For a healthy pre- or post- workout snack, try these homemade energy bars with peanut butter, banana, and oats! Similar to granola bars, they’re easy to make with only 5 ingredients, and they’re high in protein, fiber, and healthy carbs to give you that boost of energy you need.
The other day, I had a cooking catastrophe in an attempt to make healthy “cookies.”
Well, catastrophe may be kind of a strong word. Because out of it was born these super tasty, super healthy peanut butter and banana energy bars with only 5 ingredients! Here’s the story.
I got it in my head that I wanted to be “healthy” even though I was craving a cookie something fierce.
So, I tried making those two-ingredient “cookies” you always see on Pinterest… you know, the ones made only from mashed bananas and oats?
I am telling you right now: bananas and oats do not a cookie make.
If you want a cookie, do NOT attempt this, whatever you do. To future Elizabeth: when you want cookies, just make them! With BUTTER. And FLOUR.
Like these spicy ginger date cookies. Or these orange chai spice cookies.
But, like I said before, I did learn something from the experience! While my two-ingredient experiment did not taste anything like the cookies I was craving, they didn’t taste bad.
They actually had a fluffy, banana bread-ish texture even though it had no flour (since bananas firm up when they bake and act as a binding agent). They were moist, just like banana bread, and somewhat sweet, from the natural sugars in the banana.
And then my food blogger brain got to thinking: this would make a great energy bar!
With some modifications, of course. This is Bowl of DELICIOUS, after all, not Bowl of “Eh, not bad.” And these bars are definitely delicious.
But I DID whip up these delicious and healthy breakfast cookies as well, packed with dried fruit and oats. Yum.
What makes these peanut butter and banana oat bars healthy?
These granola bars have only 5 healthy, natural ingredients: bananas, peanut butter, oats, nuts/seeds, and honey.
Throw a little cinnamon/vanilla/other spices in there too, if you’re feeling crazy.
Maybe even some chocolate chips! YUM.
They are packed full of carbs, healthy fats, and protein, with nothing acidic or too flavorful to cause indigestion while working out, and they will keep you full and satisfied for a long time.
They are the PERFECT pre-hike/pre-run/pre-workout snack. WAY better than a Power Bar, for sure!
How to make peanut butter, oat, and banana energy bars
They are so easy to make. Just mix some the ingredients with a mixer (I use my KitchenAid mixer), spread in a baking dish, and bake.
- First, mix mashed banana, oats, peanut butter, sliced almonds, and some honey (and vanilla extract and cinnamon for extra credit) with a standing or hand mixer. The dough will be quite thick.
- Line a baking dish with parchment paper and spread the dough in as evenly as possible
- Bake and slice!
One important note: make sure you allow to cool completely before you cut into it, otherwise it may fall apart.
Tips and Tricks
- For ripe bananas whenever you want them, store very ripe extras in your freezer. When you want to use them, just microwave for one minute, peel, and you have perfectly soft, ripe bananas for baking.
- For a peanut butter substitute– you can substitute almond butter or another nut butter. I sometimes make my own peanut butter– it’s SO EASY.
- Instead of sliced almonds– you can use any combination of nuts and/or seeds you want. Pecans, peanuts, or other nuts, in addition to seeds such as sunflower, flax, or pumpkin seeds can be used as well.
- For a nut-free version, you can easily substitute the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter, and the sliced almonds with sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Use whatever you have in your pantry to make it easy!
What do these energy bars taste like?
These energy bars are kind of like granola bars, but have a bread-ier, fluffier texture to them. They aren’t as crunchy as your traditional granola bars.
In fact, they taste very much like a dense banana bread.
They are moist, they bind together well, and they are sweet and salty from the peanut butter and honey. They stay good at room temperature for a week, they are inexpensive to make, and are freezable.
And best of all, they give you a huge boost of energy from all-natural, real ingredients. They are perfect not only for before working out, but for a snack at work, for a breakfast on the go, or for road trips with hungry kids.
