Gluten-free Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies made with wholesome, healthy ingredients. You won’t miss the flour, butter, and added sugar!
Whole grain, gluten-free, vegan, no added refined sugar, no oil, no butter, 100% clean-eating. And yes, these cookies actually taste good. Don’t believe me? I’ve made three batches in only 4 days.
The truth is, Kevin and I are both getting into training mode. He has a few bike races this spring and I recently signed up for a Baltimore 10K. We’ve both been exercising much more than usual, so these high energy cookies don’t stand a chance in our house.
Anyone else out there running or biking a race this spring?
I consider these cookies one of the healthiest desserts I’ve ever baked.
“Healthy” is a relative term. What might be healthy to me may not be healthy to the next person. But in the cookie world? These are absolutely on the wholesome side.
The only ingredients you’ll need to whip up a batch are oats, bananas, almond butter, pure maple syrup, and some dark chocolate chips. (Plus cinnamon and sliced almonds, both optional.) That’s it. No butter, no refined sugar, no eggs, no flour. And trust me, you won’t miss any of that stuff.
Naturally sweetened, pure simple goodness.
I call them breakfast cookies because they have serious staying power.
No lie, I ate one with some Greek yogurt and fruit yesterday morning and wasn’t hungry again for hours. They’ll keep you fueled, full, and satisfied.
They’re dense, but not too heavy. Ultra thick, chewy, and incredibly soft without being cakey. Each bite is full of almond butter/banana flavors. The dark chocolate chips are an added bonus. And totally necessary.
You’ll find yourself making these cookies often. Why? Besides their taste, they’re so simple. Everything is mixed together in one bowl. Put everything into a bowl and mix it up until you have a very thick, sticky dough. Drop onto a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. That’s it.
You could probably bake these cookies in your sleep. Though I wouldn’t recommend it, it’s entirely possible. I’m surprised I don’t sleep-bake by now.
A few things to note about these banana chocolate chip breakfast cookies:
- Use homemade almond butter or storebought. If you don’t want to use almond butter, use peanut butter. Natural or non-natural.
- Use ripe bananas. The riper, the more brown-speckled, the better your cookies will taste. Do not use previously frozen, thawed bananas. I’ve tried it and the results are not good.
- Leave out the sliced almonds if you prefer. Add your favorite dried fruits or nuts instead.
The cookie dough! I’m embarrassed how much I ate between all 4 batches. You might not even want to bake the actual cookies… so, consider yourself warned.
Also important: Just like my regular Breakfast Cookies – you will need to use quick oats, not old fashioned rolled oats in this recipe.
Why quick oats? Because quick oats are more powdery, more finely cut, and will soak up more of the wet ingredients – thus creating a workable dough. The quick oats will bind your dough together better than whole oats would.
If you don’t have quick oats on hand, no worries! You can make your own. See the note at the bottom of the recipe.
What’s the taste testers’ verdict on these cookies? Well obviously I really love them. In all their naturally sweetened, wholesome glory.
But Kevin took a couple of these cookies to work and told me his coworkers said they tasted like my sugary, buttery chewy chocolate chunk cookies. Ha! I don’t know how – they have almond butter, banana, and oats in them… but I’ll take it!
Follow me on Instagram and tag #sallysbakingaddiction so I can see all the SBA recipes you make! ♥
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Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10-11 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Gluten-free banana chocolate chip breakfast cookies made with wholesome, healthy ingredients. You won’t miss the flour, butter, and added sugar! Please use certified gluten free oats to assure cookies are GF. Use dairy-free chocolate chips to assure cookies are vegan.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/3 cups (190g) quick oats* (not whole oats)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (250g) homemade or your favorite almond butter*
- 1/4 cup (82g) pure maple syrup (or honey)
- 2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
- 1/3 cup (60g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- optional: 1/3 cup (33g) sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Using a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. The dough will be sticky and thick.
- Each cookie will be 3 Tablespoons of dough. Drop this amount onto prepared cookie sheet and slightly flatten the tops into desired thickness. The cookies will not spread in the oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes until edges are very slightly brown. Don’t bake any longer or the cookies will taste dry. Allow to cool on the cookie sheets completely. Cookies stay fresh at room temperature for 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cookies can be frozen up to 3 months, then thawed overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.
- Oats: Be sure to use quick oats in this recipe. Quick oats are more finely ground up whole oats, so they are slightly powdery. They are sold right next to the whole oats. You may not even notice there are two kinds of oats in the first place! You may make quick oats at home – simply measure 2 and 1/3 cups of whole oats and pulse in the blender or food processor about 5 times.
- Nut Butter: You can use your favorite peanut butter (or soy nut butter, sunflower seed butter) instead of almond butter. For peanut butter: homemade honey roasted, creamy, crunchy, natural (non-oily) or non-natural are all OK.
Keywords: banana breakfast cookies, breakfast cookies
Hi there Sally,
Just wanted to say that this is now my most used recipe and I wouldn’t be without it!! Since posted I’ve made these at least once if not twice a week depending on how long they last, I normally have 3 with a bucket of tea in the morning and they keep me going for ages! I sub raisins in instead of the chocolate chips, use peanut instead of almond butter and use honey or maple syrup depending on what I’ve got in the cupboard, my little fur baby pup gets very annoyed I don’t share with him as he loves the smell! Thank you for another awesome recipe 🙂
Ps – my fur baby says woof to your fur babies 🙂
I just made these and love them! (I’m not a huge fan of bananas, either, so that’s saying a lot!) Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I was thinking about making them as a bar cookie next time. What would you recommend in terms of pan size and baking time? Thank you!
