Vegan Banana Oatmeal Bars
These soft and delicious banana oatmeal bars are a great breakfast option for busy mornings or snack any time of day.
Servings: 16 bars
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups rolled oats 275 g
- 2 tbsp ground flax 14 g
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 30 g
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed 220 g
- 1 cup almond milk or other plant-based milk of choice 240 mL
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 5 medjool dates, finely chopped 68 g without pits, optional, see notes
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup optional, see notes
- 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips for topping optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line an approximately 7 or 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or give it a light spritz of non-stick cooking spray.
- Add the oats, flax, salt, coconut and cinnamon to a large mixing bowl and mix well.
- Add the mashed banana, milk, vanilla and chopped dates and mix into a thick batter. Add everything but the optional maple syrup and chocolate and mix into a thick batter. Taste the batter and if you feel like you want it a little sweeter, add 1-2 tbsp maple syrup to sweeten.
- Add the mixture to the pan and flatten out until even. Bake for 30 minutes.
- 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.
- Let cool before slicing into 16 squares or 8 large bars.
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.
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.
Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1-week or freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 44mg