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Baby food recipes

Banana porridge for babies: easy oat recipe

Oatmeal with Banana: A four-ingredient cereal and fruit porridge for babies 5 months and older, ready in 15 minutes. Includes a video and tips on oatmeal, gluten, milk, and freezing.

By the LIINI editorial teamUpdated 5 min read10 sources

Banana with oatmeal porridge recipe
Contents

In short

To make oatmeal with banana, cook fine rolled oats in water for about 5 minutes, then stir in a mashed, ripe banana and a little canola oil. According to the BLV, this cereal-and-fruit porridge is suitable for babies 5 months and older. Oats contain gluten, but you don’t have to avoid them. The porridge doesn’t need sugar or milk.

Oatmeal with banana is quick to make and tastes naturally sweet thanks to the ripe banana. The recipe calls for four ingredients and makes two servings.

Recipe: Oatmeal with Banana

  • Age: 5 months and up
  • Servings: 2
  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cooking time: 10 minutes
  • Freezing: suitable

Ingredients for 2 servings

  • 40 g fine (soft) rolled oats (about 4 heaping tablespoons)
  • 180 ml water (just under 2 dl)
  • 2 small, ripe bananas (peeled, about 200 g)
  • 2 tsp canola oil

Preparation

  1. Stir in the oats. Stir the oats into the cold water in a pan (saucepan).
  2. Cooking: Bring everything to a boil while stirring, then let the porridge simmer for about 5 minutes until it is soft and creamy. If it’s too thick, add a little water.
  3. Mash the bananas. In the meantime, peel the bananas and mash them finely with a fork.
  4. Mix and puree: Remove the pan from the heat, let the porridge cool slightly, and stir in the banana. For the first few spoonfuls, puree everything until smooth.
  5. Stir in the oil. Stir in the canola oil.
  6. Let it cool, then divide the porridge into two portions. Let it cool to eating temperature, stir it, and use your own spoon to check that it’s not too hot. Quickly cool the second one.
The video shows how it is made. The amounts and steps in the recipe above follow the recommendations of expert bodies. Playing the video loads it from YouTube, which sets its own cookies.

At what age can a baby start eating oatmeal with banana? Age and Consistency

According to the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (BLV), mashed banana is suitable even for those first few spoonfuls: Your baby can start eating fruit no earlier than 4 months of age. When oatmeal is added, it becomes a cereal-and-fruit porridge, which the BLV recommends as a supplementary meal starting at 5 months of age at the earliest. A vegetable puree, such as sweet potato and parsnip puree, is also a good choice for those first few spoonfuls. In Germany, according to the Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG), cereal-and-fruit porridge is recommended for infants between 7 and 9 months of age. You can find more information about the timing in the complementary feeding schedule.

At first, puree the porridge until it’s smooth, as recommended by the BLV; later on, it can be a bit chunkier. Then all you have to do is mash the banana with a fork. According to the BLV, ripe bananas are also suitable as finger food, starting at 6 months at the earliest; see Baby-Led Weaning. The amounts are approximate; according to the “Gesund ins Leben” network, they vary depending on age and appetite.

Oatmeal for Babies: Types, Gluten, Iron

  • Fine flakes: The BLV and BIÖG specify fine oat flakes for baby food, often referred to in Germany as “delicate” oat flakes.
  • Gluten: According to the German Federal Center for Nutrition (BZfE), oats are among the grains that contain gluten. In addition, gluten from other grains often contaminates the oats during cultivation and processing. You don’t have to wait: Pediatrics Switzerland recommends introducing gluten-containing grains between the 5th and 7th month of life. If there is a history of celiac disease in your family, talk to your pediatrician about getting started.
  • Iron: According to the BLV, vitamin C improves iron absorption; as an example, the BLV cites oatmeal with a little fruit juice. According to *Gesund ins Leben*, because the porridge contains no milk, the body absorbs the iron from the grains more effectively.
  • Banana: It tastes very sweet. The BIÖG recommends serving bananas mixed with less sweet fruits.
  • Water: To find out which type is suitable, see ” What Kind of Water Should Be Used for Baby Food?”

