Tart, sweet and chewy, these banana oatmeal cranberry bars with chocolate chips and pepitas require no sugar, egg, flour or oil. The only added sugar in this vegan recipe comes from the dried cranberries and chocolate chips.

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These baked banana oatmeal bars with dried cranberries, chocolate chips and pepitas are a variation on these 5-Ingredient Healthy Banana Oat Bars.
Make these chewy bars for snacks, a light dessert or as part of a balanced breakfast served with fresh fruit and yogurt.
🧄 Very useful ingredient notes
- Mashed banana - Use overripe sweet bananas for this recipe, the kind you would use to make banana bread. Since we're not adding sugar (or even maple syrup) to this recipe, using ripe bananas will make them naturally sweet. Of course, if the banana has really bad spots when you peel it, then remove that and discard it.
- Chocolate chips - Trader Joe's chocolate chips happen to be vegan and are affordable, so those are the ones I would recommend. Of course, if you're okay with standard chocolate chips, you can use those - just keep in mind that they are likely not vegan since they contain milk.
- Pepitas - a small oblong seed that is light green and crunchy. Look for unsalted, unflavored pepitas in the nut and seed aisle at your grocery store.
📋 Substitutions and variations
Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:
- Rolled oats - you can use quick oats instead of rolled oats for this recipe, but don't try to use steel cut, as they won't work.
- Cinnamon - instead of ground cinnamon, you can use pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice or vanilla extract
- Dried cranberries - instead of dried cranberries (craisins), you can use raisins, dried cherries or currants
- Pepitas - instead of pepitas, you can use sunflower seed kernels, hemp hearts, pistachios, sliced almonds, chopped walnuts or chopped pecans.
- Ground flaxseed - instead of ground flax, you can use chia seeds
- Chocolate chips - you can use cacao nibs, chopped dark chocolate or vegan chocolate candies instead of the chips. Or, omit them altogether.
Switch things up with these variation ideas!
- Coconut pepita with brown rice syrup - sub the cranberries for big coconut chips and then drizzle with brown rice syrup for a sweet sticky coating.
See this chocolate pecan version of this recipe on my website!
🔪 Instructions
Step-by-step instructions with photos for how to make these banana oatmeal bars with dried cranberries, chocolate chips and pepitas.
- Step 1: In a large bowl, mash the banana very well with a potato masher or fork.
- Step 2: Add ground cinnamon, ground flaxseed and baking powder to the mashed banana.
- Step 3: Mix everything together with a large spoon.
- Step 4: Add rolled oats to the bowl.
- Step 5: Mix everything together well. This is what the finished batter should look like.
- Step 6: Spoon batter into glass 13x9 baking dish and spread batter out evenly. (If using a metal pan or baking sheet, line with parchment paper or silicone baking mat to prevent sticking. No need for this in a glass baking dish.)
- Step 7: Sprinkle dried cranberries, chocolate chips and pepitas 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.
- Step 8: This is what it looks like after it's baked. 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
You can definitely make these cranberry oatmeal bars ahead of time. Store them in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve them. They will keep for up to 5 days.
Love this recipe?
Please rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment below, so I know which recipes you like the best. This helps me know what to make more of!
📖 Recipe
Banana Oatmeal Cranberry Bars with Chocolate Chips and Pepitas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 overripe bananas 460g, mashed
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed 18g
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 8g
- 1 tablespoon baking powder 13g
- 2 cups rolled oats 215g, old-fashioned or quick oats
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries 50g
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips 75g
- 2 tablespoons pepitas 26g
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana very well with a potato masher or fork.4 overripe bananas
- Add ground cinnamon, ground flaxseed and baking powder and mix together with banana.2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Add rolled oats to the bowl and mix together well.2 cups rolled oats
- Spoon batter into glass 13x9 baking dish and spread batter out evenly. (If using a metal pan or baking sheet, line with parchment paper or silicone baking mat to prevent sticking. No need for this in a glass baking dish.)
- Sprinkle dried cranberries, chocolate chips and pepitas across surface. Gently press the toppings into the batter with your fingers or the back of a spoon.⅓ cup dried cranberries, 2 tablespoons pepitas, ⅓ cup chocolate chips
- 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.
Kelly says
Hi, Definitely going to give these a try! Always looking for quick healthy breakfast with a piece of fresh fruit. You didn’t mentioned if these can be frozen? Have you tried? Love your recipes 😊.
Abi Cowell says
YES, exactly! Me, too, Kelly. Plus, you get to use up that bunch of spotty bananas. Win/win.
Jaylyn says
I love this combination with the chocolate, cranberries and pepitas. It is soooo good. It’s a nice balance with the sweet, slightly tart and crunchy. My favorite combo so far…