Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bars With Whole Wheat 

These easy Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bars are a perfect grab-and-go breakfast Just 11 ingredients, one bowl, and 10 minutes of active prep are all that stand between you and these homemade breakfast bars. They're basically 1 part cookie, 1 part pancake and all parts delicious, with just enough dark chocolate to make getting out of bed feel really worth it. 🥞🍪

Did you ever go through a period of your life where a cookie and a fancy homemade coffee was a perfectly acceptable breakfast? Me too, y'all—for basically the entirety of my 20s. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I created these banana chocolate chip breakfast bars as a way to feel like I'm eating a sweet treat while actually giving myself some real nutrition.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• How To Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bars For Breakfast
• Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations
• Expert Tips
• Storage Instructions
• Serving Suggestions
• FAQs
• More Healthy Dessert-For-Breakfast Recipes
• Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
• 💬 Reviews

Why You’ll Love Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars

• Meal Preppers, Rejoice - This easy, inexpensive breakfast recipe makes a whopping 18 servings so you can bake once, freeze half, and still have your mornings covered for the week.
• Quick & Easy - Perhaps the best part of this banana breakfast bar recipe is that you need only 11 simple ingredients, a fork and a single bowl to make the batter—no electric mixer required. It’ll take just 10 minutes to get them ready for the oven, and clean-up is a snap! 
• Secretly Nutritious - The primary ingredients here are potassium-packed bananas, nutrient-rich whole grain flour, and eggs, so you’re getting 3 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber per serving—all with just ⅔ teaspoon of added sugar! They’re the perfect way to satisfy a sweet craving without giving you a sugar crash. 

Ingredients & Substitutions

As promised, you only need a few basics to make healthy-ish chocolate chip banana bars:

• Spotty Bananas - Anyone else remember the Carmen Miranda banana commercial? “When they are flecked with brown and have a golden hue, bananas are the best—they are the best for you!” If you bananas aren’t ripe yet, check out my tip below.
• Coconut Oil - Feel free to use either unrefined (my preference for more of a coconutty flavor) or refined coconut oil. You can also use unsalted butter—preferably grass-fed and organic for a better “good” fat ratio.
• Milk of Choice - Any percentage of dairy milk or any unsweetened, unflavored (or vanilla) plant-based milk will do the trick.
• Large Eggs - If you’re using liquid eggs, vegan eggs, or a different size of eggs, note that each large egg accounts for a scant ¼ cup.
• Vanilla Extract - For added warmth and a dessert-y vibe. You can use an equal amount of vanilla paste or vanilla powder, or half as much ground vanilla bean.
• Brown Sugar - Feel free to use either light or dark brown sugar. To make your own, mix 1-2 tablespoons of molasses with 1 cup of white sugar—less makes light brown sugar, more makes dark brown.
• Baking Powder - Not to be confused with (or exchanged for) baking soda, this is what helps our chocolate chip banana bars puff up in the oven.
• Kosher Salt - I use Morton’s Kosher Salt because it’s what they sell at Costco. If you’re using Diamond brand or another variety of salt (e.g. fine sea salt or table salt) check out this handy conversion guide. 
• Ground Cinnamon - This warming spice pairs beautifully with banana and somehow makes the bars taste even sweeter.
• Whole Wheat Flour - I used King Arthur whole wheat flour, but you could just as easily use all purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour if you like. I have had mixed results using gluten-free flour—make sure to choose a high-quality brand and let the batter sit for about 30 minutes before baking to give it time to rehydrate.
• Semisweet Chocolate Chips - I like regular-sized, but you can use mini chocolate chips if you like. To reduce the sugar, you can either swap in sugar-free chocolate chips or unsweetened chocolate chips if you want. Peanut butter chips or Reese's Pieces are also delicious if you're not a fan of chocolate flavor. 

How to quickly ripen bananas:

Are your bananas still green around the edges? There’s a few ways to get them nice and sweet in less time. If you have a day or two to wait, toss them in a paper (not plastic) bag and seal the top. If you have an apple or another ethylene-emitting fruit, you can add that to the bag  to speed up the process further.

Have a hankering for these banana chocolate chip breakfast bars right now? Toss your bananas on a parchment lined rimmed cookie sheet. Put them in the oven at 300ºF and wait until their skin turns dark brown, about 20-30 minutes.

How To Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bars For Breakfast

This delicious recipe comes together with just 10 minutes of prep. Here's how: 

Step 1: Prep & Mash. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray two 8x8 baking tins with nonstick cooking spray. Mash your bananas in a large mixing bowl using the back of a fork. Now mash in the coconut oil.

