THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY
This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill, who I’m thrilled to partner with throughout 2023! Bob’s is my longtime go-to for natural & whole grain foods, & I love that Bob’s Instant Oatmeal Cups make on-the-go breakfasts easy, nutritious, &, most importantly, delicious! All thoughts & opinions are my own.
Microwave Magic for a Quick & Hearty Breakfast on the Go!
As much as I love the good-for-you benefits of a morning bowl of oatmeal, I’ve never been a big fan of its texture. This banana oatmeal mug cake, however, is seriously craveable. Made with blended oats, it offers all the wholesome nutritional benefits of oatmeal but tastes more like warm & fluffy banana bread. 😍 Yes, please!
Plus! It’s so quick & easy to make, even on the busiest mornings. The batter comes together in a blender with oats, banana, egg, & a few other pantry staples. Once it’s blended up, just pour it into a mug & pop it in the microwave for a few minutes – the whole process takes 10 minutes, tops! To make things even easier, I love using Bob’s Red Mill Oatmeal Cups. You can microwave the mug cake right in the cup & take it to-go for a great breakfast on the run or portable snack during the day.
And while I love the classic flavors of this banana oat mug cake, one of the best parts about this recipe is that you can jazz it up with endless combinations of spices & add-ins. It’s super versatile & the results are always hearty enough to keep you full ’til lunchtime. An easy & delicious way to start the day!
Banana Oatmeal Mug Cake Recipe Highlights
You will LOVE adding this banana bread mug cake to your morning routine! It’s…
INSANELY QUICK. These microwave baked oats take less than 10 minutes to throw together. Simply blend up the ingredients, pop it in the microwave, & go. Quick & easy enough for any day of the week!
ALWAYS FILLING. Stay full until lunch with an oatmeal mug cake loaded with flax & chia seeds, banana, & chopped nuts. A hearty, satisfying, & absolutely delicious start to the day!
ENDLESSLY VERSATILE. While banana oat mug cakes are our favorite, you can also make microwaved baked oats with many other flavor combinations. Always fun & delicious!
On-the-go breakfast has never been easier! ♡ Read on to learn more about how to make a Banana Oatmeal Mug Cake, or jump straight to the recipe & get cooking!
Key Ingredients
The thing I love most about this banana oatmeal mug cake recipe is that it comes together with just 8 pantry staple ingredients, all of which are easy to reach for in the morning (even if you’re not quite awake yet!). Plus, there isn’t much prep involved – simply toss it all in the blender & go!
You need…
- Oatmeal – I love keeping Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Classic Oatmeal Cups on hand for quick snacks & breakfasts. They’re conveniently pre-portioned & have no added sugar! If you can’t find oatmeal cups near you, you can also use a ½ cup of Bob’s Red Mill Rolled Oats for this recipe.
- Banana – Without any added sugar or sweetener, these mug cakes get their sweetness from the banana so make sure it’s nice & ripe! As bananas ripen, they develop more natural sugars – the riper the banana, the sweeter & more flavorful your oatmeal mug cake will be. If you have overripe bananas hanging around, this is a great way to use them up!
- Egg – Just one! The egg acts as an emulsifier to bring the banana oat mug cake batter together. Blending the egg also makes it light & airy, which helps the microwave baked oats puff up.
- Butter – For a little texture & rich flavor! You can also use coconut oil or a neutral oil like avocado if you prefer.
- Dry ingredients – Namely baking soda (the key leavening agent in the banana oat mug cake!), cinnamon for warmth, & a pinch of salt to bring out all of the banana oatmeal muffin’s flavor.
- Wet ingredients – You can either use water or milk to give the oatmeal mug cake batter its smooth consistency. Both dairy & non-dairy milk work great here, so feel free to use whatever you keep in your fridge – almond milk, oat milk, etc.
- Optional add-ins – We love making banana oat mug cakes with a dash of vanilla extract for sweetness, chopped nuts to give the fluffy cake a little crunch, & dark chocolate chips for an extra-special treat.
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Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Classic Oatmeal Cups
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Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats
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Buy Now → Why Do Mug Cakes Work? (A Little Science 👩🏻🔬)
Oatmeal mug cakes seem kind of magical (cake batter to puffy banana bread in less than 3 minutes?! 🤯), but it’s really just a smart combination of the ingredients & equipment:
- Microwaves are unique because they cook food from the inside out, which is faster & more efficient than a regular oven. The turntable inside the microwave also continually rotates the mug cake, evenly distributing the energy throughout the batter – another reason for super fast results! ⚡️
- The quick cooking environment of the microwave instantly activates the leavening agents in the banana oatmeal mug cake. In this case, the baking soda forms air bubbles & makes the batter rise. The airy blended eggs also help create this fluffy texture. As the batter rises, the tall sides of the mug forces the gases upwards to lift the oatmeal mug cake. Pretty cool, huh? 🤓
How to Make a Banana Oat Mug Cake in Less Than 10 Minutes!
This oatmeal mug cake recipe is a simple portable breakfast, midday snack, or single serving dessert that you can whip in 10 minutes on any day of the week. The blender & microwave do all the work – seriously easy!
Full Recipe Directions, including step-by-step photos, are included in the Recipe Card, below.
Blend the mug cake batter. It’s as simple as combining everything in a personal blender! How to blend oats? ⇢ Let the high-speed blender run until the oats break down into a fine oat flour that combines with all the other wet & dry ingredients. It only takes a minute or two for the blended oats to turn into a smooth & creamy batter.
