These soft-baked, Healthy Oatmeal Bars are easy to make and great for breakfast! Moist and perfectly sweetened with no added sugar, this oatmeal protein bar recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and so delicious.
You may also want to try my chocolate protein-baked oats. or these healthy oatmeal Date Bars. They are so good and easy to make.
Healthy chocolate oatmeal bars are easy and so full of protein. My kids love them so much and say they love having them for breakfast before they go to school. As teenagers they want hassle-free breakfast options that they can just grab and eat on the way to school! 😎 I personally love them too! When you take a bite you will get a soft and chewy texture. You can definitely taste the peanut butter and banana in there. Combined with chocolate chip, it’s just perfection. What’s great is my kids can’t tell they have any protein in them!
I go back and forth between this recipe and my other filling oat recipes including my homemade oatmeal granola bars, apple cinnamon oatmeal, peanut butter protein oats, and more. There are so many great options to choose from for healthy breakfast recipes!
Why you will love these Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Versatile: This peanut butter oatmeal bar recipe is a favorite because you can make it in so many ways! Use different types of chopped nuts, fruit, or nut butter. Sometimes I use vanilla protein powder when I don’t have Chocolate flavored.
- Easy: It is ready in less than 30 minutes and easy to make! All you do is mix everything in one bowl, bake the oat bars, then allow them to cool before eating. So straightforward!
- Full of Protein: The peanut butter, protein powder, oats, and peanuts give these wholesome oatmeal bars a good amount of protein which makes this recipe ideal for whenever you need to curb your hunger with a filling snack.
- Perfect Combination of Flavors: Chocolate and peanut butter are the perfect flavors! Nutty with rich chocolate, these oatmeal bars allow you to feel like you are eating dessert instead of healthy snacks!
- Wholesome: These oat bars are made with healthy plant-based ingredients that are nutrient-dense and rich in fiber and protein.
Ingredients you will need
This is a list that features the ingredients that I used to make this healthy oatmeal bar recipe! For a list of the full measurements, please scroll further down to the recipe card.
- Bananas: I used two bananas to make these oat bars naturally sweet and moist. Make sure you have ripe bananas that are spotty and soft!
- Peanut Butter: Feel free to use either crunchy peanut butter for extra nutty textures or creamy peanut butter for smoother flavors. Any peanut butter will work! You can also use Almond butter.
- Vanilla Extract: Naturally vanilla extract gives this recipe extra rich flavors with vanilla.
- Oats: Quick oats are used because they bake easily and create chewy oat bars.
- Protein Powder: Keep these oatmeal bars vegan by using a dairy-free protein powder. You can also use whey protein for a non-vegan option.
- Chocolate Chips: You can use sugar-free or dairy-free chocolate chips. You can also chop up a chocolate bar into small pieces.
- Peanuts: Roasted peanuts are extra flavorful and used to give this recipe an extra hint of nuttiness. You can use any kind of chopped nuts.
How to make these healthy oatmeal bars
- Mash the banana: First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an eight by ten-inch pan with parchment paper. In a bowl with a potatato masher or fork, mash the two bananas until smooth.
- Combine ingredients: Next, with a spoon, stir in ½ cup of the peanut butter, vanilla extract, quick oats, chocolate protein powder, dark chocolate chips, and finally, the roasted chopped peanuts. Stir all of the ingredient until they are evenly combined.
- Bake the oat bars: Gently, press the mixture into the prepared pan and bake the bars for fifteen minutes or until they are a lightly, golden brown color on top.
- Slice and enjoy: Once the oatmeal bars have finished baking, carefully remove them from the oven and transfer the baked mixture to a wire rack to cool. Once the bars are cool, cut them into twelve even bars.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- To be sure you have gluten-free oatmeal bars, make sure you buy gluten-free oats.
- For extra moisture, add applesauce to the oat bars.
- Instead of peanut butter, use cashew or almond butter. You can even try sunflower butter if you have a nut allergy.
- Use vanilla protein powder instead of chocolate powder for fewer chocolate flavors.
- Instead of dark chocolate chips, switch things up with white chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch chips.
- In place of the peanuts, roasted almonds or cashews can be used.
- For extra nutty flavors, sprinkle some unsweetened shredded coconut in the oat mixture and on top before baking.
- Add rich aromatic spices to these soft baked bars such as cinnamon or nutmeg.
- Dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, dates, etc. will work great for this recipe!
Storage Recommendations
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for four days. The bars will last longer stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Freeze the bars by cutting them into squares and freezing them in a freezer-safe bag for three months.
Frequently Asked Questions
These oatmeal breakfast bars are wholesome and full of protein! Thanks to the peanut butter, banana, oats, protein powder, and peanuts, this recipe is rich in fiber without any added sugar!
Granola bars are typically made with oats and can be mixed with chocolate chips, fruit, spices, nuts, sweeteners, and much more! Granola bars are great for whenever you need a grab-and-go breakfast or snack.
Yes. You can use rolled oats but keep in mind that the texture will be different. It will be more dense and have a crumbly texture. If you only have rolled oats, you can simply blend it a bit and viola, you have quick oats.
More oatmeal bars recipes
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
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In a bowl, mash bananas with a fork or a potato masher until soft.
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Stir in the remaining ingredients. Evenly spread and gently press the mixture into prepared baking pan.
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Bake the bars for 15 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
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Allow the oat bars to cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.
- To be sure you have gluten-free oatmeal bars, make sure you buy gluten-free oats.
- For extra moisture, add applesauce to the oat bars.
- Instead of peanut butter, use cashew or almond butter. You can even try sunflower butter if there is a nut allergy.
- Use vanilla protein powder instead of chocolate powder for fewer chocolate flavors. For a vegan option, use plant-based protein powder.
- Instead of dark chocolate chips, switch things up with white chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch chips. Use dairy-free for a vegan option
- In place of the peanuts, roasted almonds or cashews can be used.
- For extra nutty flavors, sprinkle some unsweetened shredded coconut in the oat mixture and on top before baking.
- If you do not want to mix the ingredients by hand, then you can mix things in a food processor.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for four days. The bars will last longer stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Freeze the bars by cutting them into squares and freezing them in a freezer-safe bag for three months.
- Add rich aromatic spices to these soft baked bars such as cinnamon or nutmeg.
- Dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, dates, etc. will work great for this recipe!
Calories: 195kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 8gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 70mgPotassium: 249mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 13IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
