Banana Zucchini Oatmeal Bars
These Banana Zucchini Oatmeal Bars are perfect to meal prep for breakfast or for a healthy grab-and-go snack. Made with oats and flax, they are loaded with a cup of grated zucchini and naturally sweetened with banana and maple syrup. A few optional chocolate chips make these zucchini bars extra enticing to eaters of all ages!
These Banana Zucchini Oatmeal Bars were inspired by my oh-so popular Zucchini Blueberry Baked Oatmeal. Readers loved how easy it was to make, that it was veggie-loaded, and that it was (of course) delicious. However, many of them shared they needed a baked oatmeal recipe that they could grab as they walked out the door on those busy weekday mornings and eat as they head into their day.
I heard you all loud and clear and have been working to perfect portable oatmeal bars with different veggies and flavor profiles. And I have finally nailed the Banana Zucchini Oatmeal Bar!
These Banana Zucchini Oatmeal Bars will be the easiest part of your weekly meal prep! Throw them together in 10 minutes and let them bake for 30 minutes. They are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast, quick snack, or healthy treat to throw in those lunch boxes (since they are nut-free, they are school friendly). Made with oats, ground flax, and naturally sweetened with banana, maple syrup, and a few optional chocolate chips, these oatmeal breakfast bars are held together with an egg and taste like you are eating the love child of zucchini bread and an oatmeal cookie for breakfast.
Naturally gluten free when you use certified gluten free oats, these bars are also dairy-free when you use dairy-free chocolate chips and are (of course) vegetarian. Make a batch today and store them in your fridge or freezer for when you need one most! You’ll be so grateful to have them on hand to make mornings easy, delicious, and veggie-loaded.
Suggested Adaptations
- Use applesauce instead of banana.
- Omit the chocolate chips to reduce the sugar.
- Replace chocolate chips with raisins.
- Add in chopped nuts if nut free isn’t needed. Walnuts, slivered almonds, or pecans would be a lovely additions to these Banana Zucchini Oatmeal Bars.
- Use grated yellow summer squash instead of zucchini. Little known fact, they are basically the same veg, just a different color. You can use summer squash as a sub for zucchini in any recipe.
How to store these oatmeal bars
Because these Banana Zucchini Oatmeal Bars are loaded with fruit and veg, they are moister than a granola bar. They are okay on your counter top for 24 hours, but to keep them fresh longer… I suggest slicing them and storing them in an air tight container in the fridge for about 5 days. If you stack them in a container, place a layer of parchment paper in between the layers to prevent sticking.
You can also freeze them after slicing and thaw each portion overnight in the fridge or on the counter.
More easy veggie-loaded breakfast ideas
- Sweet Potato Banana Oatmeal Bars
- Veggie-Loaded Breakfast Cookie Recipe
- Zucchini Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Sweet Potato Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Veggie-Loaded Chocolate Protein Muffins
- Healthy Morning Glory Breakfast Muffins
- Peanut Butter Banana Spinach Smoothie
- Crustless Spinach Sweet Potato Quiche
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Banana Zucchini Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 2½ cups rolled oats or quick oats, not instant
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup flax meal, can sub chia seeds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 medium ripe banana, can sub ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Take grated zucchini and wrap in paper towels or a clean dish towel. Press down to help draw out moisture and set aside while you prep the other ingredients.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, flax, and salt. Stir together. Set aside.
- In a blender combine banana, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla. Puree until smooth.
- Pour wet banana mixture into the bowl with the dry oat mixture. Stir to combine. Add drained zucchini and chocolate chips (if using) and mix again.
- Spread mixture evenly into your prepared baking dish. Top with more chocolate chips, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes or until slightly golden brown on top and edges look dry.
- Let cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing. The cooler the bars, the better they will slice. I find chilling them in the fridge for a bit helps.Slice into 9 squares and enjoy or let cool and store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
These are so delicious! My 5yo and I made them (along with two of Taesha’s amazing muffin recipes!) and enjoyed all of it at our own little tea party. These came together so easily – and I didn’t use a blender for the banana/egg, just mixed very well in a bowl. These were so good that my daughter asked to keep the bars out for camp for the week, versus her usual go to muffins! Definitely will make these again.
I am so glad you all enjoyed these as much as we do! The wet/banana mixture can totally be done in a bowl if you don’t mind some small chunks of banana or are a thorough patient masher (I am not 🤪). Thanks for sharing, Carri! I always love when you make a TNN recipe.
This would be a great school snack!!! Will this work omitting the egg? Or can I sub a flax egg or will that be just too much flax?
Hi Candy! I really think these bars need a binding agent. I haven’t tested them with a flax or chia egg, but I have a hunch they would work. If you give it a go, please share how they turn out!
Yum! I’ve been looking forward to making these. They were yummy! My kids preferred eating them like a baked oatmeal on a plate with a fork. I ate it like a bar. Another yummy veggie loaded recipe for the whole family!
So glad they were a success, Lindsay!
These were amazing like most of your recipes. Didn’t have banana so switched to apple sauce. Only used 1/4 maple syrup and ended up perfect.
So glad you enjoyed them and were able to make them work for you! Thanks for taking the time to share, Johanna!
No problem. Also I didn’t mean to write “most of your recipes”. All of your recipes I’ve tried have been great!
Made these for my almost 12 yr old & 6 yr old’s school snacks last week. They liked them but also asked if they could be made into a muffin? Anything different in the cooking time?
Oh I like how your kids think! I haven’t tried, but I’m guessing they could. They wouldn’t be the same consistency, but if they are happy with “oat cups”, it would probably work portioning out the mixture into a lined muffin tin and then baking same temp for 20ish minutes. Again, haven’t tried but if you give it a go, please report back!
If your kids want a true muffin with the same sort of flavors, try this one on for size! https://thenaturalnurturer.com/chocolate-chip-zucchini-muffins-gluten-free-dairy-free/
Do these freeze well?
I find they freeze very well after baking!
My kids (5 & 7) love these and ask me to make them often. Last time I made them, I used a flax egg because eggs are so expensive and white chocolate chips because that’s what I had.
Love those swaps, Errign! And I am so glad they are a success in your house!
My selective eaters LOVE this recipe. I’ve made it with flax seeds and chia seeds as well as bananas and applesauce, and it always tastes amazing.
Yesssss! It is a special kind of magic when we find a new recipe our iffy eaters enjoy! So much winning!