You’d never believe that these soft-baked Greek yogurt banana oatmeal bars are gluten-free, refined-sugar-free, and made without any butter or oil! The simple banana oat base is topped with a thick and creamy Greek yogurt filling to make one deliciously healthy breakfast or snack bar!
Please tell me I’m not the only one who’ll drive to a grocery store that’s slightly (read: 10 minutes) further away just to buy organic Pink Lady apples.
Heck, you don’t have to tell me – I know I’m not! I know you’ve been driving along in your little car, fully intent on going to the closer store after barely managing to convince yourself that Galas are okay, when you make the last-minute executive decision to veer off to the right and go grab that pot of gold (<– true story; happened yesterday)
It might not be Pink Ladies for you, but I know you’ve got your thing… and I love you for it. It makes me feel like less of a freak over the fact that I’m constantly doing it for ripe bananas too 😆
But have you seen my recipes?!? I’m pretty sure that something like 87.2% of them have bananas in some form, meaning that momma ain’t got the time to sit around and wait for bananas to ripen… especially when I’ve got things like Greek yogurt banana oatmeal bars on the brain…
And because bananas like to take their sweet ass time in the winter months, and most of the bigger grocers only stock the neon green ones, I need to go on a trek across half the city to the one natural grocer that I can always count on to have spotty bananas on hand. You can thank them for this recipe showing up today instead of 2 weeks from now.
See, I got the idea for these bars while I was in the mountains this weekend (I’m pretty sure I was sitting on the chair lift – it’s a long ride up), meaning I needed ripe bananas yesterday (read: Monday).
It’s no secret that I love the banana, oat, and Greek yogurt combo, and I wanted to see if I could somehow incorporate it into bar form without actually baking the Greek yogurt into the bar. So! I went ahead and plopped it on top of a banana oat base…
… spread it out all nice and fancy…
… and sprinkled more of the banana oat mix on top to make something like an oatmeal crumble bar…
But here’s the best part.
The filling isn’t just Greek yogurt. It’s Greek yogurt sweetened with coconut sugar, thickened with a spoonful of coconut flour, and mixed with thin banana slices. It has a subtle tangy sweetness and a creamy, almost cheesecake-like consistency after it’s baked.
Pair that with a soft-baked banana oat base that’s made without flour, butter, oil, or refined sugar, and you’ve got one deliciously healthy breakfast or snack bar. Actually, 12. You’ve got 12 of them…
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
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Greek Yogurt Banana Oatmeal Bars
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Ingredients
For the banana oat base:
- 2 cups (160 g) rolled oats, divided*
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 medium-sized ripe banana, mashed (100 g or 1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp (32 g) almond butter**
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Greek yogurt filling:
- 3/4 cup (150 g) plain Greek yogurt
- 2 – 4 Tbsp coconut palm sugar***
- 1 Tbsp (7 g) coconut flour****
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 medium-sized ripe banana, thinly sliced (100 g or 1/2 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325F (163C) and prepare an 8×8 (20x20cm) baking dish by lining it with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal. Spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.
- Place 1 cup (80 g) of oats in a food processor or blender, and process until they resemble a fine flour. Transfer the oat flour to a large mixing bowl, and add the remaining rolled oats, cinnamon, and baking powder, mixing well.
- Add the mashed banana, maple syrup, almond butter, and vanilla extract, and mix until everything is well combined and a sticky dough is formed.
- Reserving 1/2 cup (120 ml), transfer the remaining oat mix into your prepared baking pan, using your fingers or a spatula to ensure that it is evenly distributed along the bottom. Set aside.
- Make the filling by combining the Greek yogurt, coconut sugar, coconut flour, and vanilla extract in a small mixing bowl. Mix until the coconut sugar has dissolved and all the ingredients are well combined before gently folding in the banana slices.
- Spoon the filling over the surface of the oat mixture, and use a spatula or knife to distribute it evenly. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top, using a fork to break up the bigger chunks.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top turns a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to fully cool in pan before using a sharp knife to cut into bars. Store the bars in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
* Make sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you need these to be gluten-free. ** You could easily sub this out for any nut butter you have on hand, or use a seed or soy nut butter to make it nut-free. *** These bars aren’t overly sweet, so add more sugar to the filling if you like your bars sweeter. **** You can use regular flour in place of the coconut, but you’ll have to up the amount to 2 Tbsp (14 g) and your bars won’t necessarily be gluten-free.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
Looking for more banana oat Greek yogurt recipes? Try one of these!
Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins
Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Pancakes
The Ultimate Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffin
Greek Yogurt Banana Oat Bread
Greek Yogurt Blueberry Banana Bread
OMG. These look absolutely perfect!
Thank you!
This looks mouthwatering! Can’t wait to make these for my family. Thanks for sharing!
I love the sound of these. Any chance I can get you to come make them for me? Blows kiss.
Will you pay with Chipotle? If so, then we’ve got a deal 😉
hi! I really want to try this recipe out but I don’t have coconut sugar, could I just sub with white or brown sugar? thanks!
