Chunky Monkey Protein Baked Oat Bars (Print version)

Banana chocolate walnut oat bars with protein powder for energizing breakfast or snack. Perfect for meal prep.

# What You Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
02 - 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
03 - 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey
04 - 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
05 - 1 large egg or flax egg for vegan option
06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

07 - 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
08 - 1/2 cup vanilla or chocolate protein powder
09 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
10 - 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
11 - 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
13 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
14 - 1 teaspoon baking powder

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, mash bananas thoroughly. Whisk in applesauce, maple syrup, almond milk, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.
03 - In a separate bowl, combine oats, protein powder, walnuts, chocolate chips, coconut if using, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
04 - Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Stir until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
05 - Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with extra chocolate chips and walnuts if desired.
06 - Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden and set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean.
07 - Cool completely in the pan. Lift out using parchment paper and slice into 12 bars.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • They taste like dessert but pack enough protein to actually keep you full until lunch, which feels like getting away with something delicious.
  • No complicated steps or fancy equipment needed—just a couple of bowls and your oven doing the heavy lifting.
  • Make a batch on Sunday and you've solved breakfast for nearly a week, which honestly changes everything about your mornings.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter is the quickest way to turn these into dense, cake-like disappointments—stop stirring the moment you don't see dry ingredients anymore, even if it looks a little shaggy.
  • Don't skip cooling them completely in the pan because they need that time to set up properly, and removing them too early will result in crumbly bars that fall apart when you try to bite into them.
03 -
  • Don't mash your bananas into a completely smooth paste—leave them just slightly chunky because those little pieces break down during baking and create tiny pockets of soft sweetness throughout the bars.
  • If your protein powder tastes a bit chalky or artificial, you can mask it by using chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla, which adds flavor complexity and hides any weird aftertaste that might sneak through.
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