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The Melted Banana Trick

Step away from the sugar!

One of my favorite ways to sweeten oatmeal is naturally, by melting in a banana. The banana gets all caramelized, and the oatmeal tastes amazing!

melted banana

melted banana oatmeal

banana dog

The Melted Banana Trick

Step 1: Cook up the oatmeal or another grain as you normally would.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, melt however much banana you want in the microwave or on the stovetop until it’s all caramelized/gooey.  This adds so much flavor to the oatmeal! Now, stir the melted banana into your oatmeal.

Optional Step 3: Take your hand blender or Magic Bullet or regular blender and blend everything together so it’s a nice pudding-y consistency. (You don’t have to follow this step, but it mixes in the caramelized banana nicely.)

Below, as part of this recipe: Strawberry Hugs Oatmeal.

melted banana oatmeal

Or, for a super-delicious breakfast, try combining oatmeal tricks:

voluminous oatmeal

Use with the popular Voluminous Oatmeal Trick.

Published on November 26, 2008

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
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ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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157 Comments

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  1. shelby says

    Thank you for the recipes!!! I will be making them right away.

    I am so proud of your mom and I hope you have tons of fun on your dats =) =) =)

  2. carolinebee says

    WHOLE FOODS BOYY!!! haha i love it, have fun!! Thanks for the recipes, i literally found a hand blender in my cupboard in the wayyyy back last month! Best thing ever, now i can use it more!!

  3. VeganView says

    Hey Kt, I still do not see where Sarah Palin is not eating turkey…the video of her on the farm is offensive and disgusting to vegans. I would be interested to see where she says she’s abstaining from turkey for Thanksgiving…

    Your food looks tasty as always, keep up the good work hun 😉

  4. VeganView says

    KT! Thanks for clarifying! I knew I couldn’t give Sarah Palin any credit esp in this department… I was just a little confused reading your blog, whoo hoo for your mom!

  5. Janet says

    I don’t recall ever having crepes before, even in my non-veg days. Your recipe is intriguing, thanks for sharing it, I just might give it a try…oohh, and have fun on your date *wink * wink *

  6. Andrea says

    ooooh i was totally gonna ask you about the boy situation. have fun!!! i saw that sarah palin clip too. i definitely will not be eating turkey on thursday – but cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes and stuffing are a MUST 😉

  7. lighterportions says

    Two thumbs way up for the banana brulee! And blending it all up is totally the way to go.

    WOO for the date! Details next post perhaps?!

  8. shellyfish says

    I heard about that clip all the way over here! I only got through a few seconds…Proud of Chocolate Covered Mom!
    Can’t wait for the details on your rendez-vous!

  9. tofufreak says

    yay recipe! its so exciting that your mom will abstain from eating turkey this year 😀 very happy occasion indeed 🙂

    HAVE FUN ON YOUR DATE!!!! 😀

  10. Alice (in Veganland) says

    oh, I learned today that your banana oat brulee doesn’t really work with frozen bananas. Sadface! I’ll try with “real” bananas next time!
    (and I didn’t see the tattooed man in Barcelona!)

  11. Alice (in Veganland) says

    oh, no, don’t feel bad that it didn’t work! the bananas were a bit old, forgotten in the freezer for months… I microwaved them and they turned out reeeeaaaally dry. So it’s my fault, nothing to do with your recipe…

  12. kirsten says

    those crepe cakes look amazing ! I can’t wait to try out that recipe ! Also thats great about your mom abstaining from turkey ! Sarah Palin makes me want to abstain from Alaska and pretty much everything else shes associated with.

    Have a great time on your date ! Is it WF boy?

  13. Brooke says

    thanks for the recipes katie! and i cannot wait to make the butternut squash! 🙂

    i hope your date went well! we need extra details in the next post girlie!

  14. gloria says

    Mmmm that’s definitely on my list of things to try. Good luck on your date, by the way! And thanks for posting on my blog =D

  15. Ricki says

    The oatmeal does sound delish! I love all those blended recipes 🙂

    Great that your mom decided to forego the turkey! Yay!

    And a BIGGER YAY for your date! Hope you have a fabulous time!!

  16. Anonymous says

    What consistency should the batter of the crepe-cake have? Is it watery? And what is the tell-tale sign they are done? Thanks!

  17. HangryPants says

    Ow ow – have a fun date!

    Thanks for the wonderful recipes, too! I love the little crepe cakes.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  18. Joanna says

    OMG katie!! i can’t wait to hear about your date. i love talking about this stuff haha mainly because i never go on dates

  19. Jackie says

    Thanks for the recipes.