Step 2: Mix. Add the eggs, vanilla and sugar to the mashed banana mixture, and stir vigorously to incorporate.

Step 3: Sprinkle the baking powder over the top of the batter and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes. This allows the baking powder time to absorb some liquid, not only helping it to disburse more evenly in the batter, but also giving it more of a chance to rise. (This is especially true of baking powders made without aluminum.)

Step 4: Sprinkle the cinnamon and salt over the top and stir to combine.

Step 5: Mix. Working in batches, add about half of the flour to the mix, then stir to combine. Add the milk and stir.

Step 6: Add the rest of the flour and stir to combine. There should be no dry pockets. Add about half of the chocolate chips and stir to evenly distribute them.

Step 7: Bake. Pour batter into 8 x 8 pans that have been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, using a rubber spatula to get every last bit. Sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake at 350ºF for 20-22 minutes, until the bottoms of the bars are looking golden brown, the sides are pulling away from the pan, and the tops are firm to the touch. A wooden toothpick should come out clean (with the exception of melted chocolate, of course).

Step 8: Rest for about 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling. Cut each square into 9 delightfully moist banana bars. Enjoy!

Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations

• Lighten Up - Want to be a little healthier? Swap coconut sugar or monkfruit sweetener for the brown sugar to save calories and have a lower glycemic index.
• Mix-Ins - I love making these banana bars with chocolate chips, but don’t feel limited. So long as you stick to roughly the same amount of dry mix-ins, you’re welcome to shake things up with:
  • Chopped nuts (especially pecans and walnuts) or cacao nibs would also make a healthy substitute. 
  • Dried fruits would also be yummy—I'd recommend something in the berry family to pair well with the banana.
  • I haven't tried it, but I also think you could probably drop teaspoonfuls of peanut butter or almond butter (maybe with some jam or preserves?) on top of the dough and use a knife to swirl it through. 
• Vegan - First, swap the eggs for flax eggs or your preferred egg substitute. (A flax egg is made with 1 tablespoon ground flax meal and 3 tablespoon water. Stir them together and allow to rest for 4-5 minutes. When you stir it again, it should be thick and similar in consistency to an egg.) Coconut oil is already vegan, but you can also substitute vegan butter. Finally, use almond, coconut, oat, hemp or other non-dairy milk alternatives.
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars - Swap out the banana in favor of pumpkin puree, use pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon, and add ½ teaspoon of maple extract for a fun fall-flavored twist.

Expert Tips

• Scale the Recipe - I like making 2 trays worth of chocolate chip banana bars at a time—it’s just as easy to make twice as much, and that way I can stock my freezer with future breakfasts without any extra effort.
• Melt a Bit - Coconut oil has a low melting point. For the most consistent batter, zap your coconut oil in the microwave for about 15 seconds until mostly melty—this will prevent chunks of coconut oil from forming.
• Stay Dark - I recommend using semisweet or dark chocolate chips to keep the sugar content lower, the antioxidant content higher, and the flavor perfectly balanced. You can of course swap in milk or white chocolate chips if you prefer—I just find them too sweet for this application!
• Pretty Topper - Reserve extra chocolate chips for sprinkling over the top for an extra professional-looking result.
• Best Bananas - Use the ripest bananas you can find! (Or check out my tip in the Ingredients section for how to ripen them quickly.) Ripe bananas are sweeter and less starchy, resulting in better flavor and better texture.

Storage Instructions

• These healthy banana breakfast bars are best served warm, but are still quite tasty at room temperature if you pack them for lunch. 
• They can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week—just make sure they’re completely cooled on the wire rack before transferring to the container to prevent condensation from making them soggy.
• You can also freeze them in an airtight bag for up to 6 weeks. To freeze, wrap cooled chocolate banana bread bars in plastic wrap before transferring to a freezer bag.
• Simply pop one out and microwave for ~20 seconds (or longer if frozen) to make the chocolate a little melty. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

When your sweet tooth strikes, there’s nothing like a whole wheat banana chocolate chip cookie bar to scratch the itch without derailing your diet for the day. Since they are low in added sugar, high in potassium and have a bit of fiber, these banana chocolate chip bars are equally good at any time of day—for breakfast, as a post-workout treat or afternoon snack, or a healthy dessert. 

They are especially good when served with a cup of coffee (like a decadent spicy Mexican mocha or sugar-free pumpkin spice latte) or a cuppa hot tea (like a homemade chai). Want a little extra sweetness? Slather on a bit of maple butter or a small drizzle of maple syrup.

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