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Banana Quinoa Breakfast Bars

November 7, 2023

Get your quinoa first thing in the morning with these Banana Quinoa Breakfast Bars. An easy, make-ahead breakfast that is vegan, refined-sugar-free and absolutely delicious.

Why Make These Quinoa Breakfast Bars?

Quinoa for breakfast? Don’t knock it until you try it! These breakfast bars are the perfect meal to start your morning with. They’re packed with protein, vegan and free of refined sugar!

There is truly nothing better than having healthy meals and snacks on hand. If you get sick of cooking every meal, every day (like me!), this recipe is perfect for you. It can be prepped in advance so you have a yummy breakfast or snack ready to enjoy!

Let’s recap! These Quinoa Breakfast Bars are:

  • Healthy – quinoa is a great source of fiber and protein
  • Can be prepped in advance
  • Vegan + gluten-free – no eggs, dairy or gluten required!
  • Refined sugar free!

Ingredients Needed:

  • rolled oats – grab gluten-free oats if necessary.
  • uncooked white quinoa – the most neutral tasting quinoa with the lightest texture… perfect for these bars! Make sure you rinse the quinoa before using both for removing the outer coating and also for the final texture of the bars.
  • bananas – you’ll want super ripe bananas!
  • ground flaxseed – helps bind the bars together. It is effectively like using a flax egg in place of regular eggs.
  • peanut butter – look for natural peanut butter with just peanuts and salt listed for ingredients! You can also swap for a different nut butter or seed butter. Almond butter works great!
  • coconut oil – look for unrefined and/or organic coconut oil.
  • maple syrup – a hint of added sweetness! You could use honey but this recipe would no longer be vegan.
  • baking powder – helps the bars rise.
  • cinnamon – I love the combination of cinnamon and banana.
  • sea salt – to bring all of the flavors together
  • optional add-ins – chocolate chips, coconut, chopped dried fruit (cranberries, raisins etc.), nuts + seeds (walnuts, pumpkin seeds, pecans etc…)

Why white quinoa?

There are actually lots of different colors of quinoa – white, red, black and more! White quinoa is the fastest cooking quinoa that is light in texture and mild in flavor. It’s perfect for these breakfast bars! You can try making this quinoa breakfast bars with a different flavor/color of quinoa but I find they take longer to cook and the flavors are affected.

Do you have to rinse quinoa?

Yes! Quinoa is coated in saponin which is bitter tasting and could result in a gross tasting breakfast bar! Add the quinoa to a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water before using in this recipe.

How to Make Banana Quinoa Breakfast Bars

STEP 1: MIX ALL INGREDIENTS

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, quinoa, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add in the mashed bananas, flaxseed, peanut butter, coconut oil and maple syrup. Stir until well combined. Stir in any optional add-ins and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes so the flaxseed can absorb some liquid. 

Mixing raw ingredients for quinoa breakfast bars.

STEP 2: BAKE BREAKFAST BARS

Spray or grease a 9 x 9 inch baking dish with coconut oil and pour the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.  Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes or until the edges are crisp and the center is cooked through.

Quinoa breakfast bars cut in a baking dish.

STEP 3: CUT + SERVE

Let sit for 20 minutes before cutting into 9-12 squares. 

banana quinoa breakfast bars with chocolate chips

Storage Instructions

Fridge: These bars store really well! After allowing the bars to cool completely, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Freezer: Store quinoa breakfast bars in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight or on counter for several hours.

More Healthy Breakfasts:

Print

Banana Quinoa Breakfast Bars

Get your quinoa first thing in the morning with these Banana Quinoa Breakfast Bars. An easy, make-ahead breakfast that is vegan, refined-sugar-free and absolutely delicious.

  • Author: Davida Lederle
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 912 bars 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Bake
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Spray or grease a 9 x 9 inch baking dish with coconut oil
  3. In a large bowl combine rolled oats, quinoa, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
  4. Add in bananas, flax, peanut butter, coconut oil and maple syrup. Stir until well-combined.
  5. Sprinkle with optional add-ins.
  6. Let batter sit for 10 mins to let flax absorb some liquid.
  7. Add batter to baking dish and spread out evenly.
  8. Bake for 25 mins or until edges are crisp and center is cooked through.
  9. Let sit for 20 mins before cutting into 9-12 squares and allow to cool completely.
  10. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for longer.

Keywords: quinoa breakfast bars, breakfast bars

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  • Reply
    Katja
    January 8, 2017 at 2:08 pm

    I also made these immediately after I found the recipe! I forgot to rinse the quinoa (oops), but they taste great regardless! I also don’t have a 9×9 baking pan (so sad), so I used muffin trays and reduced baking time to about 15 mins. I added the chocolate chips and LOVE them. This will definitely be a part of my weekly prep! Thanks for the recipe!

