Chewy and filling, these banana oatmeal bars without peanut butter are topped with rich chocolate chips and pecans. They're a delicious way to use up that whole bunch of ripe bananas sitting on your counter.
This recipe is vegan, plant-based, egg-free, flour-free, oil-free and the only added sugar comes from the chocolate chips.
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This recipe is a variation on my 5-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Bars recipe. They are hearty enough to eat for breakfast, but taste like dessert with the chocolate chips.
Since we don't have a lot of added fat in this recipe (there's no coconut oil, no vegetable oil, no vegan butter and no peanut butter in it), these bars are chewy and more dense than if we added overt fats to the batter.
🧄 Very useful ingredient notes
- Ripe, spotty bananas - The best and sweetest bananas to use for this recipe are overripe bananas that are super spotty. The kind you would use to make banana bread. This is a great alternative to use them up! Since this recipe has no added sugar, it's important to use ripe bananas so the bars have some sweetness.
- Ground flax - Acts as a binder and is also a great source of fiber
- Chocolate chips - It can be difficult to source vegan chocolate chips that don't cost a fortune. Trader Joe's brand happen to be vegan and are affordable, so snag those if you can. Otherwise, look for dark chocolate chips and check the labels. If you are not opposed to consuming a tiny bit a milk on occasion, then standard chocolate chips will work fine but then the bars will not be completely vegan.
📋 Substitutions and variations
Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:
- Rolled oats - instead of rolled oats, you can use quick oats. Do not use steel cut, though (they won't cook all the way through).
- Ground flax - use chia seeds instead of ground flax
- Chocolate chips - substitute the chocolate chips for chopped dark chocolate, cacao nibs or other small chocolate candy. Or, use a fruit topping like diced apple, blueberries, sliced strawberries or pitted cherries.
- Pecans - instead of chopped pecans, use chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, pistachios, peanuts, sunflower seed kernels, pepitas, hemp hearts or sesame seeds. Or, leave them off.
- Nut-free - make this nut-free omitting the pecans or substituting with seeds.
- WFPBNO - make this whole food plant based no oil by using cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips or omitting them.
Switch things up with these variation ideas!
- Peanut butter banana oat bars - Add peanut butter to the batter for a richer oatmeal bar.
- Cranberry chocolate pepita banana oat bars - Dried cranberries and pepitas with the chocolate are a delicious combination
🔪 Instructions
Step-by-step photos on how to make these banana chocolate chip oat bars.
- Step 1: In a large bowl, add the peeled ripe bananas.
- Step 2: Mash the banana very well with a potato masher or fork.
- Step 3: Add ground cinnamon, ground flaxseed and baking powder to the bowl of mashed banana.
- Step 4: Mix together well with a spoon.
- Step 5: Add rolled oats to the bowl and mix together well.
- Step 6: This is what your batter should look like.
- Step 7: Line a baking sheet or 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Spread batter evenly in a rectangle on lined baking sheet. Keep the batter on the parchment/silicone mat, so it doesn't stick. Shape the batter into a wide rectangle about 1-inch deep. This batter does not spread as it bakes. It will stay in place and harden into chewy bars.
- Step 8: Sprinkle chocolate chips and chopped pecans across surface. Gently press the toppings into the batter with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Bake banana oatmeal bars in oven for 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Allow to cool and then slice into bars. Store cut bars in refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Expert tips
- To prevent a sour taste from the baking powder, try these tips:
- Mix the baking powder thoroughly with the dry flax seed before adding it to the banana
- If the baking powder stays in little clumps, then you can get a lot in one bite, whereas another bite will taste fine. One of the challenges with this recipe and that issue is that we're not using flour, so the baking powder doesn't have another powder to mix into. We're adding it straight to liquid ingredients. So, try to mix it in really well with a fork or whisk in the pan.
- You can skip the baking powder, but it will make the bars more dense and chewy (since they won't have as much help to rise), but they will still be delicious.
🥡 Make ahead and storage tips
Make these banana oat bars ahead of time, cool and then slice and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to serve warm.
👨👩👦👦 Serving suggestions
Serve these banana oat chocolate bars as a snack or dessert by themselves. To make them more indulgent, top with dairy-free whipped cream or vanilla yogurt.
Or, for a more complete breakfast meal, serve alongside a big bowl of fresh fruit, such as strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, blueberries, blackberries, sliced apple, mango or pineapple.
They would be delicious paired with some Yorkshire biscuit tea, which tastes like black tea that you've dunked a cookie in. So yummy!
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📖 Recipe
Banana Oatmeal Bars with Chocolate Chips and Pecans (no peanut butter)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 overripe bananas 700g, mashed
- 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed 28g
- 1 ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon 11g
- 1 tablespoon baking powder 13g
- 3 cups rolled oats 325g, old-fashioned or quick oats
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana very well with a potato masher or fork.6 overripe bananas
- Add ground cinnamon, ground flaxseed and baking powder and mix together with banana.3 tablespoons ground flaxseed, 1 ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Add rolled oats to the bowl and mix together well.3 cups rolled oats
- Line a baking sheet or 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Spread batter evenly in a rectangle on lined baking sheet. Keep the batter on the parchment/silicone mat, so it doesn't stick. Shape the batter into a wide rectangle about 1-inch deep. This batter does not spread as it bakes. It will stay in place and harden into chewy bars.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips and chopped pecans across surface. Gently press the toppings into the batter with your fingers or the back of a spoon.½ cup chocolate chips, ½ cup chopped pecans
- Bake banana oatmeal bars in oven for 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
- Allow to cool and then slice into bars. Store cut bars in refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
4/9/2025: This recipe was modified (after reader feedback) to lower the amount of baking powder, after retesting the recipe. One tablespoon is sufficient to give the bars a little rise, without making them taste of baking powder.
Jalena Snider says
These banana oatmeal bars are great! Love them. The chocolate chips and pecans are perfect complement to the banana. Good combination 😃