Get up and go with the perfect ready-to-eat make-ahead breakfast with these creamy, banana chia overnight oats. They’re everything you’d want for a quick, weekday morning meal—convenient, nutritious, and endlessly customizable with just the right balance of sweetness from honey and a satisfying texture—no cooking necessary!
These banana overnight oats without yogurt achieve that perfect, pudding-like consistency without any heat thanks to chia seeds and rolled oats soaking in milk overnight, while ripe bananas and honey add a sweetness and creaminess that’s just like a banana milkshake.
Sometimes, I crave something quick and wholesome that doesn’t require standing over a stove in the morning, even as delicious as sweet cream pancakes or a crispy, cheesy potato rosti can be on a leisurely weekend. That’s when it’s time to grab a jar of these banana chia overnight oats from the fridge—they hit all the right notes for a balanced breakfast you can customize to your taste.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Rolled or old-fashion oats: I prefer rolled oats in overnight oats for their texture—they soften beautifully overnight without becoming mushy and maintain their chew. I recently bought a giant bag of One Degree Gluten Free Sprouted Rolled Oats from Costco and they are the best oats I have ever eaten. They have this wonderful slightly milky, slightly fresh grassy smell.
- Chia seeds: Chia seeds give these banana chia overnight oats their signature pudding consistency while adding fiber and protein. They are NOT optional for this recipe.
- Ripe banana: The riper the banana, the sweeter your no-yogurt banana overnight oats will be. I use the frozen bananas I keep on hand for smoothies, but if you plan on following the no blender instructions you’ll need a fresh banana.
- Milk: Whole milk results in a luxurious, banana milkshake-like flavor, but any milk works fine. For dairy-free options, consider almond or oat milk, or try coconut milk if you want to lean towards a more tropical banana overnight oats.
- Honey: The floral notes of honey complement bananas perfectly, but maple syrup or even plain granulated sugar work if you prefer. Adjust to your preferred sweetness level.
- Vanilla extract: A little goes a long way to bring these overnight oats from breakfast to dessert-like treat. It enhances the banana milkshake-like flavor and adds warmth.
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Step-by-step instructions
There are two options for making your banana chia overnight oats: one method where you blend the wet ingredients together in a blender, and a second more straightforward, quicker version where you simply mash fresh banana with a fork.
Option 1: With blender
Step 1: Put banana, milk, honey, vanilla extract, and salt in blender
Step 2: Blend
Step 3: Pour rolled oats and chia seeds into food storage container
Step 4: Add banana milk and mix.
Step 5: Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours.
Option 2: Without blender
Step 1: Using fork, mash banana in food storage container
Step 2: Add rolled oats, chia seeds, salt, milk, honey, and vanilla extract
Step 3: Mix
Step 4: Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours
👯 Substitutions
Oats
- Best choice: Rolled oats or old-fashioned oats will give you a great balance between silliness and chew.
- Avoid: Instant oats and quick cooking oats. They’ll create goopy banana chia overnight oatmeal with absolutely no chew. Also avoid steel-cut oats for the opposite reason: they won’t soften adequately overnight and likely require at least 48 hours of soaking time, and by then the bananas in this recipe will have oxidized and become slimy.
Honey
- Recommended: Honey pairs perfectly with banana (my childhood favorite in banana peanut butter honey sandwiches!).
- Vegan Options: Maple syrup (adds a deeper flavor profile), date syrup, rice syrup, coconut sugar, etc.
- Sugar-Free Alternatives: Monk fruit sweetener or a very small amount of stevia.
- Classic Choice: Regular granulated sugar works for a neutral, familiar sweetness.
- Warm and classic: Brown sugar.
Milk
- Creamiest Result: Whole milk creates a luxurious, banana milkshake-like flavor.
- Any Fat Content: 2%, 1%, or skim milk all work fine, but won’t be as luxurious.
- Plant-Based Options: Almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk work beautifully
- Tropical Twist: Coconut milk pairs wonderfully with banana for a more tropical flavor
📖 Variations and toppings
- Protein boost - Add a scoop of vanilla protein, almond butter, chopped nuts, a tablespoon or two of Greek yogurt, and hemp hearts for an extra boost of protein to sustain you until lunch in the morning.
- Tropical - Use coconut milk (try low-fat or the stuff in a carton since canned full fat coconut milk might be a little too much fat and upset your stomach), ¼ cup of diced mango, 1 tablespoon of toasted (or not) coconut flakes.
- Banana bread - Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans, and 1 teaspoon (sweetener to taste though) of packed brown sugar.
- Chocolate banana - Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips and a teaspoon of espresso powder.
I like this no yogurt banana chia overnight oats best topped with crunchy cacao nibs for textural contrast, half as much fresh sliced bananas as there are oats, and a drizzle of almond butter.
🍽 Equipment
You have two options here to make your banana chia overnight oats: blending the banana with the milk, honey, and vanilla until smooth; or just mashing the banana with a fork to avoid. I prefer the smoothness of blended, but mashing directly in the food storage container is less work and dishes to clean up. Choose whichever is most comfortable for you.
