Introducing the easiest Breakfast Banana Bars you’ll ever make! They’re gluten free, vegan and refined sugar free using only 3 ingredients! These banana bars are the perfect healthy breakfast for on the go or even as a well balanced snack.
Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy
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Why this recipe works
I randomly came up with this recipe a few days ago after asking my nutritionist what snacks to make Luise for her tough mudder challenge which was a 20km race.
Bananas are an excellent source of carbohydrates, potassium and vitamin B6, all of which can help boost energy levels.
Oats are a combination of high fibre and complex, slow-digesting carbohydrates. This results in a slow release of sugar into the blood after a meal which provides a sustained supply of energy to the body.
If you like the look of these banana oat bars but fancy having them as cookies or pancakes instead then try my 3 Ingredient Oat Cookies or Banana Oat Pancakes recipe!
What you’ll love about these Banana Bars:
- Easy
- Versatile
- 5 mins prep
- Perfect for on the go
- Gluten free & Vegan
Ingredients to make Breakfast Banana Bars
Using these 3 simple ingredients you will either already have or can get from any supermarket. (brands featured aren’t sponsored)
- Oats – Help to bind the mashed banana. I opt for gluten-free oats but any will work.
- Bananas – When mashed help make the oats stick together.
- Cinnamon – Adds a natural sweetness and spice to these banana bars.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Oats – You could also use oat flour to make these bars. You could also try using buckwheat if you’re sensitive to oats.
- Additions – Try adding blueberries, strawberries, or chocolate chips to the mix for some great flavour bursts!
- Cinnamon – This is an optional ingredient that I think boosts the flavour but you could definitely leave it out.
Variations
- Deluxe – I love these healthy oat bars as they are but adding extras is also easy to do! You could also top them with yoghurt or fruit compot.
- Kid friendly – Kids will love these as they are (especially if you put chocolate chips into them). Make mini bars or cut them up into small pieces for little ones. Or serve them with my Peanut Butter Milkshake to get top marks!
See this 5 Ingredient Chocolate Flapjack recipe for another delicious oat based recipe!
How to make Breakfast Banana Bars
Step 1: Pre-heat your oven to 200C. To a large mixing bowl add the peeled bananas and mash with a fork.
Step 2: Now add in the oats, cinnamon and water and mix together.
Step 3: Line a with baking paper and pour in the mix. Press down firmly with the back of a fork to compact it into the tin. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 200C.
Hint: Riper bananas make for sweeter oat bars.
Leftovers
Leftover banana oat bars are great! Keep them in an airtight container or bag for up to 2 days at room temperature. Or store them in the fridge or up to 4 days. You can also freeze these for another day. Just allow to defrost overnight.
Recipe FAQs
This can happen if you don’t allow them to cool. They will come out the oven still soft. Just allow them to cool and they will firm up.
Try adding in chocolate chips, nuts, seeds, berries. Whatever you fancy!
You can freeze these for another day. Just allow to defrost overnight.
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Tried this Banana Oat Pancakes recipe? Please leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and let me know how you get on. Hearing positive feedback is one of the best parts of creating recipes so please review it below and leave a comment!
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Recipe
Breakfast Banana Bars
Ingredients
- 6 ripe bananas
- 400 g gluten free oats (roughly 4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 200C. To a large mixing bowl add the peeled bananas and mash with a fork.
- Now add in the oats, cinnamon and water and mix together
- Line a square baking tin with baking paper and pour in the mix. Press down firmly with the back of a fork to compact it into the tin.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 200C. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that Nutrition information is a rough estimate
Sounds DELISH, looking forward to making them.
Enjoy Chris, let me know what you think!
Can I air fry this instead of oven??
Hey Char, I haven’t actually tested that myself but I reckon if you reduce the heat to maybe 190 and bake for 15-18 minutes it should work. Let me know how you get on 🙂
Banana Breakfast Bars are so very Delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! I followed some of the suggestions as others and added raisins, brown sugar and walnuts! Absolutely DELISH! I had only 3 bananas and halved the recipe!
Thank you Victoria 🙂
In the oven baking at the moment, only had 3 bananas so halved the recipe, worked calories out to 90 calories each if cut into 10.
Can’t comment on taste but smells delicious
Only given simply because not tasted any yet
Can you use frozen bananas? Or would that be too much liquid? Possibly add some raisins or cranberries.
Loved these James. So easy to make I had some granola left over so put half oats and granola in the second time with a few raisins . Again delicious .
I love your recipes
Hope you’re having a great holiday.
Denise LimbX❤️
I made these for my husband because he is gluten and dairy free. It was a hit! Next time I will add peanut butter or strawberries I think! Great base recipe to get creative with!!
Thank you for sharing!
I made this and added a but of cut raisons, but it could definately have some salt, maybe 1/2 tsp and then I think it could have baked on 180/190 for 40 to 45 min, because it was a bit doughy in the middle, but otherwuse, very nice.
