It all began with me craving cookies, on an ordinary weeknight. I literally threw 8 ingredients into a bowl, formed the cookies, then baked them. They are as simple as they sound: I am 100% confident these healthy banana bread cookies with oats will become your favorite healthy cookies recipe!
P.S. They're naturally gluten free and also vegan. No chill time is needed.

Ingredients to make fabulous banana bread cookies
Like I said above, one day I literally threw 8 ingredients into a bowl and made these cookies. I was so proud of myself lol. Let's see what you need:
- Bananas. Ripe are the best (those brown spotty bananas, you know). Don't try to use the unripe ones, the cookies won't be good. I recommend that you use a scale, and weigh them.
- Coconut oil. It will make the cookies moist and delicious, with a delicate coconutty flavor. If you don't like it, use a light unflavored oil.
- Brown sugar. Demerara is good, if using raw brown/coconut sugar, add a bit more oats.
- Oats. You'll need to grind them, see the "oat" paragraph below.
- Chocolate. Chunks or chips, dark or milk chocolate. Choose your favorite, mine is dark.
- Baking powder, baking soda, salt.
(You may notice these cookies are also vegan and gluten free.)
How to make them, step-by-step
I have to be honest with you: it almost sounds "stupid" to me at this point to write a whole blog post on these banana bread cookies. Because they are extremely SIMPLE! But I am so in love with them that I could spend the all day describing you their flavor though! (not gonna do that, don't worry:))
There are just 2 steps that you'll need to take in order to make these beauties:
Combine wet.
Into a medium bowl, combine mashed bananas, oil, sugar and stir with a whisk.
Add dry + bake.
Grind oats then add them to the wet ingredients, and also add baking powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips/chunks. Combine with a spatula, until you get a thick batter. It should be sticky.
Use an ice cream scoop to form the cookies, flatten them using slightly wet hands, then bake in a preheated oven (180°C / 356°F) for 12 minutes. Let them cool down on a cooling rack.
1 bowl, 8 minutes (approximately) to make them, a few simple ingredients. What more could you ask for from life?:)

Their Consistency
If you're wondering "Are they like regular cookies?", no they are not. Sorry to disappoint you. They do not have that typical thin and crispy consistency. Or sugary and buttery.
In fact, they don't even contain that much sugar (only 20 gr and the fructose from the bananas of course). And there's no traces of butter.
When you'll bite them, you'll realize they're more like a cake, and that's why I called them banana bread cookies. They are slightly chewy, but it's just like eating a delicious oat banana bread in a form of cookies. In fact, this is a REAL banana bread cookie:)
We REALLY LOVED them, we're obsessed!

Cookies that are nutritious, for real...
Delicious cookies that are both delicious and nutritious are not a dream. They are reality. And for a recipe developer/blogger, it's like...BINGO!!!
If you take a look at the ingredients, you'll see they basically are made with oats, bananas, oil and a tiny amount of sugar. Oats and also bananas are AMAZING for our health.
You can eat them for breakfast/snack: a couple of these cookies (+ a cup of milk) are enough to satisfy your palate and belly (they have a few fats that will make you feel "full").

Should I use oats or ground oats?
For this healthy banana bread cookies recipe, I've tried using:
- a mix of finely ground oats + old fashioned oats (first test)
- roughly ground oats (second test)
Both were a success! In the photos, you see the ones made with roughly ground oats (that I ground with my food processor). I haven't tried oat flour instead, that would absorb a bit more and you may have to adjust quantities.
How can I store these?
Well, I have to be honest. They lasted less than 24 hours, each time. We ate 2 of them straight out of the oven, 2 for dessert, 4 for breakfast and 2 as a morning snack. Too much, I know. *shame on us ahah* (for real though, I do not suggest doing that, but they're so gooooood).
Anyway, store them into an airtight container/ziploc bag, into the fridge. For max 3 days, I would say.

Can I freeze them?
I've never tried freezing them when baked. In my opinion, they wouldn't be as good as eaten on the same/next day. Short answer: no.
If you're wondering if you can freeze the dough, try (haven't tested it). That could be a solution if you want to make them in advance, then bake them at the moment.
Do you have other questions?
It's not easy to answer all the questions you may have, so PLEASE leave a comment below and I'm glad to reply! Thank you.
If you make this recipe, please be sure to give it a rating and leave a comment! It would make me so happy! 🙂
Remember: if you try one of my recipes, tag me on Instagram or DM me the photos!
Don’t forget to pin and share this easy and delicious recipe!
Healthy Banana Bread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Mashed bananas - (200 gr)
- ½ cup Coconut oil or any other oil (no EVO) - (80 gr)
- 3 tablespoons Brown sugar - (20 gr)
- 2 cups + 3 tablespoons Ground oats (see notes in the post) - (160 gr)
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 pinch Salt
- 2.5 ounces Dark chocolate chunks or chips - 70 gr
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 356° F (180° C)
- In a bowl, combine mashed bananas, oil, brown sugar and give a quick stir.
- Add oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips/chunks. Stir until you get a thicker batter. It should be sticky.
- Use an ice cream scoop to form the cookies, put them straight onto a lined baking sheet, then flatten them using your wet hands.
- Bake for about 12 minutes. Let them cool down on a cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
If you LOVE banana bread you should try this MOIST vegan banana bread recipe! It's one of the most loved on the blog.

© Healthy Little Cravings – Roberta Dall’Alba.
I own all content and photos’ copyright.
Before using my photos and recipes, please email me.
If you would like to republish a recipe, please link back to this post and re-write the instructions in your own words.
Laura P says
Just. The. Best.
Thanks Roberta for the recipe
Roberta says
Oh wow thanks Laura!
Laura says
I make these cookies all the time, they are my absolute fave! So easy to make and so delicious!
Roberta says
Thanks Laura *_*
Tiffany says
These were super easy to make! And are a great snack. The texture was soft and love that it’s gluten and egg free. Will definitely make them again especially since my daughter loved them 🙂
Valeria says
These are (*high pitched voice à la Barney Stinson): AWESOOOOME! The balance between the sweetness of the banana and the bitter of the dark chocolate is perfection. Plus, they really are done in less than 20 minutes and you’ll just have a bowl and a spoon to clean! Thanx, Roberta! ☺️
Roberta says
Yeeee❤️❤️
Trisa says
Tried the banana bread cookies, 10/10, not only were they easy to make, they were delicious with my morning coffee. Perfecto!
Absolutely love all your recipes, stories and posts!
Roberta says
You are too cute thanks ❤️
x
Roberta
Jessica says
These cookies put my self control to a hard test. As soon as I tried the first bite I couldn't stop eating them! 😀 They're sooo soft and incredibly delicious! I'll make them again for sure!
Roberta says
Thanks Jessica! <3
grazie!!!=)
Roberta
C. Karina (yourkitchenmykitchen) says
Delicious , easy and healthy recipe!
Done and ready to eat in less than 30min
Roberta says
yayyyy thanks darling!!!