Can you add flaxseed to these cookies? If so, how much do you recommend?
Absolutely! I’d try a couple Tablespoons.
I took your advice here and it turned out amazing! ! I added 2 Tbsp each of flax and chai seeds and toasted coconut!
★★★★★
These are our favorite breakfast cookie, but we actually prefer them straight out of the freezer. Frozen cookies for breakfast; it doesn’t get any better than that!
I made these last week and have been eating them out of the freezer ever since. They are delicious and really do keep you full for hours! I made mine with sunflower seed butter and 1/3 cup of roasted sunflower seeds, as I keep a nut-free house for my kids. As soon as I get some really ripe bananas I’ll make another batch. Thank you!
I have made these cookies about a million times and they are always gone quickly! I like to swap out the bananas or at least one of them for mashed up fig. Yum! Thanks for this recipe!!
Can I substitute the almond butter to peanut butter?
Absolutely!
Just made these for the first time and they are AMAZING! Satisfied a sweet tooth craving but without all the unhealthy stuff. Definitely sharing these and making again!
I saw your note to avoid previously frozen, thawed bananas for this recipe; that’s usually what I do when we have bananas get too ripe – freeze them! I was thinking of making these in a few days for the weekend, but my bananas are already pretty ripe. I’m hesitant to leave them on the counter and risk fruit flies, so do you think the refrigerator (not freezer!) would be ok? Thanks!
Hi Susan! You can refrigerate the bananas until it’s time to bake the cookies for the weekend.
Hi Sally, I just made up this recipe and now they’re baking. You were right the dough was very good. I also added two scoops of collagen powder to it. Dough tastes great! Can’t wait for the cookies to come out of the oven.
These were awesome. made them for my vegan SIL and she also loved them! With oats as the base, I think i’m going to incorporate some brewer’s years, flax-seed on the next batch for my lactating friend!
I’m so glad you both love them, Tina!
Hi Sally, just yesterday, I had two ripe bananas sitting on my counter and no eggs in my pantry, so I searched your blog for a vegan recipe with bananas and found these! Made them instantly and enjoyed the first cookie for breakfast today. Thanks for a wonderful addition to my meal prep for this week 🙂
I have made this recipe 20xs over in the last 5 years – it’s by far my favorite Sally recipe. My husband travels a ton and these have gotten him through so many times as meal replacements when he is on the road. I use peanut butter instead of almond butter, cut back on the maple syrup, and add some flax seed and raisins to each recipe. I always make a triple recipe each time to freeze, so we always have them on hand. “Breakfast cookies” have become fan favorites among the musicians he travels with! :o) Thanks, Sally!!
★★★★★
Hi Is there a substitute for maple syrup ? Can I use regular sugar ?
Honey is a great substitute for the maple syrup. Or try brown sugar.
I made these this morning with store bought crunchy peanut butter, maple syrup, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and the optional sliced almonds. They were easy to make, and the flavor was good (and I don’t love bananas!). The only reason I rated 4 stars instead of 5 is that the cookies were softer and mushier than I would have preferred. Are they supposed to be this way? I weighed ingredients so am fairly sure measuring wasn’t the issue. Unless I used a bit too much mashed banana? I only baked the cookies for 15 minutes because I didn’t want to overbake them per the instructions. Overall, these are a nice change for breakfast. Thanks!
★★★★
Froze these after they cooled and serve them straight out of the freezer to my teething toddler (minus the choc chips).
★★★★★
What a great idea, Kerry!
I had some very ripe bananas and these were the perfect use. I took a bite when it had cooled and it was delicious! Can’t wait to have one with my breakfast in the morning!
★★★★★
I have made these cookies…oh probably 100 times – not including many, many double and triple batches.
This recipe is, hands down, my favorite, go-to, for-anything cookie recipe. Yes to the breakfast and GF of course, but I’ve also made this as a postpartum cookie with the addition of some protein powder, a lactation cookie (added some ground flaxseed), teething cookie (without the chocolate). I’ve eaten this cookie straight out of the oven, cooled and frozen (I like them frozen the best). I have made this cookie vegan, nut-free, and a combo GF/vegan/nut-free. I’ve even made this with frozen bananas (defrost, drain and add slightly more oat flour).
I have brought it into work and watched them be devoured. I have recommended this recipe to countless people. The only person who didn’t like it (ONLY), doesn’t like bananas in general.
If I could leave 10 stars, I would.
It’s a total winner.
★★★★★
Hi sally, I tried your recipe and I accidentally added too much salt to the cookies. What should I do? And can I substitute this for anything else
I love how quick this is!! I made it with rolled oats that I didn’t process because I just didn’t read the directions close enough. But it’s still a hit with the kids! And I love using up bananas quickly and without having to have anything come to room temp! I will enjoy sneaking in some flax and chia in the next batch, and I might experiment with some oat bran. Thanks!!
★★★★★
My whole family loves these; I’ve been making them for years. So great for a post-hike snack for the kids. I’m wondering if I can substitute pureed pumpkin for the banana? Bananas hurt my stomach so I can’t really enjoy these as they are. If so, how much do you think? Thanks, Sally!
★★★★★