These soft and chewy Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars are perfect to make ahead and grab for a quick breakfast or snack! They’re freezer-friendly, easy to make, and sweetened with honey and bananas!
Peanut butter banana is the most classic of combos. Have you ever had a peanut butter banana sandwich? My favorite as a kid!! This recipe brings back the same flavors and textures for me.
These breakfast bars have so many of my favorite things, all wrapped up in bar form! And it’s totally okay to eat for breakfast or snacks. Not to mention such a great use of leftover bananas!
Ingredients in these Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars:
- Bananas – Duh!! The good news is they are not required to be super ripe for this recipe to succeed. I used up our ripe ones and had to continue testing with newer bananas. Still worked just fine.
- Rolled Oats – Old-fashioned, rolled oats. I use Bob’s Red Mill. Use the gluten-free specific kind if you need that!
- Peanut Butter – We love PB. Hope you do too. If you don’t, another nut butter would probably work but I haven’t tested anything but peanut butter.
- Honey – Used as the sweetener in the recipe, and I just love the PB/honey combo. I also tested with maple syrup, but preferred the honey.
- Almond Milk – But you can use any nut milk or dairy milk if you want.
- Baking Powder – For some puff!
- Cinnamon – Cinnamon and peanut butter is just a combo I love. For yummy flavor!
- Salt – A bit of sea salt to balance all the sweetness.
How to make these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Banana Breakfast Bars:
This recipe is super simple, which is why I love it so much! It’s as simple as preheating the oven, mixing everything together in a bowl, and baking.
I recommend using parchment paper in your 8×8 pan for super easy cleanup. The parchment paper is also useful for lifting the bars out of the pan.
If you have an extra banana, definitely slice it up and put it on top. I love the softened, almost caramelized tasting banana on top.
After baking, let the bars cool, then slice them up. I keep them stored in a container with lid on the counter or in the fridge.
Can I use a different sweetener instead of honey?
I have personally tested this recipe with maple syrup instead of honey, and I prefer honey as the sweetener. There’s just something so good about the honey/peanut butter/banana combo that I love.
Maple syrup adds a different kind of sweetness that I usually love, but not in the case of these Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. That being said, you are always welcome to make this recipe your own and try it any way you want!
Can I use a different nut butter instead of peanut butter?
I have not tested this recipe with anything other than peanut butter, but I do think it would be delicious with any nut butter, particularly cashew butter. I was specifically going for the PB/banana combo when I was testing out this recipe.
Reader Love
These turned out SO good!! I used mixed nut butter instead of peanut butter and added a splash of vanilla. They’re excellent and will make them again, for sure!
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Are these Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars good for meal prep?
Yes! We love them for a breakfast or snack prep. Have one for breakfast with a hard-boiled egg for a macro balanced morning meal, or grab one as a snack to help keep you satisfied between meals.
Keep these bars stored on the counter or in the fridge in an airtight container or individually wrapped, for up to 5 days. They may start to get stale around day 4, but they are still good to eat if you want.
Yes! During testing, I froze several of these breakfast bars and was able to thaw and eat them later without being able to tell they were frozen.
I tried two different methods of thawing which both worked very well:
- Overnight thaw – Pulled a frozen breakfast bar out of the freezer and put it in a container in the fridge. Ate the next day.
- Counter quick thaw – Pulled a frozen breakfast bar out of the freezer and left it on the counter for one hour. Was still very cold when I ate it but was thawed and soft.
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Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
These soft and chewy Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars are perfect to make ahead and grab for a quick breakfast or snack! They’re freezer-friendly, super easy to make and naturally sweetened with honey and bananas!
- Total Time35 minutes
- Yield8 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 2 medium bananas
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons almond milk (or any kind)
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- optional: 1 banana, cut into 16 slices, for topping & peanut butter for drizzling
Instructions
- Prep & mix: Preheat oven to 375F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper. Mash bananas well in a medium sized mixing bowl until no chunks remain. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl (except optional sliced bananas) and mix thoroughly.
- Bake: Pour mixture into the prepared 8×8 pan. Optional: Top with sliced bananas in 4×4 rows and press them slightly into the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 23-26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Serve & store: Let the bars cool for 5-10 minutes, then remove from the pan using the parchment paper. Place on a cutting board and let cool for a few more minutes, then use a sharp knife to cut into 8 bars. Drizzle with melted peanut butter if you want. Keep these bars stored on the counter or in the fridge in an airtight container or individually wrapped, for up to 5 days. They may start to get stale around day 4, but they are still good to eat if you want.
Equipment
8-Piece Pyrex Sculptured Mixing Bowl Set
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Rubbermaid High Heat Spatula Scraper
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Notes
Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 225
- Sugar: 14g
- Fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 6g
Did You Make This?
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Do you have to add the honey? Would they hold up without it?
Hi Mary – I do think the bars would hold up without the honey, however they may not be sweet enough. You could try maple syrup instead if you have any. Hope it works for you! Thanks for your question. -Danielle
How long can these be stored in the freezer?
Up to 3 months for best condition, but up to 6 months would be alright too.
Oh these look perfect and sound delicious! Bananas are my shopping list now. But what did you drizzle on top of them in your last photos?! Details please!
Hi Diane! The drizzle is just some warmed up peanut butter! I bet you’ll enjoy these if you like bananas with peanut butter. Sort of like a baked oatmeal cup, but cut into bar form. Hope you love them! -Danielle
Thanks for the recipe! How long do these last and do they need refrigeration?
Hello – Keep these bars stored on the counter or in the fridge in an airtight container, or individually wrapped, for up to 5 days. Fridge is not required, but I do like them chilled. Thank you for your question, I just went back on this old post and made the information easier to find. -Danielle
These turned out SO good!! I used mixed nut butter instead of peanut butter and added a splash of vanilla. They’re excellent and will make them again, for sure!
Okay, this seriously sounds AMAZING! I love how you changed it up a bit 🙂 Thank you for sharing your results, I very much appreciate it. Also so helpful for other readers! -Danielle