These 4-ingredient, soft baked oatmeal bars with almond butter and banana are the perfect easy, healthy snack or breakfast for babies and toddlers! Made with just 4 simple pantry ingredients and no added sugar, they can be whipped up in one bowl and stashed in the fridge for the week. (gluten-free, vegan)
This post has been written and medically reviewed by Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist).
Soft Baked Oatmeal Bars
When you need quick snacks or grab-and-go breakfasts on hand for your little one, whip up a batch of these soft baked oatmeal bars! Made with just 4 simple ingredients and one bowl, they're incredibly easy. They're also healthy, naturally vegan and gluten-free, and have no added sugar with a good mix of healthy fat, fiber and protein to keep little ones' hunger (and tantrums) at bay. The soft baked texture and bar shape is perfect for even the youngest eaters, making them great for baby led weaning, toddlers, and kids of all ages.
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Ingredients
- Ripe bananas - You want brown bananas so that you get plenty of natural sweetness.
- Quick oats - Quick cooking oats are key for the texture, so don't swap in another kind of oat. If you are gluten-free, be sure to buy certified gluten-free oats.
- Natural almond butter - The runny kind made from just almonds (and maybe salt)
- Vanilla extract
- Optional: Salt and a variety of mix-ins, such as mini chocolate chips (for toddlers and older kiddos), blueberries, or raisins.
Helpful equipment: Loaf pan or similar sized small baking dish, parchment paper
My favorite small baking dish
This set of baking dishes is my absolute favorite. They are so high quality and the small size is perfect for making all of my baby-size recipes!
Step By Step Instructions
For the full printable recipe, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Mash the bananas well. Mix them with the almond butter and vanilla and stir well.
- Add the oats, plus the salt (if you're using it) and any mix-ins and stir to combine.
- Spread the mixture into a parchment-lined pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 16-20 minutes or until the center is set.
- Let the oatmeal cool in the pan before removing and cutting into 6 bars.
Tips and Recipe Variations
- Using a heaping ¾ cup of bananas will give you the perfect soft texture that holds a bar shape well. Using a level ¾ cup will give you slightly more crumbly bars, and using a full 1 cup will give you more of a squishy texture similar to baked oatmeal. Measure your bananas (after mashing) accordingly.
- If you don't have almond butter, you can use natural peanut butter instead.
- Keep things simple without any mix-ins, or add in chocolate chips, fresh blueberries, raisins, chopped nuts, or coconut. Just be sure any mix-ins are age-appropriate for little ones (no chocolate, chunky nuts or dried fruit for babies).
Storage
Store baked oatmeal bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen bars in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for 1-2 hours.
How To Serve Oatmeal Bars To Babies 6 Months and Up
These soft baked oatmeal bars are the perfect texture and shape for BLW babies 6 months and up! Serve bars whole so that they can grab them with their fist and munch on them.
Once your little one has a pincer grasp, you can cut them into small bite sized pieces (about the size of your fingernail) for practice, but they're more convenient and portable in bar form!
Track your baby's journey through starting solids! Get my 100 First Foods Checklist and Allergen Checklist Bundle today!
Soft Baked Oatmeal Bars for Baby and Toddler Recipe
These 4-ingredient, soft baked oatmeal bars with almond butter and banana are the perfect easy, healthy snack or breakfast for babies and toddlers! Made with just 4 simple pantry ingredients and no added sugar, they can be whipped up in one bowl and stashed in the fridge for the week. (gluten-free, vegan)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 bars 1x
- Category: snack, breakfast
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: baby/toddler
Ingredients
- 2 medium very ripe (brown) bananas, heaping ¾ cup mashed
- ¼ cup natural runny almond butter
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt (optional)
- Optional mix-ins: chocolate chips, raisins, blueberries, etc.
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan or other small baking dish with parchment paper.
- Mash the banana well. Add to a bowl with the almond butter and vanilla.
- Add the oats, salt (if using) and any mix-ins. Stir to combine.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the center is set.
- All the oatmeal to cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting into bars.
Notes
- Store oatmeal bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Using a little over ¾ cup banana will give you a more solid bar. If you want a more squishy oatmeal texture, use a full cup of mashed banana.
- Using the right oats is important for the texture of these bars. Make sure to use quick oats, not rolled oats. Make sure to buy certified gluten-free if necessary.
- Be sure to let the oatmeal cool completely before cutting so that you get neat bars.
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