These Gluten-Free Frosted Banana Bars are a great way to use up those over-ripe bananas. With minimal prep time and a handful of ingredients, they’re a fuss-free dessert ready in less than an hour. They also make a fantastic breakfast! Dairy-free option.
You’ll Go Bananas for These Bars
These frosted banana bars are seriously addicting. So much so that we’ve made them at least four times in the past month. That’s once a week, but they only last a couple of days!
Quick to make, they’re the perfect way to use up those overripe bananas on the counter. Plus, they’re super versatile. Serve them with frosting, without frosting, with a little sunflower seed butter on top, warm, or cold. You really can’t go wrong!
Nutritious and delicious, they’re the perfect snack or dessert for meal prep, afterschool snacks, potlucks, and parties. Go ahead and make a double batch! You’re probably going to need it.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Below is an overview of the ingredients and instructions to make this recipe. Don’t forget to take a look at the recipe card below for the complete details and nutrition information!
- Gluten-Free Flours – We use a combination of homemade gluten-free oat flour and almond flour to create soft bars that hold their shape.
- Greek Yogurt – This helps keep the bars moist and adds a tangy taste. Feel free to use non-dairy yogurt or plant-based sour cream to keep this recipe dairy-free.
- Creamy Almond Butter – Look for natural varieties, or make homemade almond butter instead. Any other creamy nut or seed butter can be used. Just note that the flavor of the banana bars may change slightly.
- Coconut Sugar – Cane sugar also works.
- Eggs – Large eggs add a rich flavor and help the bars hold their shape. We haven’t tested this recipe with egg substitutes and cannot guarantee the results if you do.
- Ripe Bananas – The riper your bananas, the easier they’ll mash and the sweeter your bars will taste!
- Frosting – We use our cashew cream cheese frosting or coconut cream frosting! But any topping you like best will work. Take a look at more options below.
- Toppings – Technically optional, we love to add a sprinkle of chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, and sliced bananas on top for extra flavor, texture, and a picture-worthy appearance.
Pro-Tip: Feel free to mix a handful of chocolate chips into the batter to make chocolate-chip banana bars!
Health Benefits of Bananas
Not only are they delicious and super versatile, but bananas are full of health benefits, too! For example, bananas are rich in vitamin C, riboflavin, folate, niacin, copper, potassium, and magnesium.
As a result, consuming bananas as part of a well-rounded diet can:
- Help improve blood sugar levels
- Support digestion
- Support heart health
- Support exercise recovery
How to Ripen Bananas Quickly
Using ripe bananas is key to creating the best flavor for these banana bars. Don’t worry if yours are looking a little green, though! Just follow the options below to ripen them up fast.
- Store bananas at room temperature in a paper bag.
- Add an apple or avocado to a paper bag with bananas to ripen them almost overnight
- Bake whole, unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour
How to Make Frosted Banana Bars
Before you begin, preheat your oven, and grease an 8×8 cake pan. Then, set it aside.
Note: If you’re making your own cashew cream frosting or coconut cream frosting, be sure to prepare that a day before you begin making the bars. That way it has plenty of time to chill!
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Add the oat flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl, use a hand mixer, stand mixer, or spatula to beat or mix the yogurt, nut butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Then, beat in the mashed bananas.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients, and stir just until incorporated. Be careful not to overmix!
- Bake. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the mixture comes out clean.
- Cool. Allow the banana bars to cool in the pan completely.
- Top. Spread the frosting over the bars. Then, add your toppings of choice, and slice. Enjoy!
Topping Alternatives
Not a fan of cashew cream frosting? No worry! The topping bars are endless for this frosted banana bars recipe. Some of our favorite alternatives include:
- Store-bought dairy-free frosting or regular frosting
- Peanut butter frosting
- Brown butter frosting
- Powdered sugar glaze
- Maple frosting
- Powdered Sugar
- Protein Powder mixed with dairy-free milk or water
How to Store
- Store frosted or unfrosted bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Freeze unfrosted or frosted bars individually wrapped in aluminum foil. Or, place them in an airtight container. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months.
- Thaw frozen frosted banana bars in the fridge overnight, and enjoy cold!
