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Banana Breakfast Bars are an easy breakfast or snack with real ingredients and flavor. They’re a copycat of the bars you buy, but homemade so they’re better for you and cheaper too! These are one of my favorite banana breakfast recipes!

stack of 2 bars


Homemade Banana Breakfast Bars

I don’t believe in the word “diet”. I’ve done so many diets and they all fail, which ultimately leads me to feeling bad about myself. For me it’s about lifestyle: exercise, portion control, making good choices, and satisfying cravings (within reason).

One thing I can’t limit? My after workout snack. And breakfast. I need breakfast, and after my workout I need to eat. That’s where these breakfast bars come in.

For a long time I bought breakfast bars at the grocery store. Then I realized that I was paying $4.50 for 5 bars or some ridiculous amount, and the bars weren’t even that good. Also? They’re filled with ingredients I don’t recognize. I’m much more satisfied if I eat something I like, that’s homemade, than something packaged.

So I decided to make my own.

stack of 2 bars

One of the best Banana Breakfast Recipes

These bars are a cross between a granola bar and a banana bread/blondie. I actually combined my mom’s banana bread with my base blondie recipe to create something a little bit on the lighter side of both.

I reduced the amount of butter and used oil instead. You can also use vegetable or coconut oil. Combined with 2 overripe bananas and an egg, you get a good bar base. A little brown sugar goes in for sweetening, and the binding is done with whole wheat flour and old fashioned oats.

Yes, these have sugar and carbs. But even though my husband does whole 30/paleo, I don’t and I don’t think you come here expecting that. These bars are a great way to satisfy a little carb craving without breaking the bank. I mean…if I wasn’t trying to be good I’d reach for a doughnut or a scone. These are way better than that!

banana bar on parchment

Expert Tips

  • By substituting butter for oil, I’ve made these a bit heart healthier. Vegetable oil is recognized as a healthier fat than butter by the American Heart Association.
  • Using whole wheat flour makes these better than anything with white flour.
  • The old fashioned oats give a nice texture.
  • The bars you buy have a peanut butter drizzle, so I added that to these. You can skip, of course, or add some peanut butter chips or mini chocolate chips to the bars for extra flavor.
  • They last about 2 days on the counter, or you can freeze them for a quick snack. That’s what I like to do, after my workout, with a cup of coffee and some apple slices. It gets me to lunch, where I’m not so hungry I eat the kitchen.
banana bar on parchment

Banana Breakfast Bars Recipe

4.19 from 198 votes
An easy, fast, healthy breakfast or snack! These banana breakfast bars are a cross between a granola bar and a banana blondie! Banana Breakfast Bars are an easy breakfast or snack with real ingredients and flavor. They’re a copycat of the bars you buy, but homemade so they’re better for you and cheaper too!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Yield 12 bars
Serving Size 1 bar (1/9 of recipe)

Ingredients
 

  • 2 medium bananas spotted ones that are a little past their prime
  • ¼ cup vegetable or coconut oil
  • ¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup (62g) whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup (80g) old fashioned oats
  • ¼ cup (43g) white chocolate chips optional
  • 1 tablespoon (17g) peanut butter optional
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8” or 9×9” pan with nonstick cooking spray. (Line it with foil first for easy removal, if desired.)
  • Place bananas in a large bowl. Mash them with a fork or potato masher until just small chunks remain. Stir in oil and brown sugar with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Add egg, vanilla, and salt, and stir until combined. Stir in baking soda. Add flour and oats and stir until mixed, some lumps will remain. Spread in prepared pan.
  • Bake for 18-22 minutes until browned around the edges and not jiggly in the center. Cool completely. Slice into bars.
  • Optional drizzle: melt white chocolate chips and peanut butter in a small microwave safe bowl (on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring between each). Place melted chocolate in a small ziploc bag with the tip cut off and drizzle over bars.
  • Enjoy within 2 days or freeze for up to one month. I like to freeze them and then reheat as needed, since they don’t last very long on the counter.

Recipe Notes

  • By substituting butter for oil, I’ve made these a bit heart healthier. Vegetable oil is recognized as a healthier fat than butter by the American Heart Association.
  • Using whole wheat flour makes these better than anything with white flour.
  • The old fashioned oats give a nice texture.
  • The bars you buy have a peanut butter drizzle, so I added that to these. You can skip, of course, or add some peanut butter chips or mini chocolate chips to the bars for extra flavor.
  • They last about 2 days on the counter, or you can freeze them for a quick snack. That’s what I like to do, after my workout, with a cup of coffee and some apple slices. It gets me to lunch, where I’m not so hungry I eat the kitchen.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1bar (1/9 of recipe) | Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 143mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American

Banana Breakfast Recipes

Last Updated on February 24, 2023



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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164 Comments

  1. Hi! Had a craving and made these tonight! Delicious ! Decided to experiment with a couple alternatives and to my surprise it turned out amazing!! Used date paste instead of brown sugar, coconut oil and added half almond flour to the 1/2 cup of flour ( gave it a nice nutty taste!) oh and since I’m a huge dark chocolate fan, I swapped it instead of white chocolate. Thanks for sharing this recipe! My craving was very satisfied! 

  2. Oh where do I begin?…. These bars ARE amazing! I just finished a batch, and it’s like midnight. They’re moist and not too sweet. The glaze on top adds an extra little umph. I had a lot of glaze left……so I just dumped the rest on top! Shhhh. I made these to have something quick to grab in the mornings but I can’t stop picking at them, and now I have heartburn 🙁  I don’t know if the bars caused that or the fact that I’m 37 weeks pregnant. Anyway, thanks for a great recipe, I will make these over and over again. Oh and my 2 year old loves them and she hates bananas 🙂

    1. Oh gosh when I was pregnant EVERYTHING gave me heartburn even if it didn’t normally. It might be the bananas, weirdly enough. I’m so glad you like them!!

  3. These look so tasty, and I can’t believe how healthy they are!  I don’t do diets very well, so these are the best case scenario for healthy breakfast treats! 

  4. These banana bars look incredible, Dorothy!! I can’t give up on my breakfast either and making these lighter and healthier sounds perfect!

  5. These look really yummy! I love banana bread – I could easily eat it for every meal. This would make a great make ahead breakfast (or dessert) option. Yum!

  6. Life without carbs… That’ll only happen when I’m 6 feet under. 😉 And how people can go for days without dessert, I’ll never know. It’s basically a necessity, at least one or five times a day! Loving these healthier breakfast bars — pinned!

  7. You know how I feel about banana in everything 🙂  These sound absolutely amazing!!!  I’m not one to give up a food group for an extended period of time, but I do think a few days or a week can be good for a detox or jump start.  I’m on day 2 for no processed sugar, but it’s not something I’m willing to give up forever.  Moderation and exercise is definitely key to healthy living!

  8. Haha! You make me laugh! I can totally understand about eating the whole kitchen as I myself have done it many times. I lost 10 lbs. just  by not snacking in between meals, and reducing my potions and dessert. It has proven the best “diet” for me since I didn’t feel like I was depriving myself of all the good stuff . This girl can’t live without dessert. 🙂

    1. That’s exactly what I’m doing. No fads, no eliminating, just smaller portions and better choices!!

  9. HAAHAH! I don’t think I want to meet carb-free Dorothy! LOL. But I would like some of these breakfast bars!