If you like granola and you like cereal, you’ll love this homemade, budget-friendly banana cluster cereal! It’s quick, easy, and full of warm cinnamon flavor. The idea originally came from me trying to use up my ripe bananas without making a banana bread and the outcome has quickly become a part of my daily breakfast rotation!
What’s special about this homemade cereal?
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! This homemade cereal recipe is different than most because it’s made right in a skillet! No oven required! It’s so much healthier than any other breakfast cereals you’ll find at the grocery store (due to having no refined sugar or preservatives) and only takes a few basic ingredients to make!
Simple ingredients you’ll need to make your own cereal:
- Banana
- Old fashioned oats: You can use quick rolled oats here as well.
- Pure maple syrup
- Ground cinnamon
- Coconut oil: For the pan
How to make this healthy breakfast:
- Mash up your banana(s).
- Add the oats syrup and cinnamon to the mashed banana and mix it all together.
- In a skillet, spread the oat mixture into a flat disk and cook until golden, breaking up as you go.
- Serve with whatever milk you like and fresh fruit!
FAQ:
Yes! You can easily make this a gluten free cereal by ensuring you are using gluten free oats (most brands already are) and vegan by making sure you’re serving with a plant based milk!
Yes! Using a ripe banana is best because they are easier to mash and much sweeter than using unripe but the recipe will still work and be delicious either way!
No, you can use any cooking oil you like, but keep in mind that coconut oil has a high smoke point, so it is great for this since you want to cook the oat mixture for awhile to unsure it browns! I also enjoy the slight coconut flavor that coconut oil gives, but again, things like olive oil, avocado oil or grapeseed oil will do the trick too.
Sure! I would recommend spreading the mixture evenly onto a baking sheet lined with a sheet of parchment paper, just like you would for a homemade granola recipe, then bake at 325 for about 20 minutes. Allow it cool, then break it into nice sized chunks.
Other things you can add to the oat mixture:
- Vanilla extract: This is a great to way to add more depth of flavor and amp up the sweetness of this cereal.
- Dried fruit: I love adding dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots to this. Any dried fruit that you find in granola can be added here.
- A spoon of nut butter: Adding something like peanut butter or almond butter adds more protein to this cereal and will keep you full for longer!
- Chia seeds or flaxseeds: I love adding these nutrient boosters to my granola, yogurt and smoothies for an extra boost of fiber and healthy fats.
Budget-Friendly Homemade Cereal
Equipment
- 1 medium pan
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana mashed
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp coconut oil for the pan
For serving:
- 1/4 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/2 cup berries of your choice
- 1 1/2 cups milk
Instructions
- Peel your ripe banana and mash it up using the back of a fork. Mix together the mashed banana, maple syrup, oats, and cinnamon.
- Get your pan on medium to low heat and start to melt the coconut oil. Once warm, add the banana oat mixture to the pan and spread it into an even layer.
- Allow it to cook for a few minutes (or until it starts to brown) then begin to break it up into cluster using a spatula. Continue to cook it until all sides of the clusters are browned (this should take 10-12 minutes).
- Once cooked to your liking, remove the pan from the heat and transfer the clusters to a bowl. If you would like, allow the clusters to cool to room temperature (they will be more crisp this way) or go ahead and serve as is with chopped walnuts, fresh berries and milk!
Nutrition
Make this homemade vegan cereal your own! Add different fresh fruits that are in season, try pumpkin pie spice or cardamom instead of cinnamon, and most of all, have fun with it!
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