This page contains some affiliate links. Please review my disclosure policy.
These soft and chewy oatmeal breakfast bars are a filling breakfast made with rolled oats, ground flax, bananas and peanut butter. They’re easily meal-prepped for a quick breakfast on-the-go and enjoyed by the whole family – kids included!
If you’ve made my baked oatmeal recipes or even my banana quinoa breakfast bars you know how much I love an easy breakfast bar for rushed mornings. Even better when you can customize them to your liking!
With a toddler who demands breakfast immediately upon waking (can’t blame her!) having healthy options like these oatmeal bars in the freezer make all the difference. She loves them, I love that I’m not getting yelled at and even better, we’re all enjoying a healthy breakfast together.
Trust me, you’ll want to add these to your weekly menu!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Healthy Breakfast Option – with whole grain oats, healthy fats and naturally sweetened, these breakfast bars are a healthy option that you won’t even realize are healthy!
- Gluten-Free – So long as you’re using certified gluten-free oats, this recipe is fully gluten-free.
- Dairy-Free – That’s right! This recipe is free of dairy too!
- One Bowl – These oatmeal bars can be made in one bowl before being baked. Easy clean-up is always a plus!
- Easily Meal-Prepped – I love any recipe that can be made in advance and especially this one that can be stored in the freezer for a quick pre-prepped breakfast.
- Customize To Your Liking – Love chocolate? Feel free to add chocolate chips! How about nuts? Sprinkle in some almonds or pecans. Same goes for fresh or frozen berries. The sky is truly the limit when it comes to mix-ins.
Ingredients Needed:
- Rolled Oats – Please use old-fashioned rolled oats. You could probably get away with using quick-cook oats but DO NOT use steel-cut oats!
- Oat Flour – I like making my own oat flour by grinding up rolled oats in the blender. Alternatively you can buy pre-ground oat flour.
- Baking powder + Salt – for rise and flavoring. Feel free to omit salt if watching sodium levels.
- Cinnamon – You can sub in any preferred spices but cinnamon + banana is always a good idea!
- Ripe Bananas – Ideally extra ripe bananas. We’re not using any additional sweetener in these healthy oatmeal bars (maple syrup, honey, sugar etc…) so make sure your bananas a brown and spotty!
- Peanut Butter – You could also use a different nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter. Alternatively if you can’t have nuts sunflower seed butter is a great alternative.
- Ground Flaxseed – this adds additional fiber but also helps these breakfast bars hold their shape.
- Egg – to bind everything together. Note that I have not tested this recipe without egg so I’m not sure if a vegan substitute will work!
- Almond Milk – any non-dairy milk will work here. Coconut milk, soy milk, oat milk are all great options.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor.
How to Make Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
STEP 1: MIX WET INGREDIENTS
In a large mixing bowl mash up ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher. Stir in peanut butter, egg, almond milk and vanilla until well combined.
STEP 2: STIR IN DRY INGREDIENTS
Stir in rolled oats, oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and ground flax. Fold in 1/2 cup of optional mix-ins into mixture (see ideas below). Pour mixture into baking dish and spread evenly across top.
STEP 3: BAKE HEALTHY BREAKFAST BARS
Bake in oven for 30-35 mins or until bars are set and lightly browned around the edges. Allow bars to cool in pan for 20 minutes before cutting into 12 bars. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
Easy Mix-Ins and Substitutions
Chocolate chips – You really can’t go wrong adding chocolate chips to your breakfast bars. This makes them more similar to granola bars and can be enjoyed as a sweet treat for breakfast or as a snack. Alternatively you could melt your chocolate and drizzle it on top of your oatmeal bars after they’ve cooled.
Dried fruit – dried cranberries, blueberries or cherries all taste delicious!
Fresh fruit – 1/2 cup of fresh berries or any chopped fresh fruit make a great addition. Frozen fruit is also a good option.
Nuts + Seeds – any nuts are seeds would make great mix-ins! Try 1/2 cup of pecans, walnuts, chopped almonds or even pepitas or sunflower seeds.
Storage Instructions
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Alternatively store for up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Eat cold or bring to room temp.
Freezer: To freeze breakfast bars lay them flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 1 hour. Move to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Remove to thaw overnight on counter or warm in microwave for 30-60 seconds.
More Oatmeal Recipes:
- Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
- Overnight Steel-Cut Oatmeal
- Oatmeal Protein Cups
- Overnight Almond Chocolate Oatmeal
- Oatmeal Banana Pancakes
- Oatmeal Banana Peanut Butter Muffins
Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
These soft and chewy oatmeal breakfast bars are a filling breakfast made with rolled oats, ground flax, bananas and peanut butter. They’re easily meal-prepped for a quick breakfast on-the-go and enjoyed by the whole family – kids included!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- 1/2 cup optional mix-ins (see note above)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch pan with non-stick spray, coconut oil or butter.
- In a large mixing bowl mash up ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher.
- Stir in peanut butter, egg, almond milk and vanilla until well combined.
- Stir in rolled oats, oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and ground flax.
- Fold in 1/2 cup of optional mix-ins (see ideas above).
- Pour mixture into greased baking dish and smooth top.
- Bake in oven for 30-35 mins or until bars are set and lightly browned around the edges.
- Allow bars to cool in pan for 20 minutes before cutting into 10 bars.
- Cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. See note above regarding long-term storage.
Where do you find the nutrition info?
Is it possible to replace bananas with applesauce?
yes you can!
how much applesauce do you recommend as the replacement for bananas?
I’d recommend around 1-1 1/2 cups. That being said the sweetness will be affected so I’d recommend adding in some additional sweetener (coconut sugar or brown sugar ideally). I haven’t tested it myself so I’m not certain on exact amounts.