Straight Up Food

Healthy and delicious vegan recipes using no salt, sugar or oil.

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Articles
  • My Meals
  • Store
  • Resources
  • Contact

Banana-Blueberry Bars

June 21, 2012 54 Comments

My friend and fellow cooking instructor, Katie Mae, came up with these delicious Banana-Blueberry Bars. They are moist and hearty, and contain no salt, oil or refined sugar. They make an ideal breakfast, traveling, or dessert snack.

This is a guest recipe by Katie Mae, whom I teach with at TrueNorth Health Center in Santa Rosa, CA. Katie Mae is a nutritionist and culinary educator. She holds a master’s degree in nutrition from Bastyr University. Katie Mae’s goal is to support and inspire people interested in adopting a plant-based diet and lifestyle. You can read more about her services and recipes at Plant-Based Katie.

Print
Banana-Blueberry Bars
Prep time:  25 mins
Cook time:  30 mins
Total time:  55 mins
Serves: 12-24 bars
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup medjool dates (about 7), pitted and diced
  • 1½ cups apple juice
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 3 medium ripe bananas, diced
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup blueberries, frozen or fresh
  • ½ cup walnuts
Instructions
  1. Place pitted and diced dates in a bowl with the apple juice. Set aside and soak for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 baking dish (see note below) with parchment paper, making sure the sides are lined as well (cut slits in the corners of the paper so that it overlaps).
  3. Combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside. Place the diced bananas, vanilla extract, apple juice, and dates into a blender and blend until creamy.
  4. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredient bowl and mix with a fork. Fold in the blueberries and walnuts. Pour the batter into your baking dish and smooth the top. Bake for 30 minutes. Test for doneness by poking bars with a fork or knife. It should come out clean. The top should be a light brown. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
I didn't have a 9x9 pan, so I used my 9x13 pan and just cooked them for a little less time (about 25 minutes). Any size pan would work, just be sure to decrease the cooking time as bars get thinner.

For the oat flour, I grind rolled oats in my high-speed blender, but you can also use store-bought oat flour.

Try to get an apple juice with no added sugar.

The walnuts and/or blueberries may be omitted. If you do not have apple juice on hand, you can use water; the bars will be a little less sweet in this case.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1/24th recipe (1 bar) Calories: 101 Fat: 2.2g Saturated fat: 0.3g Carbohydrates: 19.4g Sugar: 8.6g Sodium: 1.7mg Fiber: 2.4g Protein: 2.2g Cholesterol: 0
3.5.3226

 

If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please share a comment below or on my Facebook page. If you’d like to print this recipe, use the green “Print” button near the top-right of the recipe. Learn more about the Straight Up Food Cookbook here. Thank you!

Filed Under: Breakfast, Desserts, Fan Favorites Tagged With: apple juice, bananas, blueberries, cinnamon, dates, nutmeg, oat flour, oats, vanilla, vegan, walnut

« Trumpet Rolls
How I Grew into a Plant-Based Chef »

Comments

  1. Kim says

    July 16, 2012 at 12:09 pm

    Sounds delicious I will have to try them, thanks for sharing

    Reply
  2. Dorothy Solomon says

    July 16, 2012 at 10:26 pm

    Sound delicious. Will definitely try making them in the near future.

    Reply
  3. Sara says

    July 17, 2012 at 9:21 am

    can you freeze these? Also I would have put a whole cup of blueberries or added raspberries 🙂

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      July 18, 2012 at 1:51 pm

      Hi Sara, not sure, give it a try. I’m not much of a freezer user. I think they would be fine since bread is easily freezable. Yes, maybe a few more berries would be good 🙂

      Reply
    • Katelin Mae says

      July 26, 2012 at 1:00 am

      Hi Sara, these do freeze well – just put them in an airtight container with parchment paper in between the bars. Freezing is a great way to save the bars for another time. If I don’t do this, I tend to just keep nibbling and the next thing I know…they’re gone.

