These super easy Banana Oatmeal Bars have only 4 ingredients! Perfect for meal prep snacks and kids’ lunch boxes!

I don’t know about you, but I really dislike recipes that have a laundry list of ingredients.

When I make something, I only want to spend like 30 seconds getting out the ingredients. The sooner I can cook, the sooner I can enjoy my food!

And I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy snacks. Ones that are easy to put together and can prep for the whole week.

These Banana Oatmeal Bars have only 4 ingredients and are perfect for kids’ lunch boxes, afternoon snacks, and even with breakfast. They’re soft, creamy, and super sweet thanks to very ripe bananas and mini chocolate chips.

Scroll to the bottom of the post to get to the recipe card. Or keep reading for extra tips and tricks!

Ingredients

• Rolled oats- Heart-healthy and fiber-filled to keep you full longer
• Peanut butter- Has unsaturated fats, which are good for the heart
• Banana- Be sure to use really brown bananas to get the sweetest flavor
• Chocolate chips- I like the mini chocolate chips to spread the chocolate goodness even further

How to Make Banana Oat Bars

Mash Bananas

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mash the bananas until they’re nice and creamy.

Mix the Ingredients

Add the peanut butter and stir until fully combined. Then mix in the rolled oats and chocolate chips.

Bake and Serve

Pour the mixture into a greased 9×9 baking pan and bake for 18-22 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the bars look firm.

Let the bars cool completely before slicing.

How to Store

After slicing the bars, store them in an airtight container! I use the Rubbermaid brand because they’re reliable and last a long time.

• On the counter: 1-2 days
• In the fridge: 5-7 days

How to Freeze these Easy Banana Oatmeal Bars

If you want to make a huge batch for later, you can definitely freeze these! I freeze these, plus other snacks that are found in my Freezer Snack Guide.

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place cooled, sliced bars on the baking sheet and put in the freezer for 3-4 hours.
• Transfer the bars to a labeled gallon-sized freezer bag.

These bars will stay fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer!

Cooking Tips

Use another nut butter

If you have peanut allergies or prefer a different taste, you can use any other kind of nut butter or seed butter. It’s still a 1:1 ratio.

Use rolled oats

I always used rolled oats, also called old-fashioned oats, because they keep their firm texture when baking.

Quick oats will make these bars a little mushy. And steel cut oats are too firm and would need a completely different recipe.

Use really ripe bananas

The browner, the better! I actually freeze my extra bananas for when I want to make recipes like this.

Just peel the bananas, slice them, and put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. When they’re frozen, put them in a labeled gallon-sized freezer bag and just pull out what you need when baking!

Replace chocolate chips

If you prefer another flavor, you could use another type of chocolate chips; either white chocolate or dark chocolate.

Or if you don’t want any chocolate at all, you could add raisins or dried cranberries!

Print The Recipe

You’re going to love these kid-friendly Banana Oatmeal Bars! Print the recipe below: