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Banana Chocolate Chip Bars taste like a cross between banana bread and chocolate chip blondies. They are the perfect recipe to use up ripe bananas!

close up of a banana chocolate chip bar on its side.

While a loaf of banana bread takes nearly an hour to cook in the oven, these chocolate chip banana bars cook in just half the time. They are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free and come together quickly in one bowl. 

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself keeping more bananas on hand, just to make these again!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Instead of using butter, this recipe relies on peanut butter and a touch of olive oil to keep it moist. You can’t taste the olive oil at all, but any other vegetable oil will work, like coconut oil or avocado oil.

Paired with ripe bananas and coconut sugar, these bars are sweet enough to be served as dessert, but they’d also make a delicious after-school snack. 

If you’re not a fan of cinnamon, feel free to swap it for vanilla extract, or simply leave it out. The flavor is easy to adjust to your liking. 

bananas, coconut sugar, oat flour, eggs, peanut butter, and cinnamon on a white surface.

How to Make Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. A metal pan will give you better results than a glass pan since these are brownie-like.

Mash the banana with a fork until smooth, then measure out 2/3 cup. (You’ll get this amount from roughly 2 small bananas or 1 very large one.)

banana mashed with fork and ingredients added to glass bowl.

Transfer the measured mashed banana to a large bowl, then add in the peanut butter, eggs, coconut sugar, olive oil, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

Stir until the batter is smooth. 

Fold in the chocolate chips, then transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top, if you’d like. 

banana chocolate chip bars in the pan before and after baking.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the center feels firm to a light touch. (A toothpick inserted in the center might still come out a bit sticky since these bars are so moist. They will continue to firm up as they cool.)

These bars will be very tender while they are hot, so be patient and let them cool for at least 1 hour before serving. (The banana flavor is even more prominent when warm, too.)

Use the parchment paper to remove the bars from the pan, then use a sharp knife to cut 16 squares. Enjoy them right away!

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. 

banana chocolate chip bars sliced overhead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different sweetener?

Granulated sugar keeps these bars dense, so brown sugar would be the most similar swap. If you use maple syrup or honey, use only half the amount. But keep in mind that a liquid sweetener might make these bars more cake-like in texture. 

Can I use a different flour?

A grain-based flour, like whole wheat flour, could probably be used as a swap, but it might make the bars more dense. Don’t experiment with almond flour or coconut flour without expecting drastically different results.

What if I only have baking soda?

You can use half the amount of baking soda when swapping it for baking powder. So, 1 teaspoon of baking powder = 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.

Looking for more banana recipes? Try my Flourless Banana Snack Cake (with no added sugar), Almond Flour Banana Bread, or Banana Mug Cake for more ideas.

banana chocolate chip bars sliced overhead.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

5 from 4 votes
Banana Chocolate Chip Bars are the perfect way to use up ripe bananas. They taste like a cross between banana bread and chocolate chip blondies, and they are naturally gluten-free.
prep10 mins cook30 mins total40 mins
Servings:16

Ingredients
  

  • cup mashed banana (see notes)
  • 2 large eggs
  • cup peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup oat flour (certified gluten-free, if needed)
  • cup coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Use a fork to mash the ripe banana on a plate, then measure out ⅔ cup for this recipe. (You'll get this amount from 1 very large banana or 2 small ones.)
  • Transfer the mashed banana to a large mixing bowl, then add in the eggs, peanut butter, olive oil, oat flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir well, until the batter looks relatively smooth. There may still be a few lumps from the mashed banana.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips, reserving a few to sprinkle on top. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top, then bake for 30 minutes at 350ºF.
  • When the center looks firm and the edges look golden, remove the pan from the oven and let the bars cool for 1 hour. Then slice into 16 squares and enjoy. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 of 16 bars. This information is automatically calculated and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
Banana Note: This recipe is quite forgiving if you have slightly more or less banana. If you end up with 1 cup of mashed banana to use, I recommend increasing the flour to 3/4 cup and the peanut butter to 1/2 cup, so the bars won’t be too mushy.
Texture Note: If you prefer bars that are gooey and dense, you can use a little more banana. If you prefer thick, slightly more cake-like bars, use the option noted above, increasing the mashed banana to 1 cup, the peanut butter to 1/2 cup, and the flour to 3/4 cup.

Nutrition

Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 51IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: banana chocolate chip bars

If you try these Peanut Butter Banana Bars, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them.

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. I create healthy recipes made with simple ingredients to make your life easier.

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Comments

  1. I made this and used the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour which is gluten free and it turned out amazing! Will definitely be making this again!

  2. We bake these into muffin tins for convenience and everyone in the family loves them! It’s a
    go-to recipe at our house.

    1. Perhaps Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer would work? I’ve enjoyed using that one before on tricky recipes. I wouldn’t use flax eggs for this, because I think it will be too gummy or gooey in the center. Let me know if you experiment with it!

    1. I don’t love how flax eggs work with oat flour. The texture can become very gooey or gummy. But perhaps a store-bought egg replacer could work? I’ve had decent luck with Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer (powdered) before, but I haven’t tried it in this recipe yet.

  3. These bars are delicious. I did use some substitutions. I have never had success with oat flour, so I used 3/4 cup of almond flour. I used a bit less than 1/3 cup maple syrup for sweetener. I adjusted for your “banana note” as my banana measured just shy of one cup. Thanks!!