      Reply
  4. Tari says

    July 18, 2012 at 11:45 pm

    I just made these tonight for dessert. They were a super success with my whole family. I have a 7 year old daughter and an 11 year old son. Everyone loved them!

    Reply
  5. Kim Mongeau says

    July 19, 2012 at 10:19 am

    I’d love to try this recipe, but I’m allergic to dates (ER visit for shortness of breath, so no kidding). Please give a substitute ingredient. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      July 21, 2012 at 12:52 am

      Hi Kim, I would try prunes or raisins (golden raisins would be good). Dried cherries might be interersting too.

      Reply
      • Katelin Mae says

        July 26, 2012 at 1:03 am

        Hey Cathy, dried cherries is a great idea! I’ve made this with raisins before and it was delicious!

        Reply
  6. Troy Reed says

    July 20, 2012 at 3:52 pm

    I have made a batch of these bars and they are great. What are your suggestions in the storing of these bars?

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      July 21, 2012 at 11:02 am

      Hi Troy, I think they would freeze okay, but in the fridge, I would eat them within 4 or 5 days.

      Reply
  7. Lisa says

    July 21, 2012 at 9:40 am

    Made these this morning- wonderful and so easy – hubby loved them too! Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply
  8. jetippins76 says

    July 21, 2012 at 1:49 pm

    Next time I make these.. i will certainly add Stevia!!! My first bite was less then desirable. However, with Stevia .. I think they will be perfect.

    Reply
  9. Robin says

    July 23, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    Just took it out of the oven 30 minutes ago and my husband already ate half the pan. SO I would say it is a BIG SUCCESS!!!

    Reply
    • Katelin Mae says

      July 26, 2012 at 1:05 am

      Wonderful to hear Robin!! Thanks!

      Reply
  10. Jo-Anne says

    August 5, 2012 at 12:33 pm

    Made them this morning with wheat flour, quick oats and wildberry juice as they were what I had (and my blender’s broken, so no home-ground oat flour). They were lovely but (likely because of the wheat flour) a wee bit gummy. Would you clarify what sort of rolled oats you use? Large flake? I thought adding cooked quinoa or hemp hearts might be tasty as well.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      August 5, 2012 at 3:22 pm

      Hi Jo-Anne, I use regular rolled oats (not “quick” or instant). Yes, maybe the wheat flour did it, but they are rather moist to begin with. You could try a little less banana too.

      Reply
  11. Barb says

    August 12, 2012 at 3:02 pm

    This is my current favorite dessert/snack recipe. I have been making them to eat at home and to share with others. I plan to take them Tuesday to a monthly “healthy potluck.” I don’t have apple juice right now, but do have frozen pineapple juice concentrate in the freezer, and I add water to that to make 1 1/2 cups juice. The resulting bars taste good. Thank you for the recipe!! I’m dying to try the blackberry/peach cobbler recipe. I don’t have blackberries, but I do have blueberries. I think they would be terrific with peaches, once I get those.

    Reply
    • Katie Mae (@SproutdKatie) says

      June 10, 2013 at 10:02 pm

      Hi Barb, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed these! Using pineapple juice sounds delicious! You can check out my blog for more recipes at http://sproutd.me

      Reply
  12. Flavia says

    September 11, 2012 at 6:49 am

    Cathy, I really enjoy your recipes; lately I discovered that I can actually cook… healthy!
    I have a question: how high you put the oven for the banana-blueberry bars? it might sound silly but I want to get it right from the beginning 🙂

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      September 11, 2012 at 8:53 pm

      Flavia, set the oven to 350 degrees 🙂

      Reply
  13. char sachson says

    September 19, 2012 at 1:51 am

    made them in a round cake pan – the came out great! thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply
  14. Sandi says

    October 6, 2012 at 10:34 pm

    Cathy, do you think pomegranite juice instead of apple would work? I can’t wait to try these.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      October 7, 2012 at 9:32 pm

      Sure, that would be great! 🙂

      Reply
  15. Amy says

    November 11, 2012 at 1:20 pm

    I love these! I made them with water instead of apple juice (I was out) and they still turned out sweet enough. They were even more moist than I expected. It’s great to have a dessert recipe without added sugar (even if it is “healthier” like honey or maple syrup). They are great for breakfast too!

