Introducing Strawberry Banana Oatmeal – the perfect warm and healthy breakfast for any age! This hearty oatmeal can be made into a baby puree, cooled into chunks for baby-led weaning, or in a bowl with all the toppings for kids (and adults!).
Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Strawberry Oatmeal with Bananas
This brightly hued, warm and hearty oatmeal with strawberries and bananas is the perfect start for dreary cold mornings. Packed with oats, strawberries, bananas, and a little cream, it’s a sweet and cozy breakfast that’ll help keep little tummies full until lunchtime.
This healthy strawberry banana oatmeal comes together quickly for busy weekday mornings. It’s full of antioxidants, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals. We love to customize ours with a drizzle of peanut butter and a sprinkling of chia seeds for a little extra savory crunch at breakfast.
If you are looking for more and healthy oatmeal recipes, then be sure to check out this reader-favorite Blueberry Oatmeal, Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bake, or these delicious Oat Cups. You can also find more recipes and information in my best-selling cookbook Little Foodies: Recipes for Babies and Toddlers with Taste.
Reasons to Love Strawberry Oatmeal
- Comes together in 10 minutes
- Serve to baby as a puree or finger food
- Full of antioxidants, fiber, and other essential vitamins and minerals
- Can be cooked once and reheated throughout the week
- Completely customizable with your favorite add-ins
- Perfect for baby, toddlers, kids and adults
Ingredients
Make sure to read the full recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and instructions.
- Oats: for this recipe, we are using old-fashioned or rolled oats
- Strawberries: you can use fresh or frozen (and thawed)
- Banana: ripe banana with lots of brown spots or sub in maple syrup
- Water: to cook the oats
- Cinnamon: gives a sweet, comforting taste to the oatmeal
- Cream: optional, but makes it cool down quicker. Can also use coconut cream or any non-dairy milk.
- Ground Flax Seeds: optional, for a nutritional boost. You can also use chia seeds.
- Maple Syrup or Brown Sugar: optional, for serving
Gluten-Free Recipe Tip: While oats are naturally gluten-free, due to the manufacturing process, cross-contamination with foods containing wheat and other gluten-containing ingredients can occur. If you are sensitive to gluten or have Celiac Disease, you’ll want to look for certified gluten-free oats.
Benefits of Strawberry Oatmeal
Strawberry oatmeal is a great nutritious food for everyone, including babies, because both oats and strawberries have numerous benefits on their own. But combine them together, and you get the best of both worlds!
- Oats are high in beta-glucan fiber, which help support gut health and the digestive system.
- They are a good source of iron, which helps prevent iron deficiency anemia and delivers oxygen to different parts of the body.
- They are rich in other vitamins and minerals, like phosphorus, zinc, B vitamins, phosphorus, and selenium.
- Strawberries are packed with vitamin C, which helps the body absorb iron, and are a good source of fiber for digestion and folate for brain development.
How to Make it with Steel Cut Oats
- Bring water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small saucepan.
- Add steel-cut oats and lower the heat to low.
- Cook until the water is absorbed, roughly 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks.
- Once the water is fully absorbed and the oats are fluffy, remove them from the stovetop. Let the oats stand for a few minutes while covered with a lid.
How to Make it with Quick Oats
- Combine quick oats and water in a small saucepan or a microwave-safe bowl.
- Cover and bring the mixture to a boil, about 1 minute in the microwave or 3 minutes on the stovetop.
- Remove from the heat and cover with a lid while the oatmeal rests for 5 minutes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil.
- Add in oats, half of the chopped strawberries, mashed banana, ground flax seeds (optional), and cinnamon.
- Turn down the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the liquid is absorbed.
- Stir in the rest of the chopped strawberries and let cool slightly.
- Spoon into a bowl and add any toppings you desire.
Toppings
There are endless topping ideas for this strawberry banana oatmeal. You can vary the toppings depending on what you have on hand or your family’s preferences. Here are several of our favorites:
- Fruit: fresh fruit like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mangoes or diced apples. Or try dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, blueberries, or dates.
- Nuts & Seeds: Drizzle in any nut butter or seed butter. Or sprinkle chopped almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
- Cooked Grains: Try quinoa or amaranth, cooked separately or with the oatmeal. Or add granola toppings.
- Sweeteners: Honey (if serving for babies over 1 year), maple syrup, brown sugar, or agave syrup.
- Spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, or ginger.
How to Serve to Baby
If serving to a baby as a puree, cook as directed and then puree a portion in a blender for 1 minute, adding more liquid if needed as it will become thicker. For baby-led weaning, you can spoon a few dollars of the oatmeal onto a plate and let it cool. Once cool, the oatmeal will clump together, making it easier for the baby to pick and self-feed. You can also serve the oatmeal to your baby on a self-feeding spoon.
Storage
Place the leftover oats in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to one week. To reheat, place desired amount of oats in a micro-wave safe bowl or in a small saucepan, add in a little milk or cream and heat until just warm, adding in more milk if needed.
Recipe Tips
- To bring out more of the nutty texture of steel-cut oats, toast them with a little coconut oil or butter before adding the liquid.
- Make sure to turn down the heat to low or medium-low heat once you’ve added steel-cut oats to the water. If you keep the heat on high the bottom can burn quickly, making a mess to clean up!
- For babies 6+ months who are more interested in self-feeding than being fed with a spoon, you can allow the oatmeal to cool with the lid off until stiff and then form into balls.
- Spread a thin layer of the oatmeal on toast or use toast strips for toddlers to dip into the oatmeal.
- You can serve the components of this strawberry banana oatmeal separately for any picky eaters in your family – they can choose and add the toppings as they want!
Serving to Baby: If serving to a baby as a puree, cook as directed and then puree a portion in a blender for 1 minute, adding more liquid if needed as it will become thicker. For baby-led weaning, you can spoon a few dollars of the oatmeal onto a plate and let it cool. Once cool, the oatmeal will clump together, making it easier for the baby to pick and self-feed. You can also serve the oatmeal to your baby on a self-feeding spoon.
Toppings
Fruit: fresh fruit like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mangoes or diced apples. Or try dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, blueberries, or dates.
Nuts & Seeds: Drizzle in any nut butter or seed butter. Or sprinkle chopped almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
Cooked Grains: Try quinoa or amaranth, cooked separately or with the oatmeal. Or add granola toppings.
Sweeteners: Honey (if serving for babies over 1 year), maple syrup, brown sugar, or agave syrup.
Spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, or ginger.
Original Recipe
2 cups strawberries, roughly chopped
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp honey (over 1 year only)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
toppings – pinch of chia seeds and cream
Instructions
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In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add oats and reduce heat to simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes until liquid is gone and oats are cooked.
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In a medium saucepan, over medium-low heat, place the strawberries and 2 tablespoons water, let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the strawberries to a blender or food processor, add honey (if using) and chia seeds and puree in short bursts until you reach your desired consistency.
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Stir oats and puree if needed.
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In two bowls, layer the strawberry puree and oatmeal in alternating layers. Sprinkle with chia seeds and drizzle with cream and serve.