When life hands you overripe bananas, bake up some Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars with Peanut Butter Oat Streusel. Whew, that’s a mouthful! A delicious, chewy, chocolatey mouthful.
No Such Thing as a Bad Banana
I cannot even look at these photos without my mouth watering. Friends, these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars with a Peanut Butter Oat Streusel are everything. They’re sweet, chewy, dense, and y’all, I’m not even over here pretending they are a healthier version of anything 😂. Made with butter, brown sugar, and lots and lots of love, these snacks disappear as fast as you can serve them up.
It all began one morning with a bunch of very ripe bananas. Never one to let a squishy banana go to waste, I decided to whip up something new. Something dreamy. And these banana bread bars are a dream come true! So full of flavor!
Watch Me Make These Bars!
Step into the kitchen with me to make these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars!
What Do I Need to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars?
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Creamy or crunchy peanut butter
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla
- Eggs
- Quick-cooking oats
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Mashed ripe bananas
- Chocolate chips
When is a Banana Ripe Enough for Baking?
First, a quick tip! People ask me all the time how they’ll know if a banana is ripe enough for baking. Do your bananas look gross? Like, really gross? Then they’re ready! The more ripe a banana, the sweeter the batter.
In a pinch, you can ‘ripen’ bananas in your oven. Simply place them on a baking sheet and then bake for 30 minutes or so in a 300°F oven. Keep in mind, though, that oven-ripened bananas don’t quite have the same sweetness to them.
How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars
- To make the batter, first, cream the butter, 1/2 cup peanut butter, and brown sugar together in the bowl of an electric stand mixer until light and fluffy. Next, add your eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then, beat in a teaspoon vanilla extract.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (oats, baking powder, and baking soda. Note there’s no salt in this recipe). Next, add the oat mixture to the wet ingredients in the stand mixer and beat on low to medium speed until well combined.
- Fold in the mashed banana and then 1 cup of chocolate chips.
- To make the streusel, first stir the peanut butter, brown sugar, and oats together in a small bowl with a fork until crumbly. Next, gently mix in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
- After spreading the bread batter evenly into a prepared baking dish, sprinkle the streusel evenly over the batter. As always, you can line your baking pan with parchment paper for an easier clean. There you have it!
- Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Finally, let cool in the pan at least 30 minutes, cut the bread into bars and enjoy a bit of chewy chocolatey heaven. Supposedly, this recipe makes 24 servings, but I’ll let y’all be the judge of that. Serve and enjoy! Your crew will devour these treats before you can say, “Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars with a Peanut Butter Oat Streusel!”
Substitutions and Storage
Nut Butters: I haven’t tried it, but I bet this recipe would work well with whatever nut butter (almond butter, cashew butter, etc.) or seed butter you choose, if peanut isn’t your thing.
Gluten Free: There’s no flour in these banana oatmeal bars, but if you want to make sure it’s free of gluten, choose gluten-free oats.
Store at room temp in an airtight container for up to three days (they won’t last that long!). Or place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months.
Craving More Sweet Banana Inspiration?
Try this Classic Banana Bread or one of my flourless banana bread recipes which are all easily made in the blender with minimal ingredients. You’d never believe they don’t have any flour, butter, oil or granulated sugar in them.
I hope you and your loved ones enjoy these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars as much as we do. When you make them, be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see! 
I just love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes and ideas I share.
xoxo,
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars with a Peanut Butter Oat Streusel
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 24 bars
Description
When life hands you overripe bananas, bake up some Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars with a Peanut Butter Oat Streusel. Whew, that’s a mouthful! A delicious, chewy, chocolatey mouthful.
Ingredients
BREAD BATTER:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 4 medium ripe bananas)
- 1 cup chocolate chips
STREUSEL:
- 1/2 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9″ x 13″ x 2″ baking pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- To make the bread batter: in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the oats, baking powder and baking soda. Add the oat mixture to the ingredients in the stand mixer and beat on low to medium speed until well combined. Fold in the mashed banana and then 1 cup chocolate chips.
- Make the streusel: in a small bowl, stir the peanut butter, brown sugar and oats together with a fork until crumbly. Gently stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
- Spread the bread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars.
Notes
In this recipe, peanut butter can be substituted with almond butter or cookie butter.
Hello! This is our first time using this recipe. I had to go outside while it was baking, and I walked in the house to this aroma… I was amazed! Of course we couldn’t wait for 30 minutes after it came out 😆
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It’s a keeper!
Hi, Carol! It makes my kitchen smell so good! I’m glad you enjoyed that amazing smell, too. Thank you for sharing!
Can you substitute the quick cooking oats as I have the large flakes
Hi, Cara! Do you mean you have old fashioned oats? If so, yes! The texture will be a little more dense and chewy, but still delicious! Hope this helps! Enjoy! ❤️
Always searching for a good GF recipe that my husband can enjoy with us. My whole family loved these. I only had old fashion oats on hand so that’s what I used.
