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Super Banana-Oat Snack Bars

Posted on by in Alisa's Recipes, Breakfast, Dairy Free Desserts, Dairy-Free Recipes, Snacks with 15 Comments

Alisa Fleming ~ This is a popular recipe from my personal blog and my free e-book, Smart School Time Recipes. The original title is SuperDad Snack Bars because I originally made these banana oat bars for my dad when he helped us on moving day.

Banana Oat Bars - Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Superdad Snack Bars

Bananas and oats have to be my dad’s two favorite foods, but he shies away from baked goodies since in his mind they are all loaded with sugar and refined flours. So I created these whole-grain, naturally-sweetened banana oat bars as a snack to keep us all fueled and happy as we labored away.

My dad (and husband, and grandma (yes, she helped too!) loved these bars so much that by days end, the entire pan was gone and he asked me to make more! In terms of texture, these banana oat bars are like a cross between a snack bar and a snack cake. They aren’t overly sweet, but just sweet enough to call a virtuous treat.

I changed the name, because I didn’t want you to think that these banana oat bars are just for dads; kids and moms will enjoy them, too! Plus, they are great for breakfasts on-the-go and lunch box treats. You can adjust the sweetener to taste and modify the add-ins. I’ve even included a cinnamon-raisin option in the recipe.

To note, these banana oat bars are naturally dairy-free (of course!), nut-free, and soy-free. I also make them gluten-free (with certified gluten-free oats). If making them egg-free, feel free to experiment with your favorite egg replacer (perhaps even increasing the banana by 1/4 cup and adding 1/8 teaspoon baking powder for extra-banana love!). I’ve included one egg-free option in the recipe, which will work best if you are using a wheat-based flour.

Banana Oat Bars - Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Superdad Snack Bars

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Super Banana Oat Bars

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 9 snack bars

Super Banana Oat Bars

If you have gluten-free needs, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats. Also, we found these bars to be just sweet enough, but if you want them a touch sweeter, you can increase the honey or agave to 1/3 cup, or add a couple tablespoons of coconut sugar or brown sugar.

Ingredients

  • 1-1/4 Cups Quick Oats (not instant)
  • 1/4 Cup Honey or Agave Nectar
  • 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, melted or softened (or baking oil of your choice)
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 Cup Flour (your choice of flour; I ground more gluten-free oats in my spice grinder to a flour consistency)
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Egg (brought to room temperature if using coconut oil) or 1 Ener-G Egg Replacer
  • 1 Cup Mashed, Ripe Banana (about 3 small or 2 large)
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and grease an 8 x 8 baking dish.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats, agave or honey, oil, and vanilla. Briefly set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Briefly set aside.
  4. Returning to your mixing bowl, stir in the egg, banana, and coconut, until everything is well combined. Stir in the reserved flour mixture (since I was using oat flour without gluten, I wasn’t worried about over-mixing. Be careful not to overmix if you are using a wheat-based flour).
  5. The batter will be a little thick. Spread it evenly in your greased baking dish, and pop it in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Let cool completely before cutting. Can be stored in the fridge if you like ‘em chilled (I do).

Notes

Cinnamon-Raisin Variation: Substitute grapeseed oil or other neutral-tasting oil for the coconut oil; substitute 1/2 cup of raisins for the coconut; add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or more if you like!); and optionally substitute maple syrup for the agave/honey.

http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/super-snack-banana-oat-bars

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About Alisa Fleming

Alisa is the founder of GoDairyFree.org, Senior Editor for Allergic Living magazine, and author of the best-selling dairy-free book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living. Alisa is also a professional recipe creator and product ambassador for the natural food industry.

View all posts by Alisa Fleming →

Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free: A Whole Food Cookbook

15 Comments

  1. RickiSeptember 23, 2012 at 11:15 amReply

    I love this combination of ingredients–a classic! They look super moist, too. :)

  2. Shirley @ gfeSeptember 24, 2012 at 7:29 amReply

    Beautiful, Alisa! I can imagine just how good these are. :-) I will make them for sure. ;-)

    Shirley

  3. LInda WhitleyOctober 4, 2012 at 8:30 amReply

    Just bookmarked this one, it looks super nutritious and yummy. It is so hard to find good GF recipes that the children truly like. Thank you.

  4. LindaOctober 21, 2012 at 9:35 amReply

    I dumped everything in one bowl and mixed with a hand mixer and let it sit for a few minutes. I used extra thick oats and almond flour. Yummy!

  5. Tessa@The Domestic DivaOctober 30, 2012 at 1:55 pmReply

    Loved these, such a fabulous texture, and not very sweet at all! I used toasted quinoa flour (can’t stand its taste otherwise!) We added a few chocolate chips. Will definitely make these again Alisa, thank you!

    • Alisa FlemingOctober 30, 2012 at 4:25 pmReplyAuthor

      So glad you enjoyed the recipe Tessa. Good to know that quinoa flour works well, too!

  6. TessaNovember 6, 2012 at 2:20 pmReply

    Ps, I also used a chia egg!

  7. SweDecember 17, 2012 at 2:16 pmReply

    These turned out great, replaced the honey with unsweetened apple sauce, Whole wheat plain flour and accidently added 1tsp baking soda, also added 1/4 cup coconut. and 1/4 cup raisins .. Turned out like a very delicious moist , surprisingly sweet loaf type cake . Will definitely make again!

  8. ToniMarch 8, 2013 at 7:34 amReply

    Can anything be substituted for the coconut, or could it be left out without changing the outcome too much?

    If I double for a 9×13 pan, do you know bake time?

    Thanks!

    • Alisa FlemingMarch 11, 2013 at 8:00 amReplyAuthor

      I think you could omit or use any other add-in including more oats.

  9. TinaMay 6, 2013 at 6:23 amReply

    I was wondering if you know how many calories these are. I’m on a 1200 cal diet and don’t like too many calories on one item for breakfast cause I eat a yogurt in addition to an low cal item.

    • Alisa FlemingMay 6, 2013 at 12:37 pmReplyAuthor

      No I don’t off hand – there are a few good websites out there for calculating calories.

  10. HopeJune 1, 2013 at 5:46 pmReply

    Do you know if this recipe would work with regular gluten free oats? I’ve never seen gluten free quick oats

    • Alisa FlemingJune 3, 2013 at 6:54 amReplyAuthor

      Hi Hope, gf quick oats are out there! Rolled oats should work, but will have a chewier result.

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