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Made with ripe bananas, creamy peanut butter, whole grains, and melty chocolate chips, these Peanut Butter Banana Bars are soft, satisfying, and incredibly easy to make. With just 5 minutes of prep and no mixer required, these bars are perfect for breakfast, lunch boxes, or an after-school snack.
Peanut Butter Banana Bars at a Glance
- Yield: 12 snack bars
- Time Needed: 5 minutes to prep + 22-28 minutes to bake + 10 minutes to cool
- Wholesome and Satisfying. These bars are made with whole grains, naturally sweetened with bananas and honey, and contain no added oil or butter. Peanut butter and mashed banana keep them tender and moist.
- Easy to Adapt. Tested options are included for making the bars gluten-free, dairy-free, or egg-free.
- Meal-Prep Friendly. Bake a batch ahead and refrigerate or freeze individual bars for breakfasts, lunch boxes, and snacks.
Kristen's Key Tips for Peanut Butter Banana Bars
Since these snack bars are a favorite with my kids (and myself), I make them on repeat. The recipe is simple, but these tips make a noticeable difference.
- Use very ripe bananas. Just like when making whole wheat banana bread or sour cream banana cake, you want to select bananas with plenty of brown spots, as they provide more sweetness, moisture, and banana flavor.
- Measure flour with care. Using too much flour will result in dense bars. To prevent this, weigh the flour using a digital kitchen scale or spoon the flour into your measuring cup, then level it off.
- Use well-stirred natural peanut butter. Stir the peanut butter thoroughly before measuring so the oil is evenly distributed. This keeps the batter moist and prevents dry, dense bars.
- Let the bars cool before slicing. They continue setting as they cool and are likely to crumble if cut while warm.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
5-Star Reader Review
Delicious, healthy, soft, and easy bars to make. I made them exactly as the recipe states and they turned out perfect. These bars are a nice change from banana bread, which my family LOVES. I will be making them again! -Libby
Notes on Ingredients
- Bananas: You need 1 cup of mashed bananas for these bars, which equates to about 2 large bananas. For accurate results, measure the mashed bananas, not the bananas themselves.
- Peanut Butter: Just like my peanut butter banana muffin recipe, I recommend using well-stirred, natural peanut butter that requires refrigeration after opening. The oil in the natural peanut butter helps keep the batter moist, while shelf-stable peanut butter can result in a thicker, denser batter. If using straight from the refrigerator, it is best to let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or so, so it is easier to incorporate into the batter.
- Flour: White whole wheat flour adds whole grains while keeping the texture lighter than traditional whole wheat flour. All-purpose flour or a tested 1:1 gluten-free baking blend also works.
- Honey: Feel free to replace the honey with maple syrup if desired.
- Chocolate Chips: Use semi-sweet, milk-chocolate, dark chocolate chips, or even dairy-free chocolate chips. Mini chocolate chips work as well.
Modifications & Substitutions
- Egg-Free: To replace the egg, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 5 minutes, then add to the wet ingredients in place of the egg.
- Dairy-Free: Use your favorite dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Using Shelf-Stable Peanut Butter: I have made these bars using shelf-stable peanut butter, and while they still taste delicious, they are not as soft or fluffy as when made with natural, refrigerated peanut butter. If the batter is too stiff to spread, fold in 1 tablespoon of milk at a time, using no more than 2 tablespoons.
- Omit Chocolate Chips: Simply omit from the batter.
- Add Nuts: Fold up to ⅓ cup of chopped walnuts into the batter along with (or in place of) the chocolate chips. to the recipe when you add the chocolate chips.
- Swapping Peanut Butter for Another Nut Butter: Drippy, natural almond butter works well. I have not tested this recipe using other nut butters.
- Use Frozen Bananas: Microwave peeled, frozen bananas in 30-second intervals until defrosted. If the thawed bananas release a pool of watery liquid, drain that off before mashing and measuring.
How to Make Peanut Butter Banana Bars
- Prepare the oven and pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to lift out the cooled bars.
- Mash and measure the bananas. Place the peeled, ripe banana into a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher until relatively smooth. A few small lumps are perfectly normal. Measure the mashed banana to ensure you have 1 full cup.
- Combine wet ingredients. Add the egg, vanilla, honey, and peanut butter to the mashed banana and whisk until the egg is fully broken down and the peanut butter is evenly dispersed.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt (if your peanut butter is unsalted). Stir the chocolate chips into the dry ingredients.
- Fold together. Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips to the peanut butter banana mixture, and fold together only until no dry flour remains. Overmixing develops the gluten and can make the bars tough.
