Looking for an easy on-the-go breakfast bar that is healthy, easy, gluten-free, and the perfect balance of sweetness? Look no further – these are what dreams are made of. And just like all of my overnight oats recipes these require no baking! You can prepare the recipe the night before and wake up to bars for your busy morning. Toddler approved and perfect for everyone.
I will say these ingredients will most likely require a trip to the grocery store, but once you have them on hand you can keep them in the pantry and make this recipe again and again.
I’m not a nutritionist, so when I say healthy I mean, I think these are better for you than that donut or the egg, bacon, cheese bagel you pick up during the daily grind.
Below I explain a few of the ingredients, you should be able to find everything at a normal grocery store, Costco or Target- the trip is worth it. Have you ever been to Target and felt like it wasn’t worth the trip? Is it too soon to browse the bathing suits? Don’t mind me, I’m daydreaming of warm long summer days.
Ok back to the bars.
Oats:
There are three types of oats; steel cut, rolled, and instant. I’ve broken down the difference of each, for this recipe I recommend rolled oats. I usually get mine in bulk from Costco.
Steel Cut Oats are not processed at all, this makes them the most authentic in texture and taste, however they usually require cooking to make them the most delicious. They are too textured for these no-bake breakfast bars.
Instant Oats are the exact opposite of steel cut oats. They are the most processed and purposely created for fast cooking. They are thin and have less texture. You can substitute rolled oats with instant oats but you will lose a little of that chewy bite.
Rolled Oats are perfect for these bars! If you were Goldilocks, this would be your bowl of perfect porridge. They are the perfect middle of steel cut and instant oats, thinner than steel cut oats but still hold their texture and shape.
Granola:
There are so many types of granola out in the world, for this recipe I like to use a hint of sweetness, so I buy vanilla granola. Below is my favorite, I don’t do this often, but provided a link because I love this one!
Powdered Peanut Butter: I’ll admit I jumped on this bandwagon late, and I’m kind of still not on all the way. I still like regular peanut butter when I need a spread, but powdered PB is really good to mix into things like yogurt, smoothies or these overnight oat bars. PB is a great source of protein and is known to help you feel energized. Powdered PB does all of the same but is lower in fat calories, so people have started using it because it’s diet friendly. Check it out.
I’m so excited to share this recipe with you today!
Overnight Oat Bars
Ingredients
3 cups Rolled Oats
1 cup Vanilla Granola
1 very ripe Banana
1/2 cup Powdered Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Unrefined Virgin Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Honey
Punch of Salt
Additional Add-Ins:
4-6 oz Dried Fruit
1 TBSP Flax Seed
1 TBSP Chia Seed
Directions
Line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Mix together all of the ingredients, except the dried fruit, that will need to mixed in by hand. Start out slow to prevent oats and granola from flying out of the bowl. *You can also skip the kitchen aid and hand mix the ingredients.
As it starts to come together, you can increase the speed until it’s evenly combined.
Hand mix in any dried fruit if you are adding that in.
Mix until the fruit is evenly distributed.
Press bars into the 8×8 pan. Make sure to line it with parchment paper or wax paper to help get them out later.
Place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours to have it set.
To serve, pull up, using the parchment or wax paper to take it out of the pan and cut your bars.
Store bars in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Note:
Vegan Substitute – replace the 1/4 cup of Honey with 1/2 cup of Bee Free Honey – I’ve only tested with this brand below and it’s delicious!
[ratings]
What could I substitute in place of peanut butter, for us allergy sufferers?
You can just leave the powder PB out of the recipe. And make sure your granola is nut free!