Creamy banana porridge (banana oatmeal) made with mashed banana, flavoured with warming cinnamon spice, and topped with sliced banana and crunchy walnuts!
A healthy, quick, and easy breakfast that will keep those hunger pangs at bay until lunchtime! You might also like my easy overnight Weetabix recipe!
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Not to be confused with Jamaican green banana porridge popular in the Caribbean, this easy banana porridge made with sweet yellow overripe bananas and rolled oats is a popular breakfast recipe in the UK!
It's a warming, filling, and hearty breakfast - perfect on a cold morning!
👩🍳 Love porridge? Try my easy biscoff porridge too!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
Here's why this is the best banana porridge recipe!
- Filling oat based breakfast.
- Warming for chilly mornings.
- Only 6 simple ingredients.
- Creamy porridge recipe.
- Loved by the whole family.
- Takes less than 10 minutes to make.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Bananas - you'll need one mashed banana that cooks with the oats, and one sliced banana to top the porridge bowls.
- Oats - use ordinary rolled oats, but not quick cook or jumbo oats.
- Milk - I use semi-skimmed milk but you could also use a plant based milk instead such as oat milk.
- Cinnamon - for gentle warming spice. You could use a teaspoon of vanilla extract instead.
- Maple Syrup - to help sweeten the porridge. You could also use honey or brown sugar.
- Walnuts - for the topping.
🔪 How to make banana porridge
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Place the oats, milk, mashed banana, and cinnamon in a large saucepan and bring to a boil on a medium heat.
Two: Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook for 5 minutes (stirring often) until the porridge is cooked and creamy.
Three: Spoon the porridge into bowls and top with maple syrup, sliced banana, walnuts.
💭 Expert tips
- Over ripe bananas have natural sweetness, so you may find you don't need the maple syrup at the end of cooking.
- Cut the calories and use water instead of milk.
- The amount of porridge this recipe will make will serve 2 adults or 3 children. It can easily be doubled.
- Make the porridge in a slow cooker.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the porridge for breakfast with fresh fruit and juice. My kids also enjoy a bowl before bed in the winter.
Try different porridge toppings. Here are a few of our favourites;
- Fresh Fruit and Berries.
- Stawberry Coulis.
- Blueberry Compote.
- Nuts and Seeds.
- Jam.
- Golden Syrup.
- Chocolate Chips.
- Peanut Butter or Almond Butter.
- Caramelized Banana.
Why not have a go at making Nutella porridge for a special weekend treat? Banana and Nutella go really well together.
🥡 Storage
- To Store. Porridge is best eaten fresh, but leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat. Reheat the porridge in the microwave with a splash of extra milk to help loosen it.
- To Freeze. The porridge can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost fully in the fridge before reheating as above.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Oatmeal and porridge are essentially the same thing – it's what you get when you add milk or water to oats and cook them.
Yes! Simply replace the cow's milk in the recipe for a plant-based substitute such as oat milk, coconut milk, or almond milk.
Yes, porridge can be made in the microwave. Reduce the cooking time to 2 minutes and 30 seconds and reduce the quantity of milk by one quarter. Make sure you use a large microwaveable bowl to prevent spillages.
Oats are a complex carbohydrate, and provide slow-releasing energy throughout the morning to keep those tummies full until lunch. Porridge contains carbohydrates, protein (especially when made with milk), fibre, as well as zinc, magnesium, iron and B vitamins.
😋 More breakfast recipes you might like!
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Recipe
Easy Banana Porridge
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Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Saucepan
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 125 g Rolled Oats
- 650 ml Milk
- 2 Bananas 1 mashed, 1 sliced
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 2 tablespoon Walnuts
Instructions
- Place the oats, milk, mashed banana, and cinnamon in a large saucepan and bring to a boil on a medium heat.
- Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook for 5 minutes (stirring often) until the porridge is cooked and creamy.
- Spoon the porridge into bowls and top with maple syrup, sliced banana, walnuts.
Notes
- Overripe bananas have natural sweetness, so you may find you don't need the maple syrup at the end of cooking.
- Cut the calories and use water instead of milk.
- The amount of porridge this recipe will make will serve 2 adults or 3 children. It can easily be doubled.
- Make the porridge in a slow cooker.
- Fresh Fruit and Berries.
- Stawberry Coulis.
- Blueberry Compote.
- Nuts and Seeds.
- Jam.
- Golden Syrup.
- Chocolate Chips.
- Peanut Butter or Almond Butter.
- To Store. Porridge is best eaten fresh, but leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat. Reheat the porridge in the microwave with a splash of extra milk to help loosen it.
- To Freeze. The porridge can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost fully in the fridge before reheating as above
Eliza
What a great recipe! Love the flavors you combined of bananas, oatmeal, cinnamon and walnuts, plus a splash of maple syrup! Perfect comforting breakfast and a perfect way to start the day.
Kris
So creamy and comforting! Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Anjali
I made this for my kids for breakfast this morning and it was a total hit!
Sara
We loved this recipe, so simple yet delicious.
Jamie
I love this combination of cinnamon and bananas! It's such a comforting dish as well!