Cinnamon Swirl Protein Banana Baked Oats (Printable)

Warm, fluffy baked oats with sweet cinnamon swirl and protein boost. A single-serve breakfast combining banana bread comfort with energizing protein for a satisfying morning.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
02 - 1 scoop vanilla or cinnamon protein powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
04 - Pinch of salt

→ Wet Ingredients

05 - 1 medium ripe banana, mashed
06 - 1/3 cup milk, dairy or non-dairy
07 - 1 large egg
08 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Cinnamon Swirl

09 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
11 - 1/2 teaspoon melted butter or coconut oil

→ Optional Toppings

12 - Sliced banana
13 - Greek yogurt
14 - Chopped walnuts or pecans

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 10-12 ounce ramekin with cooking spray or butter.
02 - Add rolled oats to blender or food processor and blend until fine flour forms, approximately 1-2 minutes.
03 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together oat flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk mashed banana, milk, egg, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
05 - Pour wet ingredient mixture into dry ingredients and stir until just combined, ensuring no lumps remain.
06 - Pour batter into prepared ramekin and smooth the top surface with a spatula.
07 - Whisk together maple syrup, cinnamon, and melted butter. Drizzle over batter surface and gently swirl with a knife or toothpick.
08 - Bake for 22-25 minutes until center is set and toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean.
09 - Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, add desired toppings, and serve warm.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like banana bread cake for breakfast, which means you'll actually want to wake up early for it.
  • The protein powder quietly does the heavy lifting, keeping you full way longer than regular oatmeal ever could.
  • It's a single-serve situation, so there's zero guilt about eating the whole thing yourself.
  • Somehow it feels fancy enough to impress someone, but easy enough that you can make it half-asleep.
02 -
  • Don't use a blender stick for blending oats unless you want to stand there forever—a real blender or food processor makes short work of it and gives you a better texture.
  • The batter will look slightly thick and almost gluey before baking, which is exactly right; if it looks too thin you might have used a banana that was too wet.
  • Your ramekin size matters more than you'd think—too small and it overflows, too large and it spreads thin and doesn't puff up the way it should.
03 -
  • The cinnamon swirl doesn't have to be perfect—the best looking ones are the ones where you just confidently swirl it without overthinking, and honestly it tastes the same either way.
  • If your protein powder is especially thick or clumpy, sift it into your dry ingredients instead of just whisking; it prevents those disappointing protein powder pockets in your finished oats.
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