More of Our Favorite
Gluten-Free Ways to Use Bananas
Gluten-Free Frosted Banana Bars Recipe
- Total Time: 35 to 40 minutes
- Yield: 9 bars 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Make these gluten-free frosted banana bars in less than an hour for a simple dessert that’s healthy enough for breakfast! Dairy-free option.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120 g) gluten free oat flour (see notes)
- ½ cup (60 g) blanched almond flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum-free)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (6 ounces) Greek yogurt (see notes for dairy free option)
- ⅓ cup (90 grams) creamy natural almond butter or other nut butter of choice
- ⅓ cup (50 g) coconut sugar or cane sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 medium (215 grams) ripe bananas, mashed
Frosting Options
- Cashew cream cheese frosting or coconut cream frosting (see notes)
Toppings
- Chopped nuts, chocolate chips, sliced banana
Instructions
NOTE: Prepare the cashew cream cheese frosting or coconut cream frosting first.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Grease or line an 8 x 8 cake pan, set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the oat flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
- In a large bowl, beat or mix the yogurt, nut butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer or whisk until creamy. Beat in mashed bananas and mix on medium for 1 minute.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until well incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the bars cool completely before adding frosting.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled banana bread cake. Top with optional chopped nuts or chocolate chips and cut into bars.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
Frosting Tips – Frosting spreads most easily once the bars are completely cooled bars.
Substitute Tips – Oat flour can be made in minutes by adding whole oats to a high-speed blender and blending until a flour-like consistency is formed. For a dairy-free option, replace the Greek yogurt with non-dairy yogurt or plant based sour cream. If preferred, use store bought dairy-free frosting or regular frosting.
Storage Tips – Freeze unfrosted or frosted bars individually wrapped in aluminum foil or place in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 to 30 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice with dairy-free frosting
- Calories: 252
- Sugar: 11.2 g
- Sodium: 131.2 mg
- Fat: 12.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.4 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 8.2 g
- Cholesterol: 32.4 mg
Once I used fresh, aluminum free baking powder this recipe was delicious. I made it with the peanut butter frosting and didn’t really need it at all, I ended up scraping it off and eating it separately lol.
Thank you so much for the update Elaine!
The only thing I did differently was use some light brown sugar instead of coconut or white sugar, but the extra mollasass flavor wasn’t the problem. I can overwhelmingly taste the baking powder.
Hi elaine! I’m so sorry to hear this. It’s a team favorite around here so we definitely want to help fix whatever went wrong. Can you tell me what type of oat flour you used? Was it just taste or texture that was off?
Did you use a baking powder with aluminum? That also might be it! I use bob’s redmill aluminum free baking powder. Otherwise, the taste is very strong like you said. Sorry I didn’t specify.
Great recipe!
I made a batch of these bars this week sans topping and sugar. Like Sara, it took double the time to cook, yet was still slightly soft in the middle with the edges almost getting too brown and crunchy. I used non-dairy yogurt, almond flour, a mixed nut butter, and my food processor couldn’t really get the oats to a super fine consistency. I also don’t know where I went wrong, but for sure, there is a missing step between Step 3 and Step 4. My attempt just did not look crumbly and nice like the photo. It was just a bit too wet inside. Another problem with making this is all the extra egg yolks left over and what to do with them. I ended up making a lemon pasta salad for the first time with the yolks, and that turned out really well. Maybe an expert baker out there can add more tips? I want to try this again as it is so healthy, but it seems strange that mine just took so long to finish baking.
I’ve been this bars more times than I count & this is what I would suggest… Make sure your oats are processed very well! I do this in my Vita-mix before I add anything else! I actually add in my yogurt, banana, eggs & nut butter into the blender so it gets mixed really well. (I have a struggle with Nut butter if I’m not using an electric mixer ha) I would make sure you’re not using too much banana, as that could make the batter too soft, ALSO if you’re adding extra sweetener? Like honey or maple syrup since that will add to the “wet”. I use full-fat Greek yogurt and sunflower butter & I’ve never had any issues, so sorry to hear that they didn’t work for you! I would give it a try again!!
Really yummy! I used half the sugar and only put bananas on top. I also used overripe bananas and it would have sufficed to make our treat sweet but my hubby is not complaining ?
Great idea! I love that you made this healthier! Thanks Michelle
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. I wonder what happened. ANd I’ll be sure to fix the instructions so that make sense. What’s easiest, to put dairy free option all in notes? ALl you do is swap the yogurt for almond milk. Or you can use non dairy yogurt. Did you use almond flour? Did you grind your oats to a very fine consistency?
I feel like streusel-like topping is never optional; always a must.
Agreed ?
Love that you made these gluten-free!
And I just love you!
This looks so yummy and healthy!
Thanks Rose!
Love how these are healthy!! I could use one… or two of these for a snack right now!
I love banana bread and these bars are simply genius!
Let me know if you try them Nat!
Those look so incredibly awesome!! Wish I had a few for breakfast this morning.
YAAAAY, a perfect, delicious treat recipe for me to use up extra almond flour! Thank you! 🙂
These look just delicious Lindsay! I’d definitely do the streusel! Yum!
love these flourless banana bread bars!!!