These Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars are easy, healthy breakfast bars packed with fiber, protein, and a delicious banana peanut butter flavor. Plus, these banana oatmeal bars are also vegan since they are made without eggs or dairy.
These banana oatmeal bars are the perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack and one of the easiest ripe banana recipes ever. I love making simple recipes with ripe bananas, as you’ve seen with my Banana Tortillas, Banana Bagels, or Banana Monkey Bread. It’s the best way to bring sweetness with a very natural unrefined ingredient.
If you love granola bars as much as I do (and I do, as I eat almost one a day after my workouts), these are a soft thick version of your classic granola bars, made with ripe bananas.
These oatmeal banana bars are so easy to make with only a few wholesome ingredients and perfect for using ripe bananas sitting on your kitchen counter.
- Ripe Bananas – the best is to mash the bananas first, then measure the amount in a measuring cup. This ensures the best bar texture and avoids dry bars if your bananas are smaller.
- Maple Syrup – Use classic maple syrup or any liquid sweetener you love, including coconut nectar and agave syrup.
- Peanut Butter – Pick natural peanut butter with no added salt, no added oil, and no added sugar.
- Vanilla Extract – for more taste.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats – You can also use quick oats. The same amount works very well, but the bars have a bit less crunch and texture with quick oats.
- Ground Flaxmeal – golden flaxseed meal has no bitter flavor, and it’s recommended for the best flavor. However, a brown flaxseed meal also works very well if you appreciate its flavor.
- Cinnamon – cinnamon and bananas are made to be together.
You can add some delicious ingredients to the batter to turn the recipe into banana bread bars. Add between 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of some of the below ingredients:
- Chopped Walnuts or pecans – optional but it adds a delicious crunch.
- Chocolate Chips – optional as well, for a boost of sweetness and lovely chocolate flavor.
How To Make Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
- First, peel bananas, place them in a bowl and mash the ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher until it forms a banana puree. I highly recommend spending a few minutes precisely measuring the mashed bananas to make the bar texture perfect.
- Place the mashed bananas into a large bowl. Then, stir in the remaining liquid ingredients: natural peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined.
- Fold in the rolled oats, flaxseed meal, and cinnamon, and stir to combine. The batter should be thick and slightly wet but stick together. If too wet or liquid, you can add an extra 1 to 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal. Feel free to add any optional ingredients listed below, like chopped nuts or dark chocolate chips.
- Press the batter firmly into a square baking pan. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top of the bars. Bake in the center rack of the oven until the bars are golden brown and set on top. Cool down in the pan for 20 minutes. Then pull out the banana oatmeal bar from the pan using the hanging part of parchment paper.
- Cool completely at room temperature before cutting – or if the bars look fragile, you can pop the bar in the fridge 1 hour before cutting to firm up the bars. Transfer onto a chopping board and cut into 12 long bars.
Allergy Swaps
- Nut-free option – you can swap the nut butter for sun butter or tahini.
- Peanut-free – other nut butter works very well in the recipe, including almond butter, and cashew butter.
- Gluten-free option – use certified gluten-free oats or try quinoa flakes. Note that quinoa flakes are slightly bitter. You may need to roast the quinoa flakes before using them to avoid the bitterness.
More Oatmeal Recipes
Below I listed some more oatmeal breakfast recipes for you to try:
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Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Mashed Banana - equivalent 3 large bananas
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup
- ½ cup Peanut Butter (Unsalted)
- 2 ½ cup Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
- ½ cup Flaxseed Meal
Optional
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ cup Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips
To serve
- ¼ cup Peanut Butter (Unsalted) - to drizzle on top before serving
- ½ teaspoon Salt Flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9-inch x 9-inch square pan with greased parchment paper. Set it aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash banana – measure the amount in a measuring cup for precision and avoid a dry bar recipe. Add the remaining liquid ingredients: maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla extract.
- Stir the liquid ingredients with a spatula to evenly combine, then fold in the rolled oats and flaxseed meal.
- Stir until the batter is well combined and thick.
- Transfer the bar batter into the pan and press evenly in the pan.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown and set on top.
- Cool down 20 minutes in the pan, then lift out onto a chopping board and cool down completely before cutting into bars. You can pop the bar 1 hour in the fridge before cutting to firm up the bars.
- Drizzle peanut butter on top of the bar before serving.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container for up 4 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature the day before.
These were great! So simple & quick to make. I used 1.5c quick oats and 1c oats as my daughter likes them a little more soft. Great snack to have in the freezer. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Carine. can I use the half amount of PB2 to replace all the peanut butter to lower the calories or use all the PB2 instead? Thank you.
I didn’t try this option, often PB2 had moisture to recipe and make the batter loose because it contains less fat. So I am not too sure how they will hold with half PB2
Is there a substitute for the flax?
Ground chia seed usually work well in same amount
Can’t wait to make these tomorrow – with all the “optional” ingredients! They look amazing!!
These are the absolute best bars, plant based or otherwise, I’ve ever made! I mixed the peanut butter drizzle with coconut butter for a little extra and they disappeared in our house! Thank you!!!