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    Home » Breakfast Recipes

    Vegan Caramelized Banana Granola Bars

    Published: Feb 23, 2020 · Modified: Mar 9, 2020 by Richa 29 Comments

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    These easy healthy Vegan Banana Nut Granola Bars are packed with deep caramelized banana flavor & are made with only a handful of ingredients. No refined sugar! Pack them for an amazing plant-based office snack, sweet breakfast on the go, or for road trips with hungry kids. Jump to Recipe 

    side view of a stack of vegan caramelized banana granola bars

    Bananas – aren’t they just an amazing fruit? Eaten alone they are a satisfying snack, nature’s candy. But they also do wonders when added into baked goods. They can take the place of sugar, eggs, and fat in many healthy vegan treats.

    And then there is the whole world of caramelized bananas. Lately, I have been on a caramelized banana kick. Have you tried my Chia Pudding with Caramelized Bananas or my French Toast with Caramelized Bananas? So good!

    In this granola bar recipe, we are taking full advantage of all banana superpowers – we use it for texture, flavor, AND sweetness.

    Caramelized Banana & Nut Granola Bars – your new favorite vegan snack:

    The caramelized banana gives these vegan granola bars a deep banana flavor and a delightful sweetness and acts as a binding agent at the same time – no need for butter or eggs.

    Despite the fancy-sounding name, these are super easy to make. To caramelize the bananas all you do is bake them on a sheet pan until they get golden and gooey.

    Then you process all that caramelized goodness with some healthy oats, nuts, dates and a pinch of cinnamon in a food processor, mix it all up, and press the mix into a pan. Then bake for a few minutes, and you’ve got yourself a tray of freshly baked vegan banana granola bars! You’ll have a hard time not devouring all of them in one day.

    a stack of vegan caramelized banana & nut granola bars against a black background

    These vegan banana nut granola bars get their sweetness from baked caramelized bananas and dates! So they have no added sugar, plus you can whip them up in just a few minutes. They’ll take care of your grab-and-go breakfasts, healthy after-school snacks, and sneaky dessert.

    Unlike most store-bought granola bars, the sweetness in these bars is not overpowering and there is just enough to satisfy a mid-afternoon craving.

    Ingredients for making Vegan Banana Nut Granola Bars:

    • I use a mix of nuts – walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans. Use whatever you have in your pantry.
    • Gluten-free oats – Old fashioned rolled oats. Use certified gluten free if needed.
    • Bananas – ripe or very ripe. The baked caramelized bananas help to hold everything together and combined with the dates they give these vegan granola bars that divine chewy sweetness.
    • Dates act as a glue and provide some natural sweetness without having to add any refined sugar.
    • Ground cinnamon adds some warming spice to these bars.
    • Don’t skip that quintessential pinch of salt that brings out the sweetness and makes these just taste so much better.

    Tips and Substitutions for making Vegan Granola Bars:

    • You could add some vanilla essence and maybe some freshly grated nutmeg to add a little extra dimension.
    • Make sure you allow for them to cool completely before you cut into them, otherwise the bars may fall apart.
    • These would taste pretty great with shredded coconut or pistachios as well.
    • If you are a fan of dried fruit, feel free to add some raisins, cranberries, dried cherries or apricots.
    • If you find yourself craving a little more sweetness you could press a handful of vegan chocolate chips into the dough right before baking.
    • For a nut-free version, you can simply use a mix of seeds instead of the nuts and add in some dried fruit for variety.
    • I baked the bananas in the oven but you can also cook the bananas in a skillet with 2-3 tbsp non-dairy milk until they are starting to caramelize.

    How to make Vegan Banana Granola Bars

    overhead shot of sliced bananas roasting on a baking sheet

    Bake the sliced banana at 375  F for 15 mins, reduce temperature to 350 F.overhead shot of a white casserole dish with ingredients for making vegan banana granola bars

    Now add the nuts and oats to a casserole dish and put in the oven to toast for another 15 mins. Let cool and dial down the oven to 300F.

    nuts and oats being added to a food processor


    Pulse the nuts and half of the oats first.

    chopped nuts and oats in a small food processor

    Like so!

    dates and bananas being added to oats and nuts in the container of a food processor

    Then add dates along with the caramelized banana and pulse to break down the bananas a bit.

    overhead shot of dates and rolled oats in a food processor ready to be combined to make vegan granola bars

    Add cinnamon, salt, the other half of the oats and pulse.

    granola batter pressed into a square baking pan

    Press this mix into a parchment paper-lined lined brownie pan using wet hands or a spatula.

    overhead shot of unbaked vegan banana granola bars in a metal baking pan

    Bake at 300 F for 20 mins.

    overhead shot of vegan banana granola bars on a sheet of baking paper ready to be cut

    Cool, slice and store them (see tips below).

