• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Cookbook
  • Veganuary
  • FREE ebook
  • Shop

A Virtual Vegan

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Cookbook
  • Veganuary
  • FREE ebook
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Cookbook
    • Veganuary
    • FREE ebook
    • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Published: Aug 25, 2019 · Modified: Jul 14, 2022 by Melanie McDonald · This post contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 13 Comments

    Healthy Breakfast Bars

    JUMP TO RECIPE PIN WATCH VIDEO
    4.67 from 9 votes
    Sweet, soft and hearty Healthy Breakfast Bars made with wholesome ingredients plus a spattering of chocolate chips … Because CHOCOLATE …. But you can easily just use more nuts or seeds instead if you prefer. Perfect for grab and go breakfasts or for stuffing into lunch-boxes!

    Sweet, soft and hearty Healthy Breakfast Bars made with wholesome ingredients plus a spattering of chocolate chips ... Because CHOCOLATE .... But you can easily just use more nuts or seeds instead if you prefer. Perfect for grab-and-go breakfasts or for stuffing into lunch-boxes! 

    healthy breakfast bars with a bowl of vegan yogurt and sliced banana

    I have strong opinions about breakfast bars. I like them to be full of good for you ingredients, with a bit of indulgence too because you have to start your day the way you mean to go on, and what is life without a little indulgence? 

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • How to make Healthy Breakfast Bars
    • Success Tips
    • Ways to adapt my Healthy Breakfast Bars
    • How to serve
    • Recipe Video
    • Recipe
    • Comments & Reviews

    I like them to be slightly chewy, soft but dense and hearty, transportable so you can grab and go if necessary or stuff them into lunchboxes, and they should taste like dessert even though they are secretly healthy.

    Kind of like my Healthy No Bake Bars. And I am really liking this Healthy Breakfast Bars recipe because it checks all those boxes. 

    a close up shot of a healthy breakfast bar

    Ingredients

    Hanging out in them you will find all of these wholesome and filling ingredients:

    • oats
    • wholewheat flour (or gluten-free flour if you prefer)
    • natural peanut butter (or other nut butter of choice)
    • bananas
    • dates
    • nuts (or seeds instead if you prefer)

    You won't find any refined flour, refined sugar (except in the optional chocolate chips), or any added oil and the only equipment you need is a food processor or a blender. You could get away with doing it by hand if you don't have either of those though.

    Not a banana fan? Give my Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars a try instead!

    healthy breakfast bars next to a bowl of yogurt

    How to make Healthy Breakfast Bars

    (For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).

    They are really quick and easy to make. The most difficult part happens  when they come out of the oven and cool down and you have the really difficult decision of whether to cut them into reasonably sized bars or ridiculously huge bars. No judgement here no matter what you decide!

    Here's how it's done ...

    Step 1 - In a food processor or a blender (you could probably get away with a stick blender or even do it by hand), blend up the bananas, nut butter vanilla and maple syrup until completely smooth. 

    blending bananas, nut butter, maple syrup and vanilla ready to make healthy breakfast bars

    Step 2 - Add all of the dry ingredients, including the dates to a bowl and stir them all together.

    dry ingredients for healthy breakfast bars in a bowl

    Step 3 - Then pour the wet into the dry and stir it all together.

    making healthy breakfast bars - mixing the wet with the dry ingredients

    Step 4 - Spoon into a pan and sprinkle over some optional chocolate chips. You can omit them or replace them nuts or seeds if you aren't a fan of chocolate for breakfast. 

    healthy breakfast bar dough in a pan and then topped with chocolate chips

    Step 5 - Bake and allow to cool before cutting into bars.

    healthy breakfast bars in a pan prior to being cut up

    Success Tips

    You must use really ripe bananas. Soft and very spotty. The riper they are the better. 

    Don't use nut butter that's too dry. It should be soft and drip off the spoon if you let it. You know sometimes you get to the end of the jar and it's all gone a bit dry and hard. That won't work well in this recipe because the nut butter is what brings the dry ingredients together into a dough. 

