3 Ingredient Healthy Banana Oatmeal Bars
These healthy banana oatmeal bars are soft and chewy. They are only 3 ingredients and don’t contain any flour, added sugar, dairy, butter or oil. The oatmeal bars are easy to make and can easily be customized.
I really enjoy eating these oatmeal bars for breakfast or a snack. I love the soft and chewy texture and you can easily add mix-ins or adjust sweetness to suit your personal preferences.
Ingredients
- Rolled Oats
- Bananas
- Eggs
Rolled Oats: Rolled oats, which are also known as old fashioned oats, are used to make these oat bars. I recommend using rolled oats instead of quick oats because rolled oats will absorb the moisture from the bananas and hold up better.
Bananas: Use very ripe or overripe bananas for this recipe. The oatmeal bars are only sweetened with bananas and overripe bananas are sweeter. The bananas will need to be finely mashed.
Eggs: Eggs act as a binding agent as well as adding some fat to the bars to keep them from being too dry.
How to Make Healthy Banana Oatmeal Bars
- Combine the mashed bananas and eggs and whisk until no egg streaks remain.
- Add in the rolled oats and stir until they are fully incorporated.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until done.
Texture
The bars have a soft and chewy texture, similar to baked oatmeal, though they are a little firmer than classic baked oatmeal. The bars are also lightly sweetened.
Expert Tips
- These oatmeal bars are only lightly sweet. To increase the sweetness, you can add 1-3 tablespoons of maple syrup. You can also add mix-ins, like dried fruit or chocolate chips, to add more sweetness and flavor.
- I recommend using overripe bananas which will be more sweet. Make sure to finely mash your bananas. I like using a whisk or a potato masher to mash my bananas.
- This recipe works best with rolled oats. Quick oats will not work well because they won’t be able to absorb all the moisture from the batter.
More Oatmeal Bar Recipes
- 4 Ingredient Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
- 3 Ingredient Apple Oatmeal Bars
- 3 Ingredient Blueberry Oatmeal Bars
3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup (232 g) finely mashed overripe bananas, see note before starting
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (174 g) rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8 inch by 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Add mashed bananas and eggs to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until there is no more egg streaks in the mixture and the mixture is mostly uniform (a few small chunks of bananas are okay). Add in oats and stir with a spatula until the oats are evenly mixed in. If adding any mix-ins, add them in now.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan. Use a spatula to evenly spread it across the pan and smooth the surface.
- Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until bars look set and cooked. The surface of the bars should be lightly golden and when you press lightly on the surface, it should feel lightly firm and bounce back rather than be very soft and sink in. Let bars cool fully before removing from the pan and cutting and serving. Store uneaten bars in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- These bars are only very lightly sweetened. I found the bars sweet enough on their own. However, if you prefer sweeter desserts, you can add 1-3 tbsp maple syrup to the batter or stir in mix-ins like dried fruit or chocolate chips.
- Banana Note: 1 cup is measured after the bananas are mashed. You will need to finely mash until very little chunks of bananas remain. I recommend using a small whisk or a small potato masher. Also try to use overripe bananas which are sweeter and easier to mash.
- You can make the bars gluten-free by using gluten-free oats. I did not use gluten-free oats in this recipe.
- Rolled oats are sometimes referred to as old fashioned oats. I used Quaker Oats old fashioned oats (Amazon | Target | Walmart)*
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Love these easily made recipes
Thank you!
If I use quick oats, what can I add to help absorb?
Quick oats will not work well because they won’t be able to absorb all the moisture from the batter and we don’t have a substitute for them! We do have another recipe that uses quick oats.
I’m trying to detox sugar but am allowing myself to have fruits, so this recipe was just what I was looking for. The bars were great and had just enough sweetness from the bananas. I sprinkled a few raw pumpkinseeds on top, but that was the only change I made. I would definitely make these again.
Yum! We’re so glad you enjoyed these bars!
Fantastic — I add allspice/cinnamon/fresh grated nutmeg/cardamon and oh so good!!!
Yum!! We’re so glad you love this recipe!
I made these today to use up some pretty over ripe bananas. This is the most bland recipe I’ve ever made. I even put a lot of cinnamon in it. They turned out pretty and the consistency was like it says. The bananas are not enough for flavor. I hid them in the back of my fridge so nobody sees them and I’m going put strawberry cream cheese on them for me as a snack. Lol
Honestly, it’s an easy recipe and would be a 5 if i had added extras for flavor. I should have made the banana bread.
Thank you for your feedback on this recipe! These bars are only very lightly sweetened with the banana. They are meant to be healthy bars with low sugar and no added oils or butter which is specifically stated in the post. Many of our readers that are on low sugar diets love these bars and find that the banana flavor is enough to add flavor to the bars. Of course, taste preferences are always subjective. As stated in the recipe notes, if you prefer sweeter desserts, you can add 1-3 tbsp maple syrup to the batter or stir in mix-ins like dried fruit or chocolate chips!
what can I substitute for the eggs.
I have egg allergies
You can substitute the eggs with 1/2 cup of whole milk and it will work though the bars come out a little chewier and less rich.
I’m keen to learn more Recipes
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Could this be done in a 13 by 9? Maybe double the recipe, but how long of a bake time? Also if I do mini muffin tins for poppable bites, how long of a cook time do you think for those?
Yes you can double the recipe. We are not sure how long they would need to bake as we have not tested that. We have not tested them as mini muffins either so we are unsure what adjustments would need to be made!
Absolutely amazing, very tasty indeed and simple to make!
Thank you! We’re so glad you loved this recipe!
Wow! Better than I expected. Absolutely delicious. It has a slightly chewy texture like a dense cake. I added chocolate chips and cinnamon to my batch. Will definitely make this one a housestaple 🙂
Yum! We’re so glad you loved this recipe!
Hi, if I were to cook it in an air fryer, what would the temperature and timing be?
Hello! We have not tested this recipe in an air fryer so we are not sure!
These recipes are very short and sounds very easy, I can’t wait to try them!
Thank you! We hope you enjoy them!
Not great but not terrible. Could use some sea salt and a dash of cinnamon.
You could definitely add both of those!
These breakfast bars are something that I will definitely make.
We’re glad to hear that!
Quick and easy recipes,I love that
We’re so glad you loved these!
Very good recipe
Thank you! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Instead of eggs can I use ground flaxseed and water?
We have not tried that with this recipe so we are unsure what the final results would be! You can substitute the eggs with 1/2 cup of whole milk and it will work though the bars come out a little chewier and less rich.
Om going to try an make these thanks for bringing healthy recipes to us
That’s great! Let us know how you like them!