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Easy Banana Bread Granola Bars (nut free)

February 19, 2020 by Monique 12 Comments

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Easy peasy banana bread granola bars made with oats, seeds and coconut. Naturally sweetened with banana and a tiny splash of maple syrup, these are the perfect snack or a speedy breakfast on the go! This recipe is vegan and nut free (and if you have gluten free oats available, it can be gluten free as well!).

Vegan banana bread granola bar recipe by Nourish Every Day

These banana bread granola bars are a personal fave. Delicious, nutritious and easy to make. There’s really not much to this recipe, mashing the banana is the only thing that involves much effort! Then it’s simply a matter of pressing the mixture into a baking tray.

Why you will love these easy banana granola bars

  • A healthy and filling snack option. Packed with wholegrains, fruit and seeds, this delicious granola bar is made with nutritious ingredients and makes a satisfying snack without too much of a sugar hit.
  • Allergy friendly recipe. The recipe as written below is nut free and dairy free. If you live somewhere where there are certified gluten free oats, you can also make this recipe gluten free.
  • Simple cooking method with minimal fuss. This is a really basic recipe to throw together. I know some granola bar recipes can feel a bit fiddly having to melt together a lot of ingredients – not the case here. The bars are held together mostly using mashed banana, which is so quick!
Side angle shot of banana bread granola bars recipe

My banana bread granola bars have the most delicious flavour and are packed with chewy rolled oats, sweet coconut and lots of crunchy seeds. I decided to call them banana bread granola bars because the smell of the bananas and cinnamon baking reminds me of a classic banana bread baking in the oven!

Banana bread granola bars by Nourish Every Day

Cooking tips for making healthy granola bars with mashed banana

This recipe is vegan and very low in added sweetener, with the bars being mainly held together with mashed banana. It might sound like the mixture will not stick together, but here are my tips to ensure you get the best results:

  • Use two LARGE bananas in this recipe. You want about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of mashed banana puree for this recipe. If you have small bananas, you may need three.
  • Make sure you add the ground flaxseed to the mixture. Ground flaxseed swells up a little and develops a gel-like texture when combined with wet ingredients, helping to bind the bars together.
  • Press the mixture down firmly in the baking tray. I find this easiest to do with my fingertips.

Are these granola bars crunchy or chewy?

These banana bread granola bars are more chewy than they are crispy. If you like a granola bar with more crisp edges, you can return these to the oven for a bit of extra baking time once you’ve sliced the baked mixture into smaller bars, as this will help to dry them out more, adding a slightly more crunchy edge. Just be careful not to burn them!

Close up shot of granola bars by Nourish Every Day

How should I store banana granola bars?

For storing the bars, I recommend an airtight container in the fridge. I sometimes freeze them as well, though they become a little softer when defrosted. To freeze them, wrap firmly in baking paper and then a layer of cling film, and pop into a container in the freezer.

I hope you enjoy these easy peasy banana bread granola bars! If you make them don’t forget to take a snap and tag me on Instagram or leave me a comment below.

Top view of banana bread granola bars by Nourish Every Day

More delicious snack recipes:

  • No Food Processor Protein Balls
  • Apple Zucchini Snack Cake
  • Peanut Butter Date Energy Balls
Banana Bread Muesli Bars Recipe by Nourish Every Day

Easy Banana Bread Granola Bars

Easy peasy banana bread granola bars made with oats, seeds and coconut. Naturally sweetened with mashed banana and only a teeny splash of maple syrup, these are the perfect snack or a speedy breakfast on the go! Vegan and nut free.
4.20 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast, Snacks and Bites
Cuisine: dairy free, egg free, gluten free, nut free, vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 bars
Calories: 185kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 large bananas as overripe as possible*
  • 1 and 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten free)
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup sultanas
  • 3 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil melted
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 160 C and line the base and sides of a square or rectangular cake tin with baking paper (I used a 9 inch square cake tin).
  • In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sultanas and the flaxseed.
  • Mash the bananas thoroughly until you have a thick paste. Stir in the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
  • Combine the banana mixture with the oat mixture. Scoop into your lined baking tray and press the mixture down firmly (using the back of a spoon or your fingertips) until there are no gaps and the mixture is evenly distributed.
  • Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until the edges are starting to turn a deep golden brown and the middle feels firm.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing in to bars.
  • If the bars feel a little wet/damp on the underside after the cooking time, remove from the baking tin, place upside down on a baking tray and bake them in the oven for 5-10 minutes extra. This can be done before or after slicing into smaller bars.