- Transfer to a prepared pan. Transfer the batter to an 8x8 baking dish lined with parchment paper. The batter is quite thick, so you will need to use a spatula to help spread it out into an even layer.
- Bake. Bake for 22-28 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden, the center springs back gently when touched, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly dry. A few moist crumbs or melted chocolate are fine, but if you see wet batter, the bars need a few more minutes in the oven.
- Cool before slicing. Let the bars cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan and let cool completely. If desired, drizzle with peanut butter or even a bit of homemade chocolate syrup, then slice into squares and enjoy.
Storage Tips
Because these bars are especially moist, I recommend refrigerating them to extend storage.
- At Room Temperature: Store cooled bars at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Freeze individual bars for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or pack one frozen in a lunch box to thaw by lunchtime.
- Reheat: Microwave for 15-30 seconds for a softer bar and melty chocolate. Heating longer can result in a chewy bar.
Serving Suggestions
These bars can be served chilled, at room temperature, or slightly warm. Enjoy them for breakfast, pack them as a wholesome snack, or dress them up for dessert.
- Pair a bar with Greek yogurt or an Instant Pot hard-boiled egg for a filling breakfast.
- Pack a refrigerated or frozen bar in a lunch box. A frozen bar should thaw by lunchtime.
- Serve with fresh berries, apple slices, or a glass of milk for an easy after-school snack.
- Warm a bar for 15-30 seconds and drizzle it with homemade chocolate syrup or hot fudge.
- For dessert, add fresh whipped cream or a small scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.
More Recipes Using Bananas
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If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Peanut Butter Banana Bars
Made with ripe bananas, creamy peanut butter, whole grains, and melty chocolate chips, these Peanut Butter Banana Bars are soft, satisfying, and incredibly easy to make.
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed bananas, ~2 large overripe bananas
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ½ cup creamy, all-natural peanut butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour, or 120 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon table salt, if using unsalted peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or grease well with butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth. Quickly measure to ensure there is a full 1 cup of mashed bananas. To the bananas, add 1 large egg, ½ cup creamy, all-natural peanut butter, ¼ cup honey, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and whisk until well until combined.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup white whole wheat flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon table salt (omit salt if your peanut butter is salted). Stir in ½ cup chocolate chips.
- Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips to the peanut butter and banana mixture and gently fold together until the flour is fully moistened and there are no longer streaks of flour. Do not overmix. The batter will be thicker than muffin or cake batter.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and use a spatula to spread it out into an even layer.
- Bake the bars until lightly golden and the center is set. This is 17-20 minutes if using a metal pan or 19-23 minutes if using a glass pan.
- Cool the banana bars on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and then carefully remove the parchment paper from the pan to cool the bars completely. Slice into 12 bars and serve. Note: If you just greased your pan instead of using parchment paper, do not try to remove the bars from the pan. Simply cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
Equipment
Notes
Bake Time: Keep in mind that the bake time will vary not only based on your oven but also on your baking dish. A glass baking dish will require a bit longer bake time than a metal pan.
Bananas: Select overripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for the most sweetness.
Flour: All-purpose flour or a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend works in place of the white whole wheat.
Egg-Free: Combine 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 5 minutes, then add to the wet ingredients in place of the egg.
Dairy-Free: Use your favorite dairy-free chocolate chips or omit altogether.
Peanut Butter: Natural peanut butter that needs refrigeration is best for this recipe. If using shelf-stable peanut butter, you may need to thin out the batter with 1-2 tablespoons of milk, and the bars will not be quite as fluffy.
Add Nuts: Fold up to ⅓ cup of chopped walnuts into the batter along with (or in place of) the chocolate chips.
Double the Recipe: Double the ingredients and bake at 350℉ in a 9x13 baking dish lined with parchment paper for 22-28 minutes.
Storage: Store cooled bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container, separated by sheets of parchment paper for up to 5 days. Alternatively, freeze individual bars in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months and defrost at room temperature or in the refrigerator as desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 199kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 202mgPotassium: 170mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 50IUVitamin C: 1.7mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Delicious, healthy, soft and easy bars to make. I made them exactly as the recipe states and they turned out perfect. These bars are a nice change from banana bread, which my family LOVES. I will be making them again!
Hi Libby! I am so thrilled you and your family loved these banana bars! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Banana, chocolate chip and peanut butter! My favorite combo! Love how simple this recipe is and my family loved it too!
It is such a favorite combo! Love hearing you enjoyed!