These strawberry banana oat bars are naturally sweetened and made with healthy ingredients like oats, bananas, strawberries, and maple syrup. They make a delicious gluten-free and vegan breakfast or snack.
One of the best things about going back to update old recipes is getting to make the ones that I loved and forgot about.
See, the downside of food blogging is that once I’ve tested and posted a recipe, I usually don’t get to make it again because I constantly have to come up with and test new recipes. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but outside of a few staple recipes that I make regularly, there are a lot that I forget about.
Like these strawberry banana oat bars, for example. I don’t think I’ve made them since I originally posted them in 2015. And that’s crazy because they’re freaking delicious!
I mean, just look at them…
And if that’s not convincing, here are some of the things I had to say about them in my original post:
You guys. You guys. We need to talk about these bars, because they seriously
knockedblew my socks right off. Or at least they would have if I was wearing any socks. I mean, I expected to like them, but not to the point where I was saying: “Holy snap.“ BITE. “These may just be…“ BITE. “The best oatmeal bars…” BITE. “I’ve ever had.” BITE. But it’s true!
And:
I wanted a really simple oatmeal base that was healthy enough to eat for breakfast but didn’t taste overly healthy, you know? None of that dry and bland nonsense. My bars needed to be: soft, tender, chewy, doughy, and plenty flavourful. And oh.man were they ever…
Fast forward 5 years and I had the same.exact.reaction. I took a bite, expecting to like it, but it seriously blew me away to the point where I think only 2 bars survived that first day. In my defence, the boy helped. A little.
So let’s make some bars.
How To Make Chia Seed Jam
I know that making your own jam might seem like an unnecessary additional step, but I promise you that it’s so worth it. Not only is it super easy to do, but you get a fresh homemade jam that’s 100% naturally sweetened. Oh, and a nice little boost of plant-based protein, fibre, and omega-3’s from the chia seeds.
So let’s jam:
- I like to make the jam the night before or the morning of the day I plan to make these bars and let it sit for a while. That way it has time to thicken up.
- Start by adding the berries and maple syrup to a medium saucepan set over medium heat and let them cook until they start to release their juices. This will take anywhere from 5 – 15 minutes depending on how frozen the berries were.
- Once things look all juicy, allow the berries to come to a gentle boil and continue to cook them for about 10 minutes until they start to reduce and thicken. At this point, use a spoon or a potato masher (preferred) to break the berries apart.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and stir in the chia seeds (these help thicken things up even more). Let the jam cook for another 5 minutes before removing it from the heat and letting it sit.
- It will continue to thicken the longer it sits and should have the consistency of a regular jam – spreadable without being liquidy.
And I promise you it’s not at all complicated. I know it looks like a lot of steps, but really you’re just cooking the berries until they reduce and then stirring in some chia seeds to get a more jam-my consistency.
That being said, if you don’t have the time or ingredients on hand to make your own jam, yo can definitely use a store-bought jam.
How To Make Strawberry Banana Oat Bars
Okay. Now that you’ve got the jam ready to go, it’s time to make some bars.
- The original recipe had you grinding half the oats into oat flour, but I updated it to include both oats and pre-ground oat flour just to make things easier. That being said, if you don’t have any oat flour on hand, toss 1 cup (80 g) of oats into a blender and process them on high until they resemble a fine flour.
- Combine the dry ingredients (oats, oat flour, baking powder, and salt) in a large mixing bowl first, and then add in the mashed bananas, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir, stir, stir, done. See? Easy peasy.
Now to assemble:
- Reserve about a half a cup of the dough to use as the top layer of the bars. Transfer the rest of it into your prepared baking pan and use a spatula to spread it out evenly.
- Spoon the chia jam onto the oat base and use your spatula to spread it out evenly. Try to leave a small bit of room around the edges to keep the jam from burning.
- Now drop the remaining dough on top of the jam in small spoonfuls and use your spoon to spread them out and swirl them around a little. You don’t have to cover the jam completely – I always like to leave gaps so the jam can poke through.
