Easy to make peanut butter banana overnight oats are a delicious breakfast or snack that you can make for yourself and for your baby or toddler. They have no added sugar are a great make-ahead option! (gluten-free)
If you're looking for a quick, healthy, make-ahead breakfast that can be enjoyed by babies, toddlers, and adults, this is one you'll want to keep in your rotation! Just one recipe for creamy, protein-rich overnight oatmeal flavored with the delicious combination of peanut butter and banana can satisfy the whole family on busy mornings - no cooking required. Just stir all the ingredients together in the evening and pop them in the refrigerator. In the morning, you'll have a delicious breakfast ready and waiting!
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Is Oatmeal Healthy For Babies?
Oatmeal is a great choice for babies of all ages. Oats are loaded with nutrients, including protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, which make oats a functional food with health benefits for all ages.
Oatmeal is also rich in fiber, both soluble and insoluble, including a special type called beta-glucan, making it a great food for relieving constipation in babies! This special fiber is good for baby's gut health and anti-inflammatory, too.
Beneficial Nutrients In Oatmeal:
- Protein
- Healthy Fat
- Fiber, including powerful beta-glucan
- Zinc
- Iron
- Manganese
- B-vitamins
- Phenolic compounds
When Can Babies Eat Overnight Oats?
Babies can eat oatmeal, including overnight oats, as soon as they are developmentally ready to start solids, around 6 months of age. It you're using a baby led weaning approach, the texture of regular overnight oats and other recipes using plain rolled oats are appropriate from the beginning. If you're using a traditional spoon feeding approach, then this recipe will be more appropriate for babies in the lumpy puree stage and beyond.
Tip: For younger spoon-fed babies, you can grind the oats in a food processor first, or use instant or quick oats instead of rolled oats.
Why You'll Love This Overnight Oatmeal Recipe For Mom & Baby (or Toddler!)
As a mama with two young babes, I LOVED overnight oats for a quick breakfast that would feed me and the little ones with very little effort - which was especially important when my 6-month-old was still waking up at least twice a night to nurse! This recipe is great because it can feed babies, toddlers, older kiddos, and adults, and it is delicious for everyone! Flavored with peanut butter and banana (who doesn't love that combo?) and no added sugar, it is healthy and tastes great.
Besides the benefits of oatmeal listed above, these overnight oats have all the nutritional goodness of dairy milk and Greek yogurt (protein, B vitamins and good bacteria!), plus healthy fat and fiber from peanut butter and chia seeds. It's also good for keeping those allergens in the rotation. It's a win all around.
Read more: The Importance of Introducing Allergens To Babies
What You'll Need
- A very ripe banana (brown is good!)
- Creamy peanut butter - look for kinds with only peanuts and salt
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Milk
- Rolled Oats (also called old fashioned oatmeal) - See Ingredient Substitutions for other options
- Chia seeds
- Cinnamon
Equipment: A large container with a lid (such as a quart sized mason jar or 3-4 cup glass storage container), fork
How To Make It
- Mash the banana until smooth in the container.
- Add the peanut butter, yogurt, and milk and mix until well combined.
- Add the oats, chia seeds and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, give it a stir and add milk to thin if needed.
Recipe Variations
- For allergies, swap the milk and yogurt for plant-based versions. Look for kinds higher in protein and made without added sugar.
- You can use other nut butters, such as creamy almond butter or mixed nut butter.
- Quick oats or instant oatmeal may be used for a finer texture (better for younger spoon-fed babies).
- If you don't like the texture of chia seeds, you can sub in ground flaxseed or just leave them out.
Serving Overnight Oats: Tips For Baby Led Weaning
To serve overnight oats to babies using a baby led weaning approach, you have a few options, some of which will depend on the skill level of your little one:
- Pre-load onto a soft spoon and set the spoon on baby's tray or hand the spoon to baby.
- Give baby a suction bowl of overnight oats and let him eat it with his hands. It's messy, but fun!
- Let baby try to use a spoon to scoop it up himself, helping as needed. A shallow container, such as a rimmed suction plate can help.
FAQ
Depending on the skill level of your baby, this overnight oatmeal recipe can be appropriate from 6 months old all the way up to adults!
If your little one is spoon fed, you may need to modify the recipe to thin the texture by grinding the oats in a food processor first, or by using instant oats. You may also need to add a little milk in the morning. This recipe is appropriate for those in stage 2-3 of purees.
I used rolled oats, also called old fashioned oats, because that is what I buy and use most often. You can also use quick oats or instant oats (plain) if that's what you have on hand or you want a little thinner oat for babies. Don't use steel cut or Irish oatmeal here.
Tip: Because some oats can be contaminated with gluten, look for certified gluten-free oats if necessary for your diet.
Yes! Read more here: Cow's Milk For Babies.
These will last for 3-4 days sealed in the refrigerator.
Track your baby's journey through starting solids! Get my 100 First Foods Checklist and Allergen Checklist Bundle today!
Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats for Babies & Toddlers
Easy to make peanut butter banana overnight oats are a delicious breakfast or snack that you can make for yourself and for your baby or toddler. They have no added sugar are a great make-ahead option! (gluten-free)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Refrigeration Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 adult servings or 4 baby/toddler servings 1x
- Category: breakfast
- Method: no cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 medium banana, very ripe
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 2 tbsp natural creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large jar or other container with a lid (such as a quart size jar), mash the banana.
- Stir in yogurt, milk and peanut butter until smooth.
- Stir in oats, chia seeds and cinnamon.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 6 hours. If you'd like, you can portion your oatmeal out into individual jars before refrigerating.
- In the morning, give it all a stir. Thin out with milk if necessary.
Notes
Warming: These are meant to be served cold, bit if you'd like to warm your oats up, heat individual portions for 30-60 seconds in a microwave-safe dish.
Ingredient Substitutions:
- For allergies, swap the milk and yogurt for plant-based versions. Look for kinds higher in protein and made without added sugar.
- Quick oats or instant oatmeal may be used for a finer texture.
- You can use other creamy nut butters, such as almond butter or mixed nut butter.
- If you don't like the texture of chia seeds, you can sub in ground flaxseed or just leave them out.
Storage: These keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
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