Healthy Banana Oatmeal Bars (Vegan + Gluten Free)

Healthy Banana Oatmeal Bars are made with just 5 wholesome ingredients and make a easy, on-the-go breakfast or snack. Featuring hearty ingredients like peanut butter and oats, these homemade bars are also super customizable! Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and sugar-free.

For the longest time, oat bars / oat muffins and I have not gotten along well in the past. They always turned out gummy, soggy and just NOT tasty.

I remember trying to find a recipe I liked back in university and to summarize, I didn't find one.

Because the new years are rolling around and I knew people would be looking for an easy, healthy and portable breakfast option... I decided to tackle a banana oatmeal bar recipe that was ACTUALLY tasty.

Friends, I have succeeded and I am so excited to share this recipe with you today. These banana oatmeal bars are healthy, filling and will give you so much energy to start your day!

Ingredients in Healthy Banana Oatmeal Bars

This Banana Oatmeal Bar recipe is made with just 5 wholesome ingredients:

• Bananas: make sure they're spotty and ripe
• Nut/Seed Butter: peanut butter banana oatmeal is my fav!
• Non-dairy Milk: cashew, soy, almond, hemp
• Rolled Oats: NOT quick oats.
• Baking Powder

On it's own, it is not overly sweet which I like since I do have these for breakfast. If you do want to make these sweeter feel free to add in 2-3 tablespoon of coconut sugar.

Vegan Oat Bar Variations

Whats nice about this recipe is that it's super customizable so you can have different variations every week for meal prep! You can either fold in the add-ins into the batter or spread them on top like I did with the chocolate chips.

Here are some variations you can try:

• Nut Butters: peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower butter (for nut free), tahini (for nut free)
• Dried Fruit: Raisin, cranberries, coconut, cherries, blueberries, apples
• Fresh Fruit: blueberries
• Nuts: walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios
• Seeds: pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds
• Chocolate Chips
• Spices: vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, all spice

How to Make Banana Oatmeal Bars

Not only are these banana oat bars budget friendly, they're also insanely easy to make:

1. Mix all the wet ingredients into a large bowl.
2. Fold in all the dry ingredients
3. Transfer to a lined or greased 8x8 inch baking pan
4. Add any toppings of your choice or skip... (but I highly recommend chocolate cause chocolate) and bake! Be sure to let them cool completely before cutting into them.

Annnd the result? PERFECT chewy oat-meal-y bars that kind of taste like banana bread. No soggy-ness. No gummy-ness.

Tips to Make Perfect Breakfast Oatmeal Bars

• Measure Out the Bananas: Every banana is different in size. These bars can end up too wet if the bananas are too big and too dry if there isn't enough.
• Use RIPE Bananas (!!): The sweetness comes from RIPE bananas. If your bananas are not ripe, I recommend adding in 3-4 tablespoon of sugar for sweetness.
• Change it Up: Add up to ⅓ - ½ of a cup of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, blueberries, dried coconut and my personal favourite- chocolate chips

How to Store Oatmeal Bars

These vegan banana oat bars are so perfect for meal prep! Store them in a container covered and keep them in the fridge for 5-6 days.

Can You Freeze Banana Oat Bars?

Yes, these freeze very well too! Once completely cooled, slice them into desired servings. Transfer them into an air tight container or freezer bag and place them into the freezer for up to 3 months.

Let them thaw on the counter before eating or pop them into the microwave for 30 seconds or until warmed through.

Helpful Equipment to Make this Recipe

• 8x8 inch Baking Pan
• Mixing Bowl
• High Speed Blender

I hope I've convinced you how amazing oat bars can be and have helped you out with any woes you might have had in the past.

Annnd, I hope I've left you inspired to make your own breakfast oat bars with all kinds of yummy variations!

More Vegan Breakfasts to Meal Prep

• Vegan Maple Walnut Scones
• Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread
• Chocolate Chip Tahini Muffins (1-bowl)
• Vegan Zucchini Bread (Gluten Free)
• Vegan Egg Muffins (High Protein)

If you recreate this Healthy Banana Oatmeal Bars recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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