Banana Bread Breakfast Bars

By Ann Fulton

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This basic breakfast bar recipe is made with no refined sugar, wheat flour, or dairy and can be made egg-free.  Say what?  Importantly, it still tastes great.

Since hitting on the ingredient combination listed below, I have made these bars countless times. The recipe is quick to prepare, provides a couple days worth of speedy breakfasts or snacks, and is a great way to use those overripe bananas.

I purposely let some of our bananas sit on the counter a little too long so that I can make these at a moment’s notice. Overripe bananas may also be peeled and frozen for future use in this and other banana bread recipes.

For a small indulgence and a tried-and-true flavor combination, I do stir in a modest amount of peanut butter and chocolate chips. You may opt to use all of one variety or the other, or substitute raisins, nuts, and/or shredded coconut in their place.

Banana Bread Breakfast Bars use oats in place of flour for a healthy, delicious, gluten-free breakfast or snack

A couple tablespoons of shredded coconut sprinkled on the top prior to baking is a nice addition. I use the unsweetened variety, but sweetened may be used if preferred.

Banana Bread Breakfast Bars use oats in place of flour for a healthy, delicious, gluten-free breakfast or snack

Tip: When preparing a batch, I mix just the dry ingredients into several additional airtight containers and store for future use.  It’s so easy to do while the ingredients are out, and then the wet ingredients can quickly be added for a fresh batch whenever desired.  And when you have overripe bananas but no time to use them, simply peel and store in the freezer.

Banana Bread Breakfast Bars use oats in place of flour for a healthy, delicious, gluten-free breakfast or snack

Banana Bread Breakfast Bars (gluten-free with vegan option)
I like to prepare these bars in the evening so they are ready to cut and go the next morning. They may sit on the counter for a day or so, but covering the cooled bars and storing in the refrigerator will preserve freshness for the better part of a week. Using oat flour makes these bars extra easy to prepare, although blending the whole oats, as described below, works equally well.

Yields 8-12 servings.
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) oat flour or 2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups very ripe bananas (12 ounces, without skins, or about 3 medium-large bananas)
  • 1 egg, optional (see notes)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup honey (may substitute agave nectar)
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips (if requiring a vegan option, choose accordingly with the chips)
  • 1/3 cup peanut butter chips
  • Optional topping: 1 tablespoon oats and/or 2 rounded tablespoons shredded coconut
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and grease an 11×7 or 9×9 inch baking pan.
  2. If using whole oats, place the oats in a blender or food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes or until the oats resemble flour. Stop the blender and stir the oats a couple of times to ensure complete blending.
  3. Transfer the oat flour to a medium bowl. Stir in the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
  4. Place the bananas in a large bowl and completely mash with a fork. Use the fork to whisk in the egg, and then add the vanilla and honey. Mix until creamy and thoroughly blended.
  5. Stir in the oat flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
  6. Reserve a tablespoon each of the chocolate and peanut butter chips. Fold in the remaining chips, and then pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Top with the optional oats, shredded coconut and the reserved chips.
  7. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the center is just cooked through.
Notes
  • I have made this recipe without the egg and it is still excellent. In fact, it is hard to tell the difference between the egg and the egg-free version of these moist bars. If eggs are not off-limits in your house, feel free to try both ways and see if you have a preference.
  • Also, I have made these with 1 cup of mashed banana and 1/2 cup of applesauce and they taste very similar. This is a great option if you only have two large, overripe bananas. I haven’t tried the applesauce version without the egg, although I think it would work well.
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Comments

  1. Laura

    Made these & they are delicious! Thank you for providing a healthy breakfast treat recipe, plus it uses up my brown bananas.

    Reply
  2. Pingback: Coconut-Banana Bread Breakfast Cakes — The Fountain Avenue Kitchen

  3. Hollie B

    I thought I would let you know, I tried these again and stuck to the recipe! They turned out WONDERFUL!!! They are ohh so good and low in calories too. I even pre-mashed the bananas and froze them for a while before I had a chance to get to this recipe. I took the mashed bananas out of the freezer, popped them in micro for a minute or so and completed the rest of the recipe. I love how naturally sweet and moist these are! Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be using this one for many breakfasts/snacks to come!

    Reply
  4. Karen

    This is an amazing recipe…just awesome and delicious. Everyone everyone loves it from family to coworkers. At church meetings its a huge hit. It’s a must-have in your recipe box–“promise”

    Reply
  5. Hollie Baker

    First of all, I want to say thank you for the recipe! I unfortunately though, tried these with Coconut Flour and everything didn’t adhere to each other… it just didn’t meld. But it has a GREAT flavor! I am using it sort of as a crumble in yogurt instead. Next time I’ll be using Oat Flour!

    Reply
    1. Ann

      Coconut flour is really unique in its properties. Thanks for the comment and I can’t wait until you try it with the oat flour!

      Reply
  6. Kathleen

    I am so glad that I found this! We are new to the vegan world and this was amazing!!!!!! My husband loves sweets so I was concerned that it wasn’t going to be sweet enough for him but I couldn’t get his fingers out of the pan. Thank you!!!!

    Reply
  7. Pingback: Easy Vegan Breakfast Recipes

  8. Trudy

    I made these for some growing teenage boys who thought they were delicious and ate almost the whole pan for breakfast! It was really convenient; I made them when I got up and they sat on the counter ’til the boys rolled out closer to noon!
    PS I did not have peanut butter chips so I substituted butterscotch chips, yummo!

    Reply
    1. Ann

      So glad your boys enjoyed waking up to these as much as mine do! Thanks for the wonderful comment, Trudy!

      Reply
  9. Polly

    I have a recipe for “Williamsburg Oatmeal” that is made with rolled oats that soak overnight with raisins. I never thought about making it with granola until I read your recipe. I am going to try it with Bob’s Red Mill granola, fruit variety, and chia seeds for a broader flavor and more nutrition power! Thanks!

    Reply
  10. Janette

    Mine is in the oven now! I didn’t have peanut butter chips, just went with all chocolate chips. I had to use about a 1/4 cup of applesauce since I didn’t have enough banana. Smell delicious!

    Reply
      1. Janette

        My picky daughter, who can sense if something is good for you, LOVED this. This recipe is going on the family cookbook!

        Reply
  11. Diane Alwine

    Tried this with regular flour (I ran out of oats) and it was quite good. I do plan to try the gluten free version since my daughter has a gluten sensitivity.

    Reply
    1. Ann

      Thank you for the great feedback, Diane. I’m sure others will appreciate knowing that option was tested and worked well!

      Reply