So much better than store-bought! These soft and chewy banana bread granola bars are made without any refined sugars or oils, and LOADED with chocolate and banana flavour! They’re gluten-free and vegan, with a higher protein option for those who want it.The perfect easy and healthy snack.
One of the best things about having a food allergy is that it forces you to be more conscious of what you’re putting into your body [so that you can avoid dying and/or getting very sick].
Having been blessed born with a severe peanut allergy, I’ve pretty much been looking over ingredients labels since I learned how to read, and it’s a little scary when you realize how much crap goes into the food we eat.
I mean, you’ve gotta love it when you can’t even pronounce half of the things on a list that’s a mile long; and of the things you can pronounce, half say something like: artificial colours, artificial flavours, high fructose corn syrup, BHA, BHT, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, etc., etc., wtf.
Uhm. Yum? Those sound super tasty ?
The other great thing about living with a food allergy (#gratitude), is that it forces you do a lot of cooking/baking at home.
Case in point: I can’t eat most store-bought granola bars. In fact, I don’t even think I ever had one as a kid because there wasn’t a tonne of allergy awareness back in those days, and from what I remember, every bar had peanuts, nuts, and/or traces of one or the other.
You don’t even KNOW the kind of happy dances I did when I learned that popular granola bar manufacturers would be coming out with a nut-free line… only to be completely underwhelmed when I finally tried them.
So what’s a Spoon to do when she wants a convenient and actually satisfying snack bar but can’t find one that won’t put her in a hospital?
She makes her own!
… and they rock.her.socks.right off.
You guys know I love my soft and chewy protein granola bars (I’ve probably made 100+ batches at this point??), but I’m tempted to say that these banana bread granola bars might just give the original version a run for its money — for a few simple reasons:
I love bananas.
I love oats.
I love almond butter.
I love chocolate.
And I love that these bars COMBINE ALL FOUR in a soft and chewy portable morsel of deliciousness that tastes just like a slice of day old (i.e. the best kind!) banana bread and doesn’t leave you wanting more.
Nutritious, filling, chocolatey, banana-y, sweet, and — have I mentioned — soft and chewy?!
But the best part issss –> no sketchy ingredients!! None! No chemicals, no preservatives, no artificial this or that. Heck, no refined sugars at all, depending on what kind of chocolate chips you use.
Nothing but wholesome, natural ingredients in these convenient and actually satisfying bars.
Happy eating!
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Soft and Chewy Banana Bread Granola Bars
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 10-12 bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups (160 g) regular or quick oats
- 2 Tbsp (14 g) ground flaxseed
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (150 g or 3/4 cup)
- ¼ cup (64 g) almond butter (or any nut/seed butter)
- 1/4 cup (80 g) brown rice syrup (or honey, if not vegan)
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60 g) mini dairy-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (176C) and prepare an 8×8 (20cm x 20cm) baking pan by lining it with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flax, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the mashed banana, nut butter, sweetener, and vanilla, mixing until the ingredients are fully combined and the mixture is smooth. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and stir until everything is fully incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan, and use a greased spatula or your hands to spread the mixture evenly throughout the pan.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the top sets and the edges begin to turn golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the bars cool in the pan for ~15 minutes before using a sharp knife to cut them into individual bars. Store them in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
* To make these PROTEIN granola bars, add 1/2 cup of your favourite protein powder to the dry mix, and an extra 1/4 cup of almond milk to the wet mix.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
Looking for more healthy granola bar recipes? Try one of these!
Soft and Chewy Protein Granola Bars
Strawberry Banana Oat Bars
Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Granola Bars
Blueberry Almond Oat Bars
Honey Almond Granola Bars
I love how always post recipe in comments. Many people just leave the video and no fyrther directions or measurements so the watcher is left to guesstimate.