I’ve discovered my new favourite after-school snack! I mean, I don’t actually go to school anymore, but I do love a good snack, and I’m happy to enjoy a special treat in the afternoon in support of anyone who does go to school. Or with coffee in the morning. Or for dessert. Or when I need a mid-day pick me up. Or well, anytime really as these vegan chocolate chip banana squares are my new favourite, super moist, lightly sweet, chocolate chip filled treat. Yas!
Vegan chocolate chip banana squares are also so easy to make! My favourite kind of recipe. Just 9 ingredients, one bowl, and 30 minutes to make these banana bars.
Even better, these vegan chocolate chip banana squares are oil free. The bananas add so much moisture there is no need for any oils at all. The bananas also add a lot of sweetness so this certainly isn’t my most sugar-packed recipe. (Vegan soft frosted sugar cookies anyone)? A healthier dessert that tastes this good? I’m in. I just love when a recipe turns out so simple and so delicious!
To make vegan chocolate chip banana squares: start by peeling and mashing the bananas to make 1 cup of mashed banana.
Add the mashed banana, brown sugar, non-dairy milk, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix well. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Lastly, fold in 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips (setting aside the remaining 1/4 cup to use in the next step).
Pour the batter into the baking pan and spread evenly in the pan. It will be fairly thick. Sprinkle over the remaining chocolate chips. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Cut into 9 bars and use a spatula to lift them from the pan. Enjoy still warm or let cool completely then store in an air-tight container.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
The perfect after-school snack or easy dessert. Just 9 ingredients, 1 bowl, 30 minutes to make.
- 1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 1/2 bananas)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk (such as soy or almond)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips, divided
Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease an 8" x 8" square baking pan.
Add the mashed banana, brown sugar, non-dairy milk, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix well. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Lastly fold in 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips (setting aside the remaining 1/4 cup to use in the next step).
Pour the batter into the baking pan and spread evenly in the pan. It will be fairly thick. Sprinkle over the remaining chocolate chips. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Cut into 9 bars and use a spatula to lift them from the pan. Enjoy still warm or let cool completely then store in an air-tight container.
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these are so tasty! I like that it only requires one cup of mashed banana & comes together so quickly! Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
Do you store these on the counter or fridge? I just made them! They are amazing!
I usually prefer to store my baked goods at room temperature for best texture 🙂
Hello,
I was wondering how I should adjust the recipe if I do this with oat flour instead of regular flour?
Looking forward to making it!
Baking with alternative flours is not my expertise but here’s a guide that should help you.
I’m not sure what I messed up or if they came out as intended? Perhaps too much bananas as I just mashed up 3 bananas and didn’t measure. The consistency was not fluffy/cakey at all, it turned out like a big, overly-moist, dense pancake? I felt like I should have drizzled it in syrup and eaten it hot. Suggestions for a cakier/fluffier texture?
Hi Angie, when baking it is very important to measure correctly. Baking is a science and so it’s very important that everything is in balance. That would be why you didn’t get the best results. Hope that helps!
I made these for our Labor Day cookout at work recently, and they were one of the first desserts to disappear (and there were LOTS of desserts). Most folks even knew they were vegan, and still they vanished. Win! 🙂
I love when the vegan food disappears first!!
My very picky, 90 year old dad, who is not vegan loves these. I made them last weekend and brought him just a few. I thought he would complain about them because my mother was the best baker! He called especially to tell me that they were great and he couldn’t stop eating them. I love them, of course, but now they will become a mainstay. Thank you.
Oh wow! That’s so very awesome, Nancy! Glad you enjoyed so much 🙂
Super good! One bowl and easy to throw together. The cinnamon was an unexpected surprise as I usually don’t put it in my banana bread, but it was nice especially with the chocolate chips. I doubled the recipe and cooked in a 9×13 pan. It took 15 minutes longer to bake through.
So happy you enjoyed, Rochelle 🙂
Can i make these gluten free? What flour would work?
Hi Lely, gluten-free baking is not my expertise but I have heard good things about Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour. Enjoy!
Incredibly delicious. Made this for a picnic party, but didn’t use the cheese since it congealed on the way to the party. Excellent even sans fromage 😉 Had it again at home with the cheese, equally delicious. Thank you!
OH NO! Comment above is for the cheese steak sandwiches! Sorry!!
Oh haha!! I was wondering!! Glad you enjoyed!
Super easy, and SUPER tasty. These got devoured in no time. The 2 little vegans loved them too, of course. I used two medium size bananas, and whole wheat pastry flour.
Yay!! so happy they were a hit with the kids!
