These banana oat bars is another favourite quick breakfast of mine. I have quite a collection by now, which you can check out under breakfast category. These bars are also very similar to banana oat protein muffins but without protein powder.
I love having oats for breakfast because they are not wheat (everything in moderation) and cook quickly. I usually would pour boiling water over quick oats for a few minutes, then top with yogurt and fruits.
These banana oatmeal bars are a baked alternative to traditional oatmeal. Naturally sweetened with bananas and any dried fruit you have got on hand. Raising, apricots, cranberries and prunes would work great. Made healthy with applesauce and flaxseed.
And I’m pretty sure if you have got two large ripe bananas (just yellow are good enough) on hand, you can pull this breakfast off right now. Super simple ingredients. Any nuts would be great – almonds, cashews, pecans or even hazelnuts.
This oatmeal was almost like a banana nut bread. I sprinkled one half with chocolate chips for children and left the other one plain for the adults.
I usually make a double batch, bake in 9″ x 13″ baking dish, refrigerate half in a glass container and freeze the rest. I absolutely love to have breakfast ready for me in the fridge.
We do not have anyone with gluten intolerance in the family, therefore I consider these oatmeal bars gluten free for myself since oats are naturally gluten free. But if you have a gluten intolerance, just make sure to buy certified gluten free oats. These banana oat bars are also vegan. You do not need any eggs here…Enjoy!
Looking for more baked oatmeal goodies? Try my baked oatmeal breakfast bars with carrots and carrot oatmeal muffins.
Banana Oat Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas 2 large bananas measured after mashing
- 1 cup applesauce unsweetened
- 1/2 cup any milk I used unsweetened almond milk
- 2 cups quick or old fashioned rolled oats use certified gluten free for GF version
- 1/4 cup flax seed ground or hemp hearts
- 1 tsp baking powder aluminum free
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 Medjool dates pitted & chopped (or 1/3 cup any dried fruit)
- 1/2 cup walnuts or any nuts chopped
- Cooking spray I use Misto
- Chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, line 8 x 8 square baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.*
- In a large mixing bowl add bananas, applesauce, milk and stir to combine. Add oats through salt and mix well to combine. Add dates and walnuts, stir enough to incorporate.
- Pour into prepared baking dish, level with spatula and top with chocolate chips if desired (I usually sprinkle half for the kids). Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes and cut into 8 bars. Serve hot, warm or cold with yogurt, peanut butter or whatever you like for breakfast.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 - 4 months.
Notes
- *You could also use a non-stick muffin tin or BPA-free silicone baking cups.
- I also like to double the recipe, bake in 9" x 13" baking dish and freeze for later.
- Please note, baking time will increase by about 15 minutes, depending on your oven.
Nutrition
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Going to try this recipe this evening! Can you tell me if substituting steel cut oats is recommended?
No, I wouldn’t recommend that.
Best recipe online easy to make and gluten and lactose milk-free, this vegan free love it and family and friends eat them all up in one time. Off the chain!!! Thank you very much.
You are very welcome Charlie!
i like this recipe its so good for school even banana haters like it
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe!
Looks very filling! Would you please suggest a substitute for applesauce? Maybe yogurt or coconut oil? Thank you!
Yogurt or any other fruit puree should work, not coconut oil.
Hello,i was wondering what the baking soda and baking powder do to the “oat bar recipe? Do I need them?
They help bars rise. You could skip but bars will be more flat.
Hi there: does your nutritional info include the optional chocolate chips? I know the numbers can vary depending on ingredients, but I’m getting a much higher fat number in my macro app. I made your Kodiak cake chocolate banana protein cakes and the nutritional info came out very close to what you had. Thanks for any help.
It does not include chocolate chips. We use Nutrifox to calculate. Only ingredients with fat are walnuts and flax seed so it’s easy to check and compare what your app is calculating for those and google them online vs. that.
And I don’t have Kodiak cake recipe, I don’t use Kodiak…. Maybe some other recipe it was?:) Anyways whatever it was would be the same app. I checked and there was no mistake.:)
Thanks. Sorry about the mix up. Anxious to try these regardless.
No worries.:)
Hi there 🙂 I am going to try your recipe today! Very excited and curious how it will turn out! I do have a question about the flax seeds: do you make a flax egg out of them or just add them to the dough? Many thanks!
Sorry for delayed reply. You make a separate flax egg first.
Great fulfilling bars. I like them cold. Another way to utilize ripen bananas. Very handy.
do you think using fresh fruit— chopped apples—blueberries?— would change the requirements flr other ingredients? increase the flax to soak up any liquid put out from the apples?
