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Baked Oatmeal Bars

5 from 772 votes

These freezer friendly banana baked oatmeal bars are perfect for taking as a super wholesome on-the-go breakfast or healthy snack! 

Healthy Breakfast Banana Oatmeal Bars

It’s like eating a giant homemade banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookie for breakfast, delicious and hot from the oven.

The wholesome recipe can be vegan, gluten free, egg free, dairy free, low fat, low sugar and refined sugar free, with protein, iron, and fiber in each filling bite.

Make up a batch for the entire family. Or freeze some of the bars right away, so you can always have a healthy breakfast on hand any time you want one!

Also make these Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Banana Baked Oatmeal Bars

Banana oatmeal bar ingredients

The recipe calls for oats, banana, sweetener, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.

For sugar free oatmeal bars, simply use liquid or powdered stevia to equal the sweetness amount of three tablespoons sugar.

Change up the flavor by using peanut butter, almond butter, or coconut butter or oil for the fat. Peanut butter oatmeal breakfast bars are one of my favorite versions.

Or turn it into a fat free breakfast recipe by substituting water instead.

There’s a banana free option listed in the recipe box below. Roasted sweet potato can also be mashed and used instead of the banana if you prefer.

Banana Breakfast Bar Ingredients

Making the oatmeal breakfast bars

Preheat your oven to 350 degees Fahrenheit, and line an eight inch baking pan with parchment paper, or grease the pan well.

Stir all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Make sure everything is evenly stirred, then smooth the batter into the prepared pan.

You can sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on top if you want chocolate baked oatmeal bars. Then bake the recipe 20 minutes on the oven’s center rack.

Do not open the oven door. Turn off the heat completely, and let the pan sit in the closed oven for an additional five minutes so the bars will firm up while maintaining their soft and moist texture.

Slice into bars. If desired, top the healthy banana oat bars with Vegan Cream Cheese.

Vegan Baked Oatmeal Bar Recipe

How to store baked oatmeal bars

Cover and refrigerate leftovers in the pan for three to four days.

Or slice the baked oatmeal into bars or squares. Layer them into an airtight container, with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper in between each layer so the bars do not stick to each other.

Once they are packed into the container, leftover bars can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. To defrost when ready to eat, simply thaw the banana oatmeal bars in the microwave or a warm oven, or heat in a pan on the stovetop.

5 Ingredient Easy Homemade Frappuccino Recipe

Other healthy breakfast ideas

Vegan Pancakes

Applesauce Muffins

Frappuccino Recipe

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Tofu Scramble Recipe

Watch the oatmeal bar recipe video above

Healthy Meal Prep Breakfast Oatmeal Bars (Baked)
Pin it now to save for laterPin Recipe

Baked Oatmeal Bars

These freezer-friendly banana baked oatmeal bars are a wholesome breakfast or healthy snack.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Yield 6 – 9 bars
5 from 772 votes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 1/3 cup mashed banana (for banana-free, try these Baked Oats)
  • 6 tbsp water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp pure maple syrup, agave, or honey OR stevia equivalent
  • 3 tbsp oil, nut butter, or additional water
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • optional handful chocolate chips, chopped nuts, etc.

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch pan with parchment, or grease well. Stir all ingredients, then smooth into the pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top if desired. Bake 20 minutes, then do not open the oven door but turn off the heat and let sit in the closed oven an additional 5 minutes. Slice into bars. Leftovers can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for a few months.
    View Nutrition Facts

Notes

Also try these easy homemade Protein Bars.
 

Have you made this recipe?

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Published on February 20, 2022

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48 Comments

Leave a comment or reviewLeave a rating
  1. Jan says

    5 stars
    Hi Katie. I love the portability of these bars but I don’t like banana. I notice in your Baked Oats recipe that you can use either banana or applesauce. Could I substitute an equal amount of applesauce for the banana in this recipe? If I used baked squash, would it be an equal amount to the banana? Thanks. Love your recipes!

    • CCK Media Team says

      Hi, we haven’t tried it here so don’t want to recommend anything we haven’t tried (for taste purposes – texture should be fine).

  2. Bethy says

    5 stars
    This recipe looks fantastic–right up my alley!
    How would I substitute xylitol for the liquid sweeteners?
    Thank you for all your healthy recipes, Katie!

