There’s an alarming trend in food these days. It’s as though we’ve run out of things to put a fried egg on because now trendy breakfast places are putting fried eggs on their oatmeal.
Are you into this?
I’ve always used a bowl of breakfast oatmeal as an excuse for brown sugar… essentially as an excuse to make dessert out of breakfast. For this reason, I simply cannot accept a friend egg and a sauteed green on my oatmeal. If I’m going to egg and green through breakfast, I’m going to need a potato reward.
To amp up the dessert value of our breakfast, I’m adding warm caramelized bananas, up with ground cinnamon and toasted pecans, to warm oatmeal. Honey-swirled greek yogurt is the cooling factor to this hearty steel-cut oatmeal.
All of the extra slicing and caramelizing makes this breakfast feel extra special. Sweet. Not savory. I’m sticking to my brown sugar guns.
Here’s a fine place to start breakfast:
• ripe bananas
• steel cut oats: coarse and hearty
• honey swirled Greek yogurt
• cinnamon spice and butter for caramelizing banana slices
In a small saucepan I melted butter with brown sugar, salt, and a touch of cream. Over medium heat the mixture comes together into a warm bubbling dream. It’s luscious. Just add thickly sliced bananas and toss to soften, coat, and warm through.
Thick tart yogurt meets pourable raw honey.
For me… one of the best things in life.
Steel cut oats soak up a good amount of water to soften. The mixture will still be thick, not very sweet, and honestly… a little moppy. That’s the best word I have to describe it.
Layered for breakfast. Softened oats, caramelized bananas with a bit of the caramel, a big dollop of yogurt, and a sprinkling of cinnamon and pecans. It’s delicious… sweet and just right. While the bananas caramelize you may be tempted to add a splash of rum and set the whole thing on fire but we’re still breakfasting and we’ve got to keep it right and tight. The sweetness is treat indeed.

Caramelized Banana Oatmeal Breakfast
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
For the Oats
- 3 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
For the Bananas
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- good pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk
- 2 diagonally sliced bananas
For the Topping
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ground cinnamon
- coarsely chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
- Start by making the oats. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a simmer. Add the salt and stir in the oats. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until the oats have absorbed most of the water, about 20 minutes. The oats will the thick and almost milky looking. That’s right! Set aside.
- To make the bananas, in a small skillet over medium heat, melt together butter, brown sugar, salt, and cream. Stir until smooth and just beginning to bubble. Reduce heat to low and add banana slices. Toss to combine and soften, about 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir together yogurt and honey.
- To assemble the breakfast, divide the oats between two bowls. Top with bananas, dollop with yogurt, sprinkle with cinnamon and chopped pecans. Enjoy warm!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
Kara
Please, oh please tell me what china pattern that is? It reminds me of my grandmother’s china, but with fresher colors. It’s gorgeous!
Kay
I made this for today’s snow day breakfast! No work, a nice bowl of caramelized banana oatmeal and binge watching The Daily Show under the blanket is a perfect day.
Ryan Waters
These look beautiful! Yum!
https://goo.gl/MB38qw
Foodzu
Banana & Oat Meal combination was awesome.
sara
Oatmeal is one of my favorite go to hearty meals when I know I’m going to have a long day, but OH MY this sweet topping just took it up to a new high for me! This will be a staple in my breakfast routine.
Emma R
I haven’t yet jumped on the savoury oatmeal train but I think I might try it at some point during the next few weeks! But in the meantime, I’d love to make this recipe. I usually have bananas on my porridge but I’ve never caramelised them before; I can imagine that it tastes truly decadent.
Larissa Koehler
In other news, apparently Brussels sprouts donuts are a thing – now THAT is too much. https://www.foodandwine.com/news/brussels-sprouts-doughnut
joythebaker
We really have to draw the line!
Lauren Musser
Joy. This was incredible! This totally added a feeling of “extra special” to my mornings all week. Loved it!
xo
Lauren & typically-steel-cut-oat-hating-but-now-loving husband
joythebaker
Hahaha! That’s great!
athleticavocado
caramelized bananas + thick greek yogurt sounds like the best oatmeal toppings ever! How come I never did this before? Swoon!
Meredith
Yummy! Can’t wait to try this. The floral bowls are beautiful – who makes them?
joythebaker
They’re old china handed down from my grandparents. The back only says Made In Japan.
Meredith
Then they are even more special if they came from grandparents. I have my grandmothers Noritake “Nancy” pattern. Makes me smile every time I see them.
Natasha
Caramelised banana is so delicious and with porridge it’s simply beautiful!