Almond Butter Chocolate Oatmeal

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With its rich chocolate flavor, this Almond Butter Chocolate Oatmeal is the closest you can get to your childhood dreams of dessert for breakfast without sacrificing the vitamins and minerals that get you through the day. Balancing nutty flavor, fruity sweetness, and rich chocolate, it’s sure to satisfy the cravings of your sweet tooth.

Easy 15-Minute Chocolate Oatmeal With Banana

Since chocolate oatmeal with almond butter is so rich and flavorful, it’s easy to mistake this healthy breakfast for a dessert! Even without the toppings, it has an addictively complex flavor profile, but adding the toppings really takes it to the next level. And the best part is, you can customize the toppings however you want.

While this oatmeal may be packed with chocolatey flavor, it also manages to fit in a ton of health benefits. The bananas provide potassium and Vitamins B and C, and the oats themselves are high in fiber. Plus, the almond butter provides the protein that you need to keep your energy up as the day wears on. All of these things make this breakfast a great way to start your day.

What You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need to make this chocolate oatmeal. You can find the exact measurements for everything in the recipe card below.

• Old Fashioned Oats
• Almond Milk
• Bananas: You’ll need to mash a few bananas to make the oatmeal itself, plus you can add slices of banana as a topping.
• Cocoa Powder
• Almond Butter: You can save a little extra to melt and drizzle over your oatmeal as a topping.
• Sliced Almonds: These are optional for topping. Make sure you toast them to really bring out their flavor.
• Chocolate Chunks: Also for the topping, you can buy premade chunks or chop up a chocolate bar. The darker you go, the healthier the chocolate will be.

How to Make Chocolate Almond Oatmeal

This oatmeal is super easy to make. Follow these steps and enjoy this decadent yet healthy breakfast.

Cook: Cook the oats in the almond milk over medium heat until the milk is mostly absorbed, which should take about 5-10 minutes.

Add the Banana: Add the mashed banana and cocoa powder to the oats and stir the mixture well, until it reaches an even consistency.

Add the Almond Butter: Stir the almond butter into the oatmeal until it’s fully incorporated, then take the pot off the stove.

Serve: Add any toppings you want. I like to top this chocolate oatmeal with banana slices, sliced almonds and chocolate chunks, and drizzle some melted almond butter over the top. Once you’ve added the toppings, separate the oatmeal into two portions and serve it.

Tips for Success

This oatmeal is super fast and easy, so there’s not too much that can go wrong, Still, keep these helpful tips in your back pocket to get the best results.

• Always Use Old Fashioned Oats: Swapping out old-fashioned oats for any other kind of oats will change the way you cook them. Steel cut and whole oats take way longer to cook down, so make sure to stay away from those.
• Melt the Almond Butter: You might want to melt your almond butter in the microwave before adding it to save a little time. It will melt over the stove, but microwaving it while the oats are cooking down is a great way to shave off a few minutes.
• Check Your Oats: If you buy oats that are certified gluten-free, then this recipe is perfect for anyone on a gluten-free diet! Just make sure any additional ingredients you decide to add are also gluten-free.
• Try Using the Microwave: When you’re looking for an even quicker way to get breakfast on the table, this is a great option. You can cook the oats in the microwave on high for about 1 minute, then stir it and pop it in the microwave for another minute. After that, it should be ready for the toppings.

Variation Ideas

One amazing thing about oatmeal is that it’s so easy to personalize, and this chocolate oatmeal is no exception! My favorite toppings for this breakfast are banana slices, toasted almonds, chocolate chunks and a drizzle of melted almond butter. So many vitamins and minerals come from the banana, oats and cocoa in this recipe. But the options are endless!

Here are a few quick ideas to put your own spin on it.

• Switch to Another Nut Butter: Try replacing the almond butter with your favorite nut butter. Peanut butter makes an amazing alternative because it goes so well with the banana. Another great option is hazelnut butter, which will give this dish the same flavor profile as Nutella!
• Top With Other Fruit: Although this oatmeal tastes great with banana slices on top, there are tons of other fruits that complement the flavor in their own ways. Strawberry slices work so well with both the banana and chocolate. Cherries or raspberries are the perfect tart treats to balance out the sweetness of the oatmeal.
• Add Some Spices. There are many spices that complement sweet, chocolate flavor, like Mexican Chocolate Spice Mix and even pumpkin spice like this Chocolate Pumpkin Oatmeal.
• Cut the Richness: If the flavors are a little too rich for the start of the day, you can thin this recipe out a little bit by adding extra milk. You can use any kind of milk you want, though almond milk is the best way to compliment the almond flavor of the oatmeal.

