This Slow Cooker Banana Bread Steel Cut Oatmeal make a perfect breakfast on cold winter mornings. Slow cooker oats are a staple in the OBH household, especially in the winter. They are easy to throw together, which is perfect for meal prepping when you are a busy parent (and aren’t we all?). They are incredibly nutritious and extra hearty if you opt for steel cut over the traditional rolled oats. And best of all, it’s easy to keep things interesting by switching up the flavors from week to week.

Slow Cooker Banana Bread Steel Cut Oats

Makes 16 servings

Non-stick cooking spray
4 cups steel cut oats (we use this brand)
10 cups water
1 can coconut milk (optional – either increase water or use another milk substitute)
3-4 very ripe bananas
½ cup ground flax (optional- we get ours here)
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1.5 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1t salt
Optional toppings: Walnuts, hemp hearts, banana slices

Coat a 6 quart crock pot (or 7 is even better) with with non-stick cooking spray. Oatmeal has a bad habit of sticking to the sides if you don’t.

Blend or mash your bananas. I like to throw mine in our Vitamix so that they are completely pureed because I’m not a huge fan of banana chunks. But mashing with a fork works well too.

Add the oats, milk, water, pureed bananas, ground flax, and spices to the slow cooker and give it a gentle stir.

Cook on low 7-8 hours. Note that cooking times may vary depending on your crock pot. I recommend checking in on your oats just under 7 hours in. These oats are incredibly forgiving though, provided you are using the steel cut oats. We like ours to stay on the chewier side so we stick to 7 hours.

Serve with the toppings of your choice or just enjoy as is!

This recipe makes about 16 servings.

You can package it into individual servings (we use mason jars but these are another great option) to grab and go during the week or you can freeze and reheat later.