    Make a batch and keep these babies handy, I know you and your family will love them!

    How to store these Vegan Banana Granola Bars?

    These can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Alternatively, store them at room temperature for about 5 days.

    More healthy vegan grab-and-go snacks:

    • Banana Snack Bars
    • Vegan Snickerdoodle Bars 
    • Sunbutter Granola Bars 
    • Ginger Chocolate No Bake Granola Bars 

    More healthy vegan banana recipes from the blog:

    • Vegan Banana Oat Pancakes
    • Banana Streusel Muffins 
    • Baked Banana Oatmeal 
    • Banana Chia Pudding with Caramelized Banana
    • Banana Oatmeal Cookies
    a stack of vegan banana nut granola bars with caramelized bananas
    Print Recipe
    5 from 11 votes

    Vegan Caramelized Banana Granola Bars

    These easy healthy Vegan Banana Nut Granola Bars are packed with deep caramelized banana flavor & are made with only a handful of ingredients. No refined sugar! Pack them for an amazing plant-based office snack, sweet breakfast on the go, or for road trips with hungry kids.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time50 mins
    Total Time1 hr
    Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine: American, Vegan
    Keyword: banana granola bars, banana oatmeal bars, vegan granola bar recipe
    Servings: 12 bars
    Calories: 159.63kcal
    Author: Vegan Richa

    Ingredients

    • 4 bananas , sliced into 1/2 cm thick slices
    • 1.5 cup (216 g) nuts , mix of walnuts cashews, almonds, pecans
    • 1 cup (81 g) oats
    • 6 (6 ) dates
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • cinnamon

    Instructions

    • Place sliced bananas on a parchment lined baking sheet. Add oats and nuts to another baking dish. Bake the sliced banana at 375 deg F (190 C) for 15 mins, Reduce temperature to 350 deg f (180 C) then add the nuts and oats to the oven and bake for another 15 mins. Let cool.
    • Alternatively, you can cook the bananas in a  skillet with 2-3 tbsp non-dairy milk until caramelizing.
    • Add the toasted nuts and half of the oats to a food processor. Pulse to break the nuts into a coarse meal, then add dates along with the caramelized banana, and pulse to break down the bananas a bit. Add cinnamon, salt, the other half of the oats and pulse again until a dough like state. (If your dates are not very soft, process with the banana to break them down before this step)
    • Press this mix into a parchment lined brownie pan and bake at 300 F (150 C) for 20 mins.
    • Cool, slice and store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

    Video

    Notes

    • You could add some vanilla essence and maybe some freshly grated nutmeg to add a little extra dimension.
    • Make sure you allow for them to cool completely before you cut into them, otherwise the bars may fall apart.
    • These would taste pretty great with coconut or pistachios as well. 
    • If you are a fan of dried fruit, feel free to add some raisins, cranberries, dried cherries or apricots. 
    • If you find yourself craving a little more sweetness you could add a handful of vegan chocolate chips.
    • For a nut-free version, you can simply use a mix of seeds instead of the nuts and add in some dried fruit for variety. 

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Caramelized Banana Granola Bars
    Amount Per Serving (1 bar)
    Calories 159.63 Calories from Fat 69
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 7.65g12%
    Saturated Fat 1.18g7%
    Sodium 51.25mg2%
    Potassium 294.63mg8%
    Carbohydrates 21.05g7%
    Fiber 2.52g11%
    Sugar 8.05g9%
    Protein 4.34g9%
    Vitamin A 25.17IU1%
    Vitamin C 3.5mg4%
    Calcium 12.81mg1%
    Iron 1.5mg8%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Wendy

      March 08, 2021 at 7:44 am

      5 stars
      My husband loves these granola bars and want me to make them every day! Thanks
      Ps – I did add a few chocolate chips because he has a sweet tooth 😍

      Reply
      • Wilma

        December 09, 2021 at 1:01 pm

        5 stars
        Richa recioes are a huge hit in my house.

        These recipes are ALL on my list for Christmas in July at the cottage.

        LOVE all of them and.will send friends.home with hostess gifts and your recipes.

        THANK YOU so much once again.

        Reply
        • Vegan Richa Support

          December 10, 2021 at 11:08 am

          Happy Holidays

          Reply
    2. Richa Shukla

      May 30, 2020 at 10:57 pm

      Hi! Is it possible to make this using a vitamix? I don’t have a food processor 🙂

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        May 31, 2020 at 4:59 pm

        Yes, you might have to scrape down the sides more often and use the tamper to get things moving but should be ok!