Make It a Meal

This chocolate oatmeal is hearty and satisfying on its own. If you want to serve something on the side, I recommend toasting up a slice of gluten-free bread and topping it with your favorite fixings. Perhaps a swath of almond butter and some extra banana slices to complement the flavors in this oatmeal.

You can also round out the meal in other ways:

• Get some protein. You can always serve Baked Eggs or bacon on the side for a little extra energy.
• Add extra fruit. A simple fruit salad or even Healthy Apple Candy Bar Salad is a nice addition.
• Have a drink: Just a cup of coffee or tea is fine, but an Orange Creamsicle smoothie would be wonderful.

Storage and Reheating

You can keep this chocolate oatmeal in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to cover it with an airtight layer of plastic wrap or store it in a sealable container. When you’re ready to eat it, just pop a serving into the microwave and cook it in 30-second intervals until it’s warmed through completely. If the oatmeal is thick, add a drizzle of milk and mix it in.

Can I Freeze Chocolate Oatmeal?

Chocolate oatmeal can totally be frozen! It lasts a full 6 months when it’s properly sealed in a freezer-safe container. When you’re ready to defrost it, just stick it in the fridge overnight, or microwave it with a splash of milk for a few minutes. Just be aware that this method can affect the texture of the oats.

Things You’ll Need

If you are gluten free, you’ll need to make sure your oats are certified gluten free. You can read more about this in my article about whether oats are gluten free (spoiler alert: technically they are, but with a huge asterisk). Here are some brands to try:

Amazon.com

Anthonys' Organic Rolled Oats, 3 lb, Gluten Free, Non GMO, Old Fashioned,...

$18.49

Buy on Amazon

- 24%

Amazon.com

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, 2 Pound (Pack...

$11.32 $14.99 

Buy on Amazon

- 8%

Amazon.com

Quaker Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, Non GMO Project Verified, 24oz...

$20.05 $21.99 

Buy on Amazon

Amazon.com

Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Rolled Oats, 5 lbs - Gluten-Free | Old-Fashioned...

$18.99

Buy on Amazon

Last updated on January 31, 2023 6:07 pm

5 from 2 votes

Almond Butter Chocolate Oatmeal

With its rich chocolate flavor, this Almond Butter Chocolate Oatmeal is the closest you can get to your childhood dreams of dessert for breakfast without sacrificing the vitamins and minerals that get you through the day. Balancing nutty flavor, fruity sweetness and rich chocolate, it's sure to satisfy the cravings of your sweet tooth.

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Total: 15 mins

Servings: 2 servings

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Equipment

• Stove

Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats certified gluten fre if needed
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (recommended: Silk unsweetend almond milk or coconut almond milk. Dairy milk can also be used)
• 1/4 cup almond butter or other nut butter of your choice
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• For Toppings Slices of bananas and/or almonds, chopped chocolate, melted almond butter, if desired

Instructions

• Cook the oats in the almond milk until all milk is mostly absorbed, about 5-10 minutes.
• Add the mashed banana and cocoa powder and stir well.
• Stir in the almond butter.
• Serve and top, adding sliced banana to each bowl, adding half the almonds and chocolate chunks to each bowl, and drizzling the extra almond butter on top.

Notes

To Store: Cover with an airtight layer of plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To Freeze: Freeze up to 6 months in a freezer-safe container. Keep in the fridge overnight to defrost, or microwave with a splash of milk for a few minutes.

To Reheat: Microwave in 30 second intervals until warmed through completely. 

Nutrition Facts

Almond Butter Chocolate Oatmeal

Amount Per Serving (1 bowl (not including toppings))

Calories 497 Calories from Fat 216

% Daily Value*

Fat 24g37%

Saturated Fat 2g10%

Polyunsaturated Fat 7g

Monounsaturated Fat 13g

Sodium 332mg14%

Potassium 879mg25%

Carbohydrates 64g21%

Fiber 13g52%

Sugar 17g19%

Protein 15g30%

Vitamin A 76IU2%

Vitamin C 10mg12%

Calcium 442mg44%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Author: Brianne

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keywords: banana oatmeal, chocolate banana oatmeal, healthy oatmeal recipes, stovetop oatmeal

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