Hello, I just made this and very happy with the texture. This will be my breakfast for the next few days. My barszcz are not sweet at all.Next time I will add some honey and maybe chocolate chips just to make them sweet. Overall, this is a great recipe with the perfect oats to bananas ratio. Thank you!
Could one substitute the oats with quinoa ? The oats in New Zealand are not gluten free so I thought maybe quinoa might make a great alternative.
Hmm good question, it may work 🙂 give it a try and let me know!
Would it work swapping banana with apple sauce? By the way, I love them but I add choc Chios (no sugar coco bytes) and nuts.
I think apple sauce is a good substitute (but no one I have tested yet)
Hi James, yet another great recipe but could you please include the nutritional info as I need it for insulin for carbs. (It would be great to have this on all yr recipes too)
Try using the Cronometer App, it’ll work it all out for you.
Ooh thank you Dave, I haven’t heard of this but will Google!
I like these a lot. If I waited a couple of more days for my bananas to ripen, they would’ve been sweeter, but they were still good as is. I can see myself finishing the whole thing in one day if I don’t control myself. Thank you for this!
Roughly what weight of banana is needed? Six bananas could be over a kilo depending on their size and ‘medium’ doesn’t mean much if all you’re used to are behemoths.
I’ve never liked (or had!) breakfast, finding that a banana at 10 a.m takes me through the day. But I’m going to make these, and eat one every morning!
Hi james can you please tell me the macros per serving
Hi James another easy and tasty recipe, so versatile too as you can add additional fruit etc. I love your recipes keep up the good work
Love these. I also add a scoop of protein powder and a handful of chololate chips. Shared some with a neighbor and she asked for the recipe!
Thanks Lisa!
How many calories does each bar work out at please?
Roughly 228 if split into 10 bars x
They were extremely delicous and super healthy. The sugar in the bananas was enough. I also added blueberries and raspberries. Delish! Thanks for sharing! Hey
How big of pan?
I made these this evening after doing some research on healthier snacks for me and my family, especially the children. They came out much better than i expected. The texture is really good. I thought they were going to be dry when i looked at them as i took them out of the oven because the top layer looked dry(i baked for 20mins at 200c), but they weren’t. They are a nice soft, spongy texture. No crumbling at all.
My reason for 4* is because they are not very sweet. Of course this isn’t a bad thing but I think I will sweeten it a little next time i make them, maybe with some honey or coconut sugar. They won’t really hit the spot for those days you fancy something sweet and I’m sure it can be sweetened with more natural/healthier options. We used organic agave chocolate and raspberry sauce on top of our bites,
Overall they were really good, and would i make them again? YES! Great little healthy snack and great for pack lunches!!
Thanks for sharing this recipe James 🙂
Try stevia, a plant-based sweetener with no nasty after-taste.Just a bit pricey!
Does it matter what kind of oats I use for this recipe? I made it the other day and my entire family loved them so much that I want to make them again, but all I have at the moment is quick oats. Thank you!
Hey Alana, so happy you enjoyed them 🙂 porridge oats will work too! Just go by the weight rather than cups so 400g.
sounds super easy, how long do they last? I live alone and don’t cook very often.
Hey Flora, they will last about 3 days in a sealed container but you can freeze them too which will be really handy for you 🙂
How long do they last in the freezer?
up to 3 months would be fine!
I made these for my 2 year old as a quick snack/meal item. The whole family loves them!
The recipe as-is is wonderful. I’ve also had success adding crushed flax seed.
Great recipe. I added some walnuts, almonds, shredded carrot and zucchini. Used a baking sheet and cooked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for a little longer to get a crunchier texture. Turned out AMAZING. Thank you so much for your recipe. This will help immensely with making my doctor happy lol
What is the shelf life of this bars?
Hey, they last about 2 days sealed at room temperature or you can freeze them down for months if you wish. Enjoy 🙂
Could I add coconut sugar as a sweetener ?
Absolutely 🙂 enjoy!
Such an easy recipe made today added chocolate chips and maple syrup. Very versatile thanks
Easy to make with kids, thumps up
Could I make these in muffin tins?
Yeah that should be ok! Enjoy 🙂
Made these today. I added shredded coconut, vanilla, maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Really good! I made these to take camping with me tomorrow but I already ate two bars 😉 I made half the recipe and that was more than enough for just me 🙂 (I did it at 400F)
what degree temperature in the USA please?
Roughly 425 (I used google myself)
I love how simple these bars are to make and how you can really add whatever you’d like to them! I made half the recipe today with a few add ins and they were great! Thank you!
Hello,
Can I use thawed frozen bananas instead of ripe bananas? Or will it be too wet?
Thank you!
Hmm potentially too wet, maybe worth a try though. Let me know how you get on 🙂
Hi!
I added honey to mine with extra cinnamon to give a twist, it helped stick it together and added a bit of sweetness too!