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      January 11, 2017 at 12:16 am

      So happy to hear that and that you were able to make the changes you needed. Glad you enjoyed!

  • Reply
    Michele
    January 1, 2017 at 7:06 pm

    I love this recipe! I made it last weekend and shared with some friends. I was wondering if you have an idea of the calorie count?
    Thank you!

  • Reply
    Donna
    November 27, 2016 at 12:18 pm

    Hi! I just wanted to thank you for this great recipe! I made your banana quinoa bars last night. They turned out great! I added in a bit of unsweetened coconut and less than half a cup of frozen blueberries as my husband doesn’t appreciate chocolate chips…anyway, he said they were the best healthy square I have ever made and he ate 2 right away!

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      November 29, 2016 at 10:01 am

      Aw so happy to hear that!!

  • Reply
    macy
    October 26, 2016 at 4:42 pm

    Would it be possible to leave the flax seeds out? Or substitute them with chia seeds?

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      November 5, 2016 at 12:10 am

      Sorry for the delayed response! Wouldn’t recommend it. The flax helps to bind things together. They may work out without it but haven’t tried it myself!

  • Reply
    Julissa
    October 24, 2016 at 11:55 am

    Looking forward to making these but I do have one question. Can I make these with organic steel cut oats? I was thinking of pre-cooking the steel cut before making the bars in order to avoid a raw oats taste. Any thoughts?

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      October 24, 2016 at 4:08 pm

      I haven’t tried it myself but it may work out! Would love to hear how it turns out if you try it!

  • Reply
    Winter
    August 1, 2016 at 6:00 pm

    Hi! I am about to make these and was wondering what I could substitute the coconut oil for or can I just opt to leave it out? I don’t have any on hand and I live 30 minutes to the nearest grocery! Please help, I would love to try these for breakfast.

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      August 1, 2016 at 9:23 pm

      Any kind of oil or butter would make a great substitute! Otherwise you can try substituting with applesauce but it will definitely affect the texture and taste. Let me know how it turns out!

  • Reply
    Heidi
    June 24, 2016 at 4:01 pm

    YUM!! Just made these for a pre-workout snack. Delicious, nutritious, and love the texture and bite to them. Will definitely be adding this to my go-to make ahead snack recipes.

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      June 28, 2016 at 9:32 am

      Wonderful! So happy to hear that!

  • Reply
    Kelsey
    June 22, 2016 at 6:09 pm

    Thank you for the recipe and ignore the haters!

    I added hemp hearts, dried cranberries, coconut flakes and chocolate chips! So good 🙂

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      June 23, 2016 at 7:32 am

      So awesome! I’m glad you enjoyed!!

  • Reply
    Liz
    June 13, 2016 at 12:36 pm

    Hi Maven,
    This looks like a great recipe and I just wanted to see if i had to use white quinoa specifically. I only have red quinoa. I look forward to making this, and if I can do so earlier without going to the store, that’d be awesome! Thanks in advance!

    • Reply
      Davida Kugelmass
      June 13, 2016 at 4:09 pm

      I would recommend white quinoa but red quinoa will work! You may just need to bake them for longer as red quinoa can take longer to absorb the liquid. Enjoy! -Davida

  • Reply
    Annie
    June 1, 2016 at 8:01 pm

    Hi! Looks delish. Thoughts on adding protein powder to this? Thanks in advance!

    • Reply
      Davida Kugelmass
      June 1, 2016 at 8:34 pm

      Should be just fine! I wouldn’t add more than a scoop or two though. Let me know how it works out!

  • Reply
    Chi
    May 31, 2016 at 5:53 pm

    hola davida ! i’m new to your blog and i’m already obsessed ! i love it !!! all these healthy recipes make me happy to see that all healthy food can taste good. i haven’t made this recipe yet but i was just wondering do i have to use the baking powder ? i don’t have any ): and i also just wanted to let you know that regardless of all these people judging you, you’re amazing at what you do and you shouldn’t stop. you’ll never be able to please everyone, so do what you do best !

    • Reply
      Davida Kugelmass
      May 31, 2016 at 10:02 pm

      Aw thank you lovely! So sweet of you to say! I would recommend the baking powder. They help to make them rise so they aren’t too dense but you should be okay without it. The texture may just be slightly different!

  • Reply
    Dana
    May 25, 2016 at 12:15 pm

    Hi I’m wondering if you can substitute honey for maple syrup? And if so, is it 1:1 ratio or should I change the amount I put in? Thanks.

    • Reply
      Davida Kugelmass
      May 25, 2016 at 12:40 pm

      Should be just fine substituting honey 1:1! Enjoy 🙂

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