Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
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My oatmeal breakfast bars are chewy, soft, and the healthy way to start your morning. Made with three ingredients, they bake in just 15 minutes!
I like to have something wholesome ready for busy mornings, and these oatmeal bars are one of the few make-ahead breakfasts my partner, sister, and I can agree on (calling those two picky is an understatement). I usually bake a batch on Sunday afternoons (designated meal prep hour) so there’s something easy to grab before early meetings or train commutes.
Instead of reinventing the wheel, I loosely adapted my oatmeal breakfast cookies into bar form. It wasn’t an equal swap, so I adjusted the banana-to-oat ratio to ensure they stay soft but hold their shape all week. The result? They taste just as fresh on day five as they do out of the oven. High in fiber, wholegrains, and healthy fats, they keep everyone full until lunch, which keeps me happy.
Table of Contents
Breakfast bars recipe highlights
- Made with 3 ingredients. And only one bowl!
- Healthy. Like my healthy granola bars, these are chock-full of hearty oats and naturally egg, dairy, and gluten-free.
- Ready in 15 minutes. These bars are a whiz to make.
- The whole family will love them. Just ask mine!
What readers are saying
★★★★★ – “I was serving these bars for our dessert, and my husband, grandson, and I loved them!! I need more recipes like this one, so easy! Thanks so much!” – Donna
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make my oatmeal bars. The full printable list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
- Rolled oats AND/OR oat flour. Adds a chewy, hearty texture while being high in fiber and protein. Quick oats will work, but they won’t be as dense. I like to use a mix of rolled oats and oat flour for a softer, more uniform texture.
- Bananas. Adds sweetness and moisture to the bars. The browner the bananas, the sweeter the bars will be.
- Peanut butter. Smooth and drippy with no added sugar or salt. You can swap this out for almond butter, cashew butter, or a nut-free alternative like sunflower seed butter.
- Optional mix-ins. Chocolate chips, fruit, nuts, or anything you like.
How to make oatmeal breakfast bars
Step 1– Combine all of the dry and wet ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in mix-ins, if using them.
Step 2- Transfer the mixture to the lined pan and bake for 15 minutes or until the top is firm. Let them cool in the pan completely before slicing and serving.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Swap the mashed banana. If you’d rather not use bananas, use equal portions of unsweetened applesauce or pumpkin puree. If you make this swap, you’ll want to add some honey or maple syrup to compensate for the loss of sweetness.
- Note on sweetness. My oat bars rely on the banana for sweetness. If you want sweeter bars, I recommend adding maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar. My partner and sister both prefer it when I make these with the addition of two to three tablespoons in the mixture (they do like sweeter baked goods).
- Make them gluten-free by using certified gluten-free oats. I always do a test batch using Bob’s Red Mill.
- Add protein. I typically make protein baked oats by adding 1/2 to 1 full cup of unflavored protein powder to the mixture. My favorite protein to use is casein or brown rice, because it mixes seamlessly into the mixture.
Storage and meal prep
To store/meal prep: Leftover bars should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
To freeze: Place the cooled bars in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to six months.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! I tested substituting oats with equal parts quinoa or buckwheat flakes. I found that these have an almost identical texture to the rolled oats.
If you don’t cool the bars completely before slicing, they may fall apart. I recommend letting them cool completely in the pan before slicing.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition information has been reviewed by registered dietitian Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter can sub for any nut or seed butter of choice
- 4 cups rolled oats * See notes
- 6-7 medium bananas About 3 cups mashed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, mashed bananas, and peanut butter and mix well. If adding maple syrup or honey, add it now, along with any other mix-ins.
- Transfer the batter to the lined pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until the top is firm.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool completely, before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Oats and oat flour: I like to use half rolled oats, half oat flour for a more uniform texture (as pictured).
- Sweetness: These are not overly sweet. I suggest adding 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup, honey, or agave if you prefer sweet bars.
- Leftovers: Keep at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for one week. You can freeze them for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
More ways to enjoy oatmeal
- Brownie baked oatmeal
- Baked oats
- Oatmeal smoothie
- Healthy oatmeal pancakes
- Or any of my oat based recipes
Originally updated October 2022
I enjoyed it. It’s only a couple ingredients and it’s takes no time to mix and bake. Then viola you have a healthy dessert. I added some agave syrup to add a little sweetness.
Thanks for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed this 🙂
Theese bars ate!
OMG these are so good to make ahead for when you’re running out the door. Thanks for the recipe.
Soooo good! (Except I ate half the pan) lol
I love this confession! 🤣
Lovely recipes, so easy to make.
