These peanut butter banana oatmeal bars are the perfect snack or paired with a breakfast on the go. They are soft baked, sweetened naturally with chopped dates and bananas, made dairy free and gluten free. You will definitely want to prep these to make for a delicious, easy and healthy snack!
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Did you grow up on chewy granola bars? I know I did and I used to love them so much! For this peanut butter banana oatmeal bar recipe I wanted to make something similar but with more whole and natural ingredients. In this recipe, I use chopped dates and mashed banana for natural sweetness with a touch of maple syrup for that sticky consistency to help with the binding.
SO… what will you need to make the peanut butter banana oatmeal bars?
- Oats & Oat Flour
- Egg Whites (or Egg)
- Mashed Banana
- Honey
- Peanut Butter
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon
- Chopped Dates
- Mixed Nuts & Seeds (of choice)
- Flaxseed Meal
How can I increase the protein amount?
One of my favorite ways to increase protein is by using collagen peptides. They easily dissolve in your wet ingredients and are unflavored. By adding 2-3 scoops of collagen you will increase the amount of protein. Protein powder can be added but mix with a milk of choice prior to make a paste like consistency so that the liquid to powder ratio does not dry out the bars!
How long can I store these for?
These last up to 2 weeks stored in a well sealed container in the refrigerator.
Can I make any substitutions or add more ingredients?
- Oats: I have made this recipe with steel cut, old fashioned, quick and irish – all have worked! However, if you use another kind, I do not know if the timing or texture will be off.
- Peanut Butter: any nut or seed butter will work but taste will vary!
- Ripe banana: this makes the oatmeal extra creamy and provides a that extremely moist texture. Feel free to replace with about 1/3 cup applesauce. If omitted, I cannot guarantee the texture to be similar.
- Maple syrup: you can replace with honey or any other liquid sweetener. If you want a sweeter bar, add 1-3 more tablespoons. You can omit for a less sweet bar.
- Egg whites or egg: You can replace with 1 egg + 1 egg white or 2 flaxseed eggs
- Chopped dates: I love the natural sweetness that this provides but go ahead and exchange for any dried fruit such as apricots, raisins, dried cranberries or dried cherries.
- Flaxseed meal: Not replace but I use it for an extra boost of fiber and collagen for an extra boost of protein
- Mixed nuts & seeds: as long as you use a mix that is chopped and fine, you can use it! I used a mix that offers a variety but here are some great options: coconut flakes, hemp seeds, chia seeds, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.
Need more oatmeal recipes? Check these out!
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Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
Equipment
- 13×9 Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats
- 1/4 cup oat flour
- 1/3 cup mashed banana about 1 banana
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 3 egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped dates
- 1/4 cup mixed nuts & seeds chopped; see notes
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F
- In a mixing bowl, add in mashed banana, honey, natural peanut butter, egg whites, vanilla and cinnamon. Combine until smooth
- Then fold in oats, oat flour, chopped dates, flaxseed meal and mixed nuts & seeds
- Line a 13×9 pan with parchment paper or spray with a neutral oil
- Add oatmeal bar mixture to the 13×9 pan and bake at 325°F for 30 minutes.
Notes
- For the nuts and seeds, I used this good mix product. Nutrition is based off of this mix but you can use any mix or a single nut or seed!
- Nutrition is also based off using a peanut butter with peanuts as the only ingredient.
- I made these bars thin but you can make a thicker bar by doubling the recipe or using an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan. Time may differ
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