Healthy Banana Oatmeal Bars with Chocolate Chips
Start your morning off with a healthy banana oatmeal bar. These chocolate chip studded banana oat bars are a quick and easy breakfast recipe that also happen to be dairy- and gluten-free.
My morning routine got a complete shake-up with the addition of our daughter. With two under two on completely different feeding and sleeping schedules I am doing everything I can to make the mornings (and honestly every time of day) as seamless as possible. One of the main ways I have achieved this is through meal planning and meal prepping.
Previous me was not someone who stuck to the meal plan. If I “didn’t feel like it” I would skip the meal and do something else. However, when you have a toddler on the verge of a hangry melt-down… you stick to the plan and get the food on the table as quickly as you can. Some of the ways I ensure food is ready and on the table is through meal prepping.
One of my favorite ways to meal prep is to just make the whole meal in advance so I am not cooking as much during meal times. My peanut butter oatmeal bars and these banana oatmeal bars have been the saving grace of my morning routine. With 9 servings in each batch, I can easily whip up a pan and serve them all week to the hungry masses making breakfast prep as simple as re-heat and eat.
Why You’ll Love these Oatmeal Bars
Easy to make and ready in under an hour, there are a number of reasons to love these easy breakfast oatmeal bars.
- Healthy. These banana oatmeal bars are dairy-free, gluten-free, and have no added sugar (except those delightful chocolate chips).
- Filling. The old-fashioned oats bake into a delicious breakfast bar that is filling and flavorful.
- Great for meal prep. With 9 squares per pan, these oatmeal bars make a great breakfast recipe that you can re-heat and eat throughout the week.
How to Make Banana Oatmeal Bars with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Coconut oil– Melted and slightly cooled.
- Bananas– I like to use ripe yellow bananas with a little speckling on the peel.
- Non-dairy milk– I used oat milk for this recipe but any non-dairy milk should do the trick.
- Vanilla– For a boost of flavor.
- Old-Fashioned Oats– Gives a delicious and flaky texture to the oatmeal bars.
- Dry ingredients– Baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Dairy-free chocolate chips– To add a gooey chocolaty finish on these breakfast bars. A few different dairy-free chocolate chips I have tried and enjoy include:
Steps for Making Banana Oatmeal Bars
- Prepare for baking: Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Melt coconut oil: In a small bowl melt coconut oil and set aside to cool.
- Mash banana: In a medium-sized bowl mash banana until smooth.
- Mix wet ingredients: Add coconut oil, eggs, non-dairy milk, and vanilla to the mashed banana and whisk until smooth.
- Whisk dry ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together old-fashioned oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Combine wet and dry: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Add to pan: Pour into the prepared baking dish. Top with additional chocolate chips and banana slices.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until baked through.
- Cool: Remove from oven and allow to rest about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- 8×8-inch Baking Pan– Gives you perfectly squared corners and is easy to fit with parchment paper.
- Glass Mixing Bowls– Durable and sure to whip these oatmeal bars up no problem.
- Whisk– For whipping the banana to a smooth finish and mixing together the batter.
Serving Suggestions for Banana and Chocolate Chip Oat Bars
My favorite way to enjoy these oatmeal bars is warmed with a side of hot coffee. Some other ways you might want to dish out these breakfast bars include:
- Drizzle with melted peanut butter for the chocolate and peanut butter lovers in your life.
- Slice fresh banana on top for an added dose of banana flavor.
- Dollop with a little vanilla vegan yogurt.
- Pair with a glass of non-dairy milk or a proffee latte to wash it down.
Storing Suggestions
Whether you are making these oatmeal bars for the week ahead or stocking your freezer for a future date, here is how you can store and reheat these banana oatmeal bars.
- Refrigerate– Allow to cool completely before slicing storing in an airtight container up to 5 days.
- Freeze– Once cooled, slice the oatmeal bars into 9 squares and transfer to a freezer-safe storage container. Remove as many as you plan to use the day you plan to use them and heat in the microwave.
- Reheat– Microwave about 30 seconds from refrigerated and up to a minute from frozen.
More Baked Oatmeal Recipes
If you tried this recipe for dairy-free banana baked oats with chocolate chips feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to hear how it went! Or, snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy to share all your life after dairy adventures!
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Banana Oatmeal Bars with Chocolate Chips
These filling banana baked oatmeal bars with chocolate chips have all of the flavor of banana bread baked up in a quick and easy to eat bar.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil melted
- 2 Bananas
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Non-dairy Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 cups Old-Fashioned Oats
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ cup Chocolate Chips dairy-free
Instructions
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Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.
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In a small bowl melt ¼ cup coconut oil and set aside to cool.
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In a medium-sized bowl mash 2 bananas until smooth.
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Add coconut oil, 2 eggs, 1 cup non-dairy milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to the mashed banana and whisk until smooth.
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In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups old-fashioned oats, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips.
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Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
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Pour into the prepared baking dish and top with additional chocolate chips and banana slices.
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Bake for 30-35 minutes or until baked through.
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Remove from oven and allow to rest about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
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