant
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 4 - 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Optional toppings:

Instructions

  1. EITHER BAKE: Preheat the oven to 400 F / 205 C. Carefully cut a medium-large acorn squash in half, then scoop out the seeds. Cover the bottom of a 7 x 11 baking dish with water, then place the acorn squash halves, cut side down, into the dish. Roast until the squash is tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
  2. OR INSTANT POT: Carefully cut a medium-large acorn squash (or a couple of small squashes) in half. Add 1 cup / 240 ml of water to the bottom of your Instant Pot and drop the steaming rack into place. Place the squash halves on the steaming rack so that they rest rind-side out against the stainless steel insert and aren’t touching each other. Set the vent to pressure, close the lid and set the Instant Pot to manual pressure (high) for 8 – 12 minutes, depending on the size of your squash. Use quick release and make sure that the squash is fork tender, then allow the squash to cool before scooping out and discarding the seeds.
  3. SIMMER: Carefully scoop out the cooked acorn squash and add it to a medium sized saucepan (see notes). Add all other ingredients to the saucepan over low-medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring to combine the ingredients evenly. Reduce the heat a little so that the mixture doesn’t splash or spit and cook, stirring occasionally, until the oatmeal has thickened to your liking, about 15 – 20 minutes. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy while hot!
  4. STORE: Portion the finished oatmeal up into single serving containers and refrigerate it for up to a week. The oatmeal reheats well and you can add an extra splash of coconut milk or water as you warm it up if you like. It also freezes well, so you can keep it in an airtight container for several months before thawing and reheating.

Notes

You’ll see in the recipe above that I’ve given you two alternatives for cooking your acorn squash. You can do it the traditional way, baking it in the oven with a little water in the bottom of the pan, or use your Instant Pot to get ‘er done in a fraction of the time. Both methods work just fine, but there will be a slight difference in the texture and water content of your cooked acorn squash. The traditional baking method makes for a drier squash (weighing in at 200 g per cup), whereas the Instant Pot squash retains a lot more water (weighing in at 230 g per cup).

This won’t cause you any problems, but if you bake rather than IP your squash, you may find that you want to add a little extra coconut milk or a splash of water if you prefer a looser, more milky oatmeal.

If you like a thicker oatmeal, though, you should be set! Oatmeal is a pretty personal thing, so don’t be afraid to tweak the recipe to give you the texture you want. Simmering the oatmeal on the stovetop for longer will give you a thicker texture the longer you cook it, as the liquid cooks off and the oatmeal reduces.

This grainless & dairy free version of banana bread oatmeal from http://meatified.com is minimally sweetened, full of warm spices and perfect morning comfort food

33 comments

  1. I like! Highlights your photography beautifully (love the new styling, color palette, by the way). And there you are too, nice to see you! Nice work Rachael!

    1. Thank you so much, Valerie! I never would have guessed that those colors would have worked well with my food photography, since so many food blogs keep everything with a sterile white, but I really love how this turned out!

  2. Your new version is lovely! I have your cookbook and truly love it. You have such a talent for combining flavors. I made your had b a pulled chicken and it is absolutely delicious. (It’s from your blog and I forgot the real name, but it is my new favorite.) Thank you for all your recipes.

    1. Thank you so much, Sheila! It was definitely time for a makeover and I’m thrilled with how it turned out in the end! 🙂

    1. Hahaha, no worries 🙂 My phone runs away with all kinds of weird autocorrects, too!

    1. Thank you so much, Jessica! I was trying out something a little different here, I’m not usually one for a light and bright look, but I think it came out really well here 🙂 True story: I layered two white sheets on top of each other in these photos because my real duvet cover at the time was an orange flamingo design and I was too lazy to remake my bed, ha!

  3. Is it possible to make a batch and then reheat later? This looks amazing but would probably take days for me to get through it all.

    1. Absolutely! I mentioned that in the post, but I’ll go ahead and add it to the recipe, too. I usually make this at the weekend, then portion it up for breakfasts later in the week. It reheats well and you can always add a little extra coconut milk or a splash of water as you warm it up. You can even freeze, thaw and reheat it, too 🙂

  4. So I am thinking of trying this with what I have on hand… do you think I could make this with cauliflower rice in place of the shredded coconut??

