These banana nut breakfast cookies taste like banana bread, in a healthy cookie form that is perfect for quick breakfasts or snacks on the go! Filled with oats, almond butter, banana, and walnuts, these cookies are a perfect balance of fiber, whole-grains, healthy fats, and protein to keep you feeling full and satisfied! They are absolutely delicious on their own, crumbled on top of fruit and granola, with a little peanut butter spread on top…so many options. I love making a batch of these banana nut breakfast cookies on the weekend to have on hand during the work week!

I’m excited to share another new breakfast cookie recipe with you! I’ve been really into breakfast cookies lately and have yet another version I’ve been recipe testing lately that I absolutely LOVE that involves chocolate. ? But that recipe is for another day…today is about these banana nut breakfast cookies, because who doesn’t like banana bread?! In case you are new around here or haven’t gotten around to baking any breakfast cookies yet…here’s some other delicious versions I’ve previously posted!

There’s definitely a flavor there for everyone ? I’m realizing this is already the 5^th flavor of breakfast cookies I’ve made! Tell me, what flavor is missing or would you like to see next?! I’d love some new ideas ?

Ingredients and Substitution Ideas

Oats

I like using quick oats in my breakfast cookie recipes, but you could try using old-fashioned/rolled oats. They might not stick together quite as well though! I’ve also made my own version of quick oats before by simply blending whole oats in my blender or food processor (here’s what I own!) a couple times!

Protein powder

These are the protein powders I use and love! Not sponsored, just simply sharing my fav products! I always use a plant-based protein powder in my breakfast cookies as I find plant-based protein powders often bake better than a whey-based protein powder. Note that all protein powders have a different taste and consistency, so be sure to use one you like! Plant-based protein tends to be thicker, so if you try these with a whey protein powder (which I haven’t tested), you might not need all/some of the milk.

You could also substitute an additional 1/3-1/2 cup oats (or oat flour) in place of the protein powder. While I personally have not tried this, some others have do this successfully! You may want to try ¼ cup brown sugar (or ¼ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup additional oats) in place of the protein powder/extra oats to provide additional sweetness (since the protein powder I use is naturally sweetened).

Salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract

For delicious banana bread flavor!

Almond butter

You can absolutely use any nut butter (such as peanut, cashew, etcs) here, but I really love the almond butter with the banana. I didn’t want a peanut butter flavor in these cookies (like in these chocolate peanut butter breakfast cookies), as I wanted to banana bread flavor to come through and peanut butter tends to be more over-powering and a stronger flavor. Feel free to use whatever nut butter you prefer though! Peanut butter and banana is a delicious combination. ?

Banana

Obviously needed for banana flavor! You will need 1 RIPE banana for this recipe, to get about ½ cup mashed banana. The banana naturally sweetens these cookies (along with the protein powder) and also helps bind the cookies.

Flax

Another ingredient that helps bind these cookies is the ground flax! When you mix it with water, it gels and forms a vegan “egg.” Using ground flax also keeps these cookies vegan! I personally have not tried using a regular chicken egg, but if you want to try using that I’d suggest starting with only 1 egg and then adding another if the cookie dough isn’t sticking together.

Walnuts

The walnuts pair beautifully with the banana for that banana bread taste, and also provide a nice texture to these cookies. Feel free to sub with chopped pecans, almonds, etc. though! Hmm…or you could always omit the nuts and add in chocolate chips instead ? I might have to try that version next time I make these cookies!

Milk

Any variety of milk will do! I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, which also keeps these cookies vegan. Use whatever type of milk you have on hand.

Cookies for Breakfast?!

Yes, these cookies really are 100% appropriate for breakfast! They have ZERO added sugar, and are so much more nutritious than typical muffins, doughnuts, pastries, etc. that you might be eating for breakfast! You can pair these banana nut breakfast cookies with some Greek yogurt and fruit, top them with some peanut butter, or simply eat them by themselves with a glass of milk! However you eat them, I hope you love them! These cookies are best stored in the fridge for optimal freshness, and they freeze beautifully if you want to make a batch to have on hand!

Banana Breakfast Cookies

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

27 mins

Author: Audra's Appetite

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Gluten-free, Vegan, Whole-Grain

Serves: 8 large or 16 small

Ingredients

1 cup quick oats
1 scoop (1/2 cup; 40 grams) vanilla plant-based protein powder (I used Vega)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup almond butter
½ cup mashed banana (1 large ripe banana)
2 tablespoons ground flax meal + 3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons milk of choice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½-3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted first on stove top if desired

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together ground flax with 3 tablespoons water.
In large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (oats, vanilla protein powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg) until combined.
In a separate bowl, stir together wet ingredients (almond butter, mashed banana, ground flax and water mixture, milk, and vanilla extract).
Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in chopped walnuts.
Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop into cookies on prepared baking sheet. Note that these cookies don't spread much while baking, so you might want to gently press down into a cookie shape so you don't end up with cookie balls. 🙂
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes for small cookies (about 16-18 total) or bake for closer to 15-16 minutes if making large cookies (about 8-10 cookies total). Make sure you check the cookies near the end of baking to ensure they are baked perfectly as all ovens will vary, and baking time really depends on how big you make these cookies.
Store in fridge for optimal freshness. Freezer-friendly.