Vegan Caramelized Banana Granola Bars

Vegan Caramelized Banana Granola Bars

  These easy healthy Vegan Banana Nut Granola Bars are packed with deep caramelized banana flavor & are made with only a handful of ingredients. No refined sugar! Pack them for an amazing plant-based office snack, sweet breakfast on the go, or for road trips with hungry kids. Jump to Recipe 

  Bananas – aren’t they just an amazing fruit? Eaten alone they are a satisfying snack, nature’s candy. But they also do wonders when added into baked goods. They can take the place of sugar, eggs, and fat in many healthy vegan treats.

  The caramelized banana gives these vegan granola bars a deep banana flavor and a delightful sweetness and acts as a binding agent at the same time – no need for butter or eggs.

  Despite the fancy-sounding name, these are super easy to make. To caramelize the bananas all you do is bake them on a sheet pan until they get golden and gooey.

 Then you process all that caramelized goodness with some healthy oats, nuts, dates and a pinch of cinnamon in a food processor, mix it all up, and press the mix into a pan. Then bake for a few minutes, and you’ve got yourself a tray of freshly baked vegan banana granola bars! You’ll have a hard time not devouring all of them in one day.

TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS FOR MAKING VEGAN GRANOLA BARS:

1.You could add some vanilla essence and maybe some freshly grated nutmeg to add a little extra dimension.

2.Make sure you allow for them to cool completely before you cut into them, otherwise the bars may fall apart.

3.These would taste pretty great with shredded coconut or pistachios as well.

4.If you are a fan of dried fruit, feel free to add some raisins, cranberries, dried cherries or apricots.

5.If you find yourself craving a little more sweetness you could press a handful of vegan chocolate chips into the dough right before baking.

6.For a nut-free version, you can simply use a mix of seeds instead of the nuts and add in some dried fruit for variety.

7.I baked the bananas in the oven but you can also cook the bananas in a skillet with 2-3 tbsp non-dairy milk until they are starting to caramelize.

Ingredients:

• 4 bananas , sliced into 1/2 cm thick slices
• 1.5 cup (216 g) nuts , mix of walnuts cashews, almonds, pecans
• 1 cup (81 g) oats
• 6 (6 ) dates
• 1/4 tsp salt
• cinnamon

Instructions:

1.Place sliced bananas on a parchment lined baking sheet. Add oats and nuts to another baking dish. Bake the sliced banana at 375 deg F (190 C) for 15 mins, Reduce temperature to 350 deg f (180 C) then add the nuts and oats to the oven and bake for another 15 mins. Let cool.

2.Alternatively, you can cook the bananas in a  skillet with 2-3 tbsp non-dairy milk until caramelizing.

3.Add the toasted nuts and half of the oats to a food processor. Pulse to break the nuts into a coarse meal, then add dates along with the caramelized banana, and pulse to break down the bananas a bit. Add cinnamon, salt, the other half of the oats and pulse again until a dough like state. (If your dates are not very soft, process with the banana to break them down before this step)

4.Press this mix into a parchment lined brownie pan and bake at 300 F (150 C) for 20 mins.

5.Cool, slice and store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Notes:

• You could add some vanilla essence and maybe some freshly grated nutmeg to add a little extra dimension.
• Make sure you allow for them to cool completely before you cut into them, otherwise the bars may fall apart.
• These would taste pretty great with coconut or pistachios as well. 
• If you are a fan of dried fruit, feel free to add some raisins, cranberries, dried cherries or apricots. 
• If you find yourself craving a little more sweetness you could add a handful of vegan chocolate chips.
• For a nut-free version, you can simply use a mix of seeds instead of the nuts and add in some dried fruit for variety. 
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