Or road trips with hungry adults.
Speaking of road trips, here is the real reason why I made these! Zach and I are driving to Maine tomorrow and are planning on bringing these energy bars for snacking on for the four hour drive.
We’re also going snowshoeing! These energy bars will be great to bring with us on our trek in the wilderness.
If we get stranded, at least we will have snacks.
Other recipes with bananas and oats
- DIY no bake chewy granola bars
- How to make your own instant oatmeal packets
- Cardamom coconut granola
- Healthy Banana Bread made with olive oil
- Blueberry, banana, and oat muffins
Check out all my appetizer and snack recipes here.
Did you make this peanut butter and banana energy bars recipe? Please click the stars below to comment and Rate this Recipe
5 Ingredient Peanut Butter and Banana Energy Bars
Equipment
- Hand mixer
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup, for a vegan version
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup sliced almonds or other nut/seed combination
Instructions
- Add oats (2 cups) and almonds (1 cup) and mix until combined.
- Turn out onto a parchment covered baking dish (about 9x9 inches). Press and flatten with a spatula until evenly distributed.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until golden brown on edges.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting bars.
- Store at room temperature for a week or freeze for up to 6 months in an airtight container or wrapped individually in plastic wrap.
Notes
- Variations: Add chocolate chips, other spices like nutmeg, or other extracts like almond.
- For a nut-free version, use sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter and use sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds instead of almonds.
- If you're gluten-sensitive, make sure to buy gluten-free oats.
- If your peanut butter is salt-free, I recommend adding 1/4 teaspoon or so of kosher salt to the mix.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Tiffany
Super easy and very delicious
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked them!
Rose
Quick, easy and healthy – win win win
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks! Glad you liked it :-)
Howard
Thanks for this recipe – I plan on trying it this week. But how ripe should the bananas be, optimally? Should I follow the banana bread mantra where the darker the better?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yes, I think the darker the better for this! You can hasten ripening by putting bananas in a paper bag.
agnes
I just made another batch today with my own homemade peanut butter and they are sooooo goood!!!!! I also melted some chocolate chips & peanut butter and spread a thin layer on top before putting them in the oven. They are very addictive!!!! I need to force myself to not eat them all at once. Do they freeze well in the freezer? I am not sure whether the oats will be too chewy after being in the refigerator or freezer. Thanks again for the recipe!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh YUMMM love the idea of spreading melted chocolate/PB on top! So glad you liked them. I haven’t tried freezing them but I think they would freeze really well.
Zsuzsanna
I’ve made this several times and my family enjoys them immensely! I keep them individually wrapped in freezer for an easy grab.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Great idea to keep a stash in the freezer! Glad to hear you and your family likes them :-)
Agnes
I just made these and they are so easy to make and yummy!!! I always love peanut butter & banana combo. Now I have a portable version that i can carry with me when I am out! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Next time I will try to make my own peanut butter for this recipe because the organic one I used doesn’t seem to have a strong peanut butter favor…. they still taste good, I was just hoping for a little heavier peanut butter taste. Will make another batch soon! Thanks again :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you like them!! I LOVE making my own peanut butter. It’s like magic and so easy!
Agnes
Yes peanut butter is so easy to make at home! I will let you know how the next batch turns out. Thanks again :)
Reese
I just made a batch of this, substituting the peanut butter with sunbutter cause I have an allergy… and they are SO GOOD! Such a great and easy snack :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Amy
We love these bars and use them for ride food on our long bike rides!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you like them!
Ann Marie Brush
I added 1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder as well as some chocolate chips and raisins. It is great!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for sharing your additions- so glad you liked it!
Michelle
Did you have to add any extra liquid when you added the protein powder
Elizabeth Lindemann
I haven’t used protein powder before so I can’t answer this, but hoping someone else chimes in with an answer who has!
