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 tbsp 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:
- Mix all the wet ingredients into a large bowl.
- Fold in all the dry ingredients
- Transfer to a lined or greased 8×8 inch baking pan
- 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 tbsp of sugar for sweetness.
- Change it Up: Add up to 1/3 – 1/2 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
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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Healthy Banana Oatmeal Bars
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 bars 1x
Description
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.
Ingredients
- 2 small ripe bananas, mashed (approx. 3/4 cup // 172g )
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (125g)
- 3/4 cup non-dairy milk (187ml)
- 2 + 1/3 cup gluten free rolled oats, divided (210g // see instructions below)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Optional Add-ins:
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F (180 C)
- Into a high speed blender, add 1 cup (90g) of the rolled oats and blend into a flour.
- Add mashed banana, peanut butter, non-dairy milk and vanilla (if using) and whisk together.
- Add in the oat flour, rolled oats, salt, baking powder, cinnamon (if using) and any other add ins of choice (if using) and mix using a spatula until everything is well combined.
- Pour batter into a lined or greased 8×8 inch baking pan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tops are slightly golden. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then carefully transfer to a wire rack and allow it to fully cool before cutting. Slice into 6-9 bars and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: vegan, gluten free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 121mg
- Fat: 14.1g
- Saturated Fat: 2.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11.5g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 33.3g
- Fiber: 5.5g
- Protein: 8.6g
- Cholesterol: 0
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
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I can’t have oats. An alterative?
I just made these and its by far the best healthy recipe I’ve ever made. I added raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and chocolate chips to mine.
I used regular 1% milk and included the vanilla, cinnamon, a few walnuts/raisins, and abut 1/2 c. Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips (in the mix and sprinkled on top). These were very fast, and for how healthy they are, I would definitely make them again.
I am making these now…..I hope they come out ok! I didn’t realize you need oat flour……so I put the oats in the mix as normal. No flour. We’ll see how they bake up. I did add nuts and raisins.
I am egg and peanut intolerant. I have been struggling to find a snack recipe that I can get a protein boost but still has no eggs or peanuts. I finally found your recipe, which I love, I can add any combination of nut + seed butter, and protein powder. Thanks for keeping me happy and healthy, Lisa!
Have made this twice now for a quick easy breakfast.
The first time i subbed making the oat flour with 1 cup of rice flour then used only 1 cup of rice flakes, i also added shredded coconut and goji berries. Also used almond butter instead of peanut butter. They were delish i took a piece to work for a friend and she was impressed how filling it was.
Today when i made this I subbed making the oat flour again with 1/2 cup almond meal & 1/2cup buckwheat flour. Also added shredded coconut (because I’m obsessed) and sultanas. Todays version seems lighter and fluffier.
I cut mine into 8. In the morning i warm for 30sec in the microwave, cut in half and spread a little bit of peanut butter on top.
So yum! Definitely recommend.
Thank you so much for this recipe, since your recipe video I’ve made it 3 times already, next time I’ll try a double batch 😅🖤 Perfect freezeable breakfast on the go 👍💪 Your website is a hidden gem, everything I’ve tried so far was great.
Hi Tereza,
Wow, I’m so glad you love them! And aw, thank you so much for your kind comment <3
I just made the bars, I risked and added a bit of protein powder!!! I hope it works but the smell in my flat is driving me crazy, I’m just counting the minutes to be ready and give it a try! Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe!
Hi Dayana!
Oh that sounds amazing, thank you for sharing! Let me know how they turned out 🙂
Looks great, excited to try it. Can you specify why quick oats are not desirable?
Hi Joseph!
So I tested it with quick oats after receiving this comment and yes! You can use quick oats that ONLY contain quick oats in them- the texture is slightly different but I actually really liked them. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Tastes like banana bread with a hint of peanut butter (which is the nut butter i used)! So quick and easy too with ingrédients I always have on hand . 10/10 recommend to make for a yummy but heathy treat!!
Hi Jenna!
So happy you enjoyed them. Thank you for the rating!