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.
Chocolate Oatmeal Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 2/3 cups (150 g) oat flour (gluten-free if needed)
- 1 cup (100 g) oats (gluten-free if needed)
- 1 cup (100 g) almond flour (see notes)
- 2 medium (200 g) bananas (peeled)
- 3 Tbsp (60 g) maple syrup (or any other liquid sweetener)
Chocolate layer:
- 2 medium (200 g) bananas (peeled)
- 200 g (200 g) dates (soaked)
- 1/4 cup (60 g) peanut butter (or any other nut/seed butter of choice)
- 1/2 cup (45 g) cocoa powder
- 1 Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- You can watch the video in the post for visual instructions.
- First, preheat the oven to 355 °F/180 °C and line a 7x7-inch square baking dish (18 cm) or 9x6-inch baking pan with parchment paper.You could use an 8x8 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.
- Crumble the remaining 1/4 dough on top of the chocolate layer.
- 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.
Notes
- You can use any other ground nuts or seeds instead of almond flour. For a nut-free version, use ground shredded unsweetened coconut.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
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Do these have to be kept in the freezer? I’m assuming because you used so much banana that they fall apart rather easily at room temperature. Another concern is that because the ingredient list is so clean, that they taste “healthy”. Do you know what I mean? Like “I get what this is trying to be: decadent, reminiscent of the Starbucks oat fudge bar/strudel, but it tastes TOO healthy to really hit any of those marks”.
No, they do not need to be kept in the freezer. And they do not fall apart at all. Regarding the taste, you never know how they taste until you give them a try. 😉 To me and many others they taste amazing. But if you want them to taste like Starbucks oat fudge bar… you will probably need to add lots of refined sugar and butter. 😉
Touché.
Thank you!
Hi! How long can you keep it in the fridge? Can you freeze it?
They can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 or 6 days. And yes, you can freeze them. 🙂
Do you think these could be made with sweet potatoe?
Not sure as I never tried it out.
These are surprisingly good! I drizzled melted dark chocolate over them and they look amazing too! They are a really filling breakfast or snack. Thank you for this great recipe!
Thank you, Katerina! I am so glad you loved my recipe. 🙂
Willndef give them a try! How long they last i the fridge? Thank you.
A couple of days. You can also store them for weeks in the freezer.
Tastes so good when it’s cold. And the chocolate layer is perfection!
I topped it with raw honey because I can’t find Erythritol where I live. I think it will be even better with a hard shell chocolate sauce on top. Thanks for the recipe.
I am glad you liked this recipe, George! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Hi, Ela, Please let us know What kind of ingredients did you use on the top? Looks like some kind of nuts + icing and??? Thanks for your answers
That is the crumble and icing sugar (Erythritol) as mentioned in the recipe instructions. 🙂
Your recipe seems very interesting and healthy as well. One thing I would like to know that why is the oat mentioned twice in the list of ingredients ?
Hi Anita, one ingredient is oats (you can also use rolled oats or instant oats). The other is oat flour. The difference is that oat flour will make the dough denser. If you use only oat flour the bars might end up too dry. Hope this helps. 🙂
would it be ok to freeze them? How long would they last in the fridge?
Hi Elena, yes that should be no problem. I guess that if you put them into Ziploc bags they will last for at least a couple of weeks.
Thank you Ela for sharing such a great recipe with super healthy ingredients. Will defiantly make this bars for tomorrow’s breakfast.
Sure! I hope you will like them! 🙂
I’m making these right now and can’t wait to try! My daughter just licked the spoon from
The chocolate layer and asked when they will be ready!
Great! I hope you will like my recipe 🙂
Can I use coconut flour instead of the oat flour?
I never used coconut flour instead of oat flour. I think it could work, however, you will probably need less, since coconut flour is very absorbent.
Can I use a blender since I don’t have a food processor ?
Yes, that should work as well 🙂
I’m very excited to try these. For someone who isn’t too familiar with how much 200 g of dates is, about how many cups or individual dates is that? Thanks!
Hey, Lacey! 1 cup pitted, roughly-chopped dates is approximately 175 grams, so I would suggest you use a little bit more than 1 cup. 🙂
These bars look INSANE! As always, made with healthy ingredients but looks so decadent! The only thing stopping me from making them is that I don’t have a 7×7 inch pan hehe.
Thank you, Nisha. I am glad you like the look of my vegan breakfast bars. You can use a bigger pan and double the recipe 😀
They look so delicious Ela 😀 They would definitely motivate me to get me out of the bed in the morning 🙂
Thank you very much, Nadia. Enjoy your weekend 🙂
If oatmeal and a chocolate bar and a streusel muffin had a baby…these would still be BETTER! Ela this ingredient list is just perfect–all my favorite things. And that thick layer of chocolate is mega get-out-of-bed motivation, but also means they could double as dessert which I always love. So much YES????????
Aww, thank you, Natalie! I am glad you love the ingredient list as much as I do. That chocolate layer is mandatory 😀
Any other option instead of the banana? For us who don’t like banana 🙂 anything else I can use to substitute?
Hi Neta, I didn’t try out a banana free version yet, but I think applesauce should work just fine. Let me know if you try it out 🙂
These bars look so delicious!
This is such a great snack to take away ????
Love the ingredients ❤️
Thank you, Bianca! I hope you will give them a go soon 🙂
Ela!! I love the ingredients in the chocolate layer! And the oats in the base really do make it wonderfully nutritious and filling!! I am kind of tired now of eating pink quinoa donuts for breakfast ????, haha, so thank you for this exciting new option!! Lots of love ❤️ Dee xx
Thank you very much, Dee! Yes, you are right, oats contain so many amazing nutrients. I really love using oats in my recipes. 🙂 PS: I would love to try your pink donuts, haha