Peanut Butter Banana Bars

These healthy and scrumptious Peanut Butter Banana Bars are so loaded with flavors bragging on peanut butter, banana, chocolate chunks and shredded coconut, if you wish!  Vegan, Sugar-free & Gluten-Free Options available!

We made some bars with and without shredded coconut and the coconut inspiration is right on, amazing, if you love coconut!  These are such a satisfying snack to have on hand for the kids as well as the adults, as well as breakfast, a lunch supplement or a healthy dessert!

These peanut butter banana bars are the perfect quick fix to your crazy days going forward!  A perfect answer to your prayers for quick, easy, heathy and deliciousness for your family you'll soon want to make over and over.  

They are not only quick to make, but also perfect for meal prep!  Make multiple batches to last you for a few weeks! Between everyday schedules, it can be hard to fit in a healthy breakfast or snack on the go...but not with these bars, plus they taste amazing!  Satisfying and hearty to give you a boost throughout your day!

Although These Bars are Quite Healthy, You Can Always Make Them Even Healthier! 

• Flours - Switch out all-purpose flour for white whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour. We love the white whole wheat flour!
• Sugar - Switch out the sugar for healthy sugar alternatives, like monk fruit sugar or coconut sugar. 
• Vegan - Switch out the egg for applesauce and the milk for dairy-free milk substitutes like almond milk or oat milk!
• Gluten Free - Use a good gluten-free flour!

Ingredients You Need

• 1 cup mashed ripe banana 2- 3 bananas
• melted coconut oil or butter coconut oil for vegan option
• ¼ cup peanut butter or nut butter of choice
• sugar or sugar-free substitute like Lakanto Monkfruit sugar
• egg or applesauce for vegan option
• milk of choice non-dairy for vegan option
• vanilla extract
• all purpose white whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour
• baking soda
• cinnamon
• salt
• chocolate chunks or chips or whatever add-ins you prefer use vegan chocolate for vegan option, sugar-free chocolate for sugar-free option
• shredded coconut optional, use unsweetened for sugar-free option

How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Bars

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Use parchment paper for easy removal, but not necessary, if you do not have it. Set aside.
3. Mash ripe bananas with a fork in small bowl and then measure them out to be sure you have 1 cup exactly.
4. Add oil, sugar, egg/applesauce, milk of choice, vanilla and peanut butter and whisk together.
5. In another bowl mix all dry ingredients together and whisk together to remove any lumps.
6. Slowly add all the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix using a spatula or spoon. Do not over mix!
7. Fold in the chocolate chunks, coconut or whatever add-ins you wish, by not overmixing.
8. Add mixture to prepared baking pan.
9. Bake for about 18 - 20 minutes. Check with a toothpick before pulling out. Let it cool before cutting and serving. Cut into 9 or 12 squares.

Peanut Butter Banana Bars Quick Tips!

• So easy and quick to make, no mixer!
• Flavorful and healthy!  Can be made even healthier with ingredients like white whole wheat flour and a healthy sugar-free sugar, like Lakanto! Even if you use regular granulated sugar, it's only ⅓ cup! 
• Soft-baked and very moist.
• Adaptable to add whatever add-ins you wish, like we added coconut in one of our batches!  But you could add in some chopped dates, raisins, dried cranberries, chocolate chips of any flavor, or nuts of any kind!
• Freezer-friendly - Freeze squares in single layers between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
• To keep this recipe gluten-free, make sure to use a good gluten-free flour like Red Bob's Mill or King Arthur's instead.  
• Use other peanut butter options, like crunchy, almond, cashew or hazelnut!  Although if you have an allergy to nuts in general, use Sunbutter or something similar.
• Bars will not cut as evenly with the coconut included, but don't let that hold you back!  So yum!!

Yummy Snacks We Love!

• Healthy Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins - Sugar Free & Vegan Options
• Apple Cinnamon Bread
• Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls - GF option
• Scrumptious Peanut Butter Loaded Bars
• Healthy Chunky Monkey Oatmeal Bars - Easy
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins
• 25 Delicious Recipes for Ripe Bananas!

Adaptable healthy peanut butter bars to make the way you want to fit in with your lifestyle with ingredients you have on hand!  The whole family will love these and they are awesome for giving to friends or family as a nice gesture of love!

More Snacking Fun!

• Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
• Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Lasagna Dessert
• Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies - 5 Ingredients

Peanut Butter Banana Bars

Kim Lange

These healthy & scrumptious Peanut Butter Banana Bars are loaded with bragging flavors of peanut butter, banana, chocolate chunks and shredded coconut, if you wish!  Vegan, Sugar-free & Gluten-Free Options available!

4.82 from 11 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 18 mins

Course Breakfast, Snack

Servings 12 Servings

Calories 131 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup mashed ripe banana 2- 3 bananas
• 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil or butter coconut oil for vegan option
• ¼ cup peanut butter or nut butter of choice
• ⅓ cup sugar or sugar-free substitute like Lakanto Monkfruit sugar
• 1 egg or ¼ cup applesauce for vegan option
• 2 tablespoons milk of choice non-dairy for vegan option
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup all purpose white whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup chocolate chunks or chips or whatever add-ins you prefer use vegan chocolate for vegan option, sugar-free chocolate for sugar-free option
• ½ cup shredded coconut optional, use unsweetened for sugar-free option

Instructions

 

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Use parchment paper for easy removal, but not necessary, if you do not have it. Set aside.
• Mash ripe bananas with a fork in small bowl and then measure them out to be sure you have 1 cup exactly.
• Add oil, sugar, egg/applesauce, milk of choice, vanilla and peanut butter and whisk together.
• In another bowl mix all dry ingredients together and whisk together to remove any lumps.
• Slowly add all the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix using a spatula or spoon. Do not over mix!
• Fold in the chocolate chunks, coconut or whatever add-ins you wish, by not overmixing.
• Add mixture to prepared baking pan.
• Bake for about 18 - 20 minutes. Check with a toothpick before pulling out. Let it cool before cutting and serving. Cut into 9 or 12 squares.

Notes

Bars will not cut as evenly with the coconut included, but don't let that hold you back!  So yum!!

Nutrition

Calories: 131kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 107mgPotassium: 58mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg

Keyword banana, breakfast, chocolate, coconut, gluten free, healthy bars, healthy snack, peanut butter, snack, vegan

Tried This Recipe?Let us know how it was by commenting below!

Recipe slightly adapted from: Peanut Butter Banana Bars

How Chocolate Wrappers Evolved Over the Years: A Quick Look