Thin & Crispy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
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If you can imagine a cross between oatmeal cookies and banana bread, this is it.
These banana oatmeal cookies are everything you love about banana bread, reimagined as crispy, golden-brown cookies. Thin and lightly spiced, they’ve got the perfect balance of crunch and a chewy center, with just a hint of warmth from cinnamon and nutmeg. The mashed banana adds natural sweetness and moisture, while the oats bring a hearty texture that keeps you coming back for more. Ideal for a coffee break or an after-dinner treat, they’re a new twist on classic comfort flavors—and if you love the texture that oats add to cookies, my oatmeal brown sugar cookies with raisins and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are worth a try, too.
“Delicious for dessert or as an afternoon snack!!! Crispy on the outside and lovely and soft on the inside. Very good way to use up ripe bananas if you don’t want banana loaf.”
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Oatmeal Cookies
- All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of the cookie, creating structure and adding a subtle chew to each one. To ensure accuracy, measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
- Old-Fashioned Oats: Also known as rolled oats. Add texture and hearty flavor, giving the cookies a crispy edge and chewy center. I’d stick with old-fashioned oats; instant or quick oats would break down too much and impact that ideal crispy-chewy texture.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: Provide warmth and a cozy depth that complements the banana.
- Baking Soda: Ensures the cookies spread and crisp up during baking.
- Butter: Adds richness and a crispy texture to the edges of the cookies.
- Granulated Sugar & Light Brown Sugar: Together, these sugars create a balanced sweetness and help the cookies achieve a crispy, caramelized finish. When measuring brown sugar, always pack it tightly to eliminate air pockets.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients and adds a bit of chew to the cookies’ centers.
- Mashed Bananas: Brings natural sweetness, moisture, and a hint of banana flavor for a soft, chewy interior.
- Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the flavors with a classic hint of sweetness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl. Stir or whisk to combine and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
Beat until light and fluffy, a few minutes.
Add the mashed banana, egg, and vanilla.
Mix to combine.
Add the dry ingredients.
Mix on low speed to combine. The batter will be wetter than most cookie doughs.
Scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing the dough balls evenly apart.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden.
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Make-Ahead, Freezing & Storage INformation
The cookie dough can be frozen for up to three months. Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. To thaw, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
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Thin & Crispy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
If you can imagine a cross between oatmeal cookies and banana bread, this is it.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 scant teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup mashed bananas, from 2 overripe bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Space two oven racks so that the oven is divided into thirds. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, a few minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg, mashed bananas and vanilla extract; beat until combined. Add the flour and oats mixture and mix on low speed until well combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be wetter than most cookie doughs; that's okay.
- Scoop large balls of dough (about 1½ tablespoons) onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 3 inches apart, as they spread quite a bit (I use a small ice cream scooper with a wire scraper). Bake for 14 to 17 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Cookie Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 128
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Sugar: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 83mg
- Cholesterol: 15mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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The oatmeal banana cookie recipe looks really good. I only have steelcut oats and figure thete is a difference using them.
Is it possible to substitute?
Hi Harriet, Unfortunately, steel cut oats won’t work here – sorry!
I just made these cookies. My first 2 batches came out exactly as described, and are quite delicious (I added mini chocolate chips). But something weird happened with the 3rd and 4th pan — the cookies flattened out and melted all over the pan so that the cookies are all sticking together. Still delicious, but not nearly as appealing. And very odd since everything was exactly the same for all 4 pans.
Hmmm, that is strange! Could your oven temperature have changed?
Sometimes when making cookie dough, we don’t get the oatmeal completely mixed into the butter base of the batter, so the last batch at the bottom of the bowl, without much oatmeal will spread out, buttery and thin in the pan. It’s still tasty though. Hope this helps.
Perhaps your cookie sheet wasn’t cooled enough between batches?
Dry
I love this recipe! Thanks for sharing! It is the second time I am making it! But this time I decide to add less sugar , only 80grams, and I added 1 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1tsp of ground nutmeg and one tsp of ground cardamom. I also put my ripe bananas in the freezer , so they were not room temperature when I added to the butter and sugar. But they turned out delicious and really tasty!
They came out great!
I loved these oat banana cookies.. I baked it for my little one so instead of all purpose I used whole wheat flour and instead of butter I used olive oil same proportion and no sugar as he’s just a year old. It turned out wonderful and he loves them every evening. Thanks very much for this recipe.. It’s fun because even if it was tweeked it turned out great.
Michelle,
sounds like you’ve had success replacing the butter,can you post how much oil you used? thank you! alisa
Can I freeze this? If I could, do I have to thaw it first before baking? Thank you.
Yes Elsie, you can freeze the dough. If you shape the dough into balls prior to freezing, you wouldn’t need to thaw it first. I would just bake them for a little longer.
My family devoured these cookies! They are easy to make & I had all the ingredients in the house. I love how they are crispy on the outisde, but still chewy! This is a keeper! Thanks for another great one!
Great recipe. A little on the soft side… not much crisp. I wasn’t sure if you’re supposed to flatten the balls of dough on the baking sheet, or leave them as balls. I found them better if you flatten them first. Even if they were a bit soft, everyone loved them!
These cookies are fantastic! They were a huge hit with my two young daughters. I’m wondering what you could add in to make them slightly more nutritious to use as a breakfast cookie? Flax seed, agave instead of so much sugar, etc. Great recipe!
Hi Katie, Glad your girls enjoyed the cookies! I do think you could add some flax seed but I would go gently with sugar substitutions as they can change the cookies.