Soft, chewy, and packed with all the good stuff—fruits, nuts, and seeds. These breakfast bars are seriously the best ever!
We’re talking homemade goodness: hearty breakfast bars loaded with oats, your favorite add-ins, and tasty fruit. What’s better than that?
Honestly, you know what I love about breakfast bars compared to breakfast cookies? You just whip up the dough, spread it out in a pan, and bake. No fuss, no mess—just pop it in the oven. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!
These days, we’re all about keeping meal prep quick and simple, right? And let’s be real, if we could skip all the prepping and still have yummy food, we totally would. (Unless we suddenly had all the free time in the world to spend baking—wouldn’t that be nice?)
So, how am I making snack prep easier, quicker, and way tastier for you today? Let me introduce you to…
Healthy Breakfast Bars!
Say hello to my go-to recipe for Healthy Breakfast Bars! They’re filled with nuts, seeds, fiber-packed oats, naturally sweet fruits, and a little bit of healthy fats to keep you going all day long.
And the best part? You can switch up most of the ingredients to match your dietary needs. But hang tight, we’ll get into that. Also, if you need another breakfast boost, don’t miss my cozy Protein Oatmeal recipe.
So, What Exactly Are Breakfast Bars?
Breakfast bars are my fave morning treat! They’re basically little breakfast squares loaded with all the usual breakfast stuff: oats, bananas, nuts, seeds, and a dash of sweetness. You mix everything up, spread it in a pan, bake, cool, slice, and boom—breakfast is served!
These bars are super popular because they’re quick to make and you can totally customize them to fit your taste.
For today’s Healthy Breakfast Bars recipe, we’re taking the classic breakfast bar and making it healthier. How, you ask? We’re using fiber-rich, heart-healthy ingredients, just a smidge of sweetener, and whole foods that you’ll feel good about eating. Check out the health benefits below!
The Ingredients You Need
My breakfast bars recipe is made with simple, whole ingredients that you can feel good about! I love making these in advance, then packing some for a day trip or for a long day at work! Check out the delicious ingredients below!
How to Make Healthy Breakfast Bars
Wondering how to make a breakfast bar recipe the healthy way? We’re gonna make it simple and easy while using the least processed ingredients that also just happen to be packed with nutrients and vitamins. Follow these super easy steps to make breakfast bars!
Mash Banana
Mash banana in a large bowl. My secret trick for easy mashing? Using a dough blender! You can use a fork or a whisk to mash, but I love my handy tool the best.
Prep Wet Ingredients
Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the same bowl: peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, flax egg and vanilla. Whisk until well mixed.
Add Dry Ingredients
Add dry ingredients and fold until well mixed: gluten free rolled oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Voila, you’ve just made the dough for your breakfast bars!
Fold in Add-ins
Now, for the fun part! Add in your favorite add-in ingredients for fully customizable breakfast bars. I like using dried cranberries for my dried fruit, sunflower seeds for my seeds, and chopped walnuts for my nuts.
You can skip them all and use chocolate chips, if you like. Go wild–they’re your breakfast bars!
Pour into Pan
Pour your breakfast bar mixture into a pan and smooth into an even layer.
Bake ‘Em Up!
Pop those bars in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Cool, Slice, and Dig In!
Let them cool, slice ’em up, and enjoy the best healthy breakfast bars ever! And hey, don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back—you nailed it!
What Makes These Breakfast Bars Healthy?
So, you’re probably wondering, “What makes these breakfast bars so healthy?” It’s all in the ingredients, my friend! I’ve put together a breakfast bar that’s packed with the good stuff—no sacrificing flavor here. Check it out:
- Oats: These guys are a classic for a reason! They’re loaded with fiber, good for your heart, and help keep everything moving, if you catch my drift.
- Bananas: Naturally sweet and full of flavor, bananas bring some serious health benefits to the table, like a solid dose of Vitamin B6 and plenty of antioxidants and fiber.
- Flaxseed, Walnuts, Pumpkin Seeds: This trio is like the dream team of healthy fats—low in carbs and high in nutrients.
- Natural, Unsalted Peanut Butter: Peanut butter can get a bad rap because of all the junk some brands add, but natural, unsalted peanut butter is just straight-up peanuts. With just 1/4 cup in this recipe, you’re getting the perfect amount of heart-healthy fats to keep you going strong without the guilt.
This is your go-to, easy-to-make recipe for healthy breakfast bars that you can totally customize with your favorite add-ins. Enjoy!
Craving breakfast cookies instead of bars? I got you! Here are a few reader faves you might wanna try:
Substitutions & How to Customize Your Breakfast Bars
Want to switch things up in your breakfast bars? Or maybe tweak the recipe to your taste? Here’s the lowdown on how you can swap and customize like a pro:
- Peanut Butter: Not a fan? No worries! Swap it with almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter. Any nut or seed butter will do!
- Coconut Oil: Sub in some vegan butter or any oil that you love the taste and smell of.
- Vanilla Extract: Out of vanilla? You can use a little almond extract or another extract—just don’t go overboard because some are way stronger than vanilla.
- Maple Syrup: Swap it with brown rice syrup, agave, or honey if you’re not keeping it vegan.
- Flax Egg: No flax? No prob! Use a chia egg or a regular egg if you’re not vegan. Need to know how to make a flax egg? I got you covered—check it out here.
- Seeds: I’m all about pumpkin or sunflower seeds, but feel free to toss in whatever seeds you like.
- Raisins or Dried Cranberries: Swap with any dried fruit you love—just chop it up so no big chunks make your bars fall apart.
- Walnuts: No walnuts? Sub in any chopped nuts or toss in more dried fruit.
If you’re looking to switch up your breakfast game even more, don’t miss my fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes, the super tasty Apple Pie Breakfast Cookies, and my latest breakfast obsession: Cereal Bars!