Notes

*Use two LARGE bananas in this recipe. You want about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of mashed banana puree for this recipe. If you have small bananas, you may need three.
*swap the sultanas for dried cranberries, chopped dried dates or even some chocolate chips – so good!
*you can also swap the seeds for nuts if you prefer. If you’re using nuts, as they are a bit larger than seeds the bars will work best if you roughly chop them first, so they’re nicely distributed throughout the bars and the bars hold together well.
Have you made this recipe?I love seeing your creations! Take a photo and then tag me @nourish.everyday on Instagram!

Nutrition

Calories: 185kcal (9%) | Carbohydrates: 23g (8%) | Protein: 4g (8%) | Fat: 9g (14%) | Saturated Fat: 4g (25%) | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 267mg (8%) | Fiber: 4g (17%) | Sugar: 10g (11%) | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 2mg (2%) | Calcium: 28mg (3%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
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Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipe, Snacks and Bites Tagged With: dairy free, granola bars, healthy baking, healthy snacks, lunch box, muesli bars, nut free, oats, vegan, vegetarian

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Adoree

    August 25, 2023 at 4:12 am

    This looks delicious! Are the calories for the whole thing, or per bar?

    Reply
  2. u make me sad

    May 28, 2021 at 2:30 pm

    1 star
    U just make me sad. u failed me again. tasted okay saddddtimeeeeeees

    Reply
  3. Vanya

    April 6, 2021 at 8:53 pm

    5 stars
    Monique, just like all your recipes, this one is perfect, worked like a treat.

    Reply
  4. Kiran Bains

    May 4, 2020 at 3:33 am

    5 stars
    Thank you Monique all the way from UK. Absolutely delicious recipe and healthy. I just used more bananas and didn’t use the maple syrup !! Thanks Kiran xx

    Reply
    • Monique

      May 7, 2020 at 11:50 am

      Thanks so much Kiran! Appreciate you taking the time to leave this lovely review and I’m so happy you like them 🙂

      Reply
    • elisha

      September 29, 2020 at 7:44 pm

      5 stars
      Mmm
      Tasty and easy to make although they are lacking something, I just added some orange oil and worked good. Also used chia seeds instead of flaxseed. Thanks, was the only recipe with no dairy or sugar but little honey too.

      Reply
  5. Hazel

    May 5, 2018 at 3:15 pm

    Hi! These look like a nice variation to regular banan bread. Can the flaxseed be replaced with chia seeds?

    Reply
    • Monique

      May 6, 2018 at 7:48 pm

      Hi Hazel, yes I think that would work! Make sure to use large bananas with this recipe to make sure you have enough banana puree to bring the mixture together 🙂

      Reply
      • Hazel

        October 10, 2018 at 12:18 pm

        Worked very well! I didn’t have enough dried fruit so made up the quantity with dark chocolate chips. Just the right amount of sweetness – yum!

        Reply
        • Monique

          October 17, 2018 at 1:58 pm

          Very happy to hear this and yum to choc chips! 🙂

          Reply
  6. Maria

    May 15, 2016 at 2:48 pm

    These look delicious! Another great way to use overripe bananas! I will definitely have to try.

    Reply
    • Monique

      May 16, 2016 at 9:32 am

      Thank you so much Maria! Always good to have a few different ways to use up all those bananas that you end up with in the freezer 🙂

      Reply
4.20 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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HELLO

Monique Cormack

I'm Monique, an accredited clinical nutritionist and creator of Nourish Everyday. I share my favourite healthy recipes on this blog! When I'm not blogging I work as an expert fertility and pregnancy nutritionist.

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