3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Bars Recipe

These 3-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal bars are possibly the easiest thing I have ever made outside a bowl of cereal. Seriously, it doesn’t get any easier than this! It only takes 3 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time. They’re a great breakfast, simple snack, or healthy dessert option, and perfect as part of a breakfast spread for overnight guests or holidays.

Why I Love This Recipe

• 3 simple ingredients! 5 minutes of prep! 1 delicious recipe!
• My family adores this recipe. Some of us like to load the bars up with chocolate chips. and honey before eating and others love them just the way they are.
• SO healthy without all the added sugar or extra ingredients of breakfast bars from the grocery store.
• Umm, can you say easy?! It doesn't get easier than this.
• Great breakfast, healthy snack or dessert.
• Even Dan eats these and he is dang picky about what goes in his body.

My whole family adores these healthy oatmeal bars. And what’s not to love? They're made with just 3 ingredients but so, so delicious. Even Dan, my health-conscious husband who is very particular about what he eats, scarfs these down. 

Of course, some of us (read: me and the boys) love our oat and banana bars also loaded with chocolate chips and honey! But that’s another great thing about these oatmeal breakfast bars. They are super versatile and so easily adaptable. I’ve included a great list of optional add-ins below.

Eat them on their own for an easy breakfast on the go, or serve them with some bacon and eggs or pancakes as part of a full breakfast platter. You can even make this simple recipe the night ahead as a great option for overnight guests.

Banana Oatmeal Bar Recipe Ingredients

These peanut butter banana oatmeal bars only require 3 wholesome ingredients you probably already have to create homemade, delicious breakfast bars!

Bananas - You don't need super overripe bananas, but they should be mashable. 

Rolled oats - Use rolled oats, also known as. Old-fashioned oats, for best texture results.

Creamy peanut butter - You can also sub crunchy peanut butter. 

Optional toppings - Chocolate chips, dried fruit, honey or maple syrup drizzled on top, etc.

How To Make Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

These soft-baked banana oatmeal bars come together so quickly and easily. I sometimes like to make a double batch and freeze some for later.

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas using fork tines. Add the peanut butter and oats to the mashed bananas. Using a wooden spoon, stir until well combined.

Step 3

Transfer the batter from the large bowl to the prepared baking pan and spread evenly using a rubber spatula. 

Step 4

Sprinkle with chocolate chips (if using). Bake for 20 minutes on the center rack of the preheated oven, or until golden brown. 

Let cool for 10 minutes at room temperature before cutting in squares and serving.

What To Add To Oatmeal Bars

This is such a versatile recipe. Use your favorite additions and optional ingredients to add a personal touch to these yummy snack bars. Some great options include

• Crunchy or creamy peanut butter, almond butter, or other nut butters.
• Unsweetened coconut flakes.
• Lemon or orange zest.
• Just a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin spice.
• Chocolate or peanut butter chips - or both to give a these bars the super sweet treatment.
• Nuts - crushed cashews, peanuts, or almonds are great add-ins to your bars. 
• Seeds - sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia or flax seed, etc.

Recipe Notes

• Check the label of the oats to ensure they are gluten free if required.
• Add some dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips. Use dairy-free chips like the ones from Enjoy Life to keep it dairy free.
• If not everyone likes chocolate, only add them to half the pan.
• Mix in a small handful of chia seeds or flax seeds for a healthy boost.
• Add some chopped nuts or use crunchy peanut butter for a great texture component.
• Use almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter if you have a peanut allergy.
• “Natural” peanut butter usually has more oil than regular peanut butter, so you may need additional oats.
• You can experiment with different flavoring extracts like almond or vanilla extract. But flavoring extracts are very concentrated, so be careful not to use too much.
• Using parchment paper in the pan saves having to clean the pan and makes it easy to lift the bars out of the pan.
• Spread the bar mix evenly in the pan so it cooks evenly.
• Allow the bars to cool a little before attempting to lift them from the pan. I like to give it 10 minutes or so.

Can I Substitute Quick Oats for Rolled Oats

Rolled oats (also called old fashioned oats), have been steamed and rolled into flakes. This stabilizes the oats and helps them to stay fresh longer. The larger surface area means they will cook more quickly than steel-cut oats.

Quick oats are cut into more pieces, rolled thinner, and steamed longer. They will not have as much texture as the rolled oats. You can use quick oats in place of old-fashioned oats in many recipes.

If you need quick oats, but you only have rolled oats in your pantry, you can pulse the oats in the blender or food processor a few times to break them up a bit. I wouldn’t recommend using instant oatmeal.

Are Oats Gluten Free?

Oats by themselves are a gluten free food. However, during processing some oats can be contaminated by other grains. If you require GF oats, it’s best to read the package label to make sure they are certified gluten-free oats.

How To Quickly Ripen Bananas

There are a couple ways you can ripen your bananas fast. The traditional way is to put the unpeeled banana in a brown paper bag, close it, and leave it in a warm spot for a couple days. 

The closed bag will contain the ethylene gas released from the banana and help it ripen. To speed up this process, you can also add another high ethylene fruit like an apple, peach, or pear to the bag to increase the amount of ethylene gas in the brown bag.

If you can’t wait that long, you can also put unpeeled bananas in a 300-350° oven for 10-15 minutes. The peels will blacken, but the banana itself will only get soft and sweet. You can also use the microwave method and zap the bananas in 30 second intervals until they are soft.

How to Serve Oatmeal Banana Breakfast Bars

Serve these easy breakfast bars on their own as a quick grab-and-go breakfast option or as part of a larger breakfast. These are a few of my favorite go-alongs.

• Serve them with a small bowl of fresh fruit or fruit salad.
• With smoothies or breakfast shakes.
• As a sweet side with scrambled eggs and bacon.
• Make a breakfast plate with these bars and some breakfast cookies and muffins.
• Great option for get-togethers and brunches.
• Great option for get-togethers and brunches.

What To Do With Leftover Bars

• Chop them up and add them to ice cream or frozen yogurt
• Use them for “cookie sandwiches”
• Add chopped or broken pieces to your morning yogurt
• Dice them up and use them instead of croutons in salads that are fruit focused 

How to Store Banana Oatmeal Bars

You can store these oatmeal breakfast bars in an airtight container or well-sealing plastic bag in the fridge. Stored properly, refrigerated bars will be at their best for 5-7 days.

You can also freeze the individual breakfast bars in a zip-top, freezer safe bag for up to 2 months. I like to put a piece of parchment or wax paper between so they don’t stick together when freezing. Allow to thaw completely before eating.

More Banana Breakfast Ideas

Banana Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies
Banana Applesauce Pancakes
3-Ingredient Banana Muffins
Banana Blueberry Overnight Oats