These Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are lightly sweetened with ripe bananas and honey. They are quick and easy to make and perfect for breakfast or snack time!

These Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are chewy and lightly sweetened with honey. They are the perfect breakfast or snack!

I live about 30 miles from the school that I teach at, which means that I spend a decent amount of time commuting to and from work. It’s frustrating to think about the hours I spend commuting as lost time, so I try to find ways to make my commute more enjoyable. I used to listen to audiobooks that I’d check out from the library, but lately I’ve been listening to podcasts and loving it. My favorites are podcasts about blogging and motherhood.

Since returning to work after my maternity leave I’ve been catching up on episodes of The Chopped Podcast. If you’re not a food blogger, then this podcast probably won’t interest you much, and if you are then you’re probably already listening. (And if not, I highly recommend you do!) At the end of each episode, the host always asks the guest of the week a few questions, including: What’s the one food you can’t live without? What would your answer be?

These Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are chewy and lightly sweetened with honey. They are the perfect breakfast or snack!

I know mine… oats! I eat and bake with oats so much that I should probably buy stock in my favorite brand.

Just think about it. There’s the usual oatmeal, overnight oats and homemade granola. But there are also oatmeal muffins,  oatmeal cookies, and granola bars. I even put oats in my smoothies. I have over 45 recipes on my site with oats in them, and that number is increasing quickly!

If I didn’t have oats in my kitchen then I couldn’t make these Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, and that would be a very sad thing. These are my perfect granola bar, and they’ve become my go-to recipe.

LOVE HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS? Try this banana-free Quaker copycat version next!

These Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are chewy and lightly sweetened with honey. They are the perfect breakfast or snack!

I’m not a huge fan of banana granola bars, actually, but the banana is just right in these. You won’t notice an overwhelming banana flavor, but rather just a hint of banana. The banana is important because it adds natural sweetness to the bars.  So you can make these Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars with just ¼ cup honey and no other sweeteners (besides the chocolate chips, of course). Be sure to use really ripe bananas, like turning brown-spotted bananas, because those are the most sweet.

You won’t even need a mixer to make these bars, just a big bowl and a liquid measuring cup (or smaller bowl) and a spoon. You’ll mix the wet and dry ingredients up separately and then together, press the mixture in a pan, and bake.

These bars hold together well, so you don’t have to worry about them crumbling and falling apart. Unless you throw them in the bottom of your purse or backpack… in that case I can’t guarantee anything.  Except that you will still have one amazingly tasty snack, crumbled bits and all.  🙂

These Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are chewy and lightly sweetened with honey. They are the perfect breakfast or snack!

Banana chocolate chip granola bars stacked on top of each other with parchment paper in between.
4.67 from 3 ratings

Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Servings: 16 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 32 minutes
Total Time: 47 minutes
These Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are lightly sweetened with ripe bananas and honey. They are quick and easy to make and perfect for breakfast or snack time!

Ingredients

  • 4 cups old-fashioned oats
  • ¼ cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¾ cup mashed ripe banana, about 2 medium
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, line with parchment, and spray the parchment.
  • Stir the oats, white whole wheat flour, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl.
  • Place the coconut oil in a microwave-safe liquid measuring cup or bowl. Heat in the microwave until melted. Whisk in the honey, mashed banana, and vanilla. Whisk in the egg.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry and stir until well combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Lay a piece of parchment on top (to prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands) and firmly press the mixture down into the pan; remove and discard the piece of parchment.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 32-35 minutes, until set and lightly golden. Let cool completely and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into bars. (Use the parchment lining to help you gently transfer the bars from the baking dish to a cutting board before cutting.)
  • Store granola bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Serving: 1bar, Calories: 172kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 82mg, Potassium: 120mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 35IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Snack
Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.

 These Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are chewy and lightly sweetened with honey. They are the perfect breakfast or snack!

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