4-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Bars

4-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Bars are so quick and easy to make and are a lovely snack, breakfast, or healthy dessert! Put them on repeat to enjoy throughout the week.

After growing completely obsessed with my 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies, I felt I just had to revisit the recipe and turn it into bars.

The way I see it, these easy 4-ingredient banana oat bars are the perfect healthy snack on the go or breakfast.

Or if you’re like me and you love a sweet treat but try to minimize your intake of excess sugar, these healthy bars can double as dessert!

The texture on these oatmeal breakfast bars is soft and chewy. You could compare it to a thinner version of Banana Baked Oatmeal. 

If you’re looking for a granola bar texture, make my 5-Ingredient Healthy Granola Bars.

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients involved in these tasty oatmeal bars!

Ingredients for Banana Oatmeal Bars:

Ripe Bananas: The sweetener of these banana oatmeal bars! Be sure you use very ripe bananas that have plenty of brown spots for the best result. The riper the banana, the sweeter it will be, which will ensure these cookie bars turn out nice and tasty.

Almond Butter or Peanut Butter: Unsweetened almond butter or peanut butter is the glue that holds these bars together, eliminating the need for eggs or a leavening agent. It also adds delicious rich flavor! 

Rolled Oats: Rolled oats give that amazing unparalleled oaty flavor to the banana oatmeal bars with that lovely texture. I use gluten-free sprouted oats, but you can use regular oats if you aren’t concerned about the gluten content. While you can use quick oats, I find old fashioned rolled oats have the best texture.

If you want to try a grain-free version of these bars, you can swap the oats for any mixed nuts you enjoy, just like I did in my 3-Ingredient Nutty Banana Cookies. 

Chocolate Chips: Providing those scintillating pockets of delicious chocolatey goodness, chocolate chips make these bars so inviting! 

To keep the recipe vegan, use dairy-free vegan chocolate chips.

For a lower sugar treat, omit the chocolate chips altogether, or use sugar-free chocolate chips. 

Optional Additions:

You can add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and up to ⅔ cup chopped nuts (such as pecans or walnuts). 

If you love dried fruit, feel free to swap the chocolate chips for raisins or dried cranberries.

Let’s bake these healthy breakfast bars!

How to Make Banana Oatmeal Bars:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9” x 9” baking pan with parchment paper (you can also use an 8” x 8” cake pan as well).

Mash the bananas in a bowl until most of the chunks are out and they’re nice and creamy.

Stir in the almond butter until it is well-combined with the banana and a thick creamy substance results.

Mix in the rolled oats and chocolate chips and stir until everything is well-combined.

Transfer the bar mixture to the prepared baking pan and smooth it into an even layer.

Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 18 to 25 minutes, or until the edges of the bars are golden-brown and the bars appear set up.

Allow the oatmeal chocolate chip bars to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Because the bars are dairy-free, you can cover them in plastic wrap and store them on the counter for up to 2 days.

Store any leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freeze any remaining bars in a zip lock bag for up to 3 months.

More Banana-Sweetened Recipes:

• Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
• 4-Ingredient Healthy Flourless Brownies 
• 5-Ingredient Paleo Banana Bread Cookies 
• Healthy Apple Muffins 
• 4-Ingredient Healthy Samoa Cookies

And that’s it! Your gateway to a versatile healthy oatmeal bars recipe that is easy to customize and fun to make!

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4-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Bars

Easy, healthy oatmeal bars made with 4 simple ingredients that are vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and delicious for snack, breakfast, or dessert! Customize these bars to your heart's delight!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 16 Servings

Calories: 139kcal

Author: Julia

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas 1 ½ cups mashed
• ½ cup creamy almond butter*
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Optional Additions:

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9” x 9” baking pan with parchment paper (you can also use an 8” x 8” cake pan as well).
• Mash the bananas in a bowl until most of the chunks are out and they’re nice and creamy.
  
• Stir in the almond butter until it is well-combined with the banana and a thick creamy substance results.
  
• Mix in the rolled oats and chocolate chips and stir until everything is well-combined.
  
• Transfer the bar mixture to the prepared baking pan and smooth it into an even layer.
  
• Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 18 to 25 minutes, or until the edges of the bars are golden-brown and the bars appear set up. Allow the bars to cool completely before slicing and serving.
  

Video

Notes

*Use peanut butter or sunflower seed butter in place of almond butter

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice (of 16) | Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g

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This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.