    I have been coming to this site for a couple of months now, and I love trying out your recipes!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 11, 2012 at 1:48 pm

      Thanks for the feedback Amy! 😉

      Reply
  16. Janice says

    November 24, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    Hi Cathy,

    I love this combination of ingredients. I made the recipe this morning but I’m not 100% satisfied with the texture – a little too soft and sticky. I used 2 1/2 instead of 3 bananas because the ones I had on hand were kind of large. But maybe that was still too much. What’s your estimate on the best volume of bananas and how would you describe the consistency of the batter? Thanks.

    Janice

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 27, 2012 at 11:06 pm

      Hi Janice, it shouldn’t be gooey really, but more dense and firm (but still moist). I would just try 2 next time and see if that makes a difference. 🙂

      Reply
      • Janice says

        November 28, 2012 at 10:06 am

        Thanks, Cathy. I’ll give that a try.

        Reply
  17. Mary says

    December 7, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    Thanks for this recipe. The bars are baking now. The batter was yummy, can’t wait for them to finish baking!

    Reply
  18. Sandi says

    February 26, 2013 at 8:50 pm

    I finally made these…they are great!! I used pomegranite juice, frozen cherries and blueberries, a mix of walnuts, pistachios, and cashews, and oat bran instead of oat flour. Great for breakfast.

    Reply
    • Katie Mae (@SproutdKatie) says

      June 10, 2013 at 10:04 pm

      Hi Sandi, That’s like a whole new recipe 🙂 It sounds wonderful… nice work!

      Reply
  19. Miley says

    March 30, 2013 at 6:51 pm

    This is a great recipe and fun to modify The only change I made was adding raspberries. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Katie Mae (@SproutdKatie) says

      June 10, 2013 at 10:05 pm

      I love the raspberries too!

      Reply
  20. Becky Karppala says

    May 3, 2013 at 8:16 am

    These recipes are a life savor. My 7 year old and I are eating like this now and deserts are the most challenging. We don’t eat oats so do you have a substitution suggestion? Thanks again for all the ideas.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      May 6, 2013 at 11:35 am

      Hi Becky, for this recipe the whole rolled oats are a major part, so not sure how I would replace those. I’d have to tinker with it. You could try replacing with a flour that you can eat and see if it still holds up. Maybe some cooked quinoa instead?? 🙂

      Reply
  21. Sandi says

    May 31, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    Cathy, I have to thank you for these wonderful bars. I make them for company whenever people are staying over, and they love them. I make them with a berry mix, a nut mix, and sometimes even throw in a few chocolate chips. How do you store them…saran wrap, aluminum foil, refrigerator, freezer? I have been wrapping a couple at a time together in foil and/or saran wrap, but is there a better way?

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      May 31, 2013 at 7:20 pm

      Hi Sandi, thank you! 🙂 I’m not much of a freezer person, so I just keep them in the fridge in a plastic container.

      Reply
  22. Ellen says

    June 4, 2013 at 7:58 pm

    We love these frozen. Like ice cream cake!! Yummy

    Reply
    • Katie Mae (@SproutdKatie) says

      June 10, 2013 at 9:58 pm

      Wow, I’m intrigued… I’ll have to try this! 🙂

      Reply
  23. Kim says

    June 5, 2013 at 6:06 pm

    Cathy, I just recently found your blog and am loving your recipes! Made these bars this afternoon and they are great. I subbed 1 cup unsweetened applesauce for the 1.5 cups apple juice and 1 full cup of blueberries. Consistency was perfect. I’ve already given your blog info to a couple of WFPB-minded friends.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      June 8, 2013 at 11:19 am

      Hi Kim, great, thank you! Good subs! 😉

      Reply
  24. Vaishali says

    October 5, 2013 at 1:43 pm

    Hi Cathy, love your website…. these look delicious, do you think I could half the recipe, sometimes it messes up the recipe if halved. Please let me know…would love to try it.