Curious to know what changes by using the quick cooking oats?
Hi, Mari! Yay! I’m so happy y’all enjoyed them. The quick cooking vs old fashioned oats is simply a matter of texture preference. You would have gotten a chewier bite with old fashioned oat. The texture is just a little bit finer with quick cooking, but delicious either way! Hope this helps. Enjoy!❤️
I am an avid baker and almost all recipes work out for me, but this recipe is not good. It is far too sweet and both my husband and I love sweet treats. The texture was also really off. If the sugar was lessened, omitted the crumble and the oats pulsed for the base…it might have been okay. Sorry, but I would not recommend even trying this recipe.
Hi Crystal! Thanks for your feedback and opinion. It sounds like this just isn’t the recipe for y’all as there are a lot of people out there that make and enjoy these bars often, including myself.
hi there! I am Type 1 diabetic momma. I was wondering what the nutrition values and serving size are in this recipe. My T1d son is super picky and I would love to make these for him. So if it isn’t too much could you please post them for me.
Hi Heather! I don’t provide nutritional information at this time. I would recommend plugging the ingredients you use into a free online recipe nutrition calculator like: https://whisk.com/recipe-nutrition-calculator/ Hope this helps. Enjoy! ❤️
can i use old fashioned oats in the recipe????
Hi, Miriam! YES! The texture is just a little bit finer with quick cooking, so expect it to be a bit chewier with old fashioned, but delicious either way! Hope this helps. Enjoy!❤️
OMG these bars made my house so….. wonderful when I was baking them. I made them for the P.T. staff where I go, I know they will love them. Thank you so much for sharing you recipes.🤗💕🤤❤️
Hi, Mona! Don’t they smell amazing? I’m so glad you enjoyed them and I hope everyone else does, too!
Just made these today! Very good, but I only tried it warm so far. The taste is wonderful. I did sub rolled oats ( pulsed in a blender twice as mentioned in previous comments) and sub apple sauce for oil… It came out so good! Thank you.
Hi, Edwa! Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
these are super yummy! I used dark chocolate chips in the batter and left out the added chocolate chips in the streusel topping, which I found to be perfect for my taste. I think sweeter chips would have made it too sweet for my liking. I also added coconut flakes in the batter, which turned out so good!
Hello, can you use natural Peanut butter?
Hi, Estrela! Yes! You may need to adjust the salt or sugar to your taste, if your peanut butter is unsalted and unsweetened.
Do you have the nutritional values?
Hi, Donny! I don’t provide nutritional information or calorie counts at this time. I would recommend plugging the ingredients you use into a free online recipe nutrition calculator like: https://whisk.com/recipe-nutrition-calculator/ Hope this helps. Enjoy! ❤️
I make these A LOT! We make them in muffin cups and they are a quick and easy breakfast.
I’m so happy to hear, Elizabeth! I love the idea of baking the recipe in muffin cups. Perfect portions. Thanks for sharing!
Made these just to use up some overly ripe banana’s and I have to say they were amazing…..I used a bit more banana then mentioned as it would have been wasted and even though it needed longer bake time it was worth it (just like the l’oreal ad) ! I scoffed 2 chunks with fresh cream drizzled on top OH MY what a treat……amazing. Thank you 😘😘😘
Hi, Saema. FRESH CREAM. That sounds so delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it twice in the last month. Curious if anyone has tried it in muffins? Maybe grinding the oats would help them hold together?
Absolutely delicious and not as sweet as I imagined them to be. I made half a batch and that was the perfect amount for myself and a sick friend. Changes I made were: add a dash of cinnamon and blitz a 1/4 of the oats to make a flour so they would hold their shape a little better (after reading some of the comments). I will be making these again and again!
Wow! I really enjoyed this recipe. I made it over the holidays and froze half. I just finished the frozen half today. Thank you for such a delicious recipe.
Yay! So happy to hear. And thanks for letting us know how great it freezes. I hope you continue to enjoy!
Made this delicious treat this morning! Yummy. Thanks for a great recipe. I purchased a cheap bag of bananas and came across you recipe and thought about if for several days, while those yellow treats turned a bit more brown. I am glad I went with this recipe. Hoping it freezes well, as I am the only one eating it. My husband doesn’t like banana or oatmeal. More for me!
I made this for my grandkids! Not only did they love it but their parents did as well! I did add a hint of cinnamon. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Perfectly moist, great flavor!
Yay Donna! So happy to hear! I hope y’all continue to enjoy it for years to come.
These are the best bars I’ve ever had! I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve searched for recipes to use up older bananas and this pops up every time…no matter how many times I say “nope! ur gonna try something new!”, it never fails…these r coming out of my oven within an hour !!! So easy and so delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
These came out really good. Great tasting. My only problem was I cannot cut them into squares because they’re not firm enough. You’d have to scoop them out and put them in a bowl but otherwise they’re very tasty. Would taste great with a scoop of ice cream on top.
