RecipesFrom the test kitchen
Three Ingredient Banana Oat Cookies
Mashed banana, rolled oats, and a little cinnamon baked into soft, no added sugar cookies that carry real potassium and fiber per bite.
This is about as simple as baking gets: two ripe bananas, a cup of rolled oats, and a pinch of cinnamon, mashed together and baked into soft, chewy cookies with no added sugar and no flour. The banana does the sweetening and binding, the oats give body and fiber, and the cinnamon carries the warmth. Each cookie lands at roughly 50 calories with about 105 mg of potassium and close to 1.5 grams of fiber, numbers that come straight from our banana and oats pages rather than a nutrition label on a box. That is a real edge over a typical store-bought chocolate chip cookie, which often runs past 150 calories with barely any potassium and almost no fiber.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
Peel the bananas and mash them in a bowl with a fork until mostly smooth. The riper and browner the bananas, the sweeter the cookies, so lean into the spotty ones.
- 3
Add the rolled oats and cinnamon to the mashed banana and stir until every oat is coated and the mixture holds together in a thick, scoopable dough.
- 4
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes so the oats soften and absorb some of the banana moisture. This keeps the baked cookies chewy rather than dry.
- 5
Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the lined sheet, spacing them about an inch apart, and flatten each mound gently with the back of the spoon. These cookies hold their shape and will not spread much.
- 6
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look dry.
- 7
Slide the parchment onto a rack and let the cookies cool for at least 10 minutes. They firm up as they cool, so give them the time.
Why this scores well
Original analysis by NutriVerdict
On our Nutrient Density Score, the two backbone ingredients earn their spot. Oats land at 65 and bring the fiber, carrying about 10.6 grams per 100 grams along with a useful plant protein count, which is why a batch of these holds together and actually satisfies. Bananas, raw score 45 and do the heavy lifting on potassium, delivering roughly 358 mg per 100 grams, so two bananas alone push the whole batch well past 850 mg. A small amount of ground cinnamon scores 93 and adds warmth for almost no calories. Spread across a dozen cookies, that works out to about 105 mg of potassium and close to 1.5 grams of fiber per cookie, at roughly 50 calories each. A typical store-bought chocolate chip cookie tends to cost more than 150 calories for far less potassium and fiber.
Tips
- Fold in a spoonful of chopped walnuts or a few raisins if you want more texture, though it will nudge the calorie count up.
- Use very ripe bananas for the sweetest result. Underripe bananas make a blander, starchier cookie.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to three days, or freeze them and reheat straight from the freezer.
What this plate is built on
This recipe leans on foods that are good sources of magnesium, dietary fiber, iron, vitamin c and protein. The recipe density score above is the average Nutrient Density Score of its whole foods, computed the same way for every recipe on the site.
Storage and make-ahead
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5; the banana keeps them moist, so they soften over time. They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Layer parchment between them and thaw at room temperature, or warm them briefly in a low oven to firm them back up.
Variations and swaps
- Stir in a spoon of peanut or almond butter for a richer, nuttier cookie.
- Fold in chopped apple and a pinch of nutmeg in fall, or dried cranberries in winter.
- Take them toward a spiced direction with cardamom and a little grated fresh ginger in place of some cinnamon.
What to serve it with
These make an easy grab-and-go snack, but they round into a light breakfast next to a cup of yogurt or a glass of milk for extra protein. A smear of nut butter on a warm cookie makes them more filling.
Note: This is food, not medical advice. These cookies are naturally sweetened by ripe banana, with no added sugar and no flour. The potassium comes mostly from the bananas and the fiber mostly from the oats, and the per-cookie figures here are calculated from the banana and oats entries on our food pages. Actual numbers shift with banana size, ripeness, and how many cookies you portion the batch into.
Frequently asked questions
Do these really hold together with just three ingredients?
Yes. Ripe mashed banana binds the oats as they bake, so no egg or flour is needed. The riper and spottier the bananas, the sweeter and more cohesive the cookies turn out.
Can I make them gluten-free?
Use certified gluten-free rolled oats and the whole batch is naturally gluten-free. Everything else in the recipe already fits, with no other swaps needed.
Why are my cookies soft instead of crisp?
They stay chewy rather than crisping like a butter cookie, which is normal for a banana-and-oat base. For a firmer bite, flatten them thin, bake a few extra minutes, and let them cool fully on the sheet before moving them.
Can I add mix-ins?
A handful of chopped almonds, raisins, or dark chocolate chips folds in easily. Keep add-ins to about 1/3 cup so the banana can still hold everything together.
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