This creamy, dreamy chocolatey oaty breakfast bowl came about when I ran out of yogurt when making overnight oats. Turns out ripe bananas aren’t just good for creamy smoothies but also for thickening and sweetening up a tasty breakfast. I just replaced the usual quantity of coconut or soy yogurt with 2 ripe bananas and added cacao powder for a healthy chocolate brekkie.
The oats-milk-banana base works really well for a range of flavours – especially with the addition of chia seeds – so feel free to experiment with different flavours – but if you’re a chocolate fan, don’t miss out on trying this cacao and date combo. It’s full of natural and nourishing sweetness and is just as good for an afternoon or midnight snack as it is first thing in the morning.
Makes 4-6 portions
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups/200g oats
- 2 cups/500ml milk of your choice (I use almond)
- 2 large ripe bananas
- heaped ½ cup/85g dates
- ¼ cup/40g chia seeds
- 2 Tbsp cacao powder
- a pinch of salt
- (optional) ⅓ cup/50g cacao nibs
METHOD
- Stir together the oats, chia, salt and cacao nibs (if using) in a large tupperware.
- Put the milk, bananas, cacao powder and dates in a blender and whizz until thick and smooth.
- Pour the blender mixture into the tupperware and stir until completely combined.
- Place the lid on the tupperware and store in the fridge.
- In the morning, loosen up the oats with a little extra milk (optional), then scoop a portion into a bowl and add toppings of your choice.