Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies Recipe for a Soft Baked Treat

Name: Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened; 3/4 cup golden brown sugar; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 cup bananas, about 2 bananas, mashed; 2 eggs; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 3/4 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 tsp nutmeg; 3 cups old fashioned oatmeal; 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

By:

Camille Hayes

Published:

October 2, 2026

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Banana Oatmeal Cookies Details

These chewy banana oatmeal cookies are the kind of soft baked treat you can pull together in one bowl, even if you have never creamed butter and sugar before. Ripe bananas and golden brown sugar give the dough a deep, sweet flavor, and melted semisweet chocolate chips add a chocolate finish in every bite.

The texture is what makes them memorable. Butter and oatmeal keep the centers soft and chewy, while the melted chocolate adds a creamy note that balances the oats.

The bananas also add moisture, which is part of why these cookies bake up tender instead of crisp. There is no chilling time, no rolling pin, and no special skill required beyond a hand mixer.

The numbers are friendly too. One batch yields 36 cookies, prep takes about 25 minutes, and the cookies bake in only 8 to 9 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. From start to finish, you are looking at roughly 35 minutes.

Here is what a single cookie delivers, based on the source nutrition for this recipe.

Nutrient	Per cookie
Calories	120
Carbohydrates	16 g
Protein	2 g
Fat	6 g
Saturated fat	3 g
Fiber	1 g
Sugar	8 g
Sodium	62 mg
Cholesterol	23 mg

Jump To

1. Banana Oatmeal Cookies Details
2. Here is what you will need
3. How to make banana oatmeal cookies
4. How ripe should bananas be for baking?
5. How to ripen bananas
6. What type of oatmeal can I use?
7. Delicious add in options
8. Tips for the best taste and texture
9. Can I freeze the dough?
10. How long will they keep?
11. FAQs
12. Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Here is what you will need

Everything on this list is a pantry staple, so you can shop once and bake twice. The bananas carry most of the flavor, so plan ahead if your fruit is still green. Ripe bananas mash easily and blend evenly into the dough, and the rest of the ingredients are things you likely already have on hand.

Wet ingredients

Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies, Here is what you will need

Unsalted butter: 1 cup, softened, which is 2 sticks
Golden brown sugar: 3/4 cup
Granulated sugar: 1/2 cup
Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
Bananas: 1 cup mashed, about 2 bananas
Eggs: 2, to bind the cookies as they bake

Dry ingredients

All purpose flour: 2 cups
Baking soda: 3/4 teaspoon
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Nutmeg: 1/4 teaspoon
Old fashioned oatmeal: 3 cups
Semisweet chocolate chips: 1 cup

Pull the butter and the eggs out about an hour before you bake so everything is at room temperature and mixes smoothly. Quick cooking oats work in a pinch, and dark or milk chocolate chips can stand in for semisweet. Keep reading for the details on each swap.

How to make banana oatmeal cookies

This is the quick overview, and the full printable recipe card sits below. The whole method uses one bowl, one hand mixer, and a spatula.

Mix the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup softened butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar with an electric hand mixer. Leave the eggs and the bananas out of this step.
Add the bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Mash 2 bananas with a potato masher or a fork, add them to the butter mixture along with 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, then beat on medium speed until well combined.
Sift in the dry ingredients. Hold a fine mesh sieve over the bowl. Add 2 cups all purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg to the sieve, sift them into the dough, and mix at low speed so the flour does not fly everywhere.
Fold in the oats and chocolate chips. Add 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats and 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, then mix everything together with a spatula.
Scoop the dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop mounds of dough with a medium cookie scoop.
Bake. At this point you can roll the mounds into balls in your hands or top them with extra chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 to 9 minutes, then let the cookies cool for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

A few habits make the process smoother. The dough will look thick once the oats go in, and that is exactly what you want, because those oats are what keep the cookies chewy instead of cakey.

Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies, How to make banana oatmeal cookies

The sieve step is worth the extra minute, since sifting the flour and the spices into the wet mixture keeps lumps out of the finished cookies.

Use softened butter, not melted butter. If you soften it in the microwave, it turns liquid and the dough will not come together the same way.

You do not need a stand mixer here. A spatula or a wooden spoon will get the job done with a little patience, and the chocolate chips can be left out entirely if you prefer a plainer oatmeal cookie.

This adaptation follows the original banana oatmeal cookies recipe, including the one bowl method and the 350 degrees Fahrenheit bake.

How ripe should bananas be for baking?

Very ripe. For these oatmeal cookies, you want bananas with plenty of dark spots on the peel. Those spots are the sign that the natural starches have turned to sugar, which means the bananas are at their sweetest and will carry the flavor of the whole batch.

