Name: 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Bars Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 3 very ripe bananas; 1/4 cup smooth (natural peanut butter); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 1/4 cup instant or quick cooking oats; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 cup chocolate chips

If you liked the Banana Oaties, you are going to LOVE these 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Bars. They’re basically the same thing but in bar form and with peanut butter. Consider it an upgrade!

For at least 5 years now, these bars have been the most popular recipe on my blog.

And it’s easy to see why. These Peanut Butter Banana Bars are made with a few, simple ingredients: peanut butter, banana, oats, and chocolate.

For those who like to comment on the extra ingredients like salt, baking powder, and vanilla extract — sure, be a stickler 🙂 Small things like that typically aren’t counted in the ingredient list, but we can call it a 7 ingredient recipe if you like!

These make an amazing snack or dessert.

These Peanut Butter Banana Bars are easy, but so delicious and satisfying. And I don’t know about you, but I’m also always looking for new ways to use my ripe bananas.

Sprinkle a little flaky salt on top and you’ve got a nutritious, filling, satisfying, and most importantly, delicious, bar in no time.

I love making these Peanut Butter Banana Bars ahead of time to have on hand for the week. Anything that saves time for breakfast or snacks – or that gives me a ready-to-go dessert – is such a win in my book.

I’ve also seen a lot of parents making these with their kids, which I love. This is such a fun recipe to make with your kids that they can help prepare and eat too.

Now that I think about it – I’m totally making these for my kids soon!

Store these Peanut Butter Banana Bars in airtight container at room temp. They’ll last for 3-4 days. You can also make a batch to freeze for up to 3 months. Simply microwave when you’re ready to eat or eat them at room temperature.

Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter Banana Bars

Not only are these bars easy to make, but they really only have a few, simple ingredients.

They’re so versatile too. Have them with a little extra peanut butter as a snack. Enjoy them with yogurt for breakfast. Or grab one on its own for an easy, make ahead dessert.

These are such a fun way to use ripe bananas and they come out perfect every time.

Welcome 🙂 As an intuitive eating based private practice, I don’t share calorie counts on recipes. I find that counting calories takes away from internal cues of hunger, fullness and satisfaction – aka enjoyment of the food you’re eating. But trust me, these are full of nutritious ingredients… and you’ll definitely enjoy them. If you really want to know calories or macros, I recommend inputting the ingredients into any calorie tracking app.

Yes! Any time your bananas are getting super ripe before you’ve had a chance to use them, peel them, place them in a freezer safe bag and store them in the freezer. Defrost them on the counter or microwave them gently before using.

Use a traditional 9×5 or 10×5 loaf pan.

Quick or instant oats work best. I don’t recommend using steel cut oats.

There are 4 main ingredients in this recipe: bananas, oats, peanut butter, and chocolate chips. The other ingredients – baking powder, salt, vanilla extract – are small supporting actors that typically aren’t included in ingredient counts. If you don’t have them – or if you really want to stick to only 4 ingredient – skip them! The recipe will turn out fine without them too.

How To Make 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Bars

Prep the ingredients

To start making these Peanut Butter Banana Bars, preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.

Mash the bananas

Add the bananas to a large bowl and mash until almost smooth.

Add wet ingredients

Add in the peanut butter and vanilla extract and mix well.

Add dry ingredients

Add in the oats, salt, and baking powder.

Fold in chocolate chips

Add 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips. Reserve the rest of the chocolate chips for the top of the bars. If you don’t like chocolate chips feel free to skip them. Check out other substitutions below. Mix well to combine.

Pour mixture into loaf pan

Pour the mixture into the loaf pan, using a spoon or spatula to smooth it out on top. Add the remaining chocolate chips to the top of the bars.

Bake

Bake Peanut Butter Banana Bars for 25-30 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool and cut

Let these 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Bars cool and cut into 8 pieces. Top with flaky salt if desired.

If You Love These Peanut Butter Bars, Try These

Banana Oaties: These recipes are similar – both contain bananas and oats – and are both amazing, nourishing make ahead snack options.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies: Peanut butter? Check. A few simple ingredients? Check. These cookies satisfy your peanut buttery sweet tooth.
Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bars: Meet these bars’ fall cousin – full of delicious pumpkin flavor.
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Mousse: On a peanut butter and minimal ingredient recipe kick? You’ll love this higher protein easy mousse.
Raspberry Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal: A make ahead breakfast full of oats and raspberries.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Bananas: Make sure your bananas are super ripe. The more ripe they are, the sweeter the bars will be. If you want to ripen bananas quickly, try preheating the oven to 350 F – add them to baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. They’ll be black on the outside but super ripe and perfect for baking. To add extra sweetness if your bananas aren’t ripe enough, you can also add a little maple syrup to the mix.
Peanut butter: Any type will work for these Peanut Butter Banana Bars! A sweetened peanut butter will yield a sweet end product than using a natural peanut butter.
Oats: Use instant or quick cooking oats. Steel cut oats won’t work in this recipe.
Chocolate chips: Choose your adventure 🙂 Milk chocolate, semi sweet, or dark chocolate chips would all be delish.

4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Bar Tips and Variations

Mix ins: There are so many mix ins you can add to these Peanut Butter Banana Bars too. Tons of people have tried this recipe on Pinterest – here’s some ideas that they’ve tried mixing in: chopped walnuts, or peanuts, a dash of cinnamon, pumpkin purée (for the fall or winter), shredded coconut, flax seeds, hemp seeds or even a little bit of honey would work well.
Storage: Store these bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. You can eat them cold or reheat them for just a few seconds in the microwave.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack