These chocolate chip banana oatmeal bars are so quick and easy to make, taste great, and make the perfect snack. Yet they’re still healthy enough for breakfast!
My kids are big fans of things that look like cake that they’re allowed to eat for breakfast. I feel like that won’t continue to be a thing forever, but for now I’ll take it.
These chocolate chip banana oatmeal bars were quite tasty though. Plus there’s chocolate involved, and they’re still healthy enough for breakfast so that always makes everyone happy.
The kids liked these just eaten like a muffin – both for breakfast or as a snack in their lunch or after school.
I enjoyed them heated up and topped with some sliced fresh banana. Either way they’re delicious.
And they’re so easy to make. They mix up quickly in just one bowl, and you will likely have them ready for the oven before it’s even heated up.
Plus they’re very low in sugar (only 1/4 cup in the whole batch) and have no eggs.
I think that you could also make them dairy free if you like, by using soy milk or almond milk instead of the buttermilk, but I haven’t tried that myself.
There’s only 1/4 cup of milk though, so it should be fine if you need them to be dairy free.
If you’re looking for a new recipe to try with those over-ripe bananas, make these chocolate chip banana oatmeal bars – everyone will love them!
What can I do with lots of bananas?
There are so many things to make with over ripe bananas! I actually buy the discounted over-ripe bananas at the grocery store just to freeze them so I have bananas on hand for baking.
We use a large number of bananas in smoothies, as frozen bananas make the best smoothies.
You can also blend up frozen bananas for some healthy "ice-cream". Or, my favourite – bake with those bananas!
Here are some of our favourite recipes to make with over-ripe bananas:
- Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Banana Bread
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Muffins
- Banana Pancakes
How do you freeze over ripe bananas?
You can freeze over ripe bananas simply by throwing them in the freezer in their peels. The peels will go black in the freezer, but after they defrost it’s very easy to pull the peel off and use the banana in baking.
I prefer to peel my over ripe bananas and freeze them in a ziplock freezer bag. They’re easy to break apart to use them. Plus, I like using frozen bananas in smoothies.
It’s very difficult to remove the peel from a frozen banana, so you need to defrost it to use it if you freeze them with the peel on.
How to make Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Bars:
- These banana oatmeal bars mix up very quickly with just one bowl. You will likely have them ready for the oven before it’s even preheated. Quick, easy, and healthy enough for breakfast.
- Oatmeal bars freeze really well. If you want to freeze them, just let them cool completely before cutting them into bars and freezing them. I like to freeze them in an airtight container or a ziplock bag. If they’re going to be used for on the go snacks, you might want to wrap them individually before freezing them.
- I’ve made these with both whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. Both are great, but I do typically use whole wheat flour for these.
- I never buy oat flour. Instead, you can simply process some rolled oats in a blender or food processor until they are completely broken down. For 3/4 cup of oat flour, you will need just under 1 cup of rolled oats.
Here are some more great healthy snack options for you:
- Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
- Healthy Chocolate Banana Snack Cake
- Banana Oatmeal Cake with Berries
- Coconut Granola Bars
- Oatmeal Raisin No Bake Granola Bars
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Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 3/4 cup Oat Flour
- 3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar lightly packed
- 3 Banana mashed
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Buttermilk
- 1/2-3/4 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips (or raisins)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil, spray it with non-stick cooking spray, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, oat flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar.
- Add the mashed bananas, vanilla, and buttermilk and stir well.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the bars are golden brown.
- Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan, then lift out the parchment paper and slice into bars.
Notes
- Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.