Pour & microwave. Pour the banana oatmeal mug cake batter back into a microwave-safe cup, mug, or ramekin. Be sure to choose a mug that’s big enough – the cake will nearly double in size in the microwave! How long to microwave oats? ⇢ It takes about 2-3 minutes for the microwave baked oats to puff up & cook through.
Enjoy! Dig into the banana oatmeal mug cake while it’s warm – it’s always best enjoyed while it’s still fresh & fluffy!
Easy Recipe Variations
Between your choice of milk & add-ins like nuts & chocolate, there’s already a lot of flexibility in this banana oat mug cake recipe – but this is just the beginning!
You can adjust this microwave baked oats recipe with any other flavors you can dream of. Super versatile & always simple – have fun with it! A few ideas to mix up your oatmeal mug cake…
- Use Bob’s Red Mill Maple Brown Sugar or Apple Cinnamon oat cups instead of classic.
- Swap the ripe banana for a pumpkin or sweet potato puree (canned works fine!).
- Use chai spice or pumpkin spice instead of cinnamon.
- Add a scoop of your favorite protein or collagen powder to the batter.
- Add dried fruit or berries like blueberries, cherries, or cranberries.
- Opt for maple syrup instead of vanilla extract (use the real stuff, not pancake syrup!).
- Go nuts with different add-ins like almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashew, or dried coconut. You can also finish the oatmeal mug cake with a drizzle of your favorite nut butter.
- Top the microwave baked oats with a dollop of yogurt & a sprinkle of granola for serving. A breakfast lover’s dream!
I can’t wait for you to try this Banana Mug Cake! It’s such a fun & easy start to the day, & I think you’ll love that it keeps you feeling nice & full until lunch. What’s not to love about that?!
If you do give it a try, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
More Recipes Like This:
Quick & Easy Breakfasts & Snacks
Banana Oatmeal Mug Cake (Blended Baked Oats in Microwave)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: serves 1
- Category: Breads & Cakes, Breakfast Recipes
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Banana Oatmeal Mug Cakes are my current breakfast & on-the-go snack obsession! They’re just as quick & easy to make as a smoothie…but you get warm, freshly baked banana bread instead. Is there anything better than that?!
The batter is truly easy to mix up since it calls for throwing a handful of simple staple ingredients like oats, banana, egg, & cinnamon, into a blender & blending until it’s smooth & creamy. From there, simply pour the batter into a mug or cup, then pop it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Simple!
The microwave transforms the batter into the nicest single serve banana muffin with beautiful moist & fluffy texture. It’s absolutely divine, but the really fun thing about this recipe is how versatile it is. You can stir in some chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or your favorite protein powder, or take your cake in a completely different direction with canned pumpkin or fresh berries – check out the blog post, above, for more inspiration to get you started!
Ingredients
- one 1.81-ounce Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Classic Oatmeal Cup with Flax & Chia (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 medium ripe banana (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons water or milk of choice (e.g. dairy milk, plant milk, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- optional: splash honey or pure maple syrup
- optional: splash pure vanilla extract
- optional: 2 tablespoons chocolate chips/chunks or chopped nuts
Instructions
- Blend the banana oatmeal mug cake batter: Combine all listed ingredients – oats, banana, egg, water/milk, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, honey/maple syrup (if using) & vanilla (if using) – in a high-speed blender. Blend until the batter is smooth & creamy, 1-2 minutes. Pour the batter back into the oatmeal cup or into a large, microwave-safe mug. The batter should come ½-⅔ the way up the mug – if the mug is too full, transfer to a larger vessel. If desired, top with chocolate &/or chopped nuts – I like to stir some into the batter itself & sprinkle anything remaining on top to get texture & flavor in each bite.
- Microwave the blended oats mug cake: Place the mug on a small microwave-safe plate & transfer to the microwave. Microwave 2-3 minutes. The cake will puff up beautifully & the batter should be nicely cooked through.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Equipment
Bob’s Red Mill Organic Rolled Oats
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Classic Oatmeal Cups
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Buy Now → Notes
- Ingredient & Equipment Notes:
- Oats: I love prepping these oatmeal mug cakes using Bob’s Red Mill Oatmeal Cups, which are super convenient since they’re already measured out & you can microwave the oats right in the packaging – convenient, perfectly portioned, & portable! If you prefer, feel free to use rolled oats instead. These are my favorite – you’ll need ½ cup for this recipe, along with a large, microwave-safe mug.
- Banana: With no added sugar in this banana oatmeal mug cake, the sweetness of the banana dictates the sweetness of the mug cake. For more sweetness, use a ripe banana with brown spots OR feel free to splash in a little honey or pure maple syrup.
- Easy Recipe Variations: The fun thing about this recipe is that it’s super versatile. Feel free to change up the flavors using different spices & add-ins, e.g. swap plain oats with Maple Brown Sugar or Apple Cinnamon, swap banana for pumpkin or sweet potato puree, swap cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice or chai spice, add in a scoop of your favorite protein powder or collagen powder, etc. The options are endless!
- Blender: Since this is a small-batch single-serve recipe, blend the batter in a personal blender for best results – this is the personal blender I use & love!
Recipe and Food Styling by Jess Larson, Plays Well With Butter | Photography by Rachel Cook, Half Acre House.
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You know I normally am not a fan of mud cake, however this changed my mind. Delicious, fast, and sooo easy!!
So glad you loved it, Chris!!