These healthy banana bread oatmeal bars are soft and moist. They are just 4 ingredients and don’t contain any wheat flour, added sugar, butter or oil. It’s an easy one bowl recipe and no mixer is needed. The bars can also easily be customized.
Three Banana Bread Oatmeal Bars in a stack

These banana bread oatmeal bars are a cross between banana bread and soft oatmeal bars. They are soft and fluffy like banana bread but are also more moist and gooey than banana bread.

Ingredients

  • Bananas
  • Eggs
  • Oat flour
  • Baking Powder

Bananas: I recommend using very ripe or overripe bananas. These bars are only sweetened with bananas so using riper bananas will make your bars sweeter.

Eggs: Eggs help provide structure for these bars and help them stay soft and fluffy.

Oat flour: Oat flour is used in place of wheat flour to make these bars healthier. Oat flour also helps create a more fluffy texture for these bars. You can use store bought oat flour or homemade oat flour.

Baking powder: Baking powder is used to help the bars rise and keep them light. I use aluminum-free baking powder to prevent any potential metallic aftertaste.

You can also customize with your favorite mix-ins. For the bars in the photos, I added some bittersweet chocolate chips to make the bars look less plain. Other nuts and dried fruit can also be added.

How to Make Banana Bread Oatmeal Bars

  • The bananas are first mashed with a fork or whisk. Make sure to mash the bananas and not puree them. Pureeing the bananas will cause the batter to be too dense and gummy.
  • The eggs are then whisked in.
  • Oat flour and baking powder are gently folded in. The batter is then transferred to your prepared baking pan and baked until golden brown and done.

Banana Bread Oatmeal Bars cut into squares

Texture

These banana bread oatmeal bars are both soft and fluffy like banana bread but also very moist, with pockets of soft sweet mashed bananas mixed throughout. You do also taste the oat, which adds a little more texture to the bars. The bars are only lightly sweetened because they are meant to be healthy banana bread bars. If you prefer sweeter, you can add a few tablespoons of maple syrup to the batter or add sweet mix-ins like chocolate chips or dried fruit. I found that the bars were just sweet enough when I want to eat a snack that is low in sugar.

Expert Tips

  • I recommend using overripe bananas which adds a lot of flavor and more sweetness to the bars.
  • Don’t puree the bananas because it will make the bars gummy and dense.
  • Make sure the oat flour is gently folded in. Don’t try mixing everything in a blender or food processor because that will overwork the batter and cause the bars to be too dense.

Banana Bread Oatmeal Bars with chocolate chips

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4 Ingredient Healthy Banana Bread Oatmeal Bars

These healthy banana bread oatmeal bars are a cross between soft oatmeal bars and banana bread. They are so soft and moist. The bars need just 4 ingredients and don't contain any wheat flour, added sugar, butter or oil.
Servings: 12 bars
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 4 large overripe bananas, 406 grams after peeled
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups (155 g) oat flour, see note regarding measuring oat flour
  • 2 tsp (8.5 g) aluminum-free baking powder

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8 inch by 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  • Add bananas to a large mixing bowl and use a fork or whisk to mash until the bananas are finely mashed.
  • Add the eggs to the mashed bananas and whisk until evenly combined and no egg streaks remain.
  • Add the oat flour and baking powder. Gently stir and fold with a spatula until they are fully incorporated and there are no pockets of oat flour in the batter. If adding any mix-ins, stir them in now. (For the photos, I added some bittersweet chocolate chips).
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly across. (I also sprinkled some additional bittersweet chocolate chips on top for decoration.)
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the bars are done. The surface should be golden brown and puffed. When you apply light pressure to the surface, it should also bounce back a little and not completely sink in. The bars will initially be very puffy but they will sink down and level as they cool. Let bars cool completely before cutting with a sharp knife and serving. Keep any leftover uneaten bars stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

  • Sweetness note: These bars are only lightly sweetened. They are meant to be low sugar healthy bars. If you prefer sweeter, you can add 1-3 tablespoons of maple syrup to the batter or add sweet mix-ins like chocolate chips or dried fruit.
  • Oat flour note: If you are using cup measurements, before measuring out the oat flour, stir it up in the bag because oat flour does tend to get very compacted when stored. First stir it up with a spoon,  then spoon it into your measuring cup and finally level off the measuring cup.
  • I used Bob's Red Mill Oat Flour*
  • *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Serving: 1bar, Calories: 84kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Sodium: 66mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, NET CARBS: 13
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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