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Slow Cooker Banana Nut Oatmeal

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Steel cut oats cook overnight with bananas, walnuts and spices to create a healthy, make-ahead breakfast that will be waiting for you in the morning. 

Slow Cooker Banana Nut Oatmeal
If I had to offer one secret when it comes to reaching weight loss or healthy living goals it would be to start every day with a healthy breakfast. Of course, you’ve heard it 100 times but I also know that it isn’t so easy for everyone. People often tell me they don’t have time to make breakfast or they aren’t hungry first thing in the morning.

Listen up, friends. You must make eating breakfast a part of your daily routine. If you aren’t hungry in the morning, that likely means your metabolism isn’t running at it’s highest potential. Even if you just start with a piece of fruit or a slice of whole grain toast, try to eat something within an hour of waking up.

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Breakfast literally means “breaking the fast”. You haven’t eaten in close to 12 hours and your body needs a balanced meal to get going again! If you start eating breakfast, your body will begin to crave it when you wake up. Hunger is a sign of your metabolism functioning and the higher the metabolism, the more calories you burn throughout the day – even when you’re sitting on your bum playing on Pinterest.

And for those of you who claim not to have time in the morning, I’ve taken that excuse out of the pile! Take five minutes the night before to throw together this slow cooker banana nut oatmeal and you will wake up to delicious aromas of bananas, walnuts and spices. Since the slow cooker will keep it warm, everyone can help themselves in the morning regardless of their schedule. Easy as pie…er…oats.

Your spoon is waiting.

 

Slow Cooker Banana Nut Steel Cut Oatmeal - a healthy breakfast recipe

Slow Cooker Banana Nut Oatmeal

Steel cut oats cook overnight with bananas, walnuts and spices to create a healthy, make-ahead breakfast that will be waiting for you in the morning.
3.93 from 38 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: oatmeal, slow cooker
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 290kcal
Author: Liz DellaCroce

Ingredients

  • 1 cup steel cut oats
  • 1 ripe banana mashed
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 cups skim milk or almond milk
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons flax seed meal
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • slices banana walnuts or brown sugar - optional garnish

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and stir until well combined.
  • Cook overnight on Low for 8 hours.
  • In the morning, stir oatmeal with a fork to loosen the steel cut oats and make sure everything is fully incorporated.
  • Serve warm with banana slices, chopped walnuts or a pinch of brown sugar if you wish.

Video

Notes

Serving Size: 1 cup
For easier clean-up and to avoid the slight "crusty" residue inside the slow cooker, place all ingredients in a glass bowl that fits into the slow cooker then add enough water to fill the lower half of the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Banana Nut Oatmeal
Amount Per Serving
Calories 290 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 0.7g 4%
Polyunsaturated Fat 7.3g
Cholesterol 2mg 1%
Sodium 366mg 15%
Total Carbohydrates 42g 14%
Dietary Fiber 6.6g 26%
Sugars 3.9g
Protein 11g 22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @thelemonbowl

Photography by Alejandro Photography // Recipe by The Lemon Bowl

Want more healthy breakfast ideas? Pin with me!
Follow The Lemon Bowl | Liz Della Croce’s board Healthy Breakfast Ideas on Pinterest.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Really wanted this to work. I used the. Vitaclay slow cooker so took less time (2 hours). However a lot stuck to bottom and was burned. The cinnamon taste was overwhelming. Really wanted to like this. But unfortunately the taste wasn’t good. There was also an element of burned taste due to the bottom part burning.

    Reply

    • Hi Sumera, I’m so sorry to hear this didn’t work for you! I’ve never used one of those slow cookers but I have heard some people having success placing the oats in a bowl over about 2 inches of water. Either way my apologies that it didn’t work – we make this regularly and love it but we use a standard Crock pot.

      Reply

  2. I don’t have a glass container that I could put in the slower cooker. Should I spray the slow cooker with cooking spray?

    Reply

  3. Made this just now. Tastes delicious! Added in a little extra banana and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds. I have made a lot of steel cut oats in my slow cooker and knew they would be done in just two hours on low. I let mine cool and then I portioned them out (8 servings) and I plop the portions onto a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray. They are in the freeze now. I’ll put them in a big zip close plastic bag when they are frozen. Awesome recipe. Thanks.

    Reply

  4. I am a huge fan of all of your recipes. This one was great too. I think using almond milk didn’t get as nice a consistency, but it tasted lovely.

    For all your recipes it would be really helpful to have the amount of cups or grams equivalent to one serving. It really helps with portion control and adapting recipes to Weight Watchers or similar.

    Reply

    • Hi Gabi – I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! I apologize for the serving size. I am working to incorporate it for all my recipes in the “Notes” section. Unfortunately my recipe plugin program doesn’t support a serving size in cups so I’m trying to work around that. If there are any specific recipes you want specific amounts for just let me know.

