Healthy Banana Bread Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Start your day with these easy Oatmeal Breakfast Bars that are soft and chewy and taste just like banana bread. Decadent, yet made with nourishing ingredients and packed with protein, this healthy oatmeal bars recipe couldn’t be easier to follow and is totally plant based, made with no eggs, no milk and no butter. What’s more, you use gluten-free oats, they are also gluten-free. So kid-friendly, you better make a double batch!
What do you get when you cross a chocolate chip granola bar with banana bread? Banana bread oatmeal breakfast bars, that’s what! For a grab and go oatmeal breakfast of all breakfasts, these easy banana oat bars are a must-try and I’m going to show you how easy they are to make.
🍌 Ingredients For Oatmeal Breakfast Bars (With Substitutions)
- Flour – all purpose flour works great in this recipe; however, if you are gluten-intolerant, choose gluten-free flour. In addition, you may substitute with whole wheat flour for a healthier version.
- Oats – my favorite are rolled oats from Bob’s Red Mill. You can choose regular, or gluten-free. Quick oats are not recommended for this recipe.
- Sugar – organic cane sugar works great; however, if unavailable, any sugar you have on hand will work. Keep in mind, not all white sugar is vegan.
- Chocolate Chips – dairy-free chocolate chips are my favorite for this recipe, for which there are no substitutions.
- Walnuts – raw walnuts add a warm, nutty flavor to these oatmeal breakfast bars; however, you may substitute with any other nut you have on hand.
- Almond Butter – creamy almond butter adds flavor and texture to the recipe. If unavailable, any nut butter will work.
- Coconut Oil – you can choose unrefined, which has a coconut flavor, or refined, which is flavorless. If unavailable, any neutral oil will work.
- Oatmilk – oatmilk is by far my favorite plant milk for this bars recipe; however, if unavailable, any plant milk will work to help emulsify the recipe.
- Baking Powder – helps give these oatmeal bars a little rise. If unavailable, you can substitute with 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar for every teaspoon of baking powder.
- Sea Salt – used as a flavor-enhancer. If on a sodium-free diet, you can easily omit.
- Maple Syrup – nothing like rich maple syrup to sweeten this recipe. If unavailable, you can use agave syrup or whatever sweetener you have available.
- Vanilla Extract – another ingredient that adds richness and warmth to this bars recipe.
- Ripe Bananas – choose bananas with lots of brown spots for best results.
TIP: Exact ingredient measurements can be found in the recipe card below!
🔪 How To Make Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
1. In a mixing bowl, mash up two ripe bananas with a fork.
2. Add in sugar and whisk together.
3. Add almost all wet ingredients, including maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond butter and coconut oil and whisk until well-combined. Don’t add the oatmilk yet! The batter will be lumpy, but that’s normal.
4. Into the bowl, add the dry ingredients, including flour, baking powder and sea salt and whisk some more.
5. Add oatmilk and gently fold into the thick batter using a rubber spatula for best results. Alternatively you can use a large spoon.
6. Once combined, fold in the oats. You should end up with a thick, banana bread-like mixture.
7. Set aside a few chocolate chips and walnut to sprinkle on dough before baking. Add the remaining walnuts and chocolate chips to the batter and fold gently.
8. Pour batter into baking dish and spread evenly, then top with extra walnuts and chocolate chips.
9. Bake a 350F/177C for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes.
10. Remove bars from pan with the parchment paper and set on a cooling rack until completely cooled.
11. Once cool, cut bars into squares and enjoy! You should get 16 small bars.
🍓 Variations
- Add some berries – think cranberries, strawberries, blueberries or raspberries to add even more natural sweetness to these healthy oatmeal bars. And, if you love berries, try my Lemon Blueberry Loaf or my Vegan Blueberry Lemon Muffins.
- Switch up the nuts – don’t like walnuts? No problem. Try pecans or macadamia nuts, instead. Tip: did you know you can use walnuts to make walnut pesto!
- Make them gluten-free – by using gluten-free oats, like these from Bob’s Red Mill, these breakfast oatmeal bars are gluten-free. If you love oats, these Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats or Apple Pie Overnight Oats are for you!