For blended
- Blender to blend the wet ingredients together
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Medium food storage container to mix everything in and also store it in (no need to dirty another bowl to wash!)
- Any old spoon or rubber spatula to mix it all together
For mashed
- Any old fork to mash the banana with
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Medium food storage container to mix everything in and also store it in (no need to dirty another bowl to wash!)
- Any old spoon or rubber spatula to mix it all together
🫙 Storage and shelf life
Unlike other overnight oats recipes that can last around a week, banana chia overnight oats have a far shorter shelf life due to the way bananas quickly oxidize once exposed to air.
How long do banana chia overnight oats last?
These overnight oats are best consumed within 48 hours for the best texture and flavor. This recipe makes 2 large or 4 smaller servings, perfect for eating within that timeframe.
Refrigerator
Store your banana chia overnight oats in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Airtight containers with tight-fitting lids are essential to slowing down oxidation as much as possible. Do not store the mixed oats uncovered as it will speed up textural changes and brown faster. Small mason jars also work great to minimize oxidation (and are ideal for individual grab-and-go breakfast portions!).
Bananas naturally brown and so will these banana chia overnight oats. But rest assured: the banana chia overnight oats are still safe to eat, just a little uglier.
Freezer
Avoid freezing banana chia overnight oats as they’ll become watery and mushier when thawed.
💡 Tips and tricks
Avoiding banana browning and banana goo
If you really want your banana chia overnight oats to turn brown a lot slower, try adding a couple drops of lemon juice on the mashed bananas or in blender. Citrus slows down the oxidation process. Greek yogurt will have a similar affect, but I didn’t include it in this recipe because I wanted a pure banana milkshake taste, sans the sourness yogurt brings. If you prefer it though, feel free to add a tablespoon or 2.
Meal prep strategies
- Add banana right before eating or the night before: To enjoy banana overnight oats beyond 2 days, prepare the base mixture (oats, chia seeds, milk, honey, vanilla extract) separate from the banana. Add fresh mashed banana only on the day you plan to eat each portion.
- Layer the banana: When making individual servings, try layering rather than mixing the banana. Mash your banana and place it either at the bottom of each jar beneath the oat mixture or on top just before refrigerating.
Don't fret if it seems to wet!
Don't worry if it seems too wet at first when you add the banana milk to the rolled oats and chia seeds—the oats and chia seeds will absorb the liquid overnight, resulting in that perfect creamy texture.
Stir those chia seeds
Be sure to stir the mixture immediately after adding the banana milk to the oats and chia seeds to prevent the chia seeds from clumping together. If they do clump together, don't sweat it. Just use some elbow grease and a whisk or fork to break them up.
🙋FAQ
Can I make overnight oats without yogurt?
Yes! This recipe is for banana chia overnight oats without yogurt.
Do you eat overnight oats cold?
Typically overnight oats are eaten cold, but everyone has their own tastebuds and textural preferences. If you prefer your oats hot, feel free to microwave a single serving of these banana chia overnight oats and enjoy them that way.
Do you need chia seeds for overnight oats?
Yes. For this recipe, you’ll need chia seeds. Chia seeds provide the pudding-like texture that works well in overnight oats.
My banana chia overnight oats are a little gooey! Can I fix the texture?
If your banana chia overnight oats develop a slightly gooey texture, try refreshing it with a dollop of yogurt or adding crunchy toppings like cacao nibs, walnuts, or granola for textural contrast.
🤩 Recommended
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Banana chia overnight oats
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats Or old-fashioned oats
- 1 ripe banana
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1¼ cup milk Dairy or non-dairy plant-based
- 1-2 teaspoon honey To taste, or other sweetener such as maple syrup, sugar, agave, etc.
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
Option 1: With blender
- Blend ripe banana, milk, honey, and vanilla extract in blender until smooth.
- Transfer the blended mixture to either a medium bowl (if dividing between smaller containers later) OR directly into your food storage container.
- Add oats, chia seeds, and a pinch of salt, then stir to combine thoroughly.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours until thickened.
- Before serving, top with fresh banana slices, a drizzle of almond butter, cacao nibs, or any favorite toppings.
Option 2: Without blender (quick & easy method)
- In your food storage container, mash the ripe banana throughly with a fork until smooth with minimal lumps.
- Add oatmeal, chia seeds, salt, milk, honey, and vanilla to the mashed banana.
- Stir well, making sure to break up any clumps of chia seeds.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours until thickened.
- Before serving, top with fresh banana slices, a drizzle of almond butter, cacao nibs, or any favorite toppings.
SW says
My new go-to recipe for overnight oats! Smooth, creamy, and quick to make.
Justin says
This was creamy and not too sweet! The cacao nibs are fantastic with it. I love that banana milk is used as the base
Ellen says
I’d never heard of cacao nibs and now I can’t stop putting them everywhere