    Watched the uncut version, very very sad and would hate to see where they are doing thousands per hour. Palin is really scary, thank goodness for the World she didn’t make it.

    Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.

  20. ChocolateCoveredVegan says

    Anonymous—

    The batter should be pretty liquidy. Try it with the 1/4cup plus 1/8cup liquid. If, after trying that, the crepes are too thick for you, then you can add more liquid, but I’d start with that amount first so you don’t add too much liquid and thus have to throw the batter out!

    As for when they’re done… I guess you’ll have to experiment with this, because I don’t have a specific time of how long they take (and depending on the size, some will take longer than others). I don’t know that there’s really a tell-tale sign either… well, except if you go to lift the cake up with a spatula and some of the batter sticks to the spatula, it’s not done yet! If the batter doesn’t stick, then any time you want to take the cake off is fine :o).

    Andrea—
    I told my roommate to enjoy her Thanksgiving and eat lotsa cranberry sauce… but she responded that she didn’t like it! How can she be human???

    Halie—
    Let me know what you think if you get around to trying them :o)

  21. Bethany says

    that video wanted to make me puke and cry at the same time. Though it’s good to have things like that because it gets people to reflect that otherwise wouldn’t. I think it’s awesome that your mom is swearing off turkey for a day.

  22. Sara says

    MY favorite breakfast is:
    1 cup of my home-made vanilla soy milk thrown in the blender with a frozen banana and some strawberries. Once it’s blended up, I pour it in a bowl and pop it in the freezer while I shower and get ready for work. By the time I’m all set, it’s the texture of soft-serve icecream, a pretty pink color, and totally delicious!

  23. Emma says

    My favorite breakfast? A bowl of oatmeal, cooked with strawberries, bananas, brown sugar, and soymilk, with blueberries and plain soy yogurt on the side. Yummo.

    This is a great giveaway – granola is amazing. Thanks!

  24. Heather says

    My favorite breakfast is just the good ol’ oats of course! Nothing compares (Shanade sais it best!) to my oats! I also love love love to add Almond butter and some sort of Chocolate. I like your self love some chocolatly goodness! Thanks Katie for being you, I love reading your blog!

  25. Meg says

    My fave breakfast in the winter is a nice bowl of oats, specifically your peaches n’ cream 😉 which is a new favorite!

    In the winter – Kashi Honey Sunshine w/ sliced bananas!

  26. MichelleLK says

    My favorite breakfast is a bowl full of fruit, right not it is apricots, peaches and grapes because that is in season. Sometimes it is strawberries and banana with some almond butter, yum!

  27. Torres says

    My favorite breakfast is Fage 0 Total Yogurt with one packet of Splenda, 1/2 c frozen strawberries and 1/4 c of Kashi Golean crunch. yummy.

  28. Ruby Red Vegan says

    My favorite breakfast…keeping in mind that I have never tried crepes, ever…is oat bran pudding: roasted butternut squash, very ripe banana, non-dairy milk, maple pb or almond butter, cinnamon, sea salt, oat bran, all mashed into creamy goodness and sprinkled with some hemp granola. sooo gooood!

  29. jrsimon56 says

    My favorite breakfast is a savory breakfast. The ultimate? Homefries and tofu rancheros…with lots of hot sauce! Aye carumba!

  30. Michaela says

    My favourite breakfast is oatbran mixed with 2 heaping dessertspoons of nutritional yeast.

    It smells alot like cheetos, and tastes so awesome! It’s my treat every sunday morning.

    Simply 40g oatbran, 275ml soymilk or whatever milk you use (or half milk to water).

    Cook untill done (I nuke mine in the microwave) and at the end stir in the yeast. It makes it go thick so if the oatbran is a little runny before you add it that’s okay!

  31. JB says

    my favorite breakfast is definitely oatmeal with cinnamon, sliced banana, some form of dried and/or fresh fruit, and a big glob of nut butter or cacao bliss! yummmm.

  32. Erin says

    My favorite breakfast is vegan chocolate chip pancakes! I use 1/3 cup oats, 1/8 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, a dash of cinnamon, water or almond milk to get it to pancake batter consistency and then add the vegan chocolate chips and cook! I have these babies every sunday as a celebration of getting through the week haha

  33. Laura E says

    My favorite breakfast? That’s a difficult question to answer..but I would have to say pumpkin oats w/ trailmix, coconut, and a large spoonful of nutbutter! Thanks for the opportunity.

  34. Anneliese says

    My favorite breakfast would have to be cereal with almond milk and fresh berries. Actually pretty much anything with fresh berries! Yum!!

