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!
4-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe bananas 1 ½ cups mashed
- ½ cup (120g) creamy almond butter*
- 2 cups (200g) rolled oats
- 1 cup (170g) chocolate chips
Optional Additions:
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup (100g) 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
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
What time is everybody making it for I’ve been at least 30 minutes and it’s so soft
Hi Bridget! The bars are supposed to be soft and chewy, so I would stick with the 18 to 25 minute range 🙂 xo
Could these be done in the dehydrator? If so.. what temperature and how long for?
Hi Neema! My sincere apologies that I don’t have a better answer, but I’ve never used a dehydrator so I’m not sure how it would work out. If you’ve made a similar recipe in the dehydrator in the past, I would employ the same tactic as before. Hope you enjoy! xo
Just made these for the second time. I have been using a Mixed Nut Butter (from my warehouse store)in place of other nut butters. It puts the recipe over the top. I freeze EVERYTHING so I have a treat at the ready when I want it. Thank you.
Oooh, now I’m thinking I need to get my hands on this Mixed Nut Butter you speak of!! Thanks for sharing, Christina! xo
What can replace for almond butter? I’m allergic to almonds
Hi Shelly! Any nut or seed butter works here, so you can use peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, etc 😉
These turned out very yummy!
I’m so thrilled to hear it! Thanks for swinging back around to let me know, Sue! xo
Making for the second time (we loved the first batch) and using white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Looking forward to sampling!
Ooh, I love the idea of using white chocolate and macadamia nuts! Sounds dreamy! xoxo
@Julia, my family loved the white choc/macadamia!
Oooh, white chocolate and macadamia nut sounds absolutely divine! I’m so happy to hear you and your family enjoy the bars. Thanks so much for reporting back with your experience! xoxo
PS I also used sprouted rolled oats which I toasted up in my cast iron pan to give a bit more depth of flavor
Hi! I made these using a mix of almond butter and hazelnut butter and used Santa Barbara Chocolate Cacao Fruit Sweetened chocolate chips/discs and it was fantastic! Kiddos loved it! If you haven’t tried SBC’s chocolate products consider checking them out, they are amazing!! Thank you for a great recipe! 😊
Oooh, all of that sounds fabulous! I love your idea of using sprouted toasted oats as well 🙂 xoxo
Just did them, I chopped dates in the mixture and put sesame seeds on top, yum 😋. Thanks for these recipes
Ooooh, I LOVE the idea of adding dates for more natural sweetness! How brilliant!! xoxo
What can I substitute the chocolate chips with?
Hi Pat! Raisins or dried cranberries are great options. You can also add chopped nuts if you’d like. xo
Should the 4 ingredient banana oat bars be stored in the refrigerator or is on the counter, covered, ok? They are DELICIOUS by the way. We love them!!
Hi Rhonda! I keep them on the counter for the first few days and if they last longer than that, I move them to the refrigerator 🙂 So happy you enjoy them!
Is this a soft/chewy granola bar? Or a crunchy one?
Hi Sarah!
The bars are soft and chewy, similar to baked oatmeal or soft oatmeal cookie 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions!
just made these.
lovely!
I covered them in chocolate on the top.
Very good recipe
Sounds amazing, Maggi! Thank you for sharing!
Do they need to be stored in the fridge or counter top? How long do they last?
Hi Emily! You can store them on the counter for up to 5 days, or if you need them to last longer, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. They also freeze really well!
I had the same question
What is that liner you are using in the pan? It looks like it could be parchment paper. Just a suggestion, include the picture of the product in your printed recipe.
Hi Mike-if you read step one of the recipe it mentions using parchment paper to line the pan
Hi Mike! Thanks for the feedback! It is, indeed parchment paper! Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
@Cindy, try to be less passive aggressive. Just because you can’t see people doesn’t mean they don’t have feelings!
What is the shelf life? Should this be refrigerated?
Hi there! You can store them in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, freeze them, or store them at room temperature on the counter for up to 5 days (unless you live in a very humid area, in which case, I would suggest refrigerating or freezing). 🙂 Hope you enjoy!