Tips and Variations

  • Half a banana, half an apple or pear: Replace half of the banana with finely grated apple or pear. Here’s how to blend the banana with less sweet fruit.
  • Milk starting at 6 months: Once your baby is 6 months old—that is, starting in the 7th month—you can prepare a milk-and-grain porridge according to the BLV: For each serving, bring 1 dl of whole milk and 1 dl of water to a boil, stir in 20 g of fine rolled oats, cook for 5 to 15 minutes, and stir in 2 tablespoons of mashed banana.
  • Gluten-free with millet: Use millet flakes instead of oatmeal. According to the BZfE, millet is gluten-free. The perfect recipe: Millet porridge with strawberries.

Storage, Freezing, and On the Go

Quickly cool the second portion. According to the BLV, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours; according to the BIÖG, it will keep frozen at −18 °C for up to 2 months. If you want to freeze it, set aside the second portion of oatmeal before step 4: Stir in the banana fresh after reheating, because mashed banana turns brown quickly. Reheat each serving only once; throw away any leftovers. For more information, see the guide “Making Your Own Baby Food.”

Tip

When you’re on the go, pack the cooled oatmeal in an airtight container with an ice pack, and mash the banana once you get there.

The baby food stays warm on the go, for example, in a battery-powered baby food warmer: The LIINI® 2.0 PRO baby food warmer holds up to 350 g and doesn’t require any temperature adjustments. The guide “Keeping Baby Food Warm on the Go” offers additional tips.

From LIINI

LIINI® 2.0 PRO Baby Food Warmer, Beige, IP66LIINI® 2.0 PRO Baby Food Warmer, Beige, IP6699.95CHFincl. VATView product

Frequently Asked Questions

When can my baby start eating oatmeal?

According to the BLV, cereal-and-fruit porridge should be introduced no earlier than 5 months of age. Pediatrics Switzerland recommends introducing gluten-containing grains, such as oats, between the 5th and 7th month of life. In Germany, according to BIÖG, cereal-fruit porridge is recommended for infants aged 7 to 9 months.

Which types of oatmeal are suitable for babies?

Fine rolled oats, often called “zarte” oats in Germany. The BLV and BIÖG use these terms for baby food.

Do oatmeal contain gluten?

Yes. According to the BZfE, oats are classified as a gluten-containing grain and often contain additional gluten from other grains. But you don’t need to wait to introduce gluten to babies. Millet flakes are a gluten-free alternative.

Oatmeal for babies: with milk or water?

With water. According to the BLV, the grain-and-fruit porridge contains no milk, so, according to *Gesund ins Leben*, the body absorbs the iron from the grains more effectively. According to the BLV, you can add a small amount of whole milk to your baby’s porridge starting at 6 months. Pediatrics Switzerland advises against giving cow’s milk as a beverage during the first 12 months.

Can I freeze oatmeal with banana?

Yes, up to 2 months at −18 °C. It’s best to freeze just the cooked oatmeal and stir in a fresh banana after reheating it. Reheat each serving only once.

Sources

  1. Nutrition for Infants and Toddlers: Recipes, Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (BLV)
  2. Nutrition for Infants and Toddlers: Complementary Feeding, Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (BLV)
  3. Nutrition for Infants and Toddlers: Frequently Asked Questions, Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (BLV)
  4. Vegetarian and Vegan Diets, Kids at the Table, BLV
  5. Recommendations for Infant Nutrition (2017, PDF), Swiss Pediatric Nutrition Commission
  6. Cereal and Fruit Porridge, “Healthy Start to Life” Network
  7. Recipes for Baby Food, kinderschulthaft.de, Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG)
  8. Hygiene Related to Infant Nutrition, kindergesundheit-info.de, Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG)
  9. Oats contain gluten—or do they?, Federal Center for Nutrition (BZfE)
  10. Grain ABC: Gluten, Federal Center for Nutrition (BZfE)
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