  35. Jane says

    my favorite breakfast (at the moment at least) is a bowl of kashi go lean, kashi vanilla island, a sliced banana and a big spoonful of peanut butter all covered in almond milk!

  36. Anne K. says

    My favorite breakfast is oatmeal cooked with 1/2 sliced banana, vanilla extract, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, LOTS of pumpkin, a dash of unsweetened cocoa powder, and a spoon of nut butter! Right now I’m loving my PB & Co. Mighty Maple. Mmmmm!

  37. Cinnazimt says

    Favorite every day Breakfast: oatmeal made with homemade roasted cashew milk, topped with peaches, more cashews, and a little flax oil.

    Favorite special Breakfast: Tofu scramble made with tomatoes, spinach, kalamata olives, mushrooms, plenty of “Parmezano Sprinkles” (found in Jo Stepaniak’s Unchesese cookbook) and a sprinkling of Indian black salt (it smells just like egg! heard about it from the ppk)… plus earth balance smothered toast and a bowl of fruit salad!

  38. wingraclaire says

    My favorite breakfast is oatmeal, and my current favorite add-ins are raisins or apples (or both), ground flax seed, brown sugar and peanut butter. I usually don’t add banana because I don’t like the raw-ish taste….and I have NEVER heard of carmelizing the banana but I will try it TOMORROW!!! I would eat oatmeal every day, and plan to in the summer, but during the school year I get up at 5:00 and that’s just too early to even think of food. I bring granola (yogurt – to – go) and eat it once I get to work 🙂

  39. Bibis says

    I have many many favorite breakfasts!!! first it used to be whole wheat toast with pb and banana, then i moved over to oatmeal (and all ur delicious different variations) and right now is chocolate-papaya smoothie or shredded carrot with plain yogurt! yum!!

  40. Angela says

    My favorite breakfast is oatbran with a chocolate Glutino bar or Lara bar cut up in it, and a spoonful of almond butter- yummy!

  41. Katelyn says

    My favorite breakfast is rolled oat goodness with whatever fresh fruit is in season and a dollop of nut butter!!! The best ever…

  42. Lisa says

    I love anything breakfast! But my favorite has to be soaking rolled flakes (rolled oats, rolled barley, rolled spelt…) and dried fruit with non-dairy milk, then having it in the morning with fresh banana or blueberries and topped with some flaxmeal and oatbran! Having a delicious banana egg-nog or pumpkin smoothie is a favorite with it too!

  43. plentifulplants says

    My current favourite breakfast has to be a green monster with lots of chia to thicken it up!

  44. Emily (Healthy Fit Mama) says

    My favorite breakfast is oat bran cooked with 1/2 mashed banana, cinnamon, and vanilla, with flaxseed mixed in, and 1/2 sliced banana, raisins, aand walnuts on top! Mmmmm! Tastes like banana bread!

  45. Amber Y says

    Fav breakfast is chocolate brownie oatmeal— oats, vanilla soymilk, brown sugar and a couple heaping spoons of cocoa powder. Topped with fresh strawberries. That’s for a day when I have spare time, otherwise its any endless combo of yogurt parfait!

  46. Gaby says

    Well, Ive totally gotten into the green monsters too, thickened up with chia seeds 🙂 thank you blogger world for introducing me to both of those! but I do have trouble feeling satisfied with something liquid so that’s only on days I’m in a hurry to leave the house.
    Otherwise my favorite thing ever are yummy parfaits, all sorts of combos, there’s just nothing better than berries or apples and peaches with tart greek yogurt, crunchy sweet granola and it MUST have almonds!
    I also almost always eat breakfast foods like more parfaits, bagels with almond butter, or warm oatmeal creations for snacks too. Breakfast is the best meal ever.

  47. theskinnyplate says

    Wow…. your crepe cake recipe is so simple. Gotta try it out sometime soon!! I would put tons of cinnamon and thinly sliced bananas in mine AND maybe a little bit of nutella on the side. I’m drooling just thinking about it. ^_^

  48. Harpist says

    My favorite breakfast is leftovers from the day before, whether that is cake or cookies, or stirfry. If I want something fresh, a green smoothie does the trick. I know, weird.

  49. elizabeth says

    my favorite breakfast as of late has been “green” smoothies
    greens+1 banana +a tad of “milk” + green tea powder=amazing

  50. Kiki says

    My ideal breakfast it a big bowl of oatmeal! An amazing AMAZING combo I tried yesterday was oats topped with banana, strawberries, peanut butter, a drizzle of vanilla almond milk, and a TJ’s vanilla almond cookie.

