Chocolate Oatmeal Bars (Healthy Recipe)

These homemade chocolate oatmeal bars are thick, chewy, fudgy, and yet 100% refined sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, and made with just 8 healthy, wholesome ingredients. Perfect for satisfying chocolate cravings as a snack, breakfast, post-workout snack, or healthy dessert!

Healthy Chocolate Oatmeal Bars with Banana

It’s been years since I purchased store-bought granola bars and similar snacks, since they’re often loaded with empty calories and sugar. Instead, I’ve been whipping up batches of my far healthier and still delicious homemade granola, granola bars, no-bake granola bars, and—most recently – even homemade cocoa puffs. However, when I’m in the mood for something a little more decadent, these chocolate oatmeal bars hit the spot!

Looking at them, you’d be mistaken for thinking these are just like many other chocolate oat bars recipes online; made with ingredients like sugar, butter, flour, condensed milk, and lots of chocolate- but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Instead, these bars are naturally sweetened (no sugar crash!), contain no chocolate, and are surprisingly well-balanced as a wholesome treat containing plenty of fiber, healthy fats, and plant-based protein to stay full for hours.

Even better, these oatmeal chocolate bars require just a handful of simple and inexpensive ingredients, just a few minutes of hands-on prep, are child-approved, and are meal-prep and freezer friendly. Ultimately, they make for great, low-fuss sweet, satisfying vegan oatmeal bars along with my fruitier strawberry oatmeal bars and chocolate chip oat bars.

This isn’t the first time I’ve lightened up a chocolate treat, either. You might also enjoy my homemade vegan chocolate mousse, healthy chocolate ice cream, zucchini brownies, or even homemade chocolate!

The Ingredients

You need only 8 simple, inexpensive, wholesome ingredients to prepare these healthy oatmeal bars.

The Oatmeal Dough:

• Oats: You’ll need rolled oats and oat flour (certified gluten-free if necessary) for these vegan oat bars, which will help keep you full for longer. To make your own oat flour, grind the oats in a coffee grinder/high-speed blender.
• Ground nuts/seeds: I often use almond flour, but any finely ground nuts or seeds (sunflower seeds, cashews, hazelnuts, etc.) will work and help to add heart-healthy fats and plant-based protein. Dried, shredded coconut should also work.
• Banana: Mashed bananas are a great binder for vegan oatmeal breakfast bars.
• Maple syrup: Or another unrefined liquid sweetener, like date syrup, agave, or even a sugar-free syrup.
• Sea salt: To balance the sweetness and enhance the various flavors in the banana oat bars.

The Chocolate Layer:

I confess that the fudgy chocolate layer in these chocolate oatmeal bars contains no melted chocolate or refined sugar! Instead, it’s a healthy (and perhaps surprising) combination of:

• Bananas: The secret ingredient behind the fudgy chocolate filling is over-ripe bananas with plenty of black spots for naturally sweet banana oatmeal bars.
• Dates: Soft Medjool dates are best, though any dates will work. Soak them in hot water for 15 minutes first (to help them blend). Other dried fruits, like figs or raisins, will also work (and require soaking).
• Nut/Seed butter: I used peanut butter, but any nut/ seed butter will work. I.e., tahini, cashew butter, hazelnut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.
• Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder (the latter contains more antioxidants and nutrients but tastes more bitter).
• Vanilla extract: Use natural vanilla for the best flavor.
• Sea salt: To balance and enhance the flavors.

All the above help to make wonderfully decadent chocolate oatmeal peanut butter banana bars the entire family will love!

Please read the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information.

How to Make Healthy Chocolate Oatmeal Bars?

Follow a handful of steps with minimal hands-on prep (thanks to a food processor) to prepare these chocolate oat bars in no time!

• First, preheat the oven to 355 °F/180 °C and line a 7×7-inch square baking dish (18 cm) or 9×6-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

You could use an 8×8 pan, but the bars will be thinner. For a much larger pan, it’s best to double the recipe.

• Then, process all the dough ingredients in a food processor until dough-like.
• Press ¾ of the dough into the prepared pan, using the bottom of a flat glass to help make a single even layer.
• Then, rinse the food processor and process the chocolate layer ingredients until smooth and creamy.
• Pour the chocolate layer over the oat base, and then crumble and sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the top.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown on top, then leave the banana breakfast bars to cool completely (they will firm up/set as they cool). Finally, cut them into bars, and enjoy!

You can optionally drizzle the chocolate oat bars with a simple homemade icing (regular or sugar-free), homemade vegan Nutella, or another nut/seed butter.

Storing Instructions

Store: Store the leftover chocolate oatmeal bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Freeze: Spread the bars across a baking tray, not touching, and freeze until solid. Then transfer to a Ziplock bag (or individually wrap each bar with plastic wrap or parchment paper) and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for an hour or two.

FAQs

Can I substitute the bananas?

I haven’t tried using another ingredient, though another sweet puréed ingredient like sweet potato will likely work best. Unsweetened applesauce may also work, but the texture may be stickier.

Can I use all-purpose flour?

No, as the almond flour adds fats (more mouth-feel/moisture) AND flavor. Regular AP flour would likely be dry and tasteless without further recipe tweaks.

Can I use quick oats?

Yes, I have used quick oats in place of rolled oats and it works fine.

Recipe Notes

• Using larger pans: The bars will be thinner when using a slightly larger pan (i.e., 8×8).
• Cool before slicing: The bars require cooling to fully firm up/set.
• Experiment with add-ins: Add extra texture and flavor with chopped nuts, shredded coconut, cacao nibs, semi-sweet chocolate chips (regular or sugar-free), or dried fruits (like dates/raisins) to the dough or over the top.

More Healthy Vegan Breakfast Recipes

• Raspberry oatmeal crumble bars
• Chocolate granola bars
• Healthy banana bread (sugar-free)
• Breakfast granola cups
• Peanut butter overnight oats
• One pan apple cinnamon baked oatmeal

If you try this healthy chocolate oatmeal bars recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan—I love seeing them.

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