These Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars are not only easy and simple to make, but they're extremely flavorful and made with simple pantry ingredients. Eat them with breakfast or even as a healthier dessert, since they do contain chocolate chips in them!
This recipe was originally published in April of 2020, but was updated on April 13, 2021 with newer content and fresh pictures.
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best recipes and these banana chocolate chip oatmeal bars are one of the easiest desserts I have here on the blog. Everything is mixed together in one bowl and baked in a square 8x8-inch pan. For such an easy breakfast bar, they're also packed with flavor!
I love the combination of chocolate and bananas so I knew I needed to add some chocolate chips if only to satisfy my chocolate cravings. Also mixed into these banana oat bars are peanut butter and just a little bit of cinnamon.
One of the best parts about these bars is that they're both soft and chewy, unlike store-bought granola bars that tend to be quite hard. Part of that is because of the fresh ripe banana and the chewy old-fashioned oats. Have I convinced you yet that you need to make these now?!
Why these are the best banana chocolate chip bars:
- They're made in just one bowl.
- All you need are simple pantry ingredients in order to make them.
- With both prep and bake time, they're done in less than 30 minutes.
- They're on the healthier side, containing just 1/4 cup of brown sugar.
- They're soft-baked, making them both chewy and moist.
We all have that problem of having ripe (or even overripe) bananas sitting on our countertops and you don't feel like making banana bread again (if you do, here's my banana bread recipe!). That's where these banana bars come in.
You only need one ripe banana in order to create an extremely flavorful treat that is perfect for not only breakfast but also for a snack and dessert! This is one of my favorite recipes right now and for good reasons!
Picture the flavors of banana bread and the texture of a chewy oatmeal cookie. That's what you get with these banana oatmeal bars.
Baking Tips Before Starting:
- Parchment Paper: Line your 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little hanging over the sides to serve as a “handle”. Then grease with non-stick spray.
- Banana: This is a perfect recipe for your overripe bananas. The riper it is, the more flavor it will extract so a dark and wrinkly banana is perfect!
- Chilling: Once the bars are removed from the oven allow them to cool for 15 minutes before placing them into the refrigerator. I recommend they chill for 1 hour before slicing them into bars.
Ingredients Needed:
- Banana: You'll need only one medium-sized banana. The riper the better.
- Egg: Helps to bind the ingredients together.
- Old-Fashioned Oats: Use old-fashioned oats (also called rolled oats). Do not substitute them for quick oats.
- Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and chewiness.
- Milk: Helps to keep the bars moist.
- Peanut Butter: Use creamy peanut butter. This helps to bind all of the ingredients together while giving a hint of peanut butter flavor.
- Baking Powder: Helps the bars to rise just slightly.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds flavor.
- Salt: Enhances all of the other flavors
- Cinnamon: Adds flavor.
- Chocolate Chips: I used semi-sweet, but you could also use milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips.
How To Make Banana Oat Bars:
With just 5 minutes of prep, these banana chocolate chip oatmeal bars come together so quickly and effortlessly!
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the banana using a fork. Then add all of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips, and mix together using a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Gently mix in the chocolate chips.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and use your spoon to spread the mixture out evenly.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes. The texture of the bars should be soft but firm (not raw). Cool on the counter for 15 minutes, then chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before cutting into bars.
My favorite way to eat these is cold and straight out of the refrigerator and you can keep them refrigerated for up to 7 days.
Since these were baked in an 8x8 inch pan, you can cut them into big or small bars. Small squares, as I cut them, will give you 16 bars. Large squares will give you 9.
Need more than 16 bars? Just double the recipe and cook in a 9x13 inch pan. 🙂
Frequently Asked Questions:
Of course! In addition to the chocolate chips, you can certainly add another 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or even butterscotch chips. The options are endless and adaptable to what you like.
No. Stay away from instant oats because they are not the same as old-fashioned oats. They're thinner and will not hold up in this recipe.
Keep any leftover banana bars in the refrigerator. They're best consumed cold and will last up to 7 days.
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below. I love hearing from you!
And as always, if you have any questions or recipe ideas, let me know below in the comments or on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Happy baking!
More Banana Recipes To Try:
Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
Equipment
- 8x8 inch baking pan
- Large Mixing Bowl
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little hanging over the sides to serve as a “handle”. Then grease with non-stick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Then add all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips, using a plastic or wooden spoon to mix until combined. Gently mix in the chocolate chips.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and use your spoon to spread the mixture out evenly.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes. The texture of the bars should be soft but firm (not raw). Cool on the counter for 15 minutes, then chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before cutting into bars.
Notes:
These are really easy and so tasty. TY for publishing. I will try more of your recipes!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Amy!!