- 30 minutes of baking time yields soft and chewy bars, but you can leave them in the oven for longer if you want slightly drier bars.
- These bars never last that long around here, but I recommend storing them in the fridge if they’re sitting for more than 4 days.
Okay, But What Are They Like?
Soft, tender, fruity, sweet, and packed with strawberry + banana flavour.
These are softer and chewier bars, so if you’re looking for something that’s drier or crunchier, this might not be the recipe for you. But if you want a really tender, fruity bar, I think you’ll love these.
They’re gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar-free, and super easy to make. The crust is literally just oats + bananas plus a little bit of maple syrup for extra sweetness, and I think the simplicity of the ingredients is what makes them so surprisingly delicious. And healthy. I mean, you’re basically eating a bowl of oatmeal in bar form.
If you’re not big on strawberries or don’t have them on hand, feel free to use a different berry. And if you don’t have the time or ingredients to make your own jam, make it even simpler by subbing out a store-bought jam.
Happy eating!
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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Strawberry Banana Oat Bars
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Ingredients
For the strawberry chia jam:
- 2 cups (280 g) frozen strawberries*
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp (14 g) chia seeds
For the banana oat bars:
- 1 cup (80 g) quick oats
- 3/4 cup (80 g) oat flour**
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed (240g or 1 cup)
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the jam:
- Add the strawberries and maple syrup to a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Heat until the berries begin to release their juices, about 5-15 minutes depending on whether or not they were thawed. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to reduce and thicken, about 5 -10 minutes. Use your spoon or a potato masher to break them apart further.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and stir in the chia seeds. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the jam to cool. It will continue to thicken the longer it sits.
Make the bars:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and prepare an 8 x 8 (20 x 20 cm) baking pan by lining it with a sheet of parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal. Set aside.
- Combine the oats, oat flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the mashed bananas, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and mix until everything is well combined and a dough is formed.
- Transfer 3/4 of the mixture into your prepared baking pan, using a spatula to ensure that it is evenly spread. Spoon the chia jam over the surface, and use a spatula or knife to spread it evenly, making sure to lave some space around the edges to prevent the jam from burning. Drop the remaining oat mixture on top, using a spoon to spread it around and swirl it into the jam a little.
- Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until the top turns a light golden brown. Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Or in the fridge if the weather is warmer.
Notes
* You can sub out the strawberries for another type of berry. Or use 3/4 cup store-bought jam if you don’t want to make your own.
** If you don’t have any oat flour on hand, toss 1 cup (80 g) of oats into a blender and process them on high until they resemble a fine flour.
If you need these bars to be gluten-free, make sure to use certified gluten-free oats and oat flour.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
Post originally published in April 2015. Text and images updated in May 2020.
Looking for more healthy banana oat recipes? Try one of these!
Banana Oat Baked French Toast
Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins
Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Pancakes
Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Greek Yogurt Banana Oat Bread
Ohhhh thanks for the chia jam recipe! I have been meaning to make some especially as we are getting in strawberry season here in Scotland:)
The colors looks so vibrant! My favorite jam is probably raspberry or peach. I love homemade especially!
Look at us twinning hardcore with our matching chia jam recipes!! but girl…for real though these bars? amaze-balls. putting them on my to-make list NOW. and what a good use of my favorite new jam! although to be totally honest, I’ll need to make a fresh batch, because I went through that stuff ridiculously fast….
Ha! You and me both. I couldn’t believe how willing I was to eat that stuff straight from the jar with a spoon. SO good.
Oh drooling!! Love making chia seed jelly – and using it like this is perfection! I’ve got all the ingreidents in for this at home!! Can’t wait to try it
My mind is blown – that base is oats + bananas (for the most part) and no eggs!!! And strawberry chia jam!!! Wow lady, such creativity! Such brilliance!!!
Yum! We need a new breakfast food for this week and I just found it! Wondering how they would be with cherry jam…..
I think they’d be amazing with cherry jam, AmberLynn!
this looks insanely delicious!! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
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I think I had my last NutriGrain Abr when I was in the US in 1998 🙂 And I think Cinnamon Apple was my favorite too.
