I, like many, am guilty of banana neglect. You know, when you buy a bunch of bananas with the best intentions, but totally forget about them? Well, here I was, with my last few bananas totally brown. Old me would have tossed them, but recipe developer me knows that the brown, mushy, unsightly bananas are actually the best ones for a baking project. So I got to experimenting. I already have a few banana recipes (banana bread, pancakes, crepes, baked oats, just to name a few), so I wanted to create something new. These Healthy Banana Bars may just be my new favorite way to use those neglected bananas.
These bars are sort of a cross between banana bread and a blondie. They have a thicker, chewier texture but fluffy outer crust that I just can’t get enough of. They’re higher in protein and lower in sugar than a typical banana bread, made without any vegetable oil or butter, but the end result is so decadent that I promise you won’t miss it. These are great to enjoy as a breakfast, dessert, or snack!
Making Healthy Banana Bars
These are super simple to make. You’ll just mix up your wet ingredients in one bowl, dry in another, combine, bake, and enjoy! To make these, you’ll need:
- Bananas that are overripe. I’m talking brown, mushy, etc. They’ll be sweeter!
- Nonfat Greek Yogurt
- Avocado oil (or you can use vegetable oil if you prefer)
- An egg to bind it all
- Vanilla extract for flavor
- Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon as your dry ingredients
- A bit of powdered sugar or powdered sugar replacement to sweeten (I use Swerve, but you could also use honey, agave, maple syrup, etc).
- (Optional) Toppings – chocolate chips, sliced banana, nuts, etc.
Preheat oven to 375F and spray an 8×8 cooking dish well with cooking spray. Set aside. Mash your bananas well in a bowl until no lumps remain (I use a potato masher). Add egg, yogurt, vanilla, and oil and mix until smooth. In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and whisk together. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until you have a smooth batter. Pour into pan and bake 28-30 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Healthy Banana Bars
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- 8×8 Pan
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 cup fat free greek yogurt
- 2 large bananas over ripe and mashed
- 1 egg whisked
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar replacement
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
- 2 tbsp chocolate chips for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and spray an 8×8 cooking dish well with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Mash your bananas well in a bowl until no lumps remain (I use a potato masher). Add egg, yogurt, vanilla, and oil and mix until smooth.
- In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and whisk together.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until you have a smooth batter.
- Pour into pan (if desired, top with sliced banana, chocolate chips, nuts, etc) and bake 28-30 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing into 12 squares. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Pro tip: pop them in the microwave for a few seconds before enjoying!
