These 4-Ingredient Healthy Blueberry Breakfast Bars are a magical grab-and-go snack or light breakfast. Easy to customize, these healthy breakfast bars are a win for those who eat breakfast on the go. Egg-free, no added sweetener, refined sugar-free and vegan!
Words cannot express how much we love these easy blueberry oatmeal bars!
They come together lightning fast and disappear just as quickly.
Truly, this delicious recipe is magic.
If you tried my 4-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Bars or my 5-Ingredient Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies, you already know the deliciousness weโre about to dive into.
These silly simple blueberry oatmeal breakfast bars are only made with 4 simple ingredients: overripe bananas, creamy almond butter, oats, and fresh blueberries.
Theyโre soft and chewy with rich flavor and in spite of only being sweetened with ripe mashed bananas, they taste nice and sweet.
If you’re looking for more of a crumb bar texture, try my Blueberry Oatmeal Crumb Bars which feature a blueberry filling, crumble topping, and shortbread crust.
The best part about these blueberry oat bars is all of the simple ingredients can be found at any grocery store and no fancy equipment like a stand mixer or food processor or baking experience is needed. Plus, there is no all purpose flour, butter, eggs, or refined sugar in this great recipe!
Each of the four ingredients wears many hats in the sense that they provide multiple functions and qualities to the recipe.
Letโs discuss the simple ingredients to make this magic happen.
Ingredients For Healthy Blueberry Breakfast Bars:
Ripe Bananas: Large ripe bananas are all we use to sweeten these incredible blueberry bars. For this reason, be sure to use bananas that have plenty of brown spots to ensure youโre getting a lot of sweetness and moisture content.
Unsweetened Almond Butter: Creamy almond butter plays a critical role because it sets up to become a chewy bar, eradicating the need for butter, flour and eggs thusly.
You can use any thick and sticky well-stirred nut butter or seed butter here, such as peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, or cashew butter.
I love the creamy nutty flavor of almond butter in these bars and I find almond butter and blueberries pair very nicely.
Rolled Oats: Some old fashioned oats gets mixed in to add texture, whole grains, complex carbohydrates and deliciousness to the bars.
You can also use quick oats or instant oats instead of rolled oats.
If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, be sure the package of oats specifies that they are certified gluten-free. I use sprouted gluten-free oats. For a grain-free option, use almond flour instead of oats.
Fresh Blueberries: Juicy blueberries bring little pops of tangy sweet flavor to the breakfast bars to make them that much more enticing. You can swap them out with chopped strawberries, raspberries, or apples if youโd like.
Sea Salt: A pinch of sea salt goes a long way in bringing out all of the delicious flavors, making the bars taste sweeter and richer.
Looking for ways you can change up this simple oatmeal blueberry bars recipe?
You can add any of the following goodies to customize these healthy breakfast bars
Optional Additions:
- 2 to 4 Tbsp pure maple syrup, white sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar for sweeter bars.
- 1 ยฝ tsp ground cinnamon for warm and fuzzy feelings.
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract for delicious vanilla notes.
- 1 large egg for fluffier bars.
- ยฝ to โ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds for nutty seedy bars.
- 2 to 4 tablespoons of your favorite protein powder. If you add more than 4 tablespoons of protein powder, you will also want to add some form of liquid like oil or milk to get the consistency right.
- 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds or chia seeds. If you add more than one tablespoon, you will also want to add some water since these seeds are both very absorbent.
- Add grated lemon zest and a little lemon juice for some citrus flavor.
Now that weโve covered the simple ingredients for these delicious healthy snack bars, letโs bake them!
How to Make Healthy Blueberry Breakfast Bars:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9โ x 9โ baking pan with parchment paper. You can also use an 8โ x 8โ square pan but you will need to bake the bars slightly longer.
Mash the bananas in a large bowl until they are creamy.
Mix in the almond butter until the wet ingredients are well combined. If youโre adding vanilla extract, do so now.
Add the rolled oats, ground cinnamon and sea salt (the dry ingredients) to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a thick, sticky dough forms.
Gently fold in the blueberries.
