You only need three base ingredients to make these simple and delicious 3 ingredient peanut butter banana bars! These sweet and chewy little bars are made from whole foods so your kids get a balanced and nourishing snack.
If you browse through the snack bar aisle at the store, you’ll notice a couple of things. First, the selection is REALLY LARGE. You likely have dozens of bars to choose from.
Second, (and disappointingly!) the bars are almost all made from highly-processed and highly-sweetened ingredients. This is true even of the brands that promote themselves as “health foods.” We like to make our own snack bars–ones that are simple, whole, and nourishing.
These 3-ingredient bars have the sweet flavor and handheld appeal of a store-bought bar, but they’re ONLY made from peanut butter, oats, and bananas (plus a couple of optional toppings!) If you love minimally-processed snacks made with everyday ingredients, we think you’ll love them.
Why We Love These Homemade Snack Bars
- With only three ingredients in the batter, making these bars is fast and easy. Even your kids can do it!
- Peanut butter, bananas and oats provide a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fats, so you know your kids are eating a snack that will sustain them.
- The toppings are totally customizable. From nuts and seeds to sprinkles and chocolate chips, the possibilities are yours to explore!
- They’re free from added sugars (not counting those in chocolate chips) but they taste like dessert!
Ingredients to Make Peanut Butter Banana Bars
As you might have guessed from the recipe title, there are only 3 ingredients in these yummy homemade snack bars. You can add additional toppings if you want to make them extra delicious and vary it up!
- Bananas – use ripe bananas. The more ripe, the sweeter your bars will turn out.
- Peanut Butter – creamy peanut butter is what we like to use for this recipe. You can use crunchy peanut butter if you like the extra crunchy texture though!
- Oats – old fashioned oats work best with their chewy texture for these bars.
How to Make 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Bars
If there’s anything simpler than the ingredients in these bars, it’s the instructions for how to make them. Don’t blink or you’ll miss ’em:
- Mix mashed bananas with peanut butter and oats.
- Press the batter into a baking dish.
- Sprinkle on the toppings.
- Bake.
It’s that easy!
Can you freeze 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Bars?
Yes! These bars freeze well. Just slip a square of parchment paper in between each bar so they don’t stick, then slide them in a gallon zip-top freezer bag. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
More Healthy Snack Recipes
- Sugar Free Cookies (Sweetened with Fruit!)
- 4-Ingredient Butternut Squash Souffle Bites
- 3-Minute Rice Krispy Treats
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Bars
Ingredients
- 3 medium banana
- 2 cup oats, dry
- 6 tablespoon peanut butter, all-natural
Toppings
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, dark
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch glass dish with parchment paper. (We also used our fingers to grease the sides of the dish with coconut oil.)
- Mash the bananas and mix together with oats and peanut butter.
- Spread the dough evenly in the prepared dish, then sprinkle with walnuts and chocolate chips. Lightly press the nuts and chocolate into the bars.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then slide a spatula under the parchment paper and carefully transfer the whole uncut bar onto a rack for further cooling. (You can cut the bars at this point, and eat them warm! The more time you give them to cool, the easier it will be to cut them.)