I post a picture but I’m not sure how to do that.
I made these today for the first time, they were a hit! I followed the recipe exactly and also added a sprinkle of cinnamon. Deeelish! I wouldn’t mind trying regular oats for a more chewy texture some time. The recipe is a keeper!
Nutrition information?
Hi Ann! I don’t provide nutritional information at this time because everyone uses different brands of ingredients which often have differing nutritional values. I would recommend plugging the ingredients you use into a free online nutrition calculator like: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator Hope this helps. Enjoy!
I made this today, it’s delicious!!! It’s a hit with the whole family.
They are excellent !! Healthier, moist and sweet (but not too sweet) – best of all worlds! Yum!!
Can I substitute the bananas for something else beside Pumpkin Puree?
Hi Tiffany! You could use applesauce, but I would recommend only using 1 cup to replace the mashed banana. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
These look delicious. I should keep these on hand for breakfast.
These are really great. They didn’t come out exactly as I expected, to be honest, but they were still very good. The texture of the “bread” part was definitely more moist and soft than I thought it would be and had a distinct buttery flavor. If you don’t expect the bars to come out like bread, and more like soft oatmeal bars, you’ll love them. They’re not too sweet either with great flavor.
Just made these, they are delicious! Followed the recipe exactly except added some chopped peanuts to the crumble.Yum!!!
I love these!!! I used whole oats (that’s all I had). It did need a few more minutes to cook but texted is great. It’s in between a granola bar and bread. PERFECT! I also used coconut sugar and I liked it. I was just experimenting. LOL Love your recipes!
This looks awesome! Can natural peanut butter be used as a substitution? Has anyone tried?
Hi Louie! Absolutely! I only use natural peanut butter. Just make sure you stir the oil in really well so it’s not thick or dried out before using it. I use the creamy no-stir natural peanut butter for all of my baking. Enjoy!
This is the greatest baked oatmeal I’ve ever had!!! I added some coconut flakes to the streusal and it was fantastic!!!! I will for sure be making it again
Healthy enough for breakfast? 😍😬
The Best Banana Bars Ever! This will definite my new go-to Banana bar recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Do I need to refrigerate? These are AMAZING!!!!!
Hi Sara! If you’re going to enjoy it within a few days, you can store it covered at room temperature. Otherwise, I would recommend storing it in the refrigerator for up to about 5 days. Enjoy!
I was definitely excited to try this recipe just for something different from traditional banana bread. I noticed there was no salt in the recipe so I added 1/2 teaspoon. The bars smell great out of the oven but I was disappointed with the taste/texture. I want to make this again except I will add flour to the bread batter and not oats. Maybe it was a texture issue for me with the oats. The streusel topping is delicious.
Hi Christine! Did you use quick-cooking oats?
I tried this recipe for first time and realized after about 20 minutes i looked at recipe again and i thought it was for bread. Didnt catch that it said banana bread bars!! Took out of oven and put it in 9×13 dish and put vack in oven. Going to have to watch the timing. Will let you know if i was able to save it in time!!
OMG made this today and it is absolutely amazing!! This one is a keeper! Thank you!
These are delicious! Perfect amount of sweetness (read, not too sweet) and perfect amount of chocolate and crunch as well. Thank you!
Can you sub something or leave out the bananas?
Hi there! You can always sub pumpkin puree for the banana, if you choose. Enjoy!
This recipe made my kitchen smell like peanut butter Heaven! The inside of the bars are super gooey and moist (I think because of the bananas), and the peanut butter is soo creamy 😋. I was thinking maybe I could put some coconut in the streusel for some extra chew/flavor but maybe I’ll try that next time:)
Could you substitute old fashion oats instead of quick cooking oats?
Hi Jenel! Yes, but the texture will be a bit chewier and might take a little longer to bake. I like using quick cooking oats for this recipe because they bake with a more uniform texture that is bread-like. The old-fashioned oats will give you more of a chewy granola bar texture. You can use a food processor or blender to pulse the old-fashioned oats a few times to give them the texture of quick cooking oats. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Thank you so much!
Oh my goodness, you are so right! I adapted the recipe from another banana bread recipe that used flour. Thank you so much for catching this. There’s no flour in the bars – I meant to put oats in its place. I am curious to hear how your bars turn out!
They didn’t turn out! Fell apart when taking out of the pan…following the recipe exactly. I feel they need some flour to hold them together.
Hi Emma! I’m sorry to hear they didn’t hold together for you. What type/brand of peanut butter did you use? Did you use quick cooking oats? Where your bananas ripe and did you measure them to 1 and 1/2 cups? We bake these all the time and have never had the issue with them falling apart because they are just so moist. I hope you’re able to try them again with better results.