The Best Gooey Chunky Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars

This isn’t just another baked oatmeal recipe… these Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars are thick, CHUNKY, gooey, sweet with banana and rich with salty peanut flavor! On their own, they’re macro-balanced but you can up the protein by topping with some Greek yogurt (add a few banana slices + drizzle honey of honey for a real treat! A dreamy breakfast, dessert or afternoon snack!

Ahhhh these peanut banana oatmeal bars! Every single part hits so good! The banana gives them a natural sweetness and makes them gooey, the peanut butter brings a rich roasted salty peanut flavor and helps keep these bars dense, and the oats give them texture and makes them chewy!

THEN we add chocolate chips that are melty and gooey all through out! Did I say they were a dreamy??

These oatmeal bars make the best meal prep breakfast or snack to pull out and whenever you want to enjoy! And since they’re baked into bars, even work great for on-the-go.

AND not to mention, you only need a handful of ingredients for this recipe. Only three are mandatory (the banana, peanut butter and oats) and then you can add protein powder to when on the go

These bars are healthy and made with good-for-you, wholesome ingredients. They’re protein-packed, fiber-packed and with healthy fats from the peanut butter.

Now you only need 10 minutes of prep time, then just throw these babies in the oven! Trust me, you will thank yourself for it later.

These delicious bars are gluten and dairy free as written! They also freeze so well! Just wrap each cup individually in wax paper then place all them in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. The bars will stay good for 3-4 months. Pop one out of the freezer when you need you need a healthy breakfast, snack, or dessert!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THESE PEANUT BUTTER BANANA OATMEAL BARS

• Peanut butter + banana + oatmeal! The BEST combo. PLUS CHOCOLATE.
• Protein packed! 13 grams of protein per serving!
• Made with healthy ingredients!
• Only 3 ingredients really needed – vanilla, protein powder and chocolate chips are optional ingredients, just how I like it!
• The perfect quick breakfast, easy snack, light dessert! Also great for pre-workout snack and on-the-go.
• Kd friendly. The entire family will love!
• Naturally sweetened with no refined sugar!

BANANA PEANUT BUTTER OAT BAR INGREDIENTS 

• Bananas – A great way to use up those overripe bananas because the riper the better here! The riper they are, the sweeter this bake will be.
• Peanut Butter – Any type of creamy peanut butter will work! Use your favorite. Use a flavor you like because it will shine through in this bake. I like a salty, rich roasted peanut butter flavor for this like Simple Truth or even JIF. You can technically use any nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter but I think the peanut butter pairs best with the banana!
• Oats – I used thick thick rolled oats aka old-fashioned oats for this recipe because I like the thicker heartier texture. Quick oats would technically work if it’s all you have on hand, these bars just won’t be as chunky and hearty! Steel cut oats won’t work for this recipe.
• Protein Powder – I used PEScience. But the protein powder is optional for this recipe. If you don’t want to add it, simply don’t add it! You don’t need to replace it with anything. Use vegan protein powder if needed.
• Vanilla extract – helps bring out the flavors of the peanut butter and banana even more!
• Chocolate chips- I used Enjoy Life. Dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet, milk chocolate, they all work.

HOW TO MAKE BANANA PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL BARS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
2. Add bananas to a large bowl and mash well with a fork (or potato masher). Then stir in peanut butter, protein powder and vanilla with the mashed bananas.. Finally stir in the oats. If adding chocolate chips, fold in half. 
3. Transfer oat mixture to the prepared baking pan or dish and top with remaining chocolate chips.
4. Bake oatmeal bars for 18-22 minutes, or until set. 
5. Then remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing. Adding it to the refrigerator overnight will firm it up and make it easier to slice; the flavors will also come together more too.
6. Enjoy warmed or chilled. I love eating these bars chilled with some greek yogurt and honey drizzled over top!

HOW TO STORE PEANUT BUTTER BANANA OATMEAL BARS

Store in an airtight container or with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 7 days or room temperature for 1-2 days.

To freeze, let the bars cool. For best results, wrap each cup individually in wax paper then place all the bars in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. The bars will stay good for 3-4 months.

FAQ: PEANUT BUTTER BANANA OATMEAL BARS

MORE YUMMY OATMEAL BAKES YOU’LL LOVE

• Baked Zucchini Oatmeal with Nutella Spread
• Spiced Pear Vanilla Cauliflower Oatmeal Bake
• Easy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bake
• The Most Bomb Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Bake

WANT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?

If you try these Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars and love them, please rate this recipe!

You can also tag me on Instagram, @LaurenFitFoodie. It makes my day seeing your yummy recreations!