Banana Granola Bars Recipe
Stop staring at those bananas browning on your kitchen counter and use them to make these simple and delicious Banana Granola Bars. Not only are they easy to make, but you probably have all the ingredients right now. And a plate of these banana breakfast bars will be a lot more inviting than those brown bananas!
Servings: 18
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed banana, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Add the oats, cinnamon and salt and stir until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula to press the mixture in a single layer, making sure to pack in the corners.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the bars are golden brown. Let cool and lift the parchment paper from the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into 3x1-inch strips.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Notes
- Add all the indulgent mix-ins you’d like!
- Add some chopped nuts for a great texture component and some extra protein.
- Use old-fashioned oats for the best result with this recipe.
- Use certified gluten-free oats for a GF version.
- Sub almond butter, sunflower seed butter or the like if you have a peanut allergy.
- Natural peanut butter usually has more oil than regular peanut butter, so you may need to add additional oats.
- Be sure the mix is pressed firmly into the baking pan so your bars will stick together when cooled.
- Use over-ripe bananas with lots of browning and spots on the skin for best results. Bananas that have mold or are “leaking” are too far gone.
- Bake longer (up to 30 min) for a crispier granola bar! When baked for 20 minutes, they come out as nice and chewy, soft granola bars.