    Other than that it's all very straightforward and pretty fool proof. 

    healthy breakfast bars sliced up on a white background with a bowl of yogurt and a banana cut into slices

    Ways to adapt my Healthy Breakfast Bars

    They are perfect as they are but you could:

    1. switch out the wholewheat flour for gluten-free flour, oat flour, all purpose flour or spelt flour.  
    2. use any chopped nuts you like, or a mixture of your favourites. Walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans all work well.
    3. to keep the bars nut-free, use pumpkins seeds or sunflower seeds instead of the nuts, or just omit the nuts. 
    4. omit the chocolate chips or use more nuts instead. Or use cacao nibs instead for a more bitter crunch. 
    5. add a handful of dried fruit like raisins, sultanas, apricots or cranberries. 

    How to serve

    Eat the breakfast bars as they are, or serve them with a dollop of vegan yogurt on the top. The tartness of the yogurt works really well with the soft bars and makes them feel and look even more like dessert! 

    am healthy vegan breakfast bar with a dollop of yogurt and a slice of banana on top

    If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!

    Recipe Video

    Recipe

    healthy breakfast bars with a bowl of vegan yogurt and sliced banana

    Healthy Breakfast Bars

    Author: Melanie McDonald
    4.67 from 9 votes
    Sweet, soft and hearty Healthy Breakfast Bars made with wholesome ingredients plus a spattering of chocolate chips ... Because CHOCOLATE .... But you can easily just use more nuts or seeds instead if you prefer. Perfect for grab and go breakfasts or for stuffing into lunch-boxes! 
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
    PREP TIME: 15 minutes
    COOK TIME: 30 minutes
    TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
    Servings: 9 bars

    Ingredients
      

    Wet Ingredients

    • 270 g / 2 medium very ripe bananas , (they should measure about 8 inches each).
    • ¾ cup / 192 g natural peanut butter , or any other nut or seed butter
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ cup / 60 mls maple syrup

    Dry Ingredients

    • 2 cups / 200 g rolled oats , sometimes called old-fashioned oats. Use certified gluten-free oats for GF
    • ½ cup / 63 g wholewheat flour , see notes for alternatives *
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon fine salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ cup / 70 g chopped nuts , or seeds (see notes for suggestions) **
    • ½ packed cup / 90 g finely chopped pitted dates , (about 12 to 13 dates)

    For Topping (optional)

    • ½ cup / 90 g vegan chocolate chips
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C) and line an 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper.
    • Add the wet ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until completely smooth. If you don't have a blender or food processor, mash the bananas really well with a fork, then beat in the peanut butter, vanilla and maple syrup until they are all smooth and well combined.
    • To a large bowl add the oats, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and stir together to combine. Add the chopped dates and the nuts and stir them through. If the dates get a bit clumpy, break them apart with your fingers.
    • Add the blended liquid mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir them together well, then spoon into the pan, pack it down and even out the top with a spatula.
    • Sprinkle over the optional chocolate chips, press them just a little with your hands, then put into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
    • Allow to cool in the pan, then cut into bars.

    NOTES

    *Switch out the wholewheat flour for gluten-free flour, oat flour, all purpose flour or spelt flour
    **Use any chopped nuts you like, or a mixture of your favourites. Walnuts, hazelnuts and pecans all work well.
    How to make nut-free Breakfast Bars
    To keep the bars nut-free, use pumpkins seeds or sunflower seeds instead of the nuts, or just omit the nuts.
    Storage
    Store bars in an airtight container either at room temperature if it's not too warm, or in the fridge. They should keep well for up to 7 days. 
    Nutritional information assumes the entire recipe is cut into 9 bars and includes the optional chocolate chips.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 392kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 12gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 248mgPotassium: 502mgFiber: 7gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 74mgIron: 3mg

    Nutritional information is provided for convenience. The data is a computer generated estimate and should be used as a guide only.

    Tried this recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan

    Hungry For More?