  51. Kristie says

    There are SO many great breakfasts out there… how to choose?! I love a good bowl of BLENDED oats though, made with lots of banana and almond milk. YUM.

  52. Megan says

    My favorite breakfast is frozen bananas blended and then adding whichever peanut butter and company spread we have in it. Trust me it is the greatest smoothie ever. It’s like ice cream.

  53. ohhmay says

    My favorite breakfast is oat pudding … like rice pudding with oats instead. I love it chocolate, vanilla, or lemon zest.
    If you cook steel cut oats with some honey and stevia, then add vanila, egg replacer (or egg whites), pudding mixed with protein powder, and spread in a bakeing dish.

    bake it until its set, then you can put it in the fridge. in the morning, you can slice, eat warm or cold with strawberries, bananas, and nut butter or protein frosting (chocolate pp+ chocolate pudding) YUM!!!!

  54. Brianna says

    I love starting the day with something a little sweet, so I mix a half-serving of tapioca pudding with a container of yoplait light yogurt (favorites are banana cream pie and strawberry) and then chop up some strawberries or add in some grapes to the mix. It is absolutely delicious! It’s also nice and light so you don’t feel sluggish before you even start the day!

  55. Amy says

    My favorite breakfast: Truthfully, it used be be granola with soymilk and a banana. But now that I have a mighty Vita-Mix (whose name is Vity [Vie Tee]) I have a big smoothie every morning!!!

  56. Hannah says

    My favorite breakfast changes all the time. I love oatmeal but when its hot out all I want is either a smoothie or a nice big bowl of fruit.

  57. Kelly says

    My favorite breakfast is pretty simple… I love a bowl of oatmeal (particularly when it’s chocolaty!) and a big fruit salad!

  58. Teresa says

    I wish I could actually have a favorite breakfast, but it is my favorite meal of the day, and I love all breakfast food, so it is just too hard to pick and stick with one thing. I always convince myself that I have a favorite breakfast food, and then I go off and change my mind Again! So I think that it’s safest to say that a fruit smoothie or anything that involves nut butter (preferably almond or hemp) would be my favorite tried and true breakfast.

  59. Christine says

    My favorite breakfast? I secretly love when I’m in a hurry and I can’t make oatmeal or eggs on toast and have to grab…

    A CHOCOLATE CHIP CLIF BAR AND A SLICED FUJI APPLE!!!

    Seriously, sooooo good. Processed, sure, but once in a while this is the greatest breakfast a girl could ask for.

  60. monkeyeats says

    I never thought I’d say this, but I’m really into green monsters for breakfast….Hubby asked me what that green thing was and I told him it was a smoothie with spinach in it. For now he’s sticking with his oatmeal.

  61. ttfn300 says

    my fav b’fast right now is cereal with blueberries and a green smoothie… although this am instead of cereal i had a piece of hemp toast topped with laughing cow, egg whites and salsa… yum 🙂

  62. sals says

    My favorite breakfast changes regularly, but currently I love an Ezekial english muffin, toasted, with egg whites. super quick, filling, and delicious!

  63. Pamela says

    Hmmm.. choosing a favorite is hard!! Lately it’s been Kermit Pudding/Ice Cream whatever with frozen peaches and spinach(CCK Style!!)… I also love Regular Green Smoothies. Also… Tofu Scrambles are always a winner in my book =) !!!

  64. rawdiculous says

    The crepe cakes are so cute! I’d have to say my favourite everyday breakfast is a giant green smoothie. I love being able to just throw whatever fruit I have on hand in a blender with some greens and being ready to head out the door 10 minutes later, breakfast in hand. Some days, I’ll add a scoop of coconut butter in for extra creaminess… soooo good.

  65. devan newman says

    my FAVorite breakfast are definatly cereal messes
    I have been a cereal girl since I was a weeee one. Natures Path is my most favorite. And soy Vanilla yogurt. with fresh fruit.
    omgosh. I seriously look forward to waking up for cereal.

  66. Amey says

    yumm. My favorite breakfast is crepes. My mom went to france when she was in high school, and learned how to make crepes. When we were growing up, it was always our favorite treat to have crepes. Back then we put lemon juice and powdered sugar on them. I still like them that way, but I also like them with homemade jam!

  67. hashbrown says

    hey katie:)
    I love reading your blog, somehow it always exudes positive vibes and it makes me feel happy:D

    Anyway, I just made the most amazing bowl of oatmeal thanks to your melted banana trick!

