Out of all the recipes published on my website, I make these peanut butter banana chocolate chip oatmeal bars most often. A one-bowl recipe, these healthy snack bars are naturally gluten free, adaptable to many different ingredients, soft-baked, incredibly flavorful, and very easy to make. When packed with chocolate chips, you can count them among your favorite gluten-free dessert recipes, too!
I originally published this recipe in 2012 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more options for ingredient substitutions.
Truly one of my favorite homemade snacks, these peanut butter banana oatmeal bars have made their rounds in my kitchen for more than 10 years. Sometimes I change the recipe based on the ingredients I have and they still manage to turn out wonderfully! Satisfying your sweet tooth and unbelievably easy to make, these healthy oatmeal bars should definitely be on your to-bake list. I can’t get enough.
These Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars Are:
- Super easy and quick (a great one-bowl recipe to make before school starts!)
- Mega flavorful and wholesome, just like peanut butter banana muffins
- Gluten free
- Vegan if using dairy-free chocolate
- Filled with healthful ingredients*
- Soft-baked and moist
- Adaptable to what you have on hand
- Freezer-friendly
*Ok ok I know chocolate chips aren’t necessarily healthy but they’re good for the soul! And, of course, they’re totally optional, so feel free to leave them out. Either way, these are a prime choice if you’re on the lookout for healthier dessert recipe ideas.
One reader, Leighann, commented: “This recipe is SO good! So easy to make, delicious, and healthy! Definitely will be making again! ★★★★★“
One reader, Laken, commented: “I adore this recipe. I make them a few times a month. My family loves to gobble them up for breakfast or snacks. Thank you so much for sharing it. ★★★★★“
One reader, Veronica, commented: “I made these oatmeal bars with almond butter and they are absolutely divine! They came together so easily and exceeded my expectations in terms of taste and texture. They are incredibly addicting and will absolutely be a repeat bake in our house. We love that the ingredients are wholesome yet so satisfying and provide the perfect amount of sweetness. Thank you, Sally! ★★★★★“
Ingredients in Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
Over the years I’ve tested a lot of ingredient substitutions for these oatmeal bars. Read about the ingredients and any substitutions below:
- Bananas: You need about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas for 1 cup (230g) of mashed bananas. Want to turn these into pumpkin peanut butter bars? Swap canned pumpkin puree for the mashed banana. If you’re not a fan of banana, my recipe for peanut butter oatmeal bars is very similar but without banana in the ingredient list.
- Peanut Butter: I used to make these peanut butter oatmeal bars with 1/3 cup of peanut butter, but recently switched it to 1/2 cup for more flavor. You can use any nut butter you want, natural, homemade, or processed. Same options go for these flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies, too.
- Coconut Sugar or Brown Sugar: I love making these with unrefined coconut sugar. You can use brown sugar instead, but I don’t recommend liquid sweetener.
- Applesauce: I used to make these with an egg, but found that unsweetened applesauce works like a charm instead of the egg. You can, of course, use an egg or even a “flax egg” substitute. See my recipe notes below.
- Almond Milk or Regular Milk: I usually make these with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but any milk works.
- Vanilla Extract & Cinnamon: Both add flavor.
- Oats: Whole oats or quick oats work here. I recommend whole oats for a little more texture. Use certified gluten free oats if necessary.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder adds lift.
- Salt: Salt balances the other flavors.
- Chocolate Chips: If you want to make these bars vegan, you can skip the chocolate or use dairy-free chocolate chips instead. You can also skip the chocolate chips or replace with peanut butter chips, chopped nuts, or raisins.
Easy Way to Mash Bananas
This trick for mashing bananas is a total game changer whenever I make banana muffins, breakfast cookies, and banana bread. Just use your mixer! Peel and break your spotty bananas into chunks, place in your mixer, and beat until mashed. Beat the rest of the wet ingredients right into this bowl. So easy.
Mixing Bowl to Oven in 10 Minutes
After you mash the bananas, beat in the rest of the ingredients. This is a 1 bowl recipe! If you don’t have a mixer, you can mash the bananas with a fork, then just stir in the rest of the ingredients. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then spread the batter into the lined pan. Give it a taste—the batter itself is SO DARN GOOD.
The bars take about 25–30 minutes to bake. Remove them from the oven, then let them cool completely. I usually cool them on the counter for 30 minutes, then place the whole pan in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours. Without refrigeration, the bars don’t cut as neatly.