Transfer the blueberry mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer. If desired, press extra blueberries into the top of the bars.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the bars are slightly golden brown around the edges and feel firm when gently poked.
Allow the bars to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.
Store blueberry breakfast bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. You can freeze these bars in a freezer bag for up to three months.
Enjoy these delicious breakfast bars cold or warm with a little melted butter (or vegan butter) on top. No one’s judging!
They are also great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a decadent dessert or some Greek yogurt and fresh berries or other fresh fruit for a more substantial breakfast.
The next time youโre craving a sweet treat or want to meal prep a grab-and-go breakfast or snack, these blueberry breakfast bars are here for you.
Ideal for busy weekdays when you want to have snacks on hand to tide you over between meals or school lunches for kids, these delicious bars are portable and perfect for life on the go.
I love bringing them with me on road trips or hikes!
If you love simple and delicious snack recipes or healthy dessert recipes like this, also try out these gems.
More Healthy Snacks:
- Homemade Aussie Bites
- Healthy Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies
- 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Healthy 6-Ingredient Apple Oatmeal Cookies
- 6-Ingredient Banana Chickpea Bars
Healthy oatmeal bars for breakfast on all the busy mornings!
Healthy Blueberry Breakfast Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large (225g) ripe bananas (about 1 cup mashed)
- 1 cup (240g) unsweetened almond butter
- 2 cups (180g) rolled oats
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups (150g) fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9โ x 9โ baking pan with parchment paper. You can also use an 8โ x 8โ square pan but you will need to bake the bars slightly longer.
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl until they are creamy. Mix in the almond butter until the wet ingredients are well combined. If youโre adding vanilla extract, do so now.
- Add the rolled oats, ground cinnamon and sea salt (the dry ingredients) to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a thick, sticky dough forms. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Transfer the blueberry mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer. If desired, press extra blueberries into the top of the bars.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the bars are slightly golden brown around the edges and feel firm when gently poked.
- Allow the bars to cool to room temperature 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.
Hello I was wondering if you can substitute fresh blueberries for frozen ones?
Will that work for this recipe?
Please advise. Thanks!
Hi Lucy! Frozen blueberries will work but they tend to hold onto more liquid than fresh blueberries so I would thaw them completely first. If you’re okay with the bars being more moist, tossing them in frozen will work just fine but if you want the bars to have a slightly firmer texture, I’d thaw first ๐ Hope that helps!
I love them.Could I add just 2 tablespoons of sugar just to sweetened it up a tad. I didn’t see how much cinnamon and didn’t add enough. If I had added enough cinnamon that might have done the trick.
Are for breakfast, very filling.
I’m happy you enjoy them, Ruth! I typically add about 1 to 1.5 tsp of ground cinnamon in a recipe like this. ๐ Thanks so much for following up with your experience! xo
Hi, wondering if I can use tahini in stead of almond butter?
Thanks
Hi Rose! Tahini should work great as long as it is thick and well-stirred. If your tahini seems fairly thin, I would add more oats until you’re left with a sticky dough that isn’t overly wet (I’ve had both thin and thick tahini so it depends on the brand). Let me know how they turn out!
How many ounces/grams is 1 cup?
Hi Caroline! I added the weight in grams for all of the ingredients. Let me know if you have any other questions! xoxo
Hey Julia, this recipe excites me. I’m a blueberry freak! However, I’m deathly allergic to bananas. Can I use a sweet potato or two instead? I think they are probably not quite as sweet, but what are your thoughts? I’m new to this substitution for refined sugars. Are there any rules of thumb for them or is it pretty much just trial and error?
Hi Tia! I think mashed sweet potatoes would probably work! To be honest, I’m not sure whether or not there is a rule of thumb but if I were to try it myself, I would do 2/3 cup of mashed sweet potato and I would add 2 to 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup. Let me know how it goes!! xo
Can I use peanut butter instead of almond butter? And if so, would it be a cup?
Hi Marsha! You can use any nut butter or seed butter you enjoy with the same measurement ๐ Hope you enjoy the bars!! xo
can I use quick oats instead of rolled oats?
Hi there! Yes, quick oats (or instant oats) work great too! Hope you enjoy the bars! xo