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    You are at:Home»Dairy-Free Recipes»Alisa's Favorite Dairy-Free Recipes»Super Banana Oat Snack Bars are a Hands Down Family Favorite

    Super Banana Oat Snack Bars are a Hands Down Family Favorite

    63
    By Alisa Fleming on October 13, 2021 Alisa's Favorite Dairy-Free Recipes, Breakfast, Dairy Free Desserts, Dairy-Free Recipes, Dairy-Free Snack Recipes

    This is a popular recipe from from a former personal blog many years ago. The original title is SuperDad Snack Bars because I made these banana oat bars for my dad when he helped us on moving day. I’ve since created a Maple Cinnamon Raisin version, too! And, after making them a bagillion times, I finally remembered to take new, bigger photos. I’m updating this post with those pictures, and other information.

    Super Banana Oat Snack Bars are a Hands Down Family Favorite

    Super Banana Oat Snack Bars are a Hands Down Family Favorite

    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; spouses, 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.

    Reader Raves: Banana Oat Snack Bars

    I originally shared this recipe on my old blog, where it received a ton of helpful feedback:

    These are delicious! I also made a pumpkin version. Just substituted pumpkin for the banana and added a bit of extra honey and some pumpkin pie spice. YUMMMMMMM!!!! ~ Christi

    I made these last night and they are amazing! My two year old and I both LOVED them! Having liked them so much (plus the fact that I love experimenting), I did another variation of them today that was great – I added 1/4 cup of peanut butter instead of the oil, and chocolate protein powder instead of the flour. The banana/chocolate/PB combo was awesome – Not allergen free, but I’m sure even more modifications could be made to make it friendly ? ~ Erin

    Just thought I’d come back and say that lately, we’re making these weekly! My son loves them. I reduce the oats to 1 c and added 1/4 c of ground flaxseed. For flour, I use Buckwheat. And I add some Ghiradelli 60% dark chocolate chips ? I bought a bag of the cheap, ripe bananas and mashed them and froze them in pairs. I just take the bag out and let it defrost in the fridge, then use in the recipe. Easy!~ Marie

    Super Banana Oat Snack Bars are a Hands Down Family Favorite

    Special Diet Notes: Banana Oat Bars

    By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, optionally egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, optionally vegan, and vegetarian.

    For egg-free banana oat bars, 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. You can also see my Egg Substitute Guide for more options.

    4.8 from 13 reviews
    Super Banana Oat Bars
     
    Print
    Prep time
    10 mins
    Cook time
    30 mins
    Total time
    40 mins
     
    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 ⅓ cup, or add a couple tablespoons of coconut sugar or brown sugar.
    Author: Alisa Fleming
    Recipe type: Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Serves: 9 snack bars
    Ingredients
    • 1¼ cups quick oats (certified gluten-free, if needed)
    • ¼ cup honey or agave nectar
    • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted or softened (or baking oil of your choice)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ cup flour (your choice of flour; I ground more gluten-free oats in my spice grinder to a flour consistency)
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ 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)
    • ½ 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).
    Nutrition Information
    Serving size: 1 bar Calories: 145 Fat: 5.9g Saturated fat: 4.2g Carbohydrates: 21.6g Sugar: 10.3g Sodium: 146mg Fiber: 2.2g Protein: 2.8g
    3.5.3229

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    Alisa Fleming
    • Website

    Alisa is the founder of GoDairyFree.org, Food 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, and the new cookbook, Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets. Alisa is also a professional recipe creator and product ambassador for the natural food industry.

    63 Comments

    1. Phil on December 8, 2018 6:05 pm

      Just made these, added a tablespoon of peanut butter, plus a hand of dark chocolate buds. Absolutely delicious. Will definitely be adding to the must do recipes.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on December 9, 2018 3:53 pm

        Delicious add-ins! Thanks for sharing this Phil.

        Reply
        • Sarah on February 14, 2021 10:28 am

          I made these and when I want to eat them they’d all been eaten by the kids!! Great recipe, although the quantity did not fill the size tin recommended. Second batch i doubled and used ground almonds instead of flour, almond extract instead of vanilla and added nuts, raisins and seeds with the banana – delicious!!

