Description
Delicious and easy 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Bars made with ripe bananas, natural peanut butter, oats, and chocolate chips. Perfect for a quick snack or healthy dessert with minimal ingredients and prep time.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup smooth natural peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup instant or quick cooking oats
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a loaf pan or line it with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Mash bananas: In a large bowl, mash the very ripe bananas until almost smooth, ensuring a creamy base for the bars.
- Add peanut butter and vanilla: Stir in the smooth natural peanut butter and vanilla extract until well combined with the mashed bananas.
- Combine dry ingredients: Add the instant oats, salt, and baking powder to the banana mixture. Mix thoroughly to combine all ingredients evenly.
- Fold in chocolate chips: Gently fold in one-third of the chocolate chips into the batter, reserving the rest to sprinkle on top.
- Transfer batter to pan: Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing out the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly on top.
- Bake the bars: Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean without wet batter.
- Cool and slice: Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the loaf pan before slicing into 6 to 8 pieces for serving.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas for the best natural sweetness and easy mashing.
- For a nut-free version, substitute peanut butter with sunflower seed butter.
- Instant or quick oats work best for texture and binding; avoid steel-cut oats.
- Chocolate chips on top add a pleasant visual and extra chocolate flavor—feel free to use dark or semi-sweet varieties.
- Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
- Optionally, add chopped nuts or dried fruit for extra texture and flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