    • CCK Media Team says

      We haven’t ever tried a granulated sweetener here and don’t know if it would work, texture-wise. You might be better off going with powdered erythritol or blending xylitol in the blender until powdered then using that. If you try, be sure to report back.

  3. Nina says

    5 stars
    Looks Fabulous👏👏👏 thank you for the video and recipe. Do you know how much the 2 cups of oats and the 1 & 1/3 rd cups of mashed banana weigh in grams please. Thanks. Stay safe…

  4. Eleanor says

    How do you get 90 calories per serving? I calculated the calories using oil and sugar free maple syrup and got 142 calories per serving. Is water used instead of the oil?

  5. Iran Loomis says

    5 stars
    I have never tried a recipe that you’ve provided that I didn’t like. Your site is my go-to site for almost anything. I may be 77 yrs old (and follow a vegan/plant-based diet) but I enjoy trying new recipes. Your recipes are easy, with ingredients found in most pantries, and delicious. Thank you!

  6. Lisa says

    5 stars
    These were SO good and incredibly easy! I’m a new mom so was looking for some quick and healthy breakfast/snack ideas, and these are totally it! Life that they are full of breastfeeding-friendly ingredients too. Can’t wait to make again!

  7. Michael says

    5 stars
    Tried this today and really liked this recipe. If it was any indicator that I cut my batch into 12 pieces, and left it after taking it out of the oven, and when I returned 5 pieces were missing. 🙂

  8. Sferd says

    5 stars
    I’m curious if anyone has used almond milk instead of water? It seems that would give a slightly better flavor?

  9. Cloey says

    5 stars
    These are delicious! I ran out of fresh, spotted bananas so I had to improvise and use 1/3 cup of applesauce. You can’t taste it. I used coconut oil for the oil option. I topped half of them with semi sweet chocolate chips, and the other half with dried blueberries. These bars are very versatile and delicious warmed up in the microwave for 15 seconds! I had to cook them for a few minutes longer, too.

  10. Emily says

    Just made these and they turned out great! I used plain peanut butter with no sugar added and completely cut out the added sugar (except for the chocolate chips on top) and relied primarily on the banana for sweetness. It was perfect! It might not be sweet enough for some, but it was just right for me, especially with the chocolate chips.
    I also had an idea to add pumpkin spice and use pumpkin puree instead of banana next time for a pumpkin pie flavor.

  11. Rita says

    5 stars
    I just made these but copied the amount of banana incorrectly and put in 2 cups instead of 1-1/3 lol! I also forgot the water, and added no sweetener and they came out perfect anyway! I did add flax seeds, walnuts and raisins because all my sweet breads must have those 😀 Thanks again Katie!

  12. Chelaina says

    This came out really sticky for me. Not sure if that’s how it’s supposed to be. The kids liked it anyways. I did add 2 tbsp of peanut butter, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds, and put some raspberries as a middle layer. Maybe if I let it sit longer or froze them they’d not be as sticky.

    • CCK Media Team says

      So glad your kids liked them! Most likely, adding a layer of raspberries would add extra moisture to the recipe, as raspberries have a high water content.

  13. LeaAnn Ross says

    5 stars
    OMG! I made these because I wanted to get rid of bananas and didn’t want to make bread!! I will have these on hand ALWAYS!! I added flax seed to too! They are a delightfully, tasty snack that is healthy! I threw them in the freezer but they won’t be lasting long!! They are so good!

  14. Gigi says

    5 stars
    We always have over ripe bananas at our house and get tired of banana bread. This recipe will be my go to from now on to use up all those bananas! It was quick, easy and very delicious!

  15. Dee says

    5 stars
    Taste great. Using the recipe above without adding choocolate chips or nuts and using almond butter is double the calories states. The rolled oats alone account for almost 90cal per serving (9)

  16. Nina says

    5 stars
    Hi can these be made with traditional oats? Has anyone reading this tried traditional oats. It’s all I’ve got in my pantry at the moment. Thanks.

  17. Jen says

    5 stars
    Hi there!

    Good recipe! I chose to put the mix into a silicone bar mould (with 12 spots), baked it for 12 minutes, let sit for 5 and they were great! Thanks!

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