Banana Granola Bars
Chewy, golden banana granola bars made with oven-roasted bananas, toasted nuts, rolled oats and soft dates. A vegan banana cereal bar recipe with no eggs, no oil and no refined sugar, sturdy enough to travel in a backpack.
Equipment
- 2 large rimmed baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- 8×8-inch (20cm) square baking pan
- Food processor, 7-cup (1.7L) bowl or larger
- Silicone spatula
- Large chef's knife
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
THE BINDER
- 4 medium 470g peeled ripe bananas, yellow with brown spots
- 7 170g pitted soft Medjool dates, soaked 10 minutes if firm
THE NUTS & OATS
- 1½ cups 200g mixed raw unsalted nuts (walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans)
- 1 cup 90g old-fashioned rolled oats, certified gluten-free if needed, divided
THE FLAVOR
- ½ tsp 1g ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp 1.5g fine sea salt
- 1 tsp 5ml pure vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
- Slice the bananas into ¼-inch (6mm) rounds and spread them in a single layer.
- Roast for 15 minutes, until golden and caramelized at the edges. Cool 5 minutes.
- Lower the oven to 350°F (175°C). Toast the nuts and ½ cup (45g) of the oats on a second baking sheet for 10 minutes, stirring once halfway.
- Lower the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line an 8×8-inch (20cm) pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides.
- Pulse the toasted nuts and oats 8 to 10 times in a food processor, into coarse crumbs.
- Add the roasted bananas, dates, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Process for 45 to 60 seconds, into a thick, sticky dough.
- Add the remaining ½ cup (45g) of oats and pulse 3 times.
- Press the dough firmly into the pan with wet hands, about ¾ inch (2cm) thick.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the edges are golden and the top springs back.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
- Lift out with the parchment and slice into 10 bars, about 4 × 1½ inches (10 × 4cm).
Notes
Note 1 — Storage & meal prep : 3 days on the counter, up to 7 days in the fridge or
3 months in the freezer, each bar wrapped in parchment. Thaw 30 minutes on the counter.
For a double batch, use a 9×13-inch (23 × 33cm) pan and bake 25 minutes. Note 2 — Nut-free : Replace the nuts with ¾ cup (100g) sunflower seeds + ¾ cup (100g)
pumpkin seeds. Toast them with the oats for 8 minutes instead of 10. Note 3 — Dates : Use 14 Deglet Noor dates instead of 7 Medjool. You can swap up to 3 dates
for 2 tbsp of maple syrup (vegan) or honey (not vegan); the bars will be softer. Note 4 — Technique : Cut only after 30 minutes of cooling. Warm bars crumble. Note 5 — Nutrition : Estimated per bar for 10 bars, with Medjool dates and a
walnut-cashew-almond-pecan mix, without optional add-ins.
3 months in the freezer, each bar wrapped in parchment. Thaw 30 minutes on the counter.
For a double batch, use a 9×13-inch (23 × 33cm) pan and bake 25 minutes. Note 2 — Nut-free : Replace the nuts with ¾ cup (100g) sunflower seeds + ¾ cup (100g)
pumpkin seeds. Toast them with the oats for 8 minutes instead of 10. Note 3 — Dates : Use 14 Deglet Noor dates instead of 7 Medjool. You can swap up to 3 dates
for 2 tbsp of maple syrup (vegan) or honey (not vegan); the bars will be softer. Note 4 — Technique : Cut only after 30 minutes of cooling. Warm bars crumble. Note 5 — Nutrition : Estimated per bar for 10 bars, with Medjool dates and a
walnut-cashew-almond-pecan mix, without optional add-ins.