Definitely would. Not sure how though. Haven’t tested it. Sorry.
Hi Olena, Thank you so much for this recipe. I can’t tell how many times I have already made it and every time it’s just perfect. I’m so glad to find such a healthy and easy recipe. Irina
Hi Ira. You are so welcome!
Good morning. I am making these banana oat bars this weekend and have a question. I like to add veggies to things as often as possible as long as they don’t seriously affect the finished food product. Would the addition of a cup of grated carrots make these bars too wet or affect the rising of the bars?
Morning Wendi. I honestly don’t know BUT I have these carrot oatmeal bars recipe.:)
Thank you for the additional recipe, Olena. Will be trying that bar soon. As I have a late teen son who is a terrible vegetable eater, I try and sneak veggies into things as often as I can. For these Banana Oat Bars, I DID add 1-1/4 cup (packed) of finely grated carrots. The bars came out fine — moist without being “wet,” held together well, and the little pieces of orange looked so pretty — and healthy, but we won’t tell veggie-hating son! Thanks for a great grab-and-go breakfast bar.
🙂 Welcome. Glad you made it work.:)
Amazing!
Any ways to add protein powder to this recipe? ‘Would you need extra liquids if one was to do that?
Yes you will need to add extra liquid. You can do so if you add protein powder and and then slowly add some milk to keep it at the consistency of the original recipe. Considering you are sort of even tiny bit experienced cook, you can do it.:)
Hi
I’ve been looking for a quick and easy on the go breakfast option and I really like the sound of your Banana Nut Oatmeal Bars but I’m sensitive to fructose so was wondering if you have any suggestions to substitute for the apple sauce?
Thanks
Hi Alice. I think Greek yogurt might work. Have you seen my post about 25 breakfasts on the go?
Great, thanks Olena, I’ll give Greek yoghurt a go.
No I hadn’t seen that post, I’ll have a look now. Thanks so much!
Here is that post https://ifoodreal.com/breakfast-meal-prep/. I replied from my phone earlier so couldn’t include the link. Hope you had found it.
I made these for my 15 month old babies. Instead of nuts I substituted Cheerios and instead of dates used raisins. This is a baby approved recipe too!
Awesome!Not sure if you used regular Cheerios but next time try Nature’s Path Whole O’s that are organic and naturally sweetened, I think. Way better for babies. 2 babies sound so cute right now! Enjoy them while you can although some days it is tough.:)
I have Steel Cut Oats. May I use those in recipe or will I need more liquid and longer baking time?
Hi Mags. Yeah, you are correct.
I have steel oats. How much more liquid do I need and what is the adjustment cooking time or temperature for the banana oat bars? Thanks
Hi Maggie. Technically you could but what are the adjustments I don’t know. I haven’t tested.
What can u use instead of bananas as it just makes them too sweet for me and I reduced the apple sauce too , but I realise it needs something to bind it, but what ? Any ideas/ suggestions? Thanks!!
Bananas need to be there and applesauce doesn’t make them too sweet. It is the dates you taste sweetness from. So just use less dates.:)
I didn’t put any dates in anyway ! So still too sweet !
Made this today for breakfast and everyone loved it! I didn’t have flax seeds or dried fruit so I left that out. Used coconut milk and added fresh blueberries. Couldn’t believe how quickly it disappeared. Going in our list of family favorites for sure. Loved that there were no eggs or added sugar.
Hi Olena, I just made these, they’re baking as I write. You say to cut them in 8 but the nutrition facts say serving size is 9. I’m thinking its 8 but can you clarify. Thanks so much! 🙂
It is 9 rectangular bars.
Doesn’t need eggs huh!?
These were really good! Thanks for the recipe!
You are welcome!
Hi Olena. Thanks a lot, I’m a huge fan and I have successfully tried several of your recipes. I made my test of this one yesterday, but I think I’m missing some flavor, because I don’t feel any other flavor other than walnuts.. and I don’t know if it might be that I used himalayan salt (pink sea salt) instead of regular salt?. In this case should I use less salt?. Or do you think it might be something else? The rest of ingredients were the same as your indications and even the bananas were quite ripe, so I assume they were sweet enough… Thanks again
Hi Amy. Thank you so much! I do not think salt was an issue. These bars are more like an oatmeal baked and cut into bars rather than snack or protein bars. I think you just had different expectations for the bars.:) To add more flavour you can skip or add less walnuts, and add frozen berries or other fruit.
I am not a fan of bananas. Can substitute sweet potato or butternut sqush?
I never baked any sweets with either but probably it would work considering they are as sweet as bananas. Otherwise you might have to add a bit more liquid sweetener. Maybe a bit more almond milk too.