What’s the Texture Like?
So what’s the texture of these peanut butter banana oatmeal bars like? Following the recipe, bake time, and cooling instructions below, the bars are somewhere between baked oatmeal and a soft granola bar. They’re very moist, but maintain their bar shape when you’re holding/biting into one. I recommend storing them in the refrigerator.
See more of my egg-free baking recipes and gluten-free recipes. If you sweet tooth is calling, here are 20+ healthy dessert recipes and 40+ gluten-free dessert recipes, too.
More Healthy Favorites
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Whole Wheat Banana Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
- Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread
- Vanilla Almond Granola
- No-Bake Chocolate Fudge Oat Bars
Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 16 bars
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These quick and easy peanut butter banana oatmeal bars are adaptable in many different ways. See my blog post above and recipe notes below. They’re a more solid form of my delicious baked oatmeal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (230g) mashed bananas (about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas)
- 1/2 cup (125g) creamy or crunchy peanut butter*
- 1/4 cup (50g) coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsweetened applesauce*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) almond milk (or any nondairy milk)
- 2 and 1/2 cups (213g) old-fashioned whole oats or quick oats (not instant)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (use dairy free for vegan)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper with enough overhang on the sides to easily remove the bars from the pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, mash the bananas. On medium speed, beat or whisk in the remaining ingredients in the order listed. Batter will be a little thick, but still pourable.
- Pour/spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 25-28 minutes or until the center is set (it will still look relatively soft!).
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. After that, place the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour until chilled. The bars are difficult to cut if they haven’t been chilled.
- Remove bars from the pan using the overhang on the sides then cut into bars. Sometimes I drizzle melted peanut butter over each, but that’s optional. (Note: the parchment paper is always a little moist from soaking up some moisture from the bars.)
- Cover leftover bars tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze squares in single layers between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | 9-inch Square Baking Pan
- Peanut Butter: You can use any nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew) you want—natural, homemade, or processed.
- Applesauce: I used to make these bars with 1 egg instead of the applesauce, but love their flavor with applesauce a bit better. You can, of course, use an egg instead or even use a flax egg substitute. Flax egg = mix 1 Tbsp ground flax with 3 Tbsp warm water and let it sit for 10 minutes while it “gels” up. Use the “flax gel” as a replacement for the applesauce/egg.
- Oats: Use certified gluten free oats to ensure the bars are gluten free.
- Chocolate Chips: You can skip the chocolate chips or replace with peanut butter chips, chopped nuts, or raisins. Or use a combination of any of those add-ins.
- Vegan: Use dairy-free chocolate chips and nondairy milk to ensure the bars are vegan.
- Gluten Free: Make sure your oats are certified gluten free to ensure these bars are gluten free.
Reader Comments and Reviews
These turned out amazing! They were full of flavour with a perfect texture and still healthy, thanks Sally:)
I was wondering how many calories, carb, and fat was is this recipe.
Hi Maci, I’m unsure of the nutritional info of this recipe, but there are many great online calculators like this one: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Hi Sally!
Would leaving out the peanut butter have any effect on the recipe?
Thanks!!!
Hi Elane, You can use any nut butter you want, natural, homemade, or processed or nut butter substitute such as sunflower or Wow butter. I don’t recommend leaving it out completely. I have many other snack bar recipes you might be interested also.
Very easy recipe to put together. My husband and child enjoyed these bars as a snack.
Hi! I have instant oats . Is it ok to use them in this recipe ? I am trying not to go grocery shopping unless it’s absolutely necesary .
Thanks!
Hi Laura, you can use quick oats instead of whole oats.
Hi! Made these before and are so delicious!! Just wondering if I could sub raspberries or blueberries for the chips or raisins (that’s what I used before). Or will it be too moist. Have the berries and want to use them. Thanks!
You can definitely try some berries as the add-in(s). I would stick with fresh instead of frozen. Because of the fruit addition, I would extend the bake time by a few minutes to ensure the bars set up properly.
Thanks for all the great recipes, Sally! They have been especially great during quarantine!
I don’t have a 9X9 pan (I know, it’s on the list of things I need but yeah now is not the time to go buy things that aren’t essential), wondering if I could portion the batter out in a muffin tin…which may help with portion control too. Thoughts?
Thanks Francesca! You certainly can. Follow the same baking instructions as my baked oatmeal cups.