    • Lemon Cheesecake Overnight Oats
    • Raspberry Oat Bars
    • Corn Flour Pancakes
    • Vegan Brunch Recipes
    5.9K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Julie says

      August 26, 2022 at 12:23 pm

      I haven’t tried making these yet but what is the reason behind adding baking powder for something that is not baked?

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        August 26, 2022 at 12:37 pm

        It is baked.

        Reply
    2. Anne says

      August 09, 2020 at 8:05 pm

      Can the banana be left out? Or replaced with applesauce or some aquafaba?

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        August 10, 2020 at 12:25 pm

        They are a major part of the recipe so definitely can't be left out. Aquafaba won't work as a replacement here. Applesauce might but it's a bit wetter so it will likely affect the texture a bit and the flavour won't work as well with the nut butter etc. I personally wouldn't make them with applesauce. Cooked and pureed sweet potato or canned pumpkin would be a better substitute and I'm pretty sure would work really well. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    3. Otto's Auntie says

      July 08, 2020 at 10:00 am

      5 stars
      Just made these--Fabulous! Used powdered peanut butter so I could make it a wee bit thinner; didn't have nuts so used sunflower seeds instead; omitted the chocolate chips but threw in an additional handful of raisins. These are substantial bars! Just for fun I might try adding some hemp seed hearts to the next batch. Thank you!!

      Reply
    4. Maisie says

      May 28, 2020 at 5:25 am

      can you taste the banana in the breakfast bars

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        May 28, 2020 at 9:51 am

        Yes you can.

        Reply
    5. Ginny Bates says

      May 09, 2020 at 11:52 am

      I don't have any dates right now. I know they contribute to the final texture and add sweetness, but could you suggest a substitute? Thanks.

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        May 11, 2020 at 10:53 am

        I think in this recipe you could probably get away with omitting them, or using any other dried fruit you fancy instead.

        Reply
    6. Barb says

      February 11, 2020 at 1:37 pm

      Love your soup recipes. Wondering with these bars, is the maple syrup necessary - or could you reduce the amount?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        February 12, 2020 at 10:26 am

        Thank you Barb. I haven't tried it but am pretty sure that in this recipe you could safely leave it out without it affecting the structure of the bars. You would need to add some other liquid to compensate though. Some plant milk at the same amount should do it. And be sure to use really, really ripe bananas so they are extra sweet.

        Reply
    7. SHERI LYNN STACK says

      September 11, 2019 at 3:32 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for sharing this great recipe. Made them last night and they are delish! Filling and held me through until lunch with no mid morning hunger pains. LOL Super easy too. I didn't add the chocolate chips and they were plenty sweet for me. The dates add just a perfect level of sweetness in each bite.

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        September 11, 2019 at 4:40 pm

        I'm really pleased you enjoyed them Sheri!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Melanie McDonald

    I'm Melanie McDonald (but you can call me Mel), best-selling cookbook author and creator of A Virtual Vegan. I share well-tested, flavour-packed vegan recipes with clear, step-by-step instructions. My goal is to give you the confidence to cook amazing vegan food from scratch.

    More about me →

    Trending now!

    • Perfect Vegan Yorkshire Puddings
    • Lentil Shepherd's Pie
    • Cinnamon Roll in a Mug
    • Vegan Potato Soup
    • Vegan Butter
    • Vegan Banana Pancakes

    ❊ GET MY COOKBOOK ❊

    Vegan Comfort Cooking Melanie McDonald

    Amazon / Book Depository / Books-A-Million / Barnes & Noble / Indigo

    "Meaty' Vegan Recipes

    • Vegan Ham
    • Vegan Chicken Breasts
    • Vegan Sausage Recipe
    • Vegan Beef
    • Vegan Roast
    • Gluten-Free Seitan Roast

    See more →

    Footer

    ↑ back to top


    About Me
    My Cookbook
    Privacy

    Subscribe
    Contact me
    Work With Me

    Accessibility
    Nutrition
    Media

    Copyright © 2023 A Virtual Vegan- All Rights Reserved.