These Soft Baked Banana Almond Butter Bars are oat bars that everyone will love! They are gluten-free, dairy-free, and made in one bowl with simple ingredients! Soft baked as the perfect breakfast, snack, or treat for anytime of the day.
These bars are definitely not your regular kind of bar, but that’s exactly what I love about them! They are very soft and resemble banana bread. The texture from the oats reminds me of an oatmeal cookie, and the ripe bananas bring a natural sweetness to the treat.
They’re the perfect snack. I usually stick them in the fridge and grab one when I’m headed out the door. If I’m at home I like to warm them up for that ooey gooey goodness!
For more easy snacks, try Almond Butter Cups, 4 ingredient Banana Chocolate Cookies, or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Ripe bananas – You get to use up any leftover bananas you have laying around!
- Dairy-free & gluten-free – This recipe has no dairy or gluten in it.
- Naturally sweetened – Most of the sweetness comes from the bananas.
- Healthier snack alternative – This recipe is a good one to make if you’re trying to cut down on sweets.
- Grab n’ go – Bake ahead of time and eat it on the go, or as a late snack.
- One bowl – Mix it all in one bowl, bake, and enjoy!
Key Ingredients
Full recipe and ingredients are in the recipe card below. Feel free to scroll through this section to view certain key ingredients we’re using!
Almond butter – Smooth and creamy.
Bananas – 3 large bananas are used. If using frozen bananas, thaw and drain any excess liquid before adding into the bowl.
Cinnamon – Adds a sweet spice and enhances the banana bar flavour.
Chocolate chips – Semi-sweet chocolate chips are used. For dairy-free baking, I recommend using this one.
Rolled oats –Adds a nice texture and a mild nutty flavour to baked goods.
Ingredient Swaps
As with nearly all recipes, you may swap some of the ingredients and create different variations. Let’s get creative!
While semi-sweet chocolate chips are my go-to, you may also use milk, dark, or white chocolate chips. Feel free to also use chopped chocolate if you have some bars lying around!
White granulated sugar is mainly used for sweetening. The bond between sugar and water locks in moisture so the brownies remains soft and moist. Substitute for light or dark brown sugar.
Almond butter may be substituted for a different nut butter, but make sure it’s creamy and not natural!
Step by Step instructions
Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a square pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 2 – In a large bowl, add oats, unsweetened cocoa powder, almond butter, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, brown sugar, mashed bananas, vanilla, and egg. Mix together until well combined.
Step 3 – Add in chocolate chips and stir.
Step 4 – Transfer into the prepared pan and spread out evenly. Sprinkle additional chips on top.
Step 5 – Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out fudgy. The bars will seem soft but will continue to set as they cool in the pan. Cool, slice, and enjoy!
FAQ
Can I use quick oats instead of large flake oats?
Quick oats are a lot smaller than large flake oats. I have not tried this substitution, so I can’t say yes. If you do try this, let me know how it goes!
Why can’t I use a natural nut butter?
This has a much runnier consistency than creamy/smooth nut butters. This recipe needs a creamy nut butter to hold it together. The bars won’t set properly and will most likely fall apart if a natural nut butter is used.
Do I have to add in cocoa powder or chocolate chips?
No! I just like the extra chocolate-y taste
Expert Baking Tips
Here are three baking tips from my kitchen to yours
Make sure the bananas you’re using are very ripe. This will help add sweetness into the recipe, make the mashing easier, and overall add great flavour to the bars.
If you’re using frozen bananas, leave it on your counter to thaw and then drain any excess water before mashing them and adding it into the bowl.
The almond butter is like a glue for this recipe. Make sure it’s creamy and not natural!
Video recipe
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Soft Baked Almond Butter Banana Oat Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups large flake oats
- 1 cup almond butter
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3 large ripe bananas mashed
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips.2 cups large flake oats, 1 cup almond butter, 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, 3 large ripe bananas, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Toss in the chocolate chips.1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.
- Top off with extra chocolate chips (optional).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to slightly cool. Slice and enjoy!
Delicious and very easy. Substituted chunky peanut butter cuz that’s what I had on hand.
I’m so glad to hear that! The chunky peanut butter sounds delicious. Thanks for letting me know Karen!