- Make them healthier – to make this recipe even healthier, substitute all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and use coconut sugar instead of organic white sugar.
- Add some spice – add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice or cardamom to spice up the batter when adding the dry ingredients.
- Drizzle with chocolate – for an extra special treat, omit topping with walnuts and chocolate chips. Instead, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and drizzle over the top of the bars, then add the walnuts prior to serving.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Be sure to allow the bars to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing them into squares.
- For optimal results, be sure to use overripe bananas. This enhances the sweet flavor of these baked oatmeal bars and binds them together, which helps to prevent crumbling after baking.
- When lining you baking dish with parchment paper, allow a couple inches to hang over the edges of the dish. This makes it easier to remove the bars from the baking dish once they finish baking.
TIP: this recipe is inspired by my Banana Bread Overnight Chia Pudding and my Vegan Banana Pancakes, and pairs perfectly with this Banana Peel Bacon and a Skinny Vanilla Latte.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
As long as you use gluten-free flour and gluten-free oats, this recipe is gluten-free.
Yes, my breakfast bars recipe can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for up o 3 months. See more storage information.
This will depend upon the ingredients you use. In the ingredients section above, I have included substitutions to make the recipe more nutritious. This includes using organic sugar and whole wheat flour. Whenever possible, it’s always healthier to choose organic products.
🌡️ Storage and Freezing Instructions
Healthy oatmeal bars can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. To prevent them from sticking, place a piece of parchment paper in between each.
Once stacked inside your airtight container, my banana oatmeal bars can be frozen for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to eat them, remove from freezer and allow to thaw at room temperature. Now you can easily heat them on your stovetop, in the oven, or in the microwave.
☕ Serving Suggestions
🥞 More Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love
Have you tried this? Why not leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, and sign up for my newsletter!
Banana Bread Oatmeal Breakfast Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 1 1/2 cup oats
- 1/4 cup organic sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup oatmilk or other plant milk
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mash up two ripe bananas with a fork.
- Add in sugar and whisk together.
- Add almost all wet ingredients, including maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond butter and coconut oil and whisk until well-combined. Don’t add the oatmilk yet! The batter will be lumpy, but that’s normal.
- Into the bowl, add the dry ingredients, including flour, baking powder and sea salt and whisk some more.
- Add oatmilk and gently fold into the thick batter using a rubber spatula for best results. Alternatively you can use a large spoon.
- Once combined, fold in the oats. You should end up with a thick, banana bread-like mixture.
- Set aside a few chocolate chips and walnut to sprinkle on dough before baking. Add the remaining walnuts and chocolate chips to the batter and fold gently.
- Pour batter into baking dish and spread evenly, then top with extra walnuts and chocolate chips.
- Bake a 350F/177C for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Remove bars from pan with the parchment paper and set on a cooling rack until completely cooled.
- Once cool, cut bars into squares and enjoy! You should get 16 small bars.
Notes
- Nutrition information is an estimate, only.
- Be sure to allow the bars to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing them into squares.
- For optimal results, be sure to use overripe bananas. This enhances the sweet flavor of these baked oatmeal bars and binds them together, which helps to prevent crumbling after baking.
- When lining you baking dish with parchment paper, allow a couple inches to hang over the edges of the dish. This makes it easier to remove the bars from the baking dish once they finish baking.
Yum, Yum! These oatmeal bars turned out perfectly! A perfect start in the day!
Thank you Nora. I love them too.
Love these easy and healthy oatmeal bars. Thanks for sharing
So happy u enjoyed them. Thank you Kushigalu.
I’m always looking for healthy breakfast options and this ones it for me! I love that you have a gluten free option too! I’ll definitely have to try it that way!
Thanks Kerri be sure to let us know joe you liked them.
I am always on the lookout for healthy bars recipes. This recipe is so good and healthy too. I added some cashews and pistachios too to the bars.
Oooh I love the addition of the different nuts. Great idea. Thank you Rachna.
I’ll be giving these a go this weekend! For some (fortuitous??) reason I have a bunch of ripening bananas that need used. This looks really great and easy to put together, too!
Thanks Patricia can’t wait for u to try them.