Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Chewy, lightly sweet oat bars made with mashed ripe banana and peanut butter, studded with chocolate chips. No mixer needed, and they keep well for grab-and-go breakfasts all week.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Wait
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 40 min
- Makes
- 12 bars (one 8-inch pan)
Steps
Before you start
- Use very ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots; they are sweeter and mash smoothly.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center.
- Plan on at least 1 hour of cooling time so the bars set and slice cleanly.
- Check peanut butter labels if serving anyone with allergies, and use a creamy, stirred (not dry or stiff) peanut butter.
Preheat and line panOven 350°F / 175°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C).
- Line an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides to use as handles.
- Lightly grease the exposed pan sides if desired.
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Ready when: Oven thermometer or indicator shows 350°F (175°C)
Tip: The parchment overhang lets you lift the whole slab out for clean cutting.
Mash the bananas
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth with only a few small lumps.
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Ready when: Mash looks like thick, loose puree
Mix wet ingredients
- Add the peanut butter, honey, egg, milk and vanilla to the bananas.
- Stir vigorously with a spatula for about 1 minute until the mixture is uniform and no streaks of peanut butter remain.
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Ready when: Mixture is smooth, evenly tan, with no peanut butter streaks
Tip: If the peanut butter is stiff, warm it for 10–15 seconds in the microwave first.
Add dry ingredients
- Sprinkle the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt over the wet mixture.
- Fold with a spatula until no dry oats or pockets of baking powder remain, about 30 seconds.
- The batter will be thick and sticky.
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Ready when: All oats are moistened and the batter is thick and scoopable
Fold in chocolate
- Fold in 6 tablespoons (64 g) of the chocolate chips, reserving the rest for the top.
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Ready when: Chips evenly distributed; batter has thickened slightly after resting
Fill the pan
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
- With damp fingers or the back of a damp spatula, press it into an even layer, pushing into the corners.
- Scatter the remaining chocolate chips (about 2 tablespoons/21 g) over the top and press them in lightly.
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Ready when: Surface is flat and level
Tip: Damp hands stop the sticky batter from pulling up.
Bake the barsOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake in the center of the 350°F (175°C) oven for 22–25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the edges are golden brown and pulling slightly from the pan, and the center is set and springs back when lightly pressed.
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Ready when: Golden edges, set center, a toothpick in the middle comes out clean apart from melted chocolate
Tip: Don't overbake; the bars firm up a lot as they cool.
Cool completely
- Set the pan on a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.
- Lift the slab out by the parchment and return it to the rack to cool for at least 45 more minutes until fully room temperature.
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Ready when: Slab feels firm and no longer warm to the touch
Tip: Cutting while warm makes the bars fall apart.
Slice and serve
- Transfer the slab to a cutting board.
- With a sharp knife, cut into 3 columns by 4 rows to make 12 bars, wiping the blade between cuts if it gets sticky.
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Ready when: Clean, neat edges on each bar
Good to know
Tips
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant (too mushy) or steel-cut (too hard).
- Measure oats by weight if possible; too many oats make dry bars.
- For a firmer, crunchier edge, bake 2–3 minutes longer, watching closely.
- Press the batter firmly into the pan so the bars hold together when cut.
Make ahead
Bake up to 3 days ahead and store covered at room temperature, or freeze for up to 3 months for grab-and-go breakfasts.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature in an airtight container up to 2 days; refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze individually wrapped up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or microwave from frozen for 20–30 seconds.
Substitutions
- creamy peanut butter → almond butter or sunflower seed butter. Use the same amount; sunflower butter works for nut-free kitchens and may turn slightly green, which is harmless.
- semisweet chocolate chips → raisins, dried cranberries or chopped walnuts. Use the same total amount.
- large egg → 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp water, rested 5 minutes). Bars will be slightly more tender and fragile; makes them egg-free.
- old-fashioned rolled oats → certified gluten-free rolled oats. Same amount; needed for gluten-free diets.
