One of my favorite snack food bars, Banana nut bars from odwalla suddenly were out of stock everywhere for 2 months or so. And I started snacking on nuts on the road or everyday snack time. Too many nuts and me do not go well together. Breakouts and jiggly arms. nuff said.
So I decided I needed to make some snack bars. So here are these snack bars. Bananas, Oats, Dates, walnuts, cashews, hemp, spices. done.
Make a batch and keep these handy. I kept these very simple. You can add in other dried fruit like cherries, apricots, strawberries, blueberries etc. Add other seeds and nuts.
These granola bars are refined sugar free, can be made oil-free.
More food/protein Bars and snacks. all GF
Super Seed Chocolate Protein bars
Mojito Snack balls. with or without alcohol
Nut Butter Chocolate Chunk Protein bar
Banana Nut Bars
Allergen Information: Free of Dairy, egg, corn, soy, gluten, yeast, refined sugar. Can be made oil-free and nut-free
Makes 8 – 10 4 inch by 1.5 inch bars
Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves powder
a generous pinch of nutmeg
2 tsp coconut oil
2 cups old fashioned Oats (use certified gluten-free if needed)
3/4 to 1 cup dates (depends on how sweet you like the bars)
3/4 cup walnuts or use a combination of walnuts and cashews (use a combination of seeds to make nut-free)
1/4 cup hemp seeds
Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a bowl, mash the bananas and mix in the vanilla, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and oil.
In a food processor, add oats, walnuts, dates and hemp seeds and pulse to make a coarse mixture. you can keep it chunky by adding chopped nuts later.
Add this to the banana mixture a cup at a time and mix. Add more oats if needed.
Press the mixture onto parchment lined sheet into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle.
Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet and bake for another 7 to 10 minutes or until golden on the edges and dry to touch in the center. Let cool completely before slicing.
Store in the refrigerator for upto a week or freeze.
Use other dried fruit like cherries, apricots, strawberries, blueberries etc for variations. 
Casey M. says
July 29, 2014 at 5:29 amOh, this looks so tasty! Are the hemp seeds just there for nutrition (as opposed to binding)? Could I do half flax seed, half hemp?
Thanks!
Richa says
July 29, 2014 at 6:31 amsure use any seeds or nuts. the banana binds everything.
Sowmya Sundararajan says
July 29, 2014 at 7:44 amBeautiful clicks Richa
Sheetal Lamba says
July 29, 2014 at 12:10 pmHey Richa ..nice recipe!! I wanted to know if there is any alternate ingredient for oats. Oats doesn’t suit me. Thanks.
Richa says
July 29, 2014 at 4:01 pmHi sheetal,
You can add dried coconut flakes, more of the nuts and seeds and some flour of choice. Add enough so the mixture is stiff not too sticky mix. then press into a parchemnt lined sheet or pan and bake.
Richa says
July 29, 2014 at 4:03 pmyou can also add some rice krispies or other cereal
HappyForks.com says
July 29, 2014 at 7:25 pmSo perfect snack. Especially for people on diet who must eat something sweet but still healthy. There is also great idea for people who don’t have time to eat breakfast at home. They can buy only some yogurt or milk and nutritious breakfast is ready. Your recipe give us also vitamin B1 and B6, for more nutritional information you can chech HappyForks analyzer.
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The Vegan 8 says
July 31, 2014 at 7:45 amThese look wonderful and sooo simple which I love! I really wish I liked bananas!!! 😫
Annie says
July 31, 2014 at 4:05 pmI was an Odwalla bar FIEND for a long time, but I think I’ll take yours over theirs any day!
Corrin Radd says
July 31, 2014 at 5:45 pmWe made these for breakfast and loved them. Didn’t have hemp seeds so just added some ground flax.
Caitlin says
July 31, 2014 at 5:51 pmbanana and nuts are just the best combination. jumbo sized banana nut muffins were my favorite growing up- these are the perfect healthy alternative!
Lisa Whitson says
August 1, 2014 at 1:26 amCan you clarify where to use the 2 tsp coconut oil. Thanks!
Richa says
August 1, 2014 at 1:33 amadd it to the mashed banana
Lisa Whitson says
August 1, 2014 at 2:55 amThank you so much!!!! I have a batch in the oven now. I cannot wait to try them. They smell yummy.
Anonymous says
August 4, 2014 at 2:07 pmLooks amazing! Thank you for your gf options! =)
Danielle Rose says
September 8, 2014 at 1:47 amI made these this morning and even though I don’t have the biggest sweet tooth ever, I wanted them to be a wee bit sweeter. I put a honey glaze (could perhaps do agave for vegan) on top and that helped a lot, but next time I think I will add some honey to the batter. Also, I also put 3/4 cup dates, rather than a full cup so increasing that in the future could help too! All in all, a great base recipe and I will experiment until I get it just the way I’d like. I’m thinking adding some shredded coconut would be divine too! Thanks!! 🙂
Nacha says
September 24, 2014 at 4:31 pmThis is the easiest snack bars recipe i’ve found so far! I’ll try make them but my question is, how long do you think they’ll last in the freezer? D o you think i could replace the oats for, let’s say, chickpea or rice flour? Or will they make the batter too sticky? GF oats are just impossible to find where i live 🙁 …
Richa says
September 24, 2014 at 5:12 pmTry it with rice flour. Make a smaller batch to see how it does and if you like the texture and taste. chickpea flour will make it taste beany and bitter.
Jennifer Houghton says
September 25, 2014 at 9:52 pmJust made these and they are delicious! What I love about your recipes, besides the tastiness and healthiness, is the flexibility – if I don’t have an ingredient it still works to sub another – this time I subbed flax seed for hemp seed.
Rachel says
November 30, 2014 at 8:12 pmHi Richa, thank you for all of your great recipes. I have this in the oven now and am looking forward to it! I am also looking forward to your cookbook!
Nadine says
April 5, 2015 at 8:12 pmDo you by chance have an option that uses quinoa rather than oats? Can quinoa (cooked or uncooked) be substituted?
Richa says
April 5, 2015 at 9:57 pmyou can use toasted or cooked quinoa. with cooked quinoa, store the bars in the refrigerator for upto 5 days.
Rachel Page says
May 21, 2015 at 2:19 amI made this yesterday and the flavors are great but it’s more chewy biscuit than moist brownie.
Richa says
May 21, 2015 at 8:36 amyes it is chewy depending on how long it is baked. to make it biscuity, add some balking powder.
Susan Sparkes says
April 23, 2019 at 1:20 amThese were yum. Definite good replacement for something like Nakd bars in the UK. Much moister than a flapjack as fruit and oats, rather than oats and fruit, and banana as the binder instead of oil or butter type spread. Really yum. May have to make double next time and freeze half. Will be spreading the word amongst my cycling buddies as with hemp seeds in, these are high in protein. Also think some of them would add vegan protein powder. Their size means they are easy to carry in a jersey pocket for a healthier sugar boost on longer rides.
Richa says
April 23, 2019 at 10:28 amthanks!
Maneesha says
March 3, 2020 at 12:30 pmSo delish!! I made these after I made your most recent caramelized banana bars, and I love these both!! So healthy!