To be honest, I am not a huge fan of jam, except it is homemade by Mom. But I would definitely go for some of these bars! Oh, and the Chia Seeds stucking in the teeth – totally been there several times!
These sound super delicious. Just a quick question – did you really mean 375 degrees Celsius? I’m assuming it’s Fahrenheit, but thought I’d point it out….just in case someone tries to get their oven that hot. 😉
Eep! I totally didn’t even notice that! Thanks for pointing it out, Mandy! I went back and fixed it.
HOOOLY MOLY these are gorgeous. I need them in my life asap.
Hmmm, I have two ripe bananas sitting on my counter at this very moment. I was going to make muffins, but since these are your new favorite bars…..I’m going to have to give these a whirl. I also very much liked your blueberry bars and I happen to have already ground oats in my pantry. I tend to process a ton when I need them for a recipe and store the extras in a Tupperware for grab and go usage. Alright, it’s a done deal. I’m totally making these.
I should do that with the oat flour, but I find it can throw the recipes off since 1 cup of oats doesn’t equal 1 cup of oat flour 😕
These look divine! I love strawberry banana as a combination and these look really refreshing for spring breakfasts!
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These are gorgeous. Too pretty to eat. I was going to make chia jam for a recipe a few weeks ago, but then I had to put it on hold to go to Munich. The sacrifices I have to make…
Don’t you love when that happens with a recipe? Sometimes when that happens I have to make other people try it to see if I’m going crazy of if something is really that good.
These bars look beautiful and sound amazing – perfect to make for on-the-go breakfasts.
I think my favorite type of jam would have to be raspberry, perfect sweet/tart combo.
This would be such a great snack! I would love to try these with cherries. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing such a mouthwatering recipe!
Cherries would be amazing!
I adore the combo of strawberry and banana – you’re a genius 😀 And, yes, I used to love strawberry and blueberry Nutri-Grain bars… though I totally can’t think of the last time I had them. So strange how foods come and go in our lives like that. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Must make these. Please remind me. Please.
THESE LOOK AMAZING! This will be my first time making chia seed jam and I am PUMPED!
This is exactly the kind of baking that I like to do in my free time – kind of elaborate and time-consuming, but not overly so. I like to feel accomplished at the end of a recipe, not just a 15 minute whirl around a bowl, ya know? I definitely cannot wait to make these once exam insanity finishes in 8 days.
😆 I have to admit that it -did- feel a lot fancier than a lot of the other things I make, but definitely not too time consuming. Good luck with your exams!
UM…you are a freakin’ genius. I would have never thought to come up with these from a freezer full of frozen strawberries! And strawberry + banana is one of my very favorite combinations. Pinning to all the boards, mwuahaha! 😉
I never know what to do with chia seeds. I am not really a fan of their texture, but maybe it will be masked by the berries and oatmeal part. I will have to give it a try!
These are bananas! Literally. Oh, the lame Monday puns … Honestly, though, these bars sound totally awesome.I will admit I’m a smidgen skeptical about the lack of fat in the dough but I trust your baking skills here :). Want!
I tried chia seed jam for the first time earlier this year, too, and was sold immediately. Being the lazy girl right there, though, I went the no-cook way and it worked a charm, still. Not quite like grandma’s cherry jam [my favourite since childhood and I was happy to find a jar in my parents’ fridge] but a good and quick alternative no less-
That’s exactly what I was skeptical about! But the bananas really do work like a charm. And… no-cook way for jam? Like just mashing them up and adding chia seeds? That would work! I’m not sure how well with frozen berries, though…
I did in fact use frozen then thawed berries all the times I made it so far. The reason was being a situation similar to yours with too many berries in my tiny freezer compartment so chia jam to the rescue. I have to keep experimenting with the amount of chia seeds needed to really thicken it up, though, but other than that it worked well.
I have a huge thing of chia seeds in my pantry that i have no idea what to do with. I long ago accepted the fact that I don’t really like them in oats and so now I just have them wasting away – these look AMAZING. I will gladly use my chia seeds to get these bad boys in my mouth ASAP.