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      October 5, 2013 at 1:58 pm

      Sure, I’ve done a half batch and it was fine. 🙂

      Reply
  25. Birgit says

    April 16, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    Just made them. Super yummy!

    Reply
  26. jenny says

    June 26, 2014 at 11:49 pm

    I would like to try these with a “fig newton” type filling — I’m a sucker for those bulk bin fig snacks! thanks!!!

    Reply
  27. Pam C says

    May 12, 2015 at 8:06 am

    I made them last night. OMG. The recipe seems to be fool-proof. Looking for apple juice in our pantry led to a major clean-out of the pantry and then I forgot the bars in the oven…they baked for almost 40 minutes and still had the most perfect texture. Even my carnivore husband enjoyed them! Thanks for this recipe.

    Reply
  28. Clarice Fox says

    June 5, 2015 at 5:49 pm

    My son and I both love these bars. Easy to make. I am making them for a picnic tomorrow. I might make a double batch Thank you for the recipe. Clarice

    Reply
  29. Maddy Connor says

    November 20, 2015 at 9:54 pm

    I don’t really like dates, can I leave them out or substitute them without else? Are they essential to the recipe?

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 22, 2015 at 12:17 am

      You can leave them out but they won’t be as sweet. You can use another sugar that you like.

      Reply
  30. Rusty says

    October 12, 2016 at 9:03 am

    Can you use applesauce in place of the juice?

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      October 12, 2016 at 9:26 am

      Hmm, I’d sooner use water or nondairy milk before applesauce, since you’re replacing a liquid.

      Reply
  31. Sheryl says

    October 19, 2017 at 7:21 am

    Cathy,
    Any suggestions on a sub for oats, my son is allergic. They look delicious. Thanks. Sheryl

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      October 20, 2017 at 5:31 pm

      People will use quinoa flakes, although I’ve never tried them. 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Welcome to Straight Up Food! I’m Cathy Fisher, a chef and teacher whose passion is creating recipes without animal foods, salt, oil or sugar, and very few processed foods. Eating a whole-foods diet dramatically improves the health and well-being of humans, animals, and the environment—there are no downsides, only benefits! For more information about this blog and my work, click here. Thank you!

Follow

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Search

Categories

Recent Recipes

  • Rice Salad with Asparagus & Shiitake Mushrooms
  • Vegetable Quiche
  • Scalloped Potatoes
  • Pumpkin-Walnut Cornbread
  • Shepherd’s Pie
  • Peach Pie-lets
  • Lasagna
  • Quinoa-Kale bowl
  • Sweet Beet Salad
  • Clamless Chowder
  • Fettuccini Alfredo
  • Spicy Black Bean Salsa
  • Apple Crisp
  • Baked Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce
  • Sweet Potato-Pecan Pie
  • Raw Cranberry-Persimmon Relish
  • Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
  • Mushroom Risotto
  • Beefless Stew
  • Black Bean & Yam Salad
  • Tomato Rice Soup
  • Granola
  • Oil-free Hash Browns
  • Almond-Poppy Seed Cake
  • Tu-no Casserole
  • Pineapple Stir-Fry
  • 4-Bean Salad
  • Baked Oatmeal with Apples & Raisins
  • Enchilada Casserole
  • Polenta Pizza

Rice Salad with Asparagus & Shiitake Mushrooms

Vegetable Quiche

Scalloped Potatoes

Pumpkin Walnut Cornbread

Pumpkin-Walnut Cornbread

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd’s Pie

Peach Pie-lets

Peach Pie-lets

Lasagna by StraightUpFood

Lasagna

Quinoa-Kale Bowl

Quinoa-Kale bowl

Sweet Beet Salad

Sweet Beet Salad

Clamless Chowder

Clamless Chowder

Follow

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Pumpkin Walnut Cornbread
Shepherd's Pie
Peach Pie-lets

Food for thought…

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up" —Thomas Edison

Copyright Straight Up Food © 2018 | Design by Carrie Loves Design Studio.