Jump to Recipe·★★★★★5 from 4 reviews

These baked vegan banana oatmeal bars are made with simple, wholesome ingredients and are easy to whip up in about 30 minutes.

A stack of baked oatmeal bars topped with chocolate..

If you’re looking for a simple baked oat bar that works for breakfast, snack time or dessert, these banana oat bars are perfect! They have the yummiest texture and flavour and are super easy to make with basic ingredients.

Skip the chocolate if you’d prefer to keep them on the healthier side, or add it for a nice little treat and to make them more dessert-like. Either way, they’re delicious!

Table of Contents hide

Why Make this Recipe

  • Quick and Easy! All you need is a few minutes of prep and 30 minutes of baking time
  • Allergy-friendly. These bars are gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free (yep, vegan too!).
  • Healthy or decadent. Skip the chocolate topping for a healthier, lower-sugar recipe or add it to make these a real treat.
  • Low-calorie. Including the chocolate topping, each bar is just 120 calories.

What You’ll Need

Labelled ingredients for making banana oat bars.
  1. Oats. Use rolled oats, quick oats or large flake oats.
  2. Ground flaxseed. The flax helps hold everything together and acts somewhat like an egg, it also adds a little boost of nutrition.
  3. Coconut. Use fine or medium unsweetened shredded coconut, it may be labeled desiccated coconut (you can use sweetened but keep in mind it has added sugar).
  4. Plant-based milk. any kind of plant-based milk such as almond, oat or cashew works, just make sure you enjoy the flavor of it before using in the recipe
  5. Banana. Use ripe or slightly overripe, spotty bananas.
  6. Dates. The chopped dates are optional but add delicious sweet bites of caramel throughout the bars.

Looking for an even simpler version of baked oats? Try this easy baked banana oatmeal.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1. Mix the dry ingredients. Mix up the oats, flax, coconut, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Dumping shredded coconut into a glass mixing bowl of oats.

Step 2. Add the wet ingredients. Add the vanilla, almond milk, mashed banana, and chopped dates to the oat mixture.

Quick Tip: Before adding the banana, mash it in a bowl with a fork or immersion blender until it forms a chunky paste.

A bowl of oats topped with mashed banana and chopped dates.

Step 3. Bake the bars. Press the batter into a lined baking pan and pop them in the oven for 30 minutes.

Quick Tip: For easy removal, line the pan with two strips of parchment paper or give it a quick spritz of non-stick cooking spray.

Raw oatmeal dough with banana and dates in a baking pan.

Step 3. Add chocolate. This step is optional but if you really want to take this up a notch, melt dairy-free chocolate chips or dark chocolate then spread it over the baked bars.

  • Spooning melted chocolate over baked oatmeal bars.
  • Chocolate coated bars in a baking dish.

Notes

  • Serving size. You can cut the bars into 8 large bars or 16 squares depending on how large you want each serving to be. If you make 16 servings, they’ll be 129 calories each including the chocolate…double that for larger bars.
  • Try add-ins. These bars make a great base for add-ins like chocolate chunks, walnuts, or raisins.
  • Coconut alternatives. The coconut can be omitted or substituted with hemp seeds.

Can you freeze banana oat bars?

Yes! You can freeze these bars up to 3 months in a good, freezer-safe container or bag. Reheat them in the microwave or thaw in the fridge.

A chocolate covered oat bar on a cutting board.

Did you try this recipe?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review and be sure to tag me @runningonrealfood if you post it on social media.

Print
clockclock iconcutlerycutlery iconflagflag iconfolderfolder iconinstagraminstagram iconpinterestpinterest iconfacebookfacebook iconprintprint iconsquaressquares iconheartheart iconheart solidheart solid icon
A stack of baked oatmeal bars topped with chocolate..

Vegan Banana Oatmeal Bars

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 16
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe
Save Recipe

Description

These soft and delicious, nut-free banana oatmeal bars are a great breakfast option for busy mornings. Easy to make, nut-free and topped with chocolate for a treat!

Ingredients

  • 2.5 cups (275 g) rolled oats
  • 2 tbsp (14 g) ground flax
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup (30 g) unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup (240 mL) almond milk or other plant-based milk of choice
  • 2 medium-sized ripe bananas (220 g), mashed
  • 5 medjool dates (68 g without pits), finely chopped, optional (see notes)
  • 1–2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp stevia or stevia drops, optional, to taste
  • 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips for topping, optional

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Add the oats, flax, coconut, salt and cinnamon to a bowl and stir to combine.
  3. Mash the banana in a bowl using a fork or immersion blender until it forms a thick, chunky paste.
  4. Add the almond milk, vanilla, banana and dates to the oat mixture and stir into a thick batter.
  5. Taste the batter and if you feel like you want it a little sweeter, add 1-2 tbsp maple syrup or sweeten to taste with stevia.
  6. Line an approximately 7-8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or give it a light spritz of non-stick cooking spray. Add the oat mixture to the pan and flatten out until even.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes.
  8. If adding the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate chips stovetop in a double boiler or in the microwave in 15-seconds increments, stirring often. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the bars using a spatula or the back of a spoon.
  9. Let cool before slicing into 16 squares or 8 large bars.
  10. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1-week or freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

It’s not necessary to use additional sweetener, especially if you plan on topping these with chocolate. If you’re not using a chocolate topping, taste the batter add your choice of sweetener to taste, if you’d like to sweeten it up a bit. The bars aren’t super sweet on their own but dates and banana do add sweetness throughout.

The medjool dates are optional but add a really nice, caramel flavor to the bars. They can be replaced with raisins or another add-in of choice, such as chocolate chips, nuts or seeds.

The coconut can be omitted or replaced with hemp seeds.

Keywords: banana oatmeal bars, banana oat bars, vegan baked banana oatmeal bars

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @runningonrealfood on Instagram and don’t forget to leave your review below.

UPDATE NOTE: This recipe was originally published on March 8, 2017. It was updated on April 12, 2020 with new photos and text.