Baked Banana Oatmeal Bars (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

These Baked Banana Oatmeal Bars are soft and chewy, and taste like banana bread and banana oatmeal cookies. They're quick and easy to make, require just a few simple ingredients, and the recipe is easily customisable. They're vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free, but can also be made completely sugar free and oil-free too. They're great for dessert, a snack or breakfast, and also perfect for meal prep and packed lunches.

How to make this recipe

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

• Mash the bananas with a fork in a bowl.

Tip: Make sure to use ripe bananas.

• Mix together all the ingredients in a separate, larger mixing bowl.

Tip: Leave the mixture for 10 minutes as leaving the oats to soak for a bit will make them much easier to bind together.

• Transfer the mixture into a square baking tin.

Tip: Line the tin with greased baking paper to make it easier to remove the bars after.

• Scatter over the chopped pecan nuts and press them down into the batter.

• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

• Leave to cool before cutting into squares!

Substitutions you can make

• You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
• To make the cookies free from added sugar, omit the maple syrup.
• You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
• For an oil-free version, the coconut oil can be replaced with almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
• If you don't like cinnamon, it can be omitted.
• You can replace the ground almonds with ground walnuts.
• For a nut-free version, use ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds.

Other ingredients you can add

• Chocolate chips.
• Dried fruit: raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried mango, dried papaya, dried pineapple, chopped dates, chopped dried figs etc.
• Chopped nuts: walnuts, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts.
• Desiccated coconut or coconut flakes.

How long do these Banana Oatmeal Bars keep for?

They keep well in the fridge in an airtight container for a good few days. They also freeze well.

More vegan banana recipes

• Banana Cake
• Banana Cupcakes
• Banana Pancakes
• Banana Oatmeal Cookies
• Blueberry Banana Bread
• Banana Cream Pie
• Banana Muffins

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Baked Banana Oatmeal Bars (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

These Baked Banana Oatmeal Bars are soft and chewy, and taste like banana bread and banana oatmeal cookies. They're quick and easy to make, require just a few simple ingredients, and the recipe is easily customisable.

3.96 from 24 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: banana oatmeal bars, gluten-free oatmeal bars, vegan oatmeal bars

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 bars

Calories: 203kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 medium-sized ripe bananas
• ▢ 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil, or nut butter such as peanut butter or almond butter)
• ▢ 8 tablespoons maple syrup * (or sub any other sweetener)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• ▢ Pinch salt
• ▢ 200 g (1 ⅔ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) ** (or sub ground walnuts)
• ▢ 200 g (1 ⅔ cup) rolled oats (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)

For topping (optional):

• ▢ 100 g (⅔ cup) pecan nuts , roughly chopped (or replace with chocolate chips or coconut flakes)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Peel the bananas and place in a small bowl, then use a fork to mash until you get a smooth paste.
• Place the coconut oil in a separate, large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
• Once melted, add the maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, ground almonds, oats and baking powder to the same bowl.
• Mix well, adding a tiny splash of plant-based milk if it’s looking too dry.
• Leave the mixture for 10 minutes as leaving the oats to soak for a bit will make them much easier to bind together.
• Transfer the mixture into a square or rectangular baking tin lined with greased baking paper - I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin.
• Scatter over the chopped pecan nuts and press them down into the batter.
• Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes until golden brown.
• Leave to cool before cutting into squares.
• Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

Notes

*For a completely sugar-free version, omit the maple syrup.

**You can alternatively use almond flour.

Nutrition Facts

Baked Banana Oatmeal Bars (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 203 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 4g20%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.5g

Sodium 2mg0%

Potassium 199mg6%

Carbohydrates 25g8%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 19IU0%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 57mg6%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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