Air-Fryer Baked Oats, Three Ways

Baked oats are the breakfast that the internet turned into a category. Originally it was a TikTok thing — blend oats and a banana, bake into something between a soft cookie and a slice of cake, eat warm with a spoon — and like a lot of things the internet turned into a category, it's actually good. The basic recipe is genuinely useful: it takes ingredients you have, requires no special equipment besides a blender (or a fork and some patience), and produces something more interesting than toast for the same amount of effort.

The air fryer makes it better. Twelve minutes instead of twenty-five in the oven, no preheating a whole oven for one ramekin, and the dry heat gives the top a real golden crust that the oven won't quite match. The inside stays soft, almost custardy near the bottom. It's a single serving — one ramekin, one person — but you can bake three at a time if your basket fits them, which is exactly what the photo shows.

The base recipe is one mashed banana, half a cup of oats, an egg, a splash of milk, a teaspoon of baking powder, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. The toppings are where you decide what kind of morning you're having. Berries if you want fruit-forward and tart. Dates and peanut butter if you want something denser and more dessert-like. Chocolate chips and peanut butter if you've given up pretending breakfast isn't just a smaller version of dessert (which, honestly, is fine).