        Reply
    3. Becky

      April 17, 2020 at 8:47 pm

      5 stars
      Made last night, gone by today. Fantastic recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        April 18, 2020 at 12:10 pm

        wow! thanks!

        Reply
    4. Kristy McCarthy

      April 05, 2020 at 11:54 pm

      5 stars
      Baked these last night and they were fab! I didn’t have one and a half cup of nuts so used what I had and added Flax, chia, sesame seeds and some spelt puffs. They’re suprisingly not as sweet as I thought they might be and I was delighted to make something other than banana bread with my ripe bananas. Thanks for the lovely recipe!

      Reply
      • Richa

        April 06, 2020 at 12:37 pm

        awesome

        Reply
    5. aileen

      March 28, 2020 at 11:31 am

      5 stars
      The carmalized bananas gave the bars and great new flavour treat,

      Reply
    6. Shasha

      March 19, 2020 at 9:02 am

      Can I replace the dates, with say, agave nectar or maple syrup? if yes, may i know the amounts?

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 19, 2020 at 2:18 pm

        2 tbsp maple syrup, you might need to add a bit more oats if its too sticky

        Reply
    7. Leigh

      March 13, 2020 at 2:29 pm

      5 stars
      In the process of transitioning from vegetarian to vegan-this recipe turned out really well and is quite tasted. The pics and alternatives to add in are a great help.

      Reply
    8. Emily

      March 11, 2020 at 6:22 am

      Is it supposed to be 1.5 cup of raw nuts?

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 11, 2020 at 3:45 pm

        yes raw nuts

        Reply
    9. Maiteeny

      March 04, 2020 at 9:19 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight and they were delicious. The caramelized banana flavor really came through. I baked them an extra 5 minutes to see if they would get crispy, but they remained chewy – wasn’t entirely surprised given how many gooey ingredients there are. They are more “Larabar” style, which is fine by me. Wondering if it’s really necessary to separately bake the bananas and the oats/nuts and different temperatures? Would be nice to be able to do them all at the same temp to cut down prep time, but perhaps you tested this? Thanks for a great snack I feel good eating!

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 07, 2020 at 6:09 pm

        Nuts will burn in that much time. Banana needs longer time to cook. Even if you made the temperature same, you would still need to bake the nuts for shorter time.

        Reply
    10. Eve

      March 03, 2020 at 5:35 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks Richa!

      Reply
    11. Eve

      March 02, 2020 at 4:09 pm

      I made the recipe exactly as stated and love the flavor but I was wondering if these are supposed to be crispy? Mine came out to be a soft chewy bar. I was hoping for crisp so would appreciate tips on how to achieve that. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 02, 2020 at 6:49 pm

        They are going to be Chewy because of caramelized bananas. Bake them longer for extra crispiness.

        Reply
    12. Maneesha

      March 02, 2020 at 5:13 am

      5 stars
      So hearty and delish! My bars turned out soft but still held together well, is that how they’re supposed to be? I pressed pepipas onto the top of the bars before baking them, and they turned out beautifully, thanks Richa!

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 02, 2020 at 6:54 pm

        yes, supposed to be chewy. Bake them longer if you want.

        Reply
        • Maneesha

          March 03, 2020 at 5:11 am

          ok perfect! Then these soft chewy bars turned out exactly how you had planned for them to turn out! Love them! Thanks, Richa!

          Reply
    13. Darshna

      February 29, 2020 at 10:05 am

      made last night and turned out really good!

      Reply
      • Richa

        February 29, 2020 at 1:00 pm

        Awesome!

        Reply
    14. Liese

      February 24, 2020 at 8:26 am

      5 stars
      Very nice tho my go at this today was using this recipe as inspiration. I’m a bit low in nuts so with 1 c of raw almonds I also toasted .25 c each of chia and flax seeds and added .25 of flaked coconut. I added these midway thru so not to scorch. Also used a combo of date paste and raisins soaked in a bit of water, then drained. Carmelizing the bananas worked well, especially for just getting brown spot semi ripe bananas, used my cast iron skillet rather than paper. Next time I’ll amp up the spices, I think I was too light handed this time. They are holding together very well after cooling a bit even tho mine a twice as thick. This recipe will be fun to play with, so many thanks!

      Reply
      • Richa

        February 24, 2020 at 5:21 pm

        awsome

        Reply
    15. Leticia

      February 24, 2020 at 5:41 am

      5 stars
      These were really good!! I soaked the dates first and added hemp protein powder and a little bit of the date soaking water. Next time, I would process the dates and bananas before the nuts and oats for more texture.

      Reply
      • Richa

        February 24, 2020 at 5:22 pm

        great!

        Reply

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