Is it possible to replace the banana with something other than pumpkin? More apple sauce? Yogurt? Something neutral tasting basically. We don’t like the flavor of bananas in my family and I think pumpkin might be too much for my picky kids as well
Try sweetened or unsweetened applesauce instead of the mashed banana. The bars may not be as solid, so you may want to bake a few extra minutes.
I was wondering if it would work if you used chopped or grated apple to replace the banana, instead of increasing the applesauce?
I haven’t tested it, but 1 cup of grated apple should be ok!
These are delicious. My 2 year old devoured them
Another delicious recipe!! Thank you so much!! I used a little less sugar and only half a cup of dark chocolate chips. My toddlers love them!!
These are so quick and easy to make and are absolutely delicious – very moist, not too sweet and a great snack!
Do you provide nutritional information for your recipes? Thank you!
Hi Barbara, I usually do not. Many people make substitutions and use different brands of ingredients which change the information. However, there are many great online calculators where you can plug in your exact ingredients like this one: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Hi, Sally, I used the link above to calculate calories, and used ‘Sally’s Baking Addiction’ as the title and now it is saved in their site. It turned out a little less than 150 cal per serving (16 servings). It was very filling, thank you. I did change some ingredients, (oat milk because no almond milk and cocoa nibs because no choco chips). However, I do not own this recipe and I was surprised to see it ‘published’ on there, which I am uncomfortable about and I apologise.
Excellent recipe! Thank you for sharing!
It is such an easy recipe and so delicious!
Sally, my girls and I really enjoyed this recipe! My 7 year old loved that she could make it herself, and they are now gone after only two days! My girls both preferred these to the store bought granola bars we have in the pantry. Thanks for another hit
We are trying to be good people and not go to the grocery store until absolutely essential. Thanks for having SO MANY ALTERNATIVES since I’m just trying to survive off what we have in the pantry.
I appreciate how user friendly your website is more than I can say!
It’s clean, easy to find recipes, and I don’t have an overwhelming number of pop ups to deal with.
Tried this yday.. n as always ur recipe rocked the show. My family n i enjoyed it thoroughly!!!!! Thank u so much such amazing recipe.
Making these tomorrow, is it possible to halve the sugar?
You can definitely try it!
Yum!! I found these to be addictive! I love that they’re an easy, delicious gluten free snack. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
I know Sally doesn’t like to give nutritional information on her recipes. Hubby and I are trying to cut carbs. Would these be considered low carb compared to other desserts. I know bananas are high in carbs. Thanks!
No, Jo Ann these would definitely not be considered low carb as the oats, the bananas, and the added sugar are all high carb foods. The majority of my own baking and cooking is low carb (predominantly paleo with carbs coming from fruits and veg (low glycemic foods), not grains and starches which are high glycemic foods) so you can explore paleo baking recipes specifically as they do not use grains.
These are amazing, Sally! I have made them several times recently and they get devoured quickly. This is a top recipe for me!
I used up small amounts of chocolate, peanut butter and butterscotch chips – delicious! Just the right amount of liquid ingredients for great texture.
So glad you had your website on the bottom of the recipe page. This is a favorite in our house. My husband takes them to work for breakfast. Today I had the windows open and the printed recipe blew to the floor and my dog shredded it. Whew! Found it again and printed it so I can make these tonight. Thank you!
Hi Sally, I love all your recipes, specially your cakes. First time thought of trying out these bars for my husband who has heart problems and I was very skeptical as to how they would taste, but he totally loved them .. so much that I have been asked to make a double batch next time and also try out all the possible healthy snacks from your site. I only have one question, my bars didn’t get brown from the top like yours are in the picture. Any idea on what I could have done wrong ? I would love it if they looked as good as they taste. Thanks in advance.
Hi Seema, I’m so happy the he enjoyed them! If the bars are the right taste and texture then you didn’t do anything wrong! It’s possible I just left mine in the oven a little longer than you or the lighting in the picture is darker.
I haven’t made these in a long time and forgot how yummy they are! I always double the recipe and bake in a 13×9 pan for about 30 minutes. I never have peanut butter chips on hand, so I just skip those and throw in a few extra chocolate chips instead. Easy, delicious and a great way to use up those super ripe bananas.
These are delicious, I make these almost every other week, another amazing recipe from Sally! Instead of making them into bars, I drop them on to a cookie sheet to make these delicious to-go balls — the perfect mid-workday snack. Thanks, Sally!