Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars

These banana oatmeal bars are the perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack and one of the easiest ripe banana recipes ever. I love making simple recipes with ripe bananas, as you’ve seen with my Banana Tortillas, Banana Bagels, or Banana Monkey Bread. It’s the best way to bring sweetness with a very natural unrefined ingredient. If you love granola bars as much as I do (and I do, as I eat almost one a day after my workouts), these are a soft thick version of your classic granola bars, made with ripe bananas. These oatmeal banana bars are so easy to make with only a few wholesome ingredients and perfect for using ripe bananas sitting on your kitchen counter.

Ripe Bananas – the best is to mash the bananas first, then measure the amount in a measuring cup. This ensures the best bar texture and avoids dry bars if your bananas are smaller. Maple Syrup – Use classic maple syrup or any liquid sweetener you love, including coconut nectar and agave syrup. Peanut Butter – Pick natural peanut butter with no added salt, no added oil, and no added sugar. Vanilla Extract – for more taste. Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats – You can also use quick oats. The same amount works very well, but the bars have a bit less crunch and texture with quick oats. Ground Flaxmeal – golden flaxseed meal has no bitter flavor, and it’s recommended for the best flavor. However, a brown flaxseed meal also works very well if you appreciate its flavor. Cinnamon – cinnamon and bananas are made to be together.

You can add some delicious ingredients to the batter to turn the recipe into banana bread bars. Add between 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of some of the below ingredients:

Chopped Walnuts or pecans – optional but it adds a delicious crunch. Chocolate Chips – optional as well, for a boost of sweetness and lovely chocolate flavor.

How To Make Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars

Allergy Swaps

Nut-free option – you can swap the nut butter for sun butter or tahini. Peanut-free – other nut butter works very well in the recipe, including almond butter, and cashew butter. Gluten-free option – use certified gluten-free oats or try quinoa flakes. Note that quinoa flakes are slightly bitter. You may need to roast the quinoa flakes before using them to avoid the bitterness.