Hmmmm ours didnt turn out right. Its kind of just making the mix firm. So its like firm dough. Could it be that we used thawed banana? Also, use baking powder instead of baking soda?
Yep those would likely be the problems. Any changes in recipes will affect the outcome. Hope that helps!
Have made this twice now and although super tasty, I’m not sure I’m cooking my bars long enough. Are they supposed to bea banana bread consistency or more like a moist cookie consistency?
Love the fact that this recipe is so quick to make…. that could be dangerous for the waistline though.
I had to bake about 25 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean). Mine were like banana bread consistency.
So happy you love them Josee. The will be a moist cake texture. Hope that helps!
Is there a way to make it more of a brownie texture?
Will coconut milk work?
Yes but make sure it’s the kind in the carton intended for drinking and not the kind in ta can which will be too rich. Enjoy!
Why can’t I stop eating these??? They are delicious and oh-so-easy. Will be making these again right away. Like now. Thanks Sam!
Haha! Amazing! Thrilled you love them so much, Kelsii!
i mixed a few spoonfuls of natural peanut butter into the batter, reduced the chocolate chips, and drizzled peanut butter on the top before going in the oven.. pb banana chocolate chip bars! so amazing, thanks Sam for another amazing recipe <3
You’re welcome 🙂
Most recent twist: I tried first sauteing the bananas. Got that lovely browned sides. Then mashed them, and made the recipe.
Result? There were little bits of caramelized banana in the bars, which tasted amazing and also added a nice textural “surprise.”
I just love this recipe. Easy to make, infinite variations, and not all that bad for you. This has moved immediately onto my Best Desserts list.
Haha! Glad you’re having so much fun with this recipe, Josh, and thrilled it made you best desserts list! 🙂
Haven’t made these yet but I’m giving it 5 stars because I’m sure they will be great and Sam is just awesome, fresh, and inspiring (and beautiful) ! Thank you for spreading vegan love and joy and making random people all over the world smile :-)))))
Aww shucks, thanks C.J. 🙂
Had a full-on bake-a-thon with this recipe today, along with 3 friends.
Attempt One. Followed the recipe. Big success. Needed 28 minutes in the oven.
Attempt Two. Added peanut butter to finished batter and swirled it in. 33 minutes in oven. Even better (IMHO), but the peanut butter was mostly getting lost behind the chocolate chips…too subtle for our tastes.
Attempt Three. Added PB as with #2, but now reduced by half the chocolate chips. 32 minutes in oven. Best result. Does PB goes with chocolate? Um, yes. Does PB go with bananas? Um, hella yes! The reduced amount of chocolate chips played perfectly with the PB and banana flavors. Only thing remaining now is to experiment with the amount of PB…how much to add before the PB overwhelms the other flavors? I foresee fun experiments this summer! Thanks SO MUCH for this recipes…I’ve never made dessert bars before. Easy and delish.
No edit button, so…
Forgot to mention that I used a 10″ round pan, So, the area was larger than the recommended 64 square-inch pan used in Sam’s recipe, which means that my squares were a tiny bit thinner than hers. (And should have baked a bit more quickly, I suppose.)
Josh, you didn’t mention how much PB you added. I’d love to know!
Sue, I would say that I used about 1/4 c. each time. Next time, I’ll double it to a half-cup. And see if that overwhelms the bananas and/or choc. chips. But I felt that–with the 1/4 cup amount, the PB flavor was really subtle.
So happy you enjoyed them so much, Josh 🙂
Just made these and…I ate half of them already, I’m not kidding! Thankfully, no witnesses. 🙂
these were so easy and just so delicious. Will be a go-to for sure. Thanks Sam!
Hahaha! Love it!! So very happy you loved them so much, Chrissy 🙂
My batter was not thick but I used 3 bananas. Baked 18 min. Perfect.
Adding more banana will change the consistency. Glad you enjoyed!
My batter was not thick either and final product pretty moist, but delicious! Too easy to eat quickly. :). Maybe next time I will babe longer. Thank you Sam!
Yum! I have some bananas on my counter that need to be baked into something. My kids start summer break tomorrow, and I want to make lunch treats for them. These look like they’ll be a hit. Hope your vacation is still wonderful Sam!
Thank you so much, Kristi! I just got back now but I had a great time. I hope you love the banana squares 🙂
Hi Sam.
Thank you very much.
This is the best banana squares I’ve ever had!!! I used cane sugar instead of brown sugar, it was totally fine! I baked it 23 min.
Wonderful! Thrilled you enjoyed them so much, Claire 🙂
Just an FYI… the printed version of the recipe shows the time as 15 to 29 minutes. This seemed a bit odd to me so