I enjoy everything you do, continue your great work
Very easy to make. It is slso nice that you can “mix” shapes of bars. Round, circle, amazing.
Pretty solid, I mean it’s what you expect, the taste is alright, it’s easy to make, and it’s healthy.
I gave it a 4 star, come on?
What a great meal prep breakfast or snack.
Love your recipes esp the least ingredient ones
I was serving these bars for our dessert and my husband and grandson and I loved them!! I need more recipes like this one, so so easy! Thanks so much!
Delicious
Used 2 cups of applesauce, handful of chopped dates, dried apricots and chopped dark chocolate chips and lightly salted almonds. Spread it out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cooked for about 13 minutes. Delicious!!!
These took more like 35 minutes vs 12 minutes bake time to come together. Not sure why, but wanted to leave that comment in case anyone else found more bake time was needed.
Can quick oats be substituted for steel/rolled oats in your recipes?
Love your recipes.
I saw the 5 star rating and was excited to make these and they nailed it out of the park!
Very tasty, economical and fast to prepare. Perfect!!
Excellent recipe. Must use chocolate. I added chia seeds. I would also add nuts and unsweetened coconut next time.
5 Star receive . Bars are wholesome delicious!
This is the 2nd batch that I make, I love having squares in my freezer and eat them whenever I want something sweet. This is a great recipe!
I made these for the first time. They are additive!!
We adored these!
Hi~
How much applesauce or pumpkin would equal 6-7 mashed bananas?
Thank you!
Around 2.5 cups
Can you use egg instead of Bananas? If so? How many?
Not for this.
Easy and yum! The only comment I’d make is – don’t worry about baking this breakfast bar “until skewer comes out clean” as the recipe states.
I baked it for 27 minutes – skewer still didn’t come out clean! But any longer and the texture would have become a dry, rubbery mess… And the oats weeks have begun to burn & turn bitter too.
Much better to underbake this “cake” then to overbake it, in my opinion.
It doesn’t taste raw at all, it’s delicious! So don’t let the skewer test fool you.
These look delicious. Can you use something besides banana, I’m allergic. There’s so much that includes banana. Applesauce doable?
Applesauce should be okay
Can they be frozen bananas ? 🙂
Yes, but thaw it out completely.
Can I use all natural pb(just peanuts) or does it need to be creamy?
That works, provided it is mixable 🙂
This recipe is delicious 😋 I baked mine inside silicon cupcake moulds for portion control as well as easy clean up and it worked so well! Thanks for sharing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Can I omit or sub the nut butter? My son has a nut allergy.
You can use tahini or sunflower seed butter.
I just made these for breakfast and they were a HIT!!! They are SO good, my kids devoured them! Thank you for the awesome recipe, I will share far and wide!!!
Thank you so much, Tonya- Thank you for the feedback!
I’ve made these so many times now, made some of my own variations adding hemp seeds and flax meal, comes out so good each time. Thank you!
😀 fabulous! 🙂
These look so yummy- I was wondering how many cups of mashed bananas would equal the 6-7 medium ones in the recipe.
I just made these with my daughter who asked if we could bake them as breakfast cookies. They turned out perfectly!! Happy to send pic if you’d like!!
I have made these twice now for my morning routine and LOVE them!
I have noticed that my skewers don’t come out clean even after I put it in for longer. Is this normal for a thick batter?
Hi there! Yes, that can often happen- The beauty of these bars is that they are egg-free, so you can enjoy them slightly under-baked 🙂
Hi! When is the best time to cut these (while they are still warm…like after they are firm and before you transfer to a wire rack), or after they are completely cool? Thank you!
Once they are cool 🙂
You are the best 👌 👍
Thank you for your yummy 😋 recipes
All the best
Do the bananas need to be really ripe?
Nope! Any will work 🙂
Can you use thawed frozen bananas?
I don’t see why not!
I made these tonight and was so happy with how they came out. Thank you for the recipe!!!!
😀 Cheers, Joycelyn 🙂
Thank you for this delicious and simple recipe! I just made these, but subbed the bananas for applesauce since I had no bananas around. Turned out great!
Do you have the nutritional information for these?
Nutritional information is included in the recipe card
How big (weight) is each bar for the Macros you have provided?
Hi Dezi, I don’t weigh the bars, I just cut them into bars. Enjoy!
Hi, if I use applesauce or pumpkin puree instead of bananas, how much would I use please, and how much maple syrup? Thank you. I look forward to try these out!
2 cups and maybe 2-3 tablespoons syrup.