          Reply
          • Alisa Fleming on February 14, 2021 12:53 pm

            So glad you enjoyed them Sarah! You can definitely bake in a smaller pan if you like them thicker 🙂

            Reply
      • Rachel on June 5, 2019 10:02 am

        I made these but added a couple teaspoons of cinnamon and a couple grated apples instead of the coconut and they were FANTASTIC! Everyone loved them!

        Reply
        • Alisa Fleming on June 5, 2019 10:11 am

          That’s great! Thank you for sharing your modifications Rachel!

          Reply
        • Barbara Copeland on July 10, 2021 3:52 am

          What can l sub the coconut with

          Reply
          • Alisa Fleming on July 10, 2021 9:21 am

            I’d read the comments for suggestions, a few people have substituted the coconut. You can simply omit it. And here is a version of this recipe without the coconut -> https://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/cinnamon-raisin-banana-oat-bars

            Reply
    2. Julie on August 10, 2017 3:13 am

      These are really great and surprisingly sweet! I added chopped almonds and walnuts.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on August 23, 2017 2:40 pm

        Glad you enjoyed them Julie! Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂

        Reply
    3. Crystal on September 25, 2016 7:51 pm

      Turned out amazing! Kids had them for their lunch snack every day for a week and wanted more!!:)

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on September 27, 2016 7:49 pm

        Thanks for the feedback Crystal! I always consider kid votes to be very high praise.

        Reply
    4. Suzanne on September 23, 2016 7:04 am

      These are yummy! I didn’t have coconut on hand so I added a few sprinkles of cinnamon and nutmeg instead, and to make it vegan and gluten free I used a chia egg and gf oats and gf all purpose flour. I may add chopped walnuts or pecans next time.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on September 23, 2016 8:01 am

        Thanks for sharing your successful modifications Suzanne and glad to hear it worked well for you egg-free, too!

        Reply
    5. Pingback: Super Cinnamon Raisin Banana Oat Bars Recipe - Go Dairy Free

    6. Sarah on January 3, 2016 3:26 pm

      Just made these. Only change I made was replacing coconut for grated apple, added a little more oats as apple was very moist. They turned out amazing, hoping my toddler likes them too. Will test them out when he wakes from his nap =) (if there’s any left. He he)

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on January 5, 2016 7:29 am

        Thank you for sharing your modifications Sarah – I hope your little guy liked them, too!

        Reply
    7. Brea Hughes on January 7, 2015 7:36 pm

      Just wondering how long the bars would keep for? Thanks 🙂

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on January 7, 2015 9:52 pm

        Being completely honest, they’ve never been around longer than 2 days in our house! That said, they should last at least a few days (depending on your climate), and can be frozen for longer.

        Reply
        • Brea on January 8, 2015 6:12 pm

          Thank you very much

          Reply
    8. Pingback: Dairy Free Banana Bars | Sweets Eats and Crafts

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    10. Kati on June 21, 2013 3:59 pm

      These were delicious and super easy to make. Thanks for a great recipe that I will definitely make again!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on June 22, 2013 6:56 am

        Glad you enjoyed Kati!

        Reply
    11. Hope on June 1, 2013 5:46 pm

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

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on June 3, 2013 6:54 am

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

        Reply
      • Jennifer on June 28, 2014 4:09 am

        You can just pulse your oats in a food processor for a few seconds to break them down some 😉

        Reply
    12. Tina on May 6, 2013 6:23 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on May 6, 2013 12:37 pm

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

        Reply
    13. Toni on March 8, 2013 7:34 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on March 11, 2013 8:00 am

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

        Reply
    14. Swe on December 17, 2012 2:16 pm

      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!

      Reply
    15. Tessa on November 6, 2012 2:20 pm

      Ps, I also used a chia egg!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on November 7, 2012 12:13 pm

        Oh, good to know, thank you!

        Reply
    16. Tessa@The Domestic Diva on October 30, 2012 1:55 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on October 30, 2012 4:25 pm

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

        Reply
    17. Linda on October 21, 2012 9:35 am

      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!

      Reply
    18. LInda Whitley on October 4, 2012 8:30 am

      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.

      Reply
    19. Shirley @ gfe on September 24, 2012 7:29 am

      Beautiful, Alisa! I can imagine just how good these are. 🙂 I will make them for sure. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply
    20. Ricki on September 23, 2012 11:15 am

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

      Reply
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