Grab your ripest bananas and bake these easy, soft, and oh so fluffy Banana Bars! Made with peanut butter instead of flour and naturally sweetened with just a touch of maple syrup, these are my go-to healthy snack bars to please adults and kiddos alike. Did I mention each one packs 6.5g protein and 3g fiber? Done in just 30 minutes (AKA half the time it takes to make banana bread)!
How oh how do nut butter, banana, and eggs bake up into this magical fluffy bliss?! It's madness but it's here and now and we're doing it.
As a dietitian, it's no secret that healthy snack bars are my love language. Just like my zucchini bars with almond butter, you will be bamboozled not only by the fact that they're actually good for ya, but also how perfectly puffy they get sans flour!
5-Star Reader Reviews ★★★★★
"I just made these amazing bars!! They are like the most fluffy, light, and delicious banana-like brownies I've ever eaten! They rose beautifully and oh so delicious! Way too easy to taste this good!! I love this recipe and all your recipes!" --Nancy
"I had a couple very ripe bananas and knew I wanted to make one of your recipes. I used almond butter and threw everything into a food processor to mix. I baked them as muffins (18 minutes) and they are amazing!" --Hannah
"TOO easy when you have ripe bananas around, even on busy mornings before school. 1 bowl, no flour mess, and half the bake time of banana bread for the win! Perfect for the whole fam since it's low in added sugar." --Kelley
Behind the scenes of recipe testing
- Brown bananas are your friend. I developed this recipe with the *brown* nanners I had sitting on my counter. Believe me when I say the riper, the better (aka naturally sweeter!). I tested these with spotted bananas and they were a tad less most and of course, less sweet. Go ripe or go home!
- Peanut butter means puffy. When I conceptualized these, I wanted a banana snack bar tasted rich and rose well without the need for flour. It took a bit of trial and error to get the ratio just right, but equal parts PB and ripe banana means fluff city. (You could also use almond butter but they may need to bake longer since pb is more dry.)
- You really don't need much sugar: I originally tested these with ⅓ cup maple syrup and with the chocolate chips, they leaned more dessert. Three tablespoons is perfect! I have tested these with honey, too and they're good; they just taste like honey (duh).
- They won't work sans eggs: I've learned in baking that flourless baked goods really need real eggs for rise and texture in the absence of gluten.I tested these with flax eggs and sadly the texture was all wrong.
Let's make 'em!
Storage
Store leftovers covered at room temp for 2 days. Then store any remaining in the fridge. These freeze great, too!
Let me know in the comments if you make these gems! Your feedback means the world (and is immensely helpful to other readers). Cheers!
Banana Chocolate Chip Bars (with peanut butter!)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Grab your ripest bananas and bake these easy, oh so fluffy Banana Bars! Made with peanut butter instead of flour and naturally sweetened with just a touch of maple syrup, these are my go-to one bowl snack bars to please adults and kiddos alike. Done in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup very overripe mashed banana*
- 1 cup natural salted peanut butter
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips, plus a sprinkle for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Place banana in a mixing bowl (you'll need about 3) and mash with a fork. Measure out 1 cup. Add peanut butter, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until very smooth.
- Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into baking dish and top with more chocolate chips if you fancy (I always fancy).
- Bake for 25 min. Cool, slice and devour! These are amazing topped with my Healthy Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting.
Notes
This is about 3 medium bananas, but be sure to measure.
If your peanut butter is unsalted, use ½ tsp salt.
Asher says
Delicious! 3 of my favorite things in bar form. A different recipe for chocolate chip banana cake had caught my eye, but I wanted something less sweet and more satisfying. So obviously I came to Hummusapien, and this gem of a recipe delivered! For sure will make again. Thank you 🙂
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Awwww you made my day, Asher! Thank you so much!!
Katie says
I don’t usually write recipe reviews but these absolutely blew me away! I have been trying loads of banana bread recipes without butter or oil and they never turn out good. Where has this one been?! It’s soooo moist and delicious, I will be coming back to it again and again!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Wow I love this SO much, thank you for giving them a try and taking time to write a review, Katie!
Nancy Pearson says
I just made these amazing banana peanut butter bars!! They are like the most fluffy, light, and delicious banana like brownies I've ever eaten! I waited 30 mins before cutting and they were still warm and just melted in your mouth!! They rised beautifully and oh so delicious! Way too easy to taste this good!! I love this recipe and all your recipes I've tried!! Turned out perfectly!! Thank you so much for simple ingredient and delicious recipes!! Love, love, love them all!!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Yesss this is the best, thank you Nancy! You really made my day. Have you tried my banana brownies yet? I think you'd adore them!
Hannah Carlozzi says
I had a couple of very ripe bananas and knew I wanted to make one of your recipes. I used almond butter instead of peanut butter and threw everything into a food processor to mix. I baked them as muffins (18 minutes) and they are amazing!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
This is so fun, I must try them with almond butter next!
Arianna says
Made this exactly as is in an 8x8 but mine don’t look like the picture all nice & brown lol they’re lighter but they still taste good. They were still moist even after 25 minutes with regular PB so I popped them back in the mini oven. Still wish they looked crispy brown & flatter like the picture 😂 otherwise yummy
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Hmmm strange! Ovens a vary for sure; glad they tasted delish still!
Judith says
Would almond butter work in place of peanut butter?
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Yes! They may be more moist, so just cook longer if needed (since pb is more dry).
Kelly Jones says
TOO easy when you have ripe bananas around, even on busy mornings before school. One bowl, no flour mess, and half the bake time of banana bread for the win! Perfect for the whole fam since it’s naturally low in added sugar.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Love this so much, thanks Kelly! You're the real MVP for whipping these up before school.
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Yayyy thank you so much, Dylan! Fluffy is right!
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Thanks, Liam!
Dylan says
These are soooo good and come together in no time! They’re soft, fluffy, and just the right amount of sweet! Another fantastic recipe 🙂 This comment was left by a close supporter of Alexis Joseph, owner operator of Hummusapien LLC
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Yayy thanks, Dylan!