Name: Vegan Banana Oatmeal Bars with Cinnamon Crumb
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 9
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 very ripe bananas; 1/4 cup maple syrup (use 3 tablespoons for less sweet); 2 tablespoons almond butter; 1 cup non-dairy milk (such as almond, oat or light coconut); ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups old fashioned oats; ¼ cup almond flour (or a gf blend, or use all purpose flour if ok with gluten); 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon salt; ¼ cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans or other); 2 tablespoons shredded coconut (optional); 2 teaspoons chia seeds; 3-4 dates chopped; 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (or brown sugar); ½ teaspoon cinnamon; 1 ripe banana sliced (2 mm thick slices)

stacked vegan banana oatmeal bars on a white plate

These Banana Oatmeal Bars are the next best thing next to banana bread! I have a thing for roasting bananas. I discovered this technique when I made banana bread baked oatmeal and have started doing it for most of my banana flavored baked good recipes. Their natural sweetness intensifies and their flavor gets so much more vibrant!

What else is to love about Banana Oatmeal Bars? Well, they are made with oats and almond flour so gluten-free and there is no refined sugar added to the batter but we do add a splash of maple syrup some coconut sugar on top for that caramelized brown sugar cinnamon crumb topping that makes these so unique.

a casserole dish with banana oatmeal bars topped with sliced bananas

These bars are super moist and packed with flavor and exciting textures from add-ins like nuts, dates and seeds. Cinnamon and vanilla adds a pinch of cozy.

The bars can be obviously be served warm or cold – they will always be delish. I personally love them as a sweet breakfast treat or afternoon treat. Get your casserole dish and let’s make some oatmeal bars!

These banana bread oatmeal bars are moist and you’ll find that they crumble a bit more while they are still warm so let them cool down a bit.

If you want these to be sturdier for a portable treat, you can use all-purpose flour instead of almond flour if ok with gluten. Or line the pan with parchment.

MORE OATMEAL BREAKFAST OPTIONS

bananas, you want them really ripe for this recipe, we’ll mash some of them and roast them for maximum flavor, the rest go on top
baking powder for a slight rise
these are made with a blend of gluten-free oats and almond flour but you can use any flour if gluten is no concern of your
the natural sweetness of the bananas is enhanced with some maple syrup
almond butter for moisture , use cashew butter for variation or omit for Nutfree
non-dairy milk helps bring the mix together
for some crunch, chew and texture, I added a mix of chia seeds, dates, chopped nuts, and shredded coconut
the top of the bars is caramelized with a mix of cinnamon and coconut sugar

Tips:

Add in any nuts or dried fruit you like to these
These bars will still be crumbly when warm so for clean slices, I recommend letting them cool down.
Nutfree : omit the nuts. Use 1 tbsp applesauce and 1 tbsp oil as a sub for the almond butter. You can add in chopped seeds like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds if you like

Why will you love these Banana Bread Oat bars

These bars are moist and delicious just like banana bread but pack a ton of nutrient punch. Oats, nuts, seeds and no flour or refined sugar!
These banana oatmeal bars are refined oil free
they need just 1 pan
They can be made allergy friendly by omitting the nuts
They are Glutenfree. Use certified gf oats if needed. Don’t like oats? Use flattened rice flakes or a mix of rice flakes and quinoa flakes.

How to make Gluten-free Banana Oatmeal Bars

mashed bananas in a white casserole dish

Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (180 Celsius). Add baking dish in oven to bake for 12 minutes or until banana mixture is simmering really well. This helps to caramelize the banana really well and brings out even more sweetness from the bananas.

maple syrup being added to mashed bananas to make banana puree

Remove the dish from the oven.

roasted banana puree in a casserole dish

Then add almond butter and mix it in.

almond butter butter being added to banana puree in a casserole dish

roasted banana puree being added to casserole dish

Then add milk and vanilla if using and mix that really well.

milk being added to roasted banana puree in casserole dish

batter for banana oatmeal bars in a casserole dish

almond flour and chia seeds being added to casserole dish with banana batter

Then add in the oats, almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, chopped nuts, chia seeds, and dates. Mix well. (You can mix just the dry ingredients in a bowl first then mix into the banana mixture.)

rolled oats being added to casserole dish with banana batter

Mix so that all the oats are moistened then even it out with a spatula.

chopped dates being added to casserole dish banana oatmeal batter

banana oatmeal bars being topped with sliced bananas

For the topping, mix coconut sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Slice the banana and place banana slices on top of the oat mixture. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over.

coconut sugar cinnamon streusel being sprinkled on top of banana oatmeal bars

Put the dish back to bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is set and the bananas are starting to caramelize.

Storage:

stacked vegan banana oatmeal bars with cinnamon crumb topping

Vegan Banana Bread Oatmeal Bars with Cinnamon Crumb

Vegan Banana Oatmeal Bars topped with Caramelized Bananas and cinnamon crumb! They need just 1 Pan, are Glutenfree, refined sugar free, refined oil free! These Banana bread oat bars come together quickly and are perfect on the go snack or breakfast! Soyfree recipe, Nutfree option

Serves 9

Prep 15 minutes

Cook 45 minutes

Total 1 hour