Heidi
Just made these and they turned out great! LOVE that they are vegan (unless you count honey in which case you can use maple syrup) and gluten free with gf oats. So healthy and delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thank you! Glad you liked them :-)
Cyndi
I make a batch every week. These are so good. They satisfy my craving for something sweet and give me the energy I need to keep up with life. Even my picky eaters love them.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you like this recipe, and your picky eaters as well!
Rose
Have made this a couple of times now with sunbutter and/or almond butter and my kids love it! Our favorite combo is 1/2c. sunbutter, 1/2c. almond butter, maple syrup, and add raisins. Great for the school’s peanut-free requirement too.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and the kiddos like it! Love your substitutions and additions, and thanks for sharing the changes you make for peanut-free requirements.
Kay
Looks delicious, do we have to use old-fashioned oats or can we use minute oats? Would I have to tweak the recipe in some way to accommodate? Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
You can use the same amount of minute oats! Good question. Hope you like them :-)
Trish
Very yummy- we added some raisins and cranberries too.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked them- love the additions!
Sydney
I absolutely love this recipe! I’ve made these a couple times now and they always turn out great. I have a question though, I thought about adding some blueberries to the mixture, do you think this would harm the structure of the bars?
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked them! The blueberries might harm the structure, but would be a delicious addition. You could chop them up which may help, or use dried blueberries instead, to help keep them together a bit.
Yehudis
This looks delicious! Any ideas on how to adapt it for a nut AND seed allergy?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh man, this is a tough one! I always recommend sunflower seeds and sunflower seed butter as PB substitutes for nut allergies, but with a seed allergy it’s a little trickier. I did a bit of research and it seems there are two nut and seed free alternatives to peanut butter: cookie butter (https://gimmedelicious.com/insanely-easy-homemade-cookie-butter/) and coconut butter (https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-coconut-butter/). I linked to homemade versions but you can also find store-bought versions. The coconut butter is healthier in that it’s simply pureed coconut flesh, whereas the cookie butter is made from literally ground up cookies (um, YUM). I think the coconut butter version would be delicious with some coconut flakes sprinkled on top, which will get toasted in the oven as it bakes. Hope that helps and if you try this out I’d love to know how it turns out for you!
Yehudis
Thanks so much for your response and research! I may give the cookie butter a try as my husband can’t have coconut either.
Or I’ll just try the regular recipe and make cookies that are easier to adapt for allergies for him instead. Thanks!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Haha yeah, you might just be better off with an entirely different recipe! I think you may have success with this one, leaving out the peanut butter and nuts/seeds all together – https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/breakfast-cookies/
Naomi Mowatt
Best recipe ever!!! Love love love that I finally found a recipe that’s as fab as this one! Great for freezing and taste amazing!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you like them!
Raquel
I just made these with pretzels and pure maple syrup and flax seed. Haven’t tried them yet but look and smell great
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh I LOVE the idea of adding pretzels! Hope they turned out good for you!
Anne
PHENOMENAL!! I had four small overripe bananas so I used all of them and cut back on the honey a little (like 1/2). I had pecans so I chopped them and put them in the oven while I mixed up everything else. Then they were toasted and ready to mix in :) I also cooked them in a muffin tin and filled each one half full and got 18. They are SOOO good! Thanks for sharing the recipe :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh wow I LOVE that idea about cooking them in a muffin pan so you don’t have to cut them up! Genius! Thanks for sharing the tip and so glad you liked them :-)
Lucy
Made these a few times now, hands down the best homemade protein/oat bars I have come across. Thanks so much!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you like them!
J
Great recipe! By the way your metric conversion doesn’t work for the instructions, only the initial measurements.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I add the ingredient amounts in the instructions manually (so users don’t have to keep scrolling back and forth) so unfortunately they don’t update to metric or if the servings are adjusted. Hopefully I’ll be able to link the two together someday. Thanks for bringing this up!
Erin
Just found this recipe and love all the ingredients, its in the oven now and cant wait to try
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hope it came out good for you!