Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

Made without the addition of oil and naturally sweetened, these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bars are soft, chewy, and the perfect combination of banana, peanut butter, and chocolate! 

Not only are these Banana Bars super easy to make, but they are adaptable so that they can be made gluten-free, egg-free, and/or dairy-free, making these chocolate chip banana bars a kid-friendly treat that everyone can enjoy!

Banana Bars are one of my favorite treats because they are filled with 3 of my favorite ingredients--peanut butter, bananas, and chocolate. Truly a magical combination!

These bars are soft, fluffy, and made with only 5 minutes of prep-work, and common pantry staples.

If that is not reason enough to love these bars, they also are on the healthier side when it comes to desserts. Peanut butter takes the place of oil. Instead of refined sugar, these bars are sweetened with honey and the natural sweetness of bananas.

Basically, these banana bars are my definition of perfection--easy to make, wholesome, and downright delicious!

Notes on Ingredients

• Bananas: The riper the banana, the sweeter these bars will end up being. I love to use really brown bananas that are well past their prime.
• Flour: This recipe is designed to work with whole white wheat flour, gluten-free flour, OR regular all-purpose flour.
• Honey: Instead of being filled with refined sugar, these banana bars only need a bit of honey added to bring out the sweetness of the bananas.
• Peanut Butter: Not only is peanut butter a perfect pairing with bananas in terms of flavor, but it also stands in for oil or butter and provides a healthier source of fat that keeps these bars moist and rich.
• Chocolate Chips: Optional, but everything is a bit better with chocolate!
• Walnuts: The walnuts are totally optional. They add crunch and texture but can be omitted without any significant change to the final banana bar.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

• Prepare an 8x8 square baking pan by lining it with parchment paper or greasing well so the banana bars will not stick to the pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, sift or whisk together the flour with baking soda and salt to combine evenly. You want to be sure to really distribute the baking soda to prevent any clumps in your dough.
• Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts, if using. By mixing into the dry ingredients, the flour will coat the chocolate chips and walnuts which helps to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the bars when baking.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the peanut butter with the honey, egg, and vanilla. Pro-Tip: If your peanut butter is thick and hard to mix, heat for 30 seconds in the microwave and then before adding the other wet ingredients. 

• Add the banana mixture to the flour and fold together the batter until just combined. Be sure to only mix these bars until just combined to keep them from being tough.

• Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

• Bake until a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean.
• Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a cooling rack and then carefully remove the bars, using the parchment paper to cool completely before slicing them into bars. Note, if you just greased your pan instead of using parchment paper, do not try to remove the bars from the pan, just cool for 20 minutes before slicing. 

Allergy-Friendly Modifications

• Egg-Free Banana Bars: Replace the egg by preparing a flax egg. Mix together 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 5 minutes. Use in place of the egg. 
• Gluten-Free Banana Bars: Use Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour in place of the flour. No other modifications are needed.
• Dairy-Free Banana Bars: If you have a dairy allergy, use dairy-free chocolate chips, or omit chocolate chips.
• Vegan-Friendly Banana Bars: Use maple syrup in place of the honey and in place of an egg, mix together 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the batter.
• Nut-Free Banana Bars: Feel free to use almond butter in place of peanut butter if you have a peanut allergy and omit the walnuts from the bars.

More Delicious Banana Recipes

• Banana Oatmeal Cookies
• Homemade Banana Pudding
• Banana Bread
• Banana Cake
• Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
• Gluten-Free Banana Oat Pancakes

If you tried these Peanut Butter Banana Bars, I would love for you to leave a comment and review letting me know what you thought!

This post was originally published in 2017 but was updated in 2020.