      Reply

  5. I only had half and half. I used one and a half cups of half and half and the other two and a half cups of water to make the four cups of liquid. Since I used half and half will this curdle?

    Reply

  6. Looks like a time saver for those early mornings. I normally soak the oats with acv and rye overnight to neutralize some of the phytic acid. It also decreases the cooking time. Could I still do that with this recipe? Would I decrease the cook time?

    Reply

  7. Hi was just wondering if anyone knew the sun value of this recipe on slimming world or if there was a way of making it slimming world friendly?

    Reply

  8. My daughter found this recipe a few months back and I made it for the first time when the kids had state testing. I wanted to make sure they had a great warm filling breakfast. They asked for it all that week and the last month have been making it at least once a week. I have never liked oatmeal but I gave this a try for breakfast and really enjoyed it. It is just as good reheated the next morning too. I use Chia seeds in a lot of things so this is what I use instead of flax.
    Thank you for a wonderful recipe

    Reply

  9. I’m not sure what I did wrong but when I made this, the oats themselves turned out goopy and gross-looking and the mashed banana had browned and seemed like it was burned. I had my crock pot on low for 8 hours. Only things I did differently was I used classic oats instead of steel cut because that’s all I had, and didn’t have any flax seed to include. I love the idea of this but wish it had worked better. Any advice on how to fix it? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Shannon – I’m afraid this recipe doesn’t work for old fashioned oats. You’ll need to use steel cut oats as instructed in the recipe in order to get the correct consistency. Enjoy!

      Reply

      • Same issue here. I even generously buttered my slow cooker and it still stuck to the sides and was browned and burned in a lot of places. Disappointing. I wonder if it would work if cooked for 5-6 hours instead of 8?

        Reply

        • Shoot that’s too bad!! I will say I have four slow cookers and some are stronger than others. Try it next time for four hours. WORSE case you can always microwave a bit in the morning. Start with four and go up from there. :)

          Reply

  10. Does anyone know about soaking or slow cooking with Cream of Wheat? one of my daughters and myself prefer Bobs Red Mill Creamy Wheat/Creamy Rice farina 1/2 each. We, also, like soaking oatmeal (rest of the family) overnight and cooking to get more nutrition out of it. But, can’t see what the consistency would be for cream of wheat…just wanting to know if someone else has tried it before I possibly throw some out…:)

    Reply

  11. Just discovered this recipe over the weekend…it turned out amazing! 21 Day Fixer here and it works great for me. Thank you for sharing!!

    Reply

  13. Delicious and easy once I picked out all of the burnt walnuts…I must have kept it on for too long overnight. But, my family loved it. I won’t add nuts until after cooked next time I make it!

    Reply

  14. Hey there! I just made this tonight and was wondering if I should have taken it out sooner. At about 6-7 hrs the consistency was a bit soupy. Like it wasn’t oatmeal anymore. I followed the ingredients and directions to a T and put it on 8 hours low. What could have caused this?

    Reply

    • Oh no Erin!!! We make this all the time and love it and so do many of my readers, friends and family!! I’d love to help you make the recipe a success because truly this is a go-to for us. Did you make any modifications or substitutions to the recipe at all? Let me know. Either way I’m so bummed it didn’t work out – nothing worse than a “pinterest fail” haha. :)

      Reply

  22. I tried this last night and really enjoyed it for breakfast today. I topped with a little bit of brown sugar only, but I’ll add some banana tomorrow. Next time, I’ll follow the advice about using a smaller glass bowl in the crockpot and a water bath, or maybe just use a shorter cooking time. My slow cooker is a 7 quart, and it’s just too big for this recipe as is – it dried out a little! But it was still a great way to have a hot breakfast on a weekday with minimal effort.

    Reply

  25. Can this be over cooked?? I just tried it last night and the oats are burnt on top and totally overcooked. It was probably in the crock pot for about ~9 hours. Do you have to be very careful about taking it out at 8 hours?

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Kristine,

      Does your crock pot automatically switch to Warm after 8 hours? Did you add the same amount of liquid? Also, what types of oats did you use? We make this often and LOVE it – especially this time of year – so I want to make it a success for you too!

      Reply

  26. WOW! I made a double batch of these last night and oh-my-goodness! We have never tried steel cut oats before and now I ask, “Where have they been all my life?” I just finished my first delightful bowl of these, topped with a sprinkle of sugar and drizzle of half-n-half and they really hit the spot on this chilly morning! Now I have lots of leftovers to portion out to bring to work for breakfast. I did reduce the liquid to 3 cups per cup of oats and cooked for 6 hours…the texture is perfect…chewy-good! Thanks for this wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  27. This may be a weird question, but do you think this recipe would work with barley? I always buy old fashioned oats, and don’t have any steel cut on hand, but I have not had as much luck with the old fashioned in my crock pot. They seem to get way too mushy. I’m wondering if barley would hold up a little better?

