These baked banana oat bars are the perfect lunchbox-friendly snack. Soft, chewy, and naturally sweetened with ripe bananas and honey. Made without nuts, they’re completely school-safe and great for both kids and adults. Wholesome, budget-friendly, and freezer-friendly, these bars are a quick and easy recipe you’ll keep coming back to for busy weeks.
Baked Banana Oat Bars - Easy Nut-Free Lunchbox Snack
Lunchbox Friendly Baked Banana Oat Bars
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Snack
Cuisine
Australian
Author:
Ashley’s Place
Servings
10
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
This is the pefect lunchbox snack or even a quick breakfast on the go. They are baked so will hold their shape and don't need to be refrigerated either which is great for on the go. Made with really simple ingredients and not too sweet they are the perfect snack
Ingredients
-
🍌 3 Bananas mashed
-
🍌 2 Cups Rolled Aats (180g)
-
🍌 2 Eggs
-
🍌 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
-
🍌 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
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🍌 1/4 cup Milk (or milk alternative)
- 🍌 2 tbsp Honey
-
🍌 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 🍌 Approx 30g of choc chips
Directions
🍌 Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F) and line a 8 inch square tray with baking paper, if you have a bigger one that is fine it will just be thinner and cook a bit quicker (see note 1*)
🍌 Mash your bananas in a mixing bowl & add in all your ingredients I like to add the milk last so the oats don’t soak it all up while I am adding everything else. If your honey is a little thick because it’s cold just pop in the microwave for 5-10 seconds just to loosen it but only if its firm, if it is runny you don’t need to do this step and don’t overheat it just the 5 or so seconds
🍌 Give it all a really good mix around and then pop into your lined tray and spread out till flat. Add your choc chips all over on top, you don’t need to measure these just measure with your heart (which is the only way to measure choc chips)
🍌 Bake away in the oven for about 25 mins of until baked and the sides are starting to golden lightly. It will still have a slight softness to it but hold its shape and if you want it more firm you can bake it a bit longer.
🍌 Leave in the tray for a good 10 mins to cool and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing into 10 bars Slice 5 bars across and then cut those in half. You can slice these smaller if you like.
🍌 Store in a airtight container out of direct sunlight for about 4 days. If its humid you can store in the fridge or freezer too. (See Note 2*)
Recipe Note
Notes & FAQ's:
- You can use a bigger pan for this one I just used a 8inch x 8 Inch square pan as that is what I had. If you use a different size it may affect the baking time so if it is smaller it will take a bit longer but if it is bigger it may cook quicker as it is a thinner bar so just keep an eye on your baking time. I also like to use a bit of butter on the pan first to help the baking paper stick to the pan and not fly out
- Alot of baked goods like cool & dark places to sit in a airtight container especially ones like this that has banana in it as the direct sunlight can make it sweat and end up going off or mouldy quickly so this is why i say to pop it into a airtight container out of direct sunlight. But you can keep this is the fridge from the day you bake it if you want as well especially if it is super humid where you are.
Q. Can I add some nuts?
A. Yes you sure can, we just kept this nut free for schools but adding some nuts in would be delicious you could mix some through or add some on top
Q. Can I add any chocolate on top and should I add it to bake?
A. Choc chips are best to bake in the oven if you want them to still be whole you can definitely add some chocolate broken up but it will melt in the oven a but more which would still be delicious. If you wanted to add melted chocolate all over you could do that after it has cooled down completely. You could even do something else like sprinkles etc on top if you like.