Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bites

Just a lil' snack.

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Weekday breakfast can be a challenge, but when I’m too busy to even shake a protein shake, these banana chocolate chip oatmeal bites always come through. Baked in individual portions and loaded with oats and fruit (and yes, chocolate chips!), they’re the perfect portable, healthy snack to sustain me on even the busiest mornings.

Super-ripe bananas are key to these oatmeal bites, providing moisture, binding power, and extra sweetness in addition to that intense banana flavor. But if you don’t have bananas that are on the brink of blackness, you can roast underripe bananas to soften their texture and help concentrate their sweetness. Wash the bananas, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and poke them with a fork or knife, similar to how you would a baked potato. Roast at 300 degrees F until the skins turn black, 30-40 minutes, then let them cool before peeling and using. In my experience, this roasting process probably won’t deliver the same abundant banana flavor that you would get from uber-ripe bananas, but it will break down the bananas enough to incorporate into the oatmeal bites.

Semi-sweet chocolate chips are the ultimate mix-in for these bites, since they pair so well with both oats and banana. They also provide great texture, melting in pockets of gooeyness when warm and solidifying into crunchy bittersweet bits when cooled. That said, you could also experiment with other mix-ins, including toasted nuts, seeds, or dried fruit. If using dried fruit, I highly recommend rehydrating it in warm water for 30 minutes (and then fully draining) before stirring it into the batter: otherwise the fruit may suck up the moisture from the batter, leaving you with dry oatmeal bites.

These bites are great for making ahead and meal prep. Let cool completely before removing from the muffin pan and storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also wrap the bites individually in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to 1 month.

Enjoy!

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Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bites

(Makes 12)

Cooking spray

2 eggs

1 cup mashed banana (from about 3 medium-sized super-ripe bananas)

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk (whole, reduced-fat, or plant-based)

½ cup (100 g.) dark brown sugar

¼ cup neutral oil (such as vegetable or grapeseed)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon kosher salt (I used Diamond Crystal)

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

2 ½ cups (200 g.) old-fashioned oats

½ c. semisweet or dark chocolate chips

Equipment: large bowl, whisk, spatula, standard 12-cup muffin pan

Instructions

1. Arrange the rack in the center of the oven; preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease the cups of a standard muffin pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and mashed banana until completely incorporated (a few small bits of banana are okay, but avoid having a lot of these). Add milk, dark brown sugar, neutral oil, vanilla, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add baking powder and whisk for a full 30 seconds to ensure it’s evenly incorporated.

3. Add oats and about ¾ of the chocolate chips and, using a rubber spatula, fold in until evenly combined.

4. Avoiding the chocolate chips, spoon about a tablespoon of the oatmeal mixture into each muffin cup (if the chocolate sits on the bottom, it may cause the baked bites to stick to the bottom), then divide the remaining batter evenly between them, filling to the top. (The oats and chips will seem slightly separate from the more liquid batter, and this is completely normal. Just try to ensure that each cup has a similar amount of liquid batter to oats, and the oats will absorb the liquid as they bake.) Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips.

5. Bake oatmeal bites until the tops are matte and the oatmeal seems set in the center, 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan.

6. To remove bites from pan, run an offset spatula or butter knife around the inside of each cup to ensure they aren’t sticking, then gently lift them out. If they seem to be slightly loose and falling apart, they’re probably not completely cooled; transfer the entire pan to the freezer for 10 minutes or the refrigerator for 20 minutes. They will be much easier to remove when they’re totally cold.

Originally posted October 4, 2025,