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Banana Oatmeal Bars

Banana oatmeal bars with a golden edge and a soft, chewy center—made by mashing ripe bananas and baking until the middle is set. These easy breakfast bars let you skip refined sugar and optionally fold in chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts for extra texture.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 245
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Banana oat bar base
  • 3 ripe bananas Mash until completely smooth.
  • 2 cup rolled oats Rolled oats give a chewy, set center.
  • 0.25 cup honey or maple syrup Use honey or maple syrup to bind.
  • 0.3333 cup peanut butter or almond butter Helps the bars hold together.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup chocolate chips, raisins, or chopped nuts Optional mix-ins; choose one or combine.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prep the pan
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 or 9x13 pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy lifting.
Mash and combine
  1. Mash ripe bananas until completely smooth in a large bowl, with no banana chunks visible.
  2. Add rolled oats, honey, peanut butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt, then mix until fully combined and thick.
Add mix-ins and bake
  1. Fold in chocolate chips or add-ins if using, distributing them evenly through the batter.
  2. Press the mixture evenly into the pan and smooth the top so it bakes flat.
  3. Bake for 22–25 minutes at 350°F until edges are golden and the center is set.
  4. Cool completely before cutting into bars so they firm up into neat squares.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the pan fully before slicing—warm bars crumble easily even if the center looks set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze bars up to 2 months in a freezer-safe bag. For a dietary swap, use almond butter instead of peanut butter for a nut-free choice only if your mix-ins and oats are also nut-free (otherwise swap may not be allergen-safe).