These Banana Nut Snack Bars are a quick and easy treat any time of day! This healthy snack bar recipe is gluten-free, vegan, refined oil-free, and refined sugar-free thanks to the sweetness from dried dates. Sweet and portable, they make the perfect grab-and-go breakfast, too!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 10 (4in x 1.5in) bars
  • Category: Snack
  • Cuisine: American

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)
  • 3/4-1 cup dates (depends on how sweet you like the bars)
  • 3/4 cup walnuts (or use a combination of walnuts and cashews, or a combination of seeds to make nut-free)
  • 1/4 cup hemp seeds

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. In a bowl, mash the bananas and mix in the vanilla, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and oil.
  3. In a food processor, add oats, dates, walnuts, and hemp seeds, and pulse to make a coarse mixture. You can keep it chunky by adding chopped nuts later.
  4. Add this to the banana mixture a cup at a time and mix. Add more oats, if needed.
  5. Press the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle.
  6. 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 up to a week or freeze for up to a month.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.