That would be fine, Avani! I hope you like them! 🙂
I’m making these, but not seeing the almond butter/peanut butter in the instructions area. I’m assuming you mix it in with the maple syrup, vanilla and banana?
Hi Julie! Sorry about that. Yes, you add the nut butter when you add the rest of the wet ingredients. Thanks for pointing that out! I went ahead and added it in.
I hope you get a banana allergy.
Pink Lady’s are the ONLY apples. Green ones are good, when microwaved with sugar and cinnamon.
Looks extra yummy and delicious! Thanks for sharing darling! <3 xxx
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Amanda, I love how you take the time to reply to every single comment especially since you get so many. That’s really kind of you, and I pretty much go to you and Arman for all my allergy friendly recipes. You’re like Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free central for me. 🙂
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Emily! My favourite part of blogging is definitely the connections, and I really, really appreciate it when people take the time to leave a comment so I do my best to reciprocate!
Oh my gosh, don’t even get me started on what I am willing to do for certain food items. You are definitely not alone in that! 🙂
I find it interesting that you have a store that sells spotty bananas. I can never find any anywhere. I always have to wait patiently for them to ripen. But if it were for these luscious oatmeal bars, it would be totally worth it. I don’t think I could resist licking off that topping, hehe!
Omg I don’t know what I’d do without them! It’s a smaller natural food store that has a pretty loyal customer base, and I think the customers requested it so they listened. I even talked to the manager to save the extra spotty ones for me so that I can take them off his hands 😀
Pink ladies are my favourite too – I used to feel a bit guilty buying them in the UK, they used to ship them from New Zealand, but now in Australia they are grown locally and taste incredible!
I do go out of my way to get my favourite gluten free bread – it means heading to another extra shop each week but it’s made by a local bakery and full of amazing whole ingredients and defintiely worth it!
!!! Local pink ladies?! I die. We get ours relatively close, but I’d love to try one from Australia. Just another reason why I NEED to visit 😀
My favorite apple is probably Golden Delicious or Gala, however I eat whatever is on sale. One food I would go the extra mile for is bananas, BBQ sauce or broccoli (no lie, I check three stores for the best price hahaha)
Golden Delicious are delicious 😀 And broccoli too, although maybe not together. I imagine my stomach would be doing flip flops with that kind of food combining. Eep.
I’ve been all about the bananas and Greek yogurt combination lately, so I pretty much want to eat this ASAP. 🙂
Such a great combination of tangy and sweet. And it only takes about 40 minutes to make. Just saying 😉
This is why I love all of your recipes, all that sweet banana action you’ve got going on! One must never live without bananas!
😀 I definitely love the way you think!!
Mmh. I’m not usually a fan of any kind of bar but the Greek yogurt adding that fresh kick might convince me elsewise. I always eat my Greek yogurt mixed with coconut flour so can totally imagine the taste here and with bananas and oats? It has to be a winner.
I remember you mentioning that you liked it that way! I tried it and totally loved it – SO good for a texture freak like me 😀
OH my goodness these look delicious! I definitely need to try these soon. This looks like a breakfast version of a vegan banana cream pie my grandma used to make.
Vegan banana cream pie?! And with grandma’s love?! BEST!!!
I’m tempted to try these without the maple syrup and coconut sugar!
I’m sure they would still work, but they wouldn’t be as sweet. Also, you’d have to add some liquid to the base to make up for the maple – maybe applesauce?
This past weekend I drove 10 miles to get my hands on Bob’s red mill pie crust as the grocery store about 0.25 miles from me had didin’t have it! I could have used one of the other varieties of BRM from the grocer near me – buuuuuttt…so totally understand your pink lady apple situation! 🙂
As for these bars – lady, you have outdone yourself – that filling alone is just so finger licking good!
Us foodies are a special breed, and I love that I’m not alone. Thanks so much, lovely lady! xo
YUM! I cannot believe you drive to a different store for spotty bananas! I drive to certain stores to make sure I find green ones 🙂
You’d love it here! We have them at ALL our stores.
I will always go the extra mile for bananas. Honeycrisp are my favorite, but dollar bills, yo.
Love the sound of these bars! Pinned!
Yessssss a fellow banana lover! <3 Thanks lady!
Jazz and opal apples are my jam. I hate flavorless, mealy apples! I first had Jazz apples at TJs years ago and they still have them, except now they are much smaller and sold by the bag. They don’t have quite the same flavor punch either 🙁 Opal apples are also at TJs except now of course they’re out of stock until who knows when. You’re welcome for all this info about apples.
Eeeugh. Mealy apples are the WORST. And you actually just described them perfectly — mealy. I usually just call them soft. Eeeugh.
Recipes with bananas are my favorite and yet I never wait for my bananas to ripen enough. I need to start buying like 100 bananas at a time so I can actually bake with them. Another delicious looking recipe chica!!
I’ve actually fallen into the habit of always picking up a bunch of bananas when I’m in the store, even if they’re green, so that they ripen at various times and I always have some around. I think I’ve got it down to a science at this point 😆
I’ll drive anywhere for kombucha. But not apples. But I get it. Haha. I’d gladly hop on a plane for these bars though. Just sayin…
There’d totally be some waiting for you. Along with a bottle of cold kombucha. Just saying…
So good Amanda! My grocery store only has the green bananas. I’ve had to wait almost two weeks for mine to turn for some muffins I’ve been wanting to make.
Bah! Horrible. Have you ever tried the ripening trick where you stick bananas into a paper bag along with an apple? Apparently the gas from the apple is supposed to help the banana ripen faster. I keep meaning to try it, but then I forget to buy paper bags 😕
Pink Ladies are the best apples, hands down. Luckily they’re sold at the corner market for me in NYC although so many other items require treks or trips on buses.
Ohhh what I wouldn’t give for a sweet little corner market near me. We have some farmer’s markets in the city, but most of them are pretty far away…
NOM – these look so good. Breakfast bars are a go-to in my house.
Thanks Jenn! They’re a lifesaver for me when I’m travelling.
Pink ladies remind me of my mom. Her favourite colour is pink. Her lips are pink, her nails are pink, her walls are pink, her world is pink. Also, I need to make some bars like this. I keep saying it, but I REALLY NEED TO. It’s time I stop buying the crappy ones and just make the good stuff.
Pink ladies always make me think of Grease 😆 And you need to write yourself a post-it reminder. Stick it on the mirror. Works like a charm.
Mixing coconut flour with Greek yogurt and just eating it is pretty awesome, and you just upped the awesome a whole bunch! These look delicious and I wish that I had nice ripe bananas right now 😛 The store has been giving me lots of barely-ripe ones for the last 2 weeks. How are ALL of the bananas at the same ripeness stage? Oh, and I really like Braeburn apples! I settle for others a lot, because there aren’t a lot of options in terms of grocery stores near school, but when I’m home… Braeburns.
Have you ever tried mixing in a scoop of protein powder into plain yogurt?! Totally the same effect with a little bit of aded flavour. And bananas are seriously a problem in the winter. Good thing spring is coming! *dance*
Do you think these could work as pumpkin bars (sub the banana for pumpkin)??
I haven’t tried it personally so I can’t say 100%, but I’ve had luck subbing banana for pumpkin in the past so I’m going to go ahead and say yes. You might have to add a little bit of extra sugar to make them sweeter though!
I will report back! 😉
OH MY GOODNESS. WHY am I leaving back for college the day you post these beauties!? I am so making these when I get back home again. And yes, I totally go to the stores where I know there will be spotty bananas. Necessity. Also, I don’t know if I’ve ever tried pink lady apples! I love honeycrisp #basic.
Would it be horrible of me to suggest you take part in some truancy to make these? It probably would. Stay in school! 😛
Mmmm these oatmeal bars look soo chewy and delicious! This is exactly what I would love to have every morning along with my fuji apple which is my favorite next to pink ladies!
Another pink lady fan! Woop! Fuji’s are definitely close though!
Nice recipe. But almond butter isn’t available on our market. Is there any other ingredient which substitutes the same.?
Peanut butter would work as well if you don’t have allergies. Or, if you can’t get any nut butters, then adding another half of a mashed banana would do the trick!
Looks amazing! I just made a similar recipe, but used strawberry jelly as the filling:)
Definitely a fantastic choice! I made something similar with a strawberry chia seed jam once, and the combo is one that can’t be beat.
I always buy gala apples! I’ll say any that are red. Just don’t like more sour ones like granny smith!
Eeee no. Granny Smith are ones that I can’t do either. Those and Red Delicious.
This looks amazing! I have some overripe bananas sitting on my counter right now and I know that once they have spots I’m probably not eating them haha. I have a weird thing about spotty bananas so if they don’t get eaten right away I have to freeze them or hope I get the time/motivation to bake them into something.
I’d gladly take your spotty bananas off your hands! Although I have a feeling that it’d be quicker for me to drive to the store than fly to VA 😛
Love thickening the yogurt into cheesecake texture, that is pure awesomeness! My mom who is greek yogurt obsessed needs to have these, they look like perfection.
Thanks Michele! The thickening was kind of an afterthought because I was afraid the yogurt would just melt into the bars and end up a flop… and I don’t deal with recipe flops that well 😆
These would make a great dessert for a crowd. Thanks for sharing!
Aww you mean I’d have to share? Rats 😛
these look so good!! I will need to buy greek yogurt again, I don’t buy it on the regular anymore…but I do buy a ton of granny smith apples! gala are never okay, just no. and neither are red delicious or golden. never!
I remember when I used to think that Red Delicious were the -only- kind of apples around. Needless to say, I wasn’t a fan of apples back in the day 😆
Your recipes are my favorite when it comes to using Greek yogurt in baked goods/bars/anything. You’re the queen!! These look so awesome Amanda, can’t wait to give them a try 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words, Marina! I hope you like them 🙂
I do believe this is your winning combo! It looks wonderful.
Thanks Kate! It’s treated me pretty well so far 😆