Have you tried them in smoothies? They’re not so bad when they’re pulverized to a powder, and they help make the smoothies thicker too!
Raspberry – always. These bars look delicious!
OKAY. I am in the exact same conundrum with the strawberries. Seriously, last week I found myself picking out ALL the bananas from the strawberry-banana frozen mix. I don’t even know why I bought the kind with strawberries… I knew I didn’t like them. But all that’s to say, these bars will be in my near future. Thankyouverymuch 🙂
Someone seriously needs to start selling mixed berries without the strawberries. Why haven’t companies clued in on this yet?!
Wow! I love the ingredient list in these bad boys! So easy and nutritious, yet look so gourmet!!
I wish one of these bars would appear in front of me right now! They look absolutely amazing. I’m promptly printing off the recipe now, so I remember I need to make them. Kudos for solving the Great Strawberry Dilemma of Spring 2015!
Wow, these look seriously good! I’m way too lazy to make my own jam (despite how easy you made it sound), so if you could just come on down to VA and make these for me I’d appreciate it 😉
Yummy! Strawberry season is just starting here, so I’m going to be eating a ton of them in the near future.
I really need to get in the kitchen and knock some of these recipes out. They’re so simple and I have everything right there! Can you send me some motivation? I did pin it at least…
The struggle is real! I have the same problem when it comes to making the recipes I find online… If I’m being honest, I think I’ve made -maybe- 10 recipes in the past 6 years that I’ve been reading blogs? 😆 It’s a little overwhelming with all the recipes out there, and it’s tough when you’re experimenting with your own as well!
The sceptic that I am happens to be sitting with a bag of chia seeds (pricey little crunchy bugs!) so that is proof enough that they’re fast making a good name for themselves. I’ve had them in a smoothie a whopping 3 times already! What smoothie you ask? Why, your black forest smoothie of course! Given that I’ve never had the cake… the situation simply had to be remedied. Ohmyjumpingjiminycrickets.. that chocolate potion is goooood. Even working with a mix of frozen berries that includes the cherries themselves – heavenly! I can’t imagine it getting any better.
Confession: that smoothie has been breakfast at least 5 times in the past week. If you can, make it the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. It’s crazy how thick it becomes by the morning!
These look great! My favourite jam is blackberry. We have blackberry bushes everywhere out here and August is my favourite month because that’s when we pick them! The best ones are the big huge juicy ones hanging from the branch, all warm from the sun.
Look at them bananas being awesome per usual. I am currently drooling over these because I am just about ready to eat breakfast. I wish I could just reach into the screen and grab one (or five)!
My favorite jam is either blueberry or raspberry. It’s fantastic on a buttered English muffin. And NutriGrain bars were definitely a part of my childhood— apple cinnamon was up there!
Have you ever tried the cream cheese and jam combo on an English muffin? Out.of.this.WORLD.
These bars look like a perfect breakfast or post workout snack! It’s exactly what I’ve been craving lately.
I always go for raspberries and blackberries first!
Oh, strawberry banana is my FAVORITE flavor combination… I am going to try making these later in the week with a new batch of finally-in-season strawberry pieces!
Oh yum! These look absolutely incredible! I definitely plan to make these soon!
Between theses bars and the mention of Nutri-Grain bars, so many OMGs to go around!! These looks divine, Amanda- I’m amazed that an ingredient list like that can turn into something so magical! Me thinks one of us need to eventually convert these bars into an Almond Butter & Jam version! And side note: I love that you call it jam rather than jelly! Jelly to me is what Americans consider jello!
An ABJ version would be magical <3 And that makes sense about the jelly thing! To me, jelly is a kind of jam that isn't made with whole fruits... just juices, sugar, and a thickener. Actually.. I should probably Google what the difference is.
These look like the best oatmeal bars ever so I don’t doubt you! I have the same chia seed issues and I need to get over it 🙂 I agree bananas just add so much goodness wherever they go. I’ve been eyeing this jam all weekend now!