Easy Banana Bars with oats are the perfect way to enjoy a healthy breakfast or snack! Real food and real flavor! One bowl and one pan are all you need.
Banana Bars with Oats
There’s nothing better than Easy Oatmeal Bars to satisfy your snack craving or mixup your breakfast routine! There Banana Bars with Oats are no exception! Wowza, are they good!
I literally had kids fighting with each other to see who’d take the last one in their lunch!
The very first recipe on Suburban Simplicity was these Easy Oatmeal Bars. Amazingly, they continue to be in my 10 ten most popular recipes month after month!
They’re that popular!
There’s something so good about baked oatmeal and this recipe is soooo simple to make, I see why people (and my WHOLE family) love it so much.
Plus, my oatmeal bars are made with no refined sugar and whole grains! Yay, for healthy, nutritious and delicious!
The Benefits of Oatmeal
Did you know? Oats are among the healthiest grains on earth. Cool, huh! They’re a gluten-free whole grain and a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants – and heart healthy too!
I’m always looking for a healthy alternatives to pre-packaged food, so when you bake oats into a bar and it tastes this good–you can’t go wrong!
How To Make Banana Oatmeal Bars
Can you believe it takes only one bowl and one pan to make this recipe!
The banana flavor in these Banana Oatmeal Bars makes it a classic. Let’s get baking…
Step 1
The first step, line your 8×8 pan with parchment paper. This makes it easy to get your bars out when they’re done cooking. You can also spray your pan with a non-stick spray as an alternative.
Then, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2
Next, in a large bowl mash your banana and then combine melted coconut oil and honey (or sugar if using). Add egg, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla, mixing well. Add in oats and flour and mix until well combined. (Add any optional chocolate chips or chunks. See recipe notes for suggestions.)
Pro Tip: spray your measuring cup with non-stick spray before putting your honey in – it will slide right out!
Step 3
Then, place into your lined baking pan. Finally, bake your bars in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. **Don’t over cook your bars or they’ll get too dry!
Your whole house should smell absolutely wonderful at this point!
Topping Your Banana Bars
If you want to take your bars to the next level, here’s a little combo you must try!!
Take a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter and 1/4 cup white chocolate and melt in the microwave. Once it’s melted, place it in a Ziploc baggie and snip a corner, and then pipe it on to your Banana Oatmeal Squares.
Oatmeal Bar Perfection!
Tips for Making the Best Oatmeal Banana Bars
- This recipe is best if you use old fashioned oats, not instant oats. The bars will get very dense otherwise.
- I like using the healthy option of whole wheat flour, but regular flour or a combination will also work.
- With the honey and bananas, these bars are pretty sweet, but you can substitute brown sugar if you prefer an even sweeter recipe.
- The possibilities for delicious add-ins for these banana bars are endless! Dried fruit, coconut, chocolate, caramel, nuts and M&Ms will all work!
Tips for Storing Banana Bars
To Freeze: Bake as directed and allow them to cool completely. Cut into bars, then wrap individually in foil or plastic. Place wrapped bars in a freezer bag for later. Thaw for at least one hour before eating.
To Store: Layer the bars between waxed paper in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
If you’ve tried these delicious Banana Bars or any other recipe on Suburban Simplicity, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food, fun crafts + DIYs and what I’m up to on a daily basis!
Banana Bars with Oats
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas medium
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey or 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups old fashioned oats not instant
- 2 cups whole wheat flour or a combo of white and whole wheat depending on your preference
- 1 cup chocolate morsels optional
Topping
- 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter optional
- 1/4 cup white chocolate optional
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas. Next, stir in melted coconut oil and honey. Add egg, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla, mixing well.
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Add in oats and flour and mix until well combined. (Add any optional mix-ins like chocolate morsels. See notes for suggestions)
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Spread mixture in a parchment lined 8x8 inch baking dish. Bake in a 350° oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
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Once cooled, you have the option of melting the peanut butter and white chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave for 30 second at a time until soft. Then, placing it in a sandwich baggie and piping it over the top of the bars. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
The possibilities for delicious add-ins for these banana bars are endless! Dried fruit, coconut, chocolate, caramel, nuts and M&Ms will all work!
You can cut the bars in 9 or 16 squares depending on your preference.
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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Supplies Used for This Recipe
8×8 Baking Pan
Parchment Paper
Other Easy & Delicious Oatmeal Bars
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These sound absolutely delicious!Thanks for sharing with us at Merry Monday. Hope to see ya next week.
That looks delicious!
We seriously can’t get enough of this recipe! I love having one on and counter for after school snacks!