Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

These healthy peanut butter oatmeal bars are the perfect solution to your hectic day. They are not only quick to make but they are easy enough to make multiple batches to last you a few weeks if you'd like. Perfect for meal prep!

Between work, school, activities, and events, it can be hard to fit in a healthy breakfast and snack on the go...but not anymore!

I'm really excited to share my favorite oatmeal bars recipe with you. I make it at least once a week. These peanut butter oatmeal bars are not just healthy but delicious!

Besides peanut butter, it also has mashed bananas for some added potassium along with cinnamon and ground ginger to help with gut health.

These oat bars have no added sugar, are gluten-free, and are completely portable making them perfect for busy mornings.

Key Ingredients For Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

Besides oats, these are the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe:

• Ripe Bananas: If you don't have any ripe bananas, I've got you covered! Keep on reading to find out what other options you have.
• Peanut Butter: To keep this recipe as clean as possible, try to buy peanut butter with no added sugar, salt, or oils. Try keeping it as natural as possible.
• Dates: Using dates in this recipe allows the oat bars to have some sweetness without adding in any white sugar.
• Vanilla: Make sure to buy pure vanilla extract to avoid any artificial flavoring when making these bars!
• Cinnamon: I love the cinnamon in this peanut butter oatmeal bars recipe because it really complements the sweetness of the mashed bananas so well.
• Salt: Adding some salt helps bring out the nutty flavor of these oat bars. Make sure to not add too much if the peanut butter already has salt in it.
• Ground Ginger: I know ground ginger sounds a little weird compared to the other sweeter ingredients but adding a bit of this spice gives the bars a delicious flavor. Plus, it helps aid in digestion.

Note: For a full list of ingredients and detailed instructions on how to make these peanut butter oat bars, take a look at the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!

Recipe Tips And Ideas

Follow these tips to make sure that this recipe for oatmeal bars tastes amazing every single time!

• Besides bananas, consider adding in some chopped nuts or dried fruit. I've also made this recipe using chocolate chips as well.
• To keep this recipe gluten-free, make sure to buy gluten-free rolled oats!
• Try using sunflower seed butter to make this oat bars recipe nut-free.
• For an added layer of texture, I recommend using crunchy peanut butter.

Frequently Asked Questions About Healthy Oat Bars

Here are some questions I frequently get asked about by some readers…

Can I use other nut butter instead of peanut butter?

Yes, absolutely! I've made this recipe using various types of nut butter in the past and they taste just as delicious. The best part is that they can be customized any way you like.

If you have a peanut allergy (or just prefer not to eat peanut butter), you can use:

• Almond butter
• Cashew butter
• Sunflower seed butter

I haven't used hazelnut or macadamia nut butter but I'm sure they would taste yummy as well! If you try to use another nut butter, let me know how they turned out in the comments down below.

Tip: One of our readers recently shared that they used PB2 powder instead of peanut butter and they were very tasty!

What if I don't have ripe bananas on hand?

There are a few things you can do if you don't happen to have ripe bananas on stand by to make these peanut butter oatmeal bars…

1. Plan ahead: If I know I am going to make these oatmeal bars soon, I try to buy bananas and leave them on my countertop to allow them to naturally get ripe. That way, they are ready to be used when I make this recipe!
2. Use the oven: If you're in a bind and need these bananas ASAP, you can ripen them in the oven. Add the bananas (unpeeled) to a sheet pan and "bake" (you are really just warming them up) on low at 250 degrees for about 15-30 minutes, depending on how big and how many bananas you decide to use.
3. Use the freezer: Add your bananas to a freezer-safe storage bag and throw them into the freezer for a few hours to get them ripe. Don't be alarmed if they turn black. That's supposed to happen!
4. And, if push comes to shove, you can always omit the bananas in this batch but start getting your bananas ready for the next time you make banana oatmeal bars!

How long do these oatmeal bars last?

If you store these oat bars correctly, they will last for one week. To do this, make sure to store them in an airtight container or plastic storage bag. I would also recommend adding a layer of parchment paper in between the bars so that they don't get mushy and stuck together.

If you know you won't be able to eat them all, you can always leave some out to eat and store the rest in the freezer for later!

More Peanut Butter Recipes You’ll Love:

• No-Bake Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars
• Peanut Butter Cup Overnight Oatmeal
• Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
• Peanut Butter and Blueberry Chia Seed Pudding
• Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites