Breakfast sometimes can fraught at our place. At the moment we've been having everything from porridge to omelettes and everything in between. It's a fine line between getting them out the door and getting them fed...with something worth eating. That's where these tropical banana and pineapple oat bars come in. They are freezable, breakfast friendly and even go down well in the lunchbox.
With no added refined sugar, these aren't going to give a sugar high before school, but will help sustain kids until first break due to the oats. Egg and dairy free, these bars are the perfect combination of crunch and fruit to get kids through the morning.
Leave 2 tropical banana and pineapple oat bars to defrost overnight in the fridge and you've got the perfect self service breakfast for weekends. But don't just use these for breakfast, they are also perfect in the lunchbox and have an almost flapjack texture without all the sugar.
Why are they egg free and dairy free I hear you ask...well, why not? These are super cheap to make and don't miss out on anything texture or taste wise because of the missing egg or milk. If your kids are gluten free, you could try these with quinoa flakes (I haven't tested them with them), but they will have a stronger nuttier flavour.
Miss 6 declared that it's like having cake for breakfast...and I love that! They have been going in lunchboxes too and are a favourite for Master 4 (we've been trying him on little bits of pineapple...and it's working!). It's just so good to know you've got something like this in the freezer as it is so versatile!
Tropical banana and pineapple oat bars
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana mashed
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 440 gram tin crushed pineapple drained
- ¼ cup chopped medjool dates
- ¼ cup coconut flakes
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsps vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup coconut oil melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.
- Press into a square baking pan.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until golden.
- Cool in the pan 10 minutes then cut into bars.
Elle says
Hi, what can I use instead of coconut oil and how much to add in?
Thank you!
Kylie says
Just swap with the same amount of melted butter, light olive oil or rice bran oil.
havva says
Hi sounds yummy!Can i use fresh pineapple in this recepie?
Kylie says
Yes! If you've got it, use it!
Andrea says
My family LOVE these bars! They are perfect for an easy breakfast on the go, or a healthy lunchbox addition for my hungry kids (or for me to take to work). I love easy snacks that hold together with fruit. We've had them several times now and they always disappear quickly. Thanks for a great recipe!
Kylie says
Aw thanks Andrea! They are a favourite here too. And you're right, they are awesome in the lunchbox!
Sue says
Oh these are delicious! I used mixed fruit instead of dates. Had to freeze them or I would eat in one day! Thank you for sharing.
Leanne says
What could I use instead of banana? I am assuming the banana helps it stick together so wouldn't be able to just omit it?
Kylie says
You could try with apple sauce?
Sandy says
Hi. Love the ideas here. Just wondering what can be substituted for peanut butter(cant use any nuts so tahini is also out)
Kylie says
Hi Sandy, these don't contain any peanut butter.
Gen says
These sound delish! But are they very crumbly? Or do they hold together well?
Kylie says
No they hold together well, so long as you don't over bake them. They are soft oat bars, not hard like a muesli bar.
Megan says
Can I I se something else instead of dates? Would raisins work? My girl won't touch dates!
Kylie says
You could try!
Natasha says
Could you purée the dates?
Kylie says
If you want to! They cook down quite a bit, maybe just chop them finer!