Hi, could the oats be blended to make for a smoother bar, or would that not work?
Hmm not sure on that one Jessica, give it a try and see how you get on!
Is 200c the setting for fan ovens? What size tin do you use?
Taste and smell are divine. I baked for 20mins at 200c fan in a 20x20cm dish. But because I halved the recipe, the bars were over baked and too thin so were a bit crispy.
200C Fan oven yes and I use a 9×9 tin. I would assume it’s due to making half this mix it was too thin.
do you recommend letting the sit before eating?
Hi Eleni 🙂 yes the recipe says to allow to cool for 10 minutes before eating. Enjoy and let me know how you get on!
Hiiii these look amazing! Would you know how many calories in a bar?
Hi Mason, I don’t count calories in my recipes but leave it open for those that want to know to input into apps as all the ingredients are included 🙂
about 200 🙂
Hi. What size bananas do you recommend? Is there an appropriate weight to the mashed banana? Thanks.
Hey Craig, just a medium size 🙂 hard to say with bananas!
This looks delicious, thank you for sharing!
Would honey be a good idea to add as a sweeter/sugar? The recipe looks great and very easy.
Hey James, yes honey would totally work 🙂 enjoy!
Hey any ideas of the calories in these please?
Hey Beth, sorry but I don’t count calories in my recipes. I leave it open for those that want to know can add the ingredients to an app if they wish to know.
These look fab. Would adding chopped dried apricots or raisins be ok?
Absolutely 🙂
How many syns ? please.
Hi Joan, I have no idea I don’t follow anything about syns or calories in my recipes. Best bet is to input the details yourself to find out.
Found this recipe during lockdown in the UK. My husband and I enjoy a banana bar with our morning coffee. So we treat it as a healthy snack rather than for breakfast. They are so easy to make and taste fabulous.
Hi there. I’m just wondering what the final consistency of these bars is? Chewy? Crunchy? Soft? Do they hold together well? Thanks.
Chewy and yes they hold together well 🙂 enjoy!
Couldn’t be easier! Have just made banana muffins but I needed another idea. Thank you.
Thank you Penny 🙂
YUM! and so simple!
So easy to make.
Simple recipe and ingredients no faffing!
Very enjoyable and satisfying breakfast
Thanks Sharron, glad you enjoyed them!
I can use quick oats for this recipe?
Yes 🙂
This is the best recipe ever! They are not only healthy, but they’re easy to make and absolutely tasty too. I add a little maple syrup and desiccated coconut. 10/10
Thank you Melanie 🙂 so pleased you’re enjoying them! Thanks for the feedback.
Thanks for the great recipe! I added seeds, coconut and cranberries. I’ve had them for a quick breakfast and for snacks. Great way of getting the children to try new foods too, but really want to save them all for me!!
Glad to hear you and the kids enjoyed them Sarah 🙂
What is the conversion of 400 grams of oats to cups? Thanks!
Hey Emily, yes it’s roughly 4 cups 🙂
I absolutely love the simplicity of your recipes and they are always delicious. My son and I made these and added a few chia seeds and blueberries. Thanks again keep up the good work!
Thank you Helen 🙂 appreciate that! Glad you both enjoyed them.
I just tried making this without the bananas but it didn’t stick, what could I use instead of bananas?
Hi
Just want to check carrot cake can we use normal sugar instead of coconut sugar and what can we substitute instead of coconut fat?
Hey Heena, normal sugar will work just fine 🙂 the coconut fat is there to replicate a cream cheese style filling but by all means leave it out!
Yom yom yommmmm
Do you have the nutritional values please?
I would love to know rough calories too please for tracking!
Hey Laura, unfortunately I don’t write calories for any of my recipes as it’s not something that’s important to me. I would urge you to input the ingredients into your own app if it’s something you need to know. Thanks
Wow! These are great and so easy to make. Im taking some to work for lunch tomorrow.
Thank you Emily 🙂 so pleased you enjoyed them!
These look great. Unfortunately, I only have jumbo oats in the house. Would that work or would the bars fall apart?
Thank you Sam, no worries they should work fine as well 🙂 let me know how you get on!
Thanks James, it was fine and they’re tasty! It must be quite a forgiving recipe as I had to chop out various bits of bad banana and therefore guessed the amount of oats but they still came out well! Cheers.
Just burned my mouth because I couldn’t wait. My kids will be happy tomorrow morning!
I made these the other day and they are so moreish! Are they freezable?
Glad you enjoyed them Jade 🙂 I think it should be fine to freeze them.
Awsome
Brilliant simple idea!!
Please get a book in hard back please
I always lose the down loaded one.
Thank you Fiona 🙂 most are printing my new eBook to have in their kitchen. Unfortunately a hard copy isn’t viable right now but hopefully will happen in the future. Thanks for the support!
Hi there James. I have been making banana slices for age. You can also swap the oats (I use raw, sprouted, organic, gluten free oats) for Linseed. YuM! 🙂