    1. The coconut is really there to add a bit of body and “chew”. You could leave it out entirely, you would just end up with a softer, less textured oatmeal. I haven’t played around with cauliflower in oatmeal myself, but I’d guess that if you added it at the same time as all the other ingredients, it will probably soften and maybe disappear into the rest of the oatmeal while it simmers and thickens. If I were to take a guess, I’d say you’d want to add it later on when the oatmeal is at least halfway cooked through as you probably would want to cook the cauliflower itself for a max of about ten minutes, depending on how large the “riced” pieces are. Hope that helps! 🙂

          1. Okay I needed a late night snack tonight so it seemed like a good time to try the cauliflower-acorn squash-banana-anything but oat-meal. Lol. This afternoon I had put the cauliflower in my Ninja, which blends it up into pretty small pieces, then sautéed that in coconut oil for about 5ish minutes. I also baked the squash. So tonight all I had to do was throw everything together in a saucepan, heat it up and mix it together, then stir the rice into the mush and scoop it into my bowl. And I loved it! The rice is a good balance between soft and chewy and the spices make it taste like fall in a bowl. Granted, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve had legit oatmeal, and I have no shredded coconut version to compare to, but the taste and texture seem pretty spot on to me. Hubby tasted it and said it was good, too. I am pleased. 😀

          2. Sounds like it turned out perfectly! So happy that variation worked for you 🙂

  5. I used to eat oatmeal almost every day pre-AIP and it was the breakfast food I missed most. THIS IS FABULOUS! Took care of my oatmeal craving and is legitimately tasty 🙂 Thanks!

    1. Absolutely! You might want to start off with a little less almond milk than the recipe calls for, since the almond may be a little thinner.

    1. Yay! I have a few other “oatmeal” flavors on the site, including Apple Cranberry and Golden Milk with Orange & Spices 🙂

  6. I like the Golden Milk oatmeal so much that I hadn’t tried other flavors until today. This Spiced Banana Bread oatmeal is really good, too! Thank you!

    1. Yay, I’m so glad to hear that! And I was thinking of adding a few more oatmeals to the site but wasn’t sure if I should, but your comment has sealed the deal! 🙂 I’m thinking carrot cake or gingerbread next, decisions, decisions!

  7. Delicious & the texture is wonderful too.
    Not substantial enough for me to make it a regular breakfast feature (I added it to myfitnesspal.com), but I can envision a soothing bowl of oatmeal as an evening treat & comfort food. I divided it into 4 servings of 1.25 cups, and enjoyed one mound with a mote of coconut milk surrounding it, and a sprinkle of coconut sugar. I think it would also be delicious topped with Caramelized Apple slices.
    Needless to say, I ordered your book and am looking forward to receiving it!

    1. I hear you, I really do need a bit of protein in the morning to stay satiated, so I usually pair a little bowl of this with a side of something that fills that gap! I hope you’re enjoying the cookbook!

      1. I love the cookbook!!!!! So far I’ve only tried a few recipes, but they were delicious and well received in my house. I do have a question about the breakfast meatloaf.. . is it possible to bake it in the oven? Have you tried doing so, and if so, I’d love to have suggestions for temperature and length of time. Or maybe I could cook it in my instant pot on one of the slow cooker settings? Any suggestions? I thought about putting a sheet of parchment paper under in inside the instant pot, to make it easier to lift out…
        I also thought about making meat muffins with it… 🙂

        Anyway, thank you for all of your wonderful recipes, and I look forward to trying them all!

        1. Hey Terri, sorry for the slow reply, I haven’t been around much this week! I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the cookbook! I actually made a bonus ebook as a companion that converts a bunch of the recipes to be Instant Pot friendly, since I wrote the original book before the IP took off. You can grab your free copy via an automatic download here. I pop it onto some foil / parchment on the steaming rack so that you can remove it easily. Hope that helps! 🙂

  8. My last pieces of the puzzle was breaking the cereal breakfast. Tried meat patties, nope, chicken/sweet potato muffins, nope couldn’t stomach, leftovers no way! I can’t do protein for breakfast, I have always had a light breakfast. These oatmeal’s hit the spot and are AMAZING!! Apple cranberry first (with 3 times the cinnamon, as I eat apple cinnamon Cheerios normally), first made this one for next week and it tastes like banana bread dough! I could eat the whole pot right now lol. Saving the golden milk for the last because I have a feeling it will my favourite. Even playing with trying a pumpkin spice version! (Thinking pumpkin purée instead of the banana, and the same spices as this one …. gonna try in a few weeks!)

    1. So glad you’re enjoying the oatmeals! Pumpkin spice would be great, maybe a splash of maple in there along with the spices…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.