    What i did was i cooked some oatmeal in milk,threw in a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg into the oatmeal..melted a naner in the microwave, and dumped it into the oatmeal, threw a few chopped almonds and a lil frozen mango on top..OMG it was awesome! Oh, and instead of a spoonful of pb on top, i put it into the bowl Before adding oatmeal..that way it melted into a yummy puddle of goodness..MMmm

    Sorry for the super long comment!

  68. salambander says

    OH THE GODS! So much banana oatmeal deliciousness. I just made it for breakfast. My insides are throwing a party, and my brain is floating through the air on the wings of nom-fairies.

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

    ^_^

  69. Margaret Vasquez says

    is it weird that i always try different variations of flavored and sweetened oatmeal and i always end up going back to just plain old oatmeal cuz i love it so much? o well..

  70. michelle says

    You are amazing!!! I added sliced bananas to my oatmeal this morning and just cooked it all together and it was delicous! Just wondering what that yummy looking cream on top of the oatmeal with blueberries is? So excited to try more recipes. 🙂

  71. k says

    the instructions r really vague..do you like cut up or mash the banana before melting it, and how long do you cook it for/know its done melting??

  72. Avra-Sha Faohla says

    Help, please, from anyone who knows . . .

    How would you melt a banana on a stove (don’t have a microwave) without burning the pot? Do you have to mush it up first or put it in water?

  73. Jennifer says

    I ALWAYS eat banana in my oatmeal, it’s a delicious base! What I do is cook my oatmeal for at least 40 minutes, cut my banana up, THEN add it to the oatmeal for a whole minute and it’s still melted. 🙂

  74. Nikk O. says

    Hey, Katie! 🙂 I’ve been a reader for awhile now (and used many recipes when I used to have vegan cooking nights!). I’m not surprised you figured out how gooey and awesome bananas get microwaved… but have you ever used it to make hot chocolate?

    I just microwaved diced banana with some cinnamon (and honey and chili but I’m odd); smash it to bits when gooey-hot, then mix in two or so spoonfuls of cocoa. Finally, just fill the rest of the mug with hot water, mix reeeally well and it’s easy as that! It’d be better with coconut milk or something, but lack of resources – let’s say Scottish kitchens focus on what goes with hash browns, fried eggs, and salty unknown meatybits (eep).

    Since it was consumed in desperation for chocolatey surrender, I think I need a second level opinion if it’s a good idea (that, and it was my last banana!; ). Cheers!

  75. Torri Egan says

    How exaclty do you melt banana? I am VERY new to the world of healthy/vegan eating and I know you can bake banana and mush it but I didn’t know it melted. Do you just stick it in a bowl and microwave? Does this work with other fruits? About how long do you microwave?
    Thanks 🙂

  76. Betty says

    Hi Katie,
    Blessings to you in the New Year….I can’t wait until your book arrives in the mail.

    Okay I am a sugar addict and I have come to realize how flour, oats , pasta ect. get processed in our bodies as sugar. So even gluten free doesn’t help because it still gets used as a sugar once in the body. My Chiro had me so a NO SUGAR cleanse which meant NO carbs or sugar. It help me flush my system as well as I lost 75 pounds in the year of doing it, HOWEVER now that I am trying to balance things, I am not doing so well. Once I get a sugar fix I can’t stop, but I can’t do the cleanse forever, it is not meant for that. So THANKS TO YOU, I have a great resource. So I wondered about recipes that use no flour or white sugar. I found one through my Chiro that used raw cashews as the flour base, once put in the food processor it got the flour consistency but I am NOT a good baker so don’t know how to make the adjustments in other recipes. My glycemic index is so affected by the use of any flour or while sugar. Any thoughts on that my dear?

    Thanks so much,

  77. Katie says

    I tried this today and it was amazing!!! Way more flavor than I ever thought it would give me! I also tried out the Voluminous Oatmeal trick too =)

  78. Kate says

    I love your website but I’m sick of these pop up scams that keep coming up whenever I’m looking at a recipe 🙁

  79. Kate says

    Hi Katie, I didn’t know how to reply your reply because it said not to reply the email.
    Anyway the pop up says ‘You’ve just won £500 of Tesco vouchers!’ I can take a screenshot of it if you like but I don’t think I can post pictures on here.

  80. Ana Davis says

    This recipe could be even better if a tablespoon of honey is added to the oatmeal and banana or even peanut butter! to even make this recipe sustainable, Fair trade bananas could be used! Also has anyone tried baking the oatmeal after it has been blended one more time?

  81. Sarah says

    I recently bought a large quantity of fruit and vegetables for $4. It includes 30 bananas and when googling things to use them for I came across this idea. It tasted so good but now I am wondering if I can make a batch and freeze some of the mixture to use later or if that probably wouldn’t work? Thanks!

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