Peanut butter banana oatmeal bars with optional yogurt glaze are the healthy tasty snack you're going to love. With an option for a pumpkin version as well, they'll be a great alternative to that giant candy jar around Halloween as well.
You might also like my olive oil granola recipe.
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Why you'll love this recipe
I first made these peanut butter banana oat bars way back in 2015 for my daughter's golf team, trying to offer them something tasty and satisfying that wasn't junk food. They loved these banana oatmeal bars and I've been tinkering with them ever since. Remember these are chewy bars, not crunchy ones. If you want crunch, make one of my granola recipes!
Here's what I love most about these banana oat bars:
- They are easy to make! The original recipe that inspired these was called 4-ingredient oat bars and I had to laugh when I read the recipe because there were more than four ingredients but I think the point was that they were simple to prepare.
- Ingredients are flexible! No dates? Try a different dried fruit. No date syrup? Use honey and you can go down the list like that for almost all the ingredients except for the oats.
- The optional yogurt glaze topping is so refreshing and makes them even more substantial for breakfast or maybe a bit more dessert-like for those who crave a sweet.
Ingredients you'll need
Remember there is a lot of flexibility so read on for different options when you bake these peanut butter banana oatmeal bars.
- Oatmeal: Specifically these are regular oats, no quick cooking or steel cut oats.
- Bananas: Very ripe ones, just like you would use for banana bread.
- Pecans: Despite the fact that these bake in the bars, I like to toast them first. Use other nuts, if you'd like, I just love the pecan flavor.
- Mini chocolate chips: Optional but I love the tiny pop of sweetness and the way they taste with the banana flavor.
- Medjool dates: Any type of date will work or other types of dried fruit - raisins, currants, cranberries or even dried apricots.
- Peanut butter: Adds protein, flavor, moisture and fat. Other nut butters could work as well but I haven't tested them. Just be aware of the moisture level - some nut butters (even some peanut butters) are drier than others. Up the butter just a bit if the nut butter is pretty dry.
- Date syrup or honey: I love the flavor of date syrup but if you don't have any, honey works here too!
- Vanilla: Just a nice flavor addition.
- Flaxseed meal: My way of adding more fiber and omega-3s to these bars. Could also use wheat germ or chia seeds.
- Butter: It's just a little bit of melted butter for flavor. I added this the first time I made them mixed with the peanut butter. I've tried olive oil but really like how these come out with the butter added.
How to make this recipe
You can do it all in one bowl, starting with the wet ingredients, then add the dry; or whisk together the wet and dry in separate bowls and then combine. But for me, less bowls to wash is always a good thing!
1. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas.
2. Add butter, peanut butter, date syrup or honey and vanilla and mix well.
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Place oatmeal mixture into an 8X8 square pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray or spread with olive oil or butter or lined with parchment.
5. Sprinkle with some cinnamon, if you want, for a little extra color and flavor. Bake at 350°F for 25 - 27 minutes. You should see just a little browning around the edges of the bars.
6. Make optional yogurt glaze. Combine all glaze ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. This is not a glaze that hardens so apply when you eat the bar, not ahead of time.
Expert Tips
- Remember I mentioned that I toast the nuts before I add them? You can also toast the oatmeal for an extra punch of flavor. Not necessary but might be fun to try to note the difference.
- If you do use medjool dates, fresh ones can stick together so either separate them as you add them or put them in with the wet ingredients and whisk them apart.
- Any date or other dried fruit cut into small raisin-sized bites will work!
- Don't have a square baking pan? No reason this can't work in a round pie pan or rectangular loaf pan. Be creative!
Recipe FAQs for banana oat bars
Yes, you can freeze these bars. Cut them into individual portions, wrap well and then you can just grab one from the freezer when you want one!
As long as your oats are gluten-free, these bars should be free of gluten. Double check your chocolate chips, if using them, but most brands are also gluten-free.
I would either use an extra tablespoon of peanut butter or a tablespoon of olive oil. Then the bars will be dairy-free! (Note: if you use the yogurt topping, then they will not be dairy-free).
How to serve these chewy oatmeal bars
- Grab an individual serving of these banana oat bars on-the-run.
- Serve for breakfast with the yogurt glaze and some fresh fruit on the side.
- Afternoon snack for yourself or the kids with a glass of milk, tea, or coffee.
- Make them extra seasonal in the fall by replacing one banana with ½ cup of pumpkin puree. Add a couple teaspoons of pumpkin spice to the mixture. You could even add some pumpkin spice or cinnamon to the yogurt glaze.
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Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
Beth LeeIngredients
Bars
- 2 medium bananas mashed
- 2 cups oats
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon date syrup or honey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- ¼ cup toasted chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- ¼ cup chopped dates medjool or other
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Optional dusting of cinnamon
Glaze
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ½ teaspoon orange or lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8X8 pan with baking spray, olive oil, or butter or line it with parchment leaving an overhang to pick up the bars after they are cooked and cooled.
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas.
- Add butter, peanut butter, date syrup or honey and vanilla and mix well.
- Add the oats, chips, nuts, dates, flaxseed meal and salt and mix well.
- Place oatmeal mixture into the prepared 8X8 square pan. Sprinkle with some cinnamon if you want for a little extra color and flavor.
- Bake at 350°F for 25 - 27 minutes. You should see just a little browning around the edges of the bars.
- Make optional yogurt glaze. Combine all glaze ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. This is not a glaze that hardens so apply when you eat the bar, not ahead of time.
Notes
-
- Remember I mentioned that I toast the nuts before I add them? You can also toast the oatmeal for an extra punch of flavor. Not necessary but might be fun to try to note the difference.
-
- If you do use medjool dates, fresh ones can stick together so either separate them as you add them or put them in with the wet ingredients and whisk them apart.
-
- Any date or other dried fruit cut into small raisin-sized bites will work!
-
- Don't have a square baking pan? No reason this can't work in a round pie pan or rectangular loaf pan. Be creative!
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