    Reply

  30. Woke up early and realized I was out of quick oats and had all the other ingredients, so I just threw it into the slow cooker. Used chia seeds instead of flax. Going to have this before a super long run tomorrow…Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  33. This looks AMAZING! I really, REALLY want to like oatmeal and I feel like this is my last ditch effort. Got everything and will be making tonight :)

    Reply

  35. Looks great, is there an alternative to a slow cooker? can it be made, put in fridge overnight and heated in morning??

    Reply

  36. I love oats in the morning! Are steel cut oats the same as regular oats? Do you have to steal them for them to be steel cut :p

    Reply

  38. I tried this today and it was amazing! I have been looking for a more filling breakfast option and this is definitely a win. I have never made my own oatmeal and was a little nervous about using flax seed (never used that either). I added 1 more banana (we love bananas), 1tbs of brown sugar to the recipe. I will be making it again.

    Reply

  41. Here’s one for rolled oats that is good too!
    2c. milk, 1 c. old fashioned oats, 1 c. peeled and diced apple, 1/2 c. raisins, 1/2 c. chopped walnuts, 1/4 c. packed brown sugar (or maple syrup), 1/4 t. salt, 1/2 t. cinnamon. cover and cook overnight on low
    I mix up the fruit and the options are endless!

    Reply

  42. I makes slow cooker oatmeal all the time and have several variations of flavors (Apple & cinnamon, pumpkin spice etc). I have found cleanup is so much easier if you put all ingredients in a glass bowl that fits into the slow cooker, then add water to the cooker to cover the lower half of the bowl. Cover the cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hrs. The steam action keeps everything nicely creamy and no “crusty” residue on the inside of the slow cooker!

    Reply

  44. This sounds great! Definitely want to try it. What size crockpot is recommended? I only have a 6 quart, i’m thinking I need to invest in a smaller one.

    Reply

  47. I need to send this info to my husband because he doesn’t believe me when I tell him the importance of breakfast. He thinks a cup of coffee is all he needs, when in fact it’s not doing him any good. Your slow cooker oatmeal looks fabulous!

    Reply

  50. I think I will try this with peaches. I love bananas but sometimes they give my husband indigestion. Since it is just the two of us I think peaches would reheat the next day a little better. YUM!!!!

    Reply

    • I like my oatmeal with chopped apples, walnuts, raisins, plenty of cinnamon and fresh sorghum as the sweetener., fresh pressed Apple cider or Apple juice for my liquid. I’m pleased to see the show cooker version. I have been partially cooking oatmeal the night before. I turn the heat off and it continues to cook, but I have to reheat it in the morning. This is wonderful and so much more versatile. It looks like you can use just about any fruit you enjoy. Thank you. Will be doing this tonight.

      Reply

  53. This looks wonderful…I’m just wondering if it can be made with old fashioned oats instead of steel cut oats. (Only because I really want to try it but don’t have any on hand!).

    Reply

    • Rolled oats would most certainly work! The texture won’t quite be as chewy as steel cut but if you’re ok with a softer texture then go for it! Also you may wish to cut down on he liquids as they won’t require as much. Let me know how it comes out!!

      Reply

      • Thanks, Liz, I just got some steel cut oats and I’m going to try it tonight. I’m glad I found your site, thanks for some great ideas!

        Reply

      • Hi Liz
        I tried it with rolled oats as I weren’t able to get the steel cut ones.
        It didn’t look quite the same…..
        The oats disappeared into the mix completely.. it was more paste-like texture.
        Taste is still good.. love bananas and walnut with cinnamon and nutmeg…..
        Added blue berries as topping.
        Feels really good for the body!
        Thank you!

        Reply

  55. I love this recipe! So easy to make and will fit perfectly into a cleanse I am doing next week for 3 weeks! I made something like this years ago and totally forgot how easy and delicious it can be, thanks!

    Reply

  60. I was just thinking about how I should start using my slow cooker to make steel cut oats, since I just don’t have time for it in the morning before work. This recipe sounds delicious! I’m totally putting this together tonight so I can enjoy it tomorrow morning!

    Reply

  62. I’ve been having a series of oatmeal cravings lately (just has some for breakfast today :-) and this looks delicious! Love the idea of tossing everything in the slow cooker the night before for a yummy breakfast the next day! Trying this ASAP!

    Reply

  69. This looks fabulous, Liz… I can’t wait to give it a try! I always crave a warm breakfast this time of year, so this is a great one to have ready when we wake up. I bet Maddie would even love to eat it, so that’s a win-win!

    Reply

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