Ripe bananas are also soft enough to mash without leaving firm chunks behind, so they blend evenly into the butter mixture. If your bananas are still firm and pale yellow, give them a day or two on the counter, or use the oven method below.

How to ripen bananas

If you only have green bananas on hand, you can ripen them in the oven. Place the unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 20 minutes. Let them cool before you peel and mash them.

Do this step before you start the cookie dough, because the oven needs to come back up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for baking. Ripening the bananas first means the dough is not sitting around waiting while the oven heats.

What type of oatmeal can I use?

Both old fashioned oats and quick cooking oats will work here, but old fashioned oats are the better choice. They add more chew and texture to the cookies and hold their shape better during baking, which keeps the cookies thick instead of spreading flat.

Quick cooking oats soften faster and give you a finer crumb. If that is all you have in the pantry, the cookies will still taste good, they will simply have less chew.

If oats are your favorite cookie base, our Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are a good next bake.

Delicious add in options

These chewy oatmeal cookies pair well with a long list of mix ins. Fold them in with the oats and the chocolate chips so they are spread evenly through the dough.

Walnuts
Pecans
Dark chocolate chips
Milk chocolate chips
Raisins
Dried cranberries

Nuts bring crunch, dried fruit brings tang, and a different chocolate changes the finish. Swapping the semisweet chips for dark or milk chocolate is the simplest change of all, since everything else stays the same.

If you enjoy warm spice with your chocolate, our Brown Butter Chai Oatmeal Cookies are another oatmeal bake worth trying. For another take on soft and chewy banana cookies, you can browse that version too.

Tips for the best taste and texture

Ripe bananas do more than add flavor. They bring softness, chewiness, and sweetness to the cookies, so the riper the fruit, the better the finished texture.

Butter matters just as much. It should be softened at room temperature so it mixes evenly into the batter. Cold, hard butter blends poorly and changes the texture of the cookies. Leave it on the counter for about an hour. Do not microwave it, because melting the butter turns it liquid and that changes how the dough comes together.

Spices tie everything together. Cinnamon and nutmeg complement the bananas and the oats, and they are a big part of what gives these cookies their flavor. Skipping them leaves the batch tasting flat.

Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies, Tips for the best taste and texture

Soften the butter on the counter for about an hour. A microwave melts it into liquid, and liquid butter changes the texture of the cookies.

Scoop the dough into even mounds as well. Even mounds bake at the same rate, so you are not pulling out a tray with pale centers next to dark edges. A medium cookie scoop does this in one motion and keeps your hands clean.

Finally, let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes after they come out of the oven. They are soft while hot, and that short rest makes them easier to move to a cooling rack without breaking.

Can I freeze the dough?

Yes, and it is the easiest way to have fresh cookies on demand. Prepare the dough through forming the cookie balls, then place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Do not add toppings and do not bake them before this first freeze.

Once the balls are firm, transfer them to a ziplock bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Label the bag with the date so you know when that window closes.

Chewy Banana Oatmeal Cookies, Can I freeze the dough

When you are ready to bake, take out as many dough balls as you need and bake them straight from frozen. There is no thawing step. Frozen dough needs 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven than the standard bake time.

This is a quiet win on a busy weeknight. Two cookies for a small craving, a full tray when friends drop by, and the same soft, chewy result either way.

How long will they keep?

Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, these chewy banana oatmeal cookies keep for about a week. The chill also helps them hold their soft, chewy texture.

Keep the container sealed between servings so the cookies do not dry out, and take out only what you plan to eat that day.

If you baked the full batch and know you will not finish it within the week, freeze the extra dough balls instead. That way nothing goes stale and you always have cookies ready to bake.

FAQs

How ripe should bananas be for banana oatmeal cookies?

Bananas should be very ripe with brown spots on the peel for the best flavor and softness. About 1 cup of mashed bananas, which is roughly 2 medium ripe bananas, is needed for this recipe. Overripe bananas integrate smoothly into the batter and provide a more pronounced fruity sweetness.

Can I use quick oats instead of old fashioned oats in banana oatmeal cookies?

Yes, you can use quick-cooking oats instead of old-fashioned oats. However, old-fashioned rolled oats are recommended for a chewier texture and better shape retention. Quick oats will result in a more uniform, softer cookie that may spread slightly more during baking.

How do I make banana oatmeal cookies chewy?

To make chewy banana oatmeal cookies, use old-fashioned oats and be sure not to overmix the dough after adding the flour and oats. Using brown sugar also helps, as its molasses content attracts moisture and keeps cookies soft. Chilling the scooped dough for 30 minutes before baking can further develop a thicker, chewier interior.

Can I freeze banana oatmeal cookie dough?

Yes, the cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Form the dough into balls, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and freeze for about an hour. Then transfer the frozen dough balls to a ziplock bag. You can bake the frozen dough directly without thawing, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.