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Home » Recipes » Breakfast » Oatmeal » Sweet Potato Banana Oatmeal Bars

Sweet Potato Banana Oatmeal Bars

By Taesha Butler July 25, 2022 (Updated November 30, 2022) 11 Comments

Servings9 bars
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Jump to Recipe
4.20 from 5 votes

Sweet Potato Banana Oatmeal Bars the the perfect grab-and-go breakfast! Made with oats, mashed banana, cooked sweet potato, a touch of coconut sugar, egg and optional raisins, they are easy to throw together during meal prep to have on hand for a delicious, healthy breakfast on those busy mornings.

Weekday mornings are hectic. I get it. The delicate balance of schedules, making sure everyone has what they need for the day, making meals…all while keeping room for the inevitable hiccup (where did that shoe go??) that makes the morning that much more of a hustle.

Yep. We have those mornings too. And while I can’t help you organize schedules, hit the snooze button less, or help you find that lost shoe…I can help you with the meal part.

These Sweet Potato Banana Oatmeal Bars are the perfect thing to make as part of your meal prep! Throw them together in 10 minutes, let them bake for 30 minutes, and you have a delicious and healthy breakfast to quickly grab on those wacky weekday mornings. Eat it in the car while sipping coffee in morning traffic or pack them in those lunch boxes for the kids (they are nut-free, so school friendly!). Made with oats and naturally sweetened with banana, cooked sweet potato, and a touch of coconut sugar, these oatmeal breakfast bars are held together with an egg and taste like you are eating an oatmeal cookie for breakfast.

Naturally gluten free when you use certified gluten free oats, these bars are also dairy-free and 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.

Dry ingredients for sweet potato banana oatmeal bars in a bowl before mixing.
Wet ingredients for Sweet Potato Banana Oatmeal bars in a large mixing cup before mixing.

How to cook your sweet potato for these banana oatmeal bars.

Here are a few ways to cook up your sweet potato for these bars, but don’t forget to let it cool before adding it to the mixture!

Oven: Preheat your oven to 425℉. While the oven is preheating, wash your potatoes well and poke them 3-4 times with a sharp knife. Line a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy clean up. Bake until fork tender, about 45 minute. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Instant Pot: Wash medium whole sweet potatoes and poke them several times with a sharp knife. Place steamer basket in your Instant Pot and pour in 1 cup water. Place sweet potatoes in the pressure cooker in a single layer. Cook on HIGH for 20 minutes. Once cooking time is up, carefully quick release the pressure. Once pressure is released, carefully remove lid and use tongs to carefully remove the hot cooked sweet potatoes.

Slow Cooker: Wash your sweet potatoes really well and leave them wet.  Not dripping wet, just however wet they are from washing them. The moisture will help in the cooking process. Using a knife, puncture the clean sweet potatoes skin multiple times. Arrange the sweet potatoes in your slow cooker in a single layer. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. You’ll know they are done when you can easily puncture the skin of the potato with a fork.

Microwave: Wash a medium sweet potato thoroughly. Using a sharp knife, pierce the potato 3-4 times. Place the potato on microwave-safe plate or bowl and microwave for 5 minutes, turning halfway through. Test to see if your potato is fork tender. If not, continue to cook for 30 second increments until it can easily be pierced with a fork.

Wet ingredients for sweet potato banana oatmeal bars mashed together in a large measuring cup with a potato masher.
The ingredients for sweet potato banana bars in a bowl being mixed together with a wooden spoon.

Suggested Adaptations

  • Use applesauce instead of banana.
  • Replace the raisins with chocolate chips.
  • Omit raisins entirely!
  • Add in chopped nuts if nut free isn’t needed. Walnuts, slivered almonds, or pecans would be a lovely addition to these banana oatmeal bars.
  • Use canned sweet potato puree. Just reduce the amount of sweet potato to 1/2 cup, since the canned puree tends to hold more liquid than homemade does.
  • Replace the sweet potato with 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree.

How to store these oatmeal bars

Because these Sweet Potato Banana 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 these oatmeal bars after slicing. To thaw, place on the counter overnight.

The mixture for sweet potato banana oatmeal bars in a bowl with raisins on top and a wooden spoon.
Sweet potato banana oatmeal bar mixture being spread into a prepared baking pan with a wooden spoon.

More easy veggie-loaded breakfast ideas

  • Veggie-Loaded Breakfast Cookie Recipe
  • 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

Loving this sweet potato oatmeal recipe and are hungry for more?

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Sweet potato banana oatmeal bars sliced into squares on a marble top.
Print Recipe
4.20 from 5 votes

Sweet Potato Banana Oatmeal Bars

Sweet Potato Banana Oatmeal Bars are the the perfect grab-and-go breakfast! Made with oats, mashed banana, cooked sweet potato, a touch of coconut sugar, egg and optional raisins, they are easy to throw together during meal prep to have on hand for a delicious, healthy breakfast on those busy mornings.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Keyword: banana, rolled oats, sweet potato
Servings: 9 bars
Calories: 151kcal
Author: Taesha Butler

Ingredients 

  • 2½ cups rolled oats or quick oats not instant
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup mashed ripe banana
  • ¾ cup cooked, cooled, mashed sweet potato if using canned sweet potato puree, reduce to ½ cup
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup raisins or to taste

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, combine mashed banana, mashed sweet potato, egg, and vanilla. Use a potato masher or wooden spoon to combine until mixture is smooth and well mixed.
  • Pour wet banana/sweet potato mixture into the bowl with the dry oat mixture. Stir to combine. Add raisins and mix them in.
  • Spread mixture evenly into your prepared baking dish. 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. Slice into 9 squares and enjoy or let cool and store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 162mg | Potassium: 225mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1608IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!

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Filed Under: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, Nut-Free, Oatmeal, Snacks, Vegetarian Tagged With: sweet potato

Previous Post: « Chocolate Avocado Banana Smoothie
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Reader Interactions

    Leave a comment & rate this recipe Cancel reply

    Did you make this recipe? So good, right? It would mean the world to me if you left a comment and star rating so that more people can see how delicious veggie-loading can be. Plus, it helps me to see what recipes you are all loving so I can make more like them.

    Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback.

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    Comments

  1. Brenda

    July 26, 2022 at 3:55 pm

    Might these work with cooked sweet potato that has been frozen and thawed? I have some but not sure if there’d be a texture/moisture difference.

    Reply
    • Taesha Butler

      July 26, 2022 at 4:41 pm

      I haven’t tried it but I think it would work!

      Reply
  2. Lacy

    July 27, 2022 at 1:20 pm

    Hi, would a flax egg substitute work? My kiddos are allergic 🙁 really cuts me off at the knees recipe wise lol

    Reply
    • Taesha Butler

      July 27, 2022 at 2:22 pm

      I believe it would!

      Reply
  3. Carina

    July 29, 2022 at 12:24 pm

    I made this yesterday and it turned out delicious. I’m allergic to eggs so I subbed a chia egg for the egg. I didn’t have any raisins so I subbed chocolate chips instead. Lovely recipe and a great way to sneak more veggies into my kids diets.

    Reply
    • Taesha Butler

      July 29, 2022 at 12:46 pm

      I am so glad you enjoyed them, Carina! And that you were able to make them work for your family’s needs. Love the swap of chocolate chips

      Reply
  4. Rachel

    July 29, 2022 at 1:56 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious. The whole family Loved them

    Reply
  5. Christene

    July 31, 2022 at 4:30 pm

    So delicious and easy to put together! Thankyou for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Taesha Butler

      August 1, 2022 at 10:53 am

      So glad you enjoyed these, Christene!

      Reply
  6. Sandy

    October 9, 2022 at 1:23 pm

    1 star
    Way too sweet with all the main ingredients being full of sugar. No one in my family liked them saying too sweet and very gooie even letting them bake an extra 5 minutes.

    Reply
    • Taesha Butler

      October 10, 2022 at 7:34 am

      Hi Sandy! It sounds like this recipe just didn’t fit your personal taste, which is fine. Not every recipe will be for everyone. Thanks for the honest feedback. These are soft and not like a firm granola bar, but they shouldn’t be gooey. Did you let them cool a bit before cutting into them? They will firm up as they cool.

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Taesha! I help busy people fall in love with healthy eating with my simple, family-friendly, veggie-loaded recipes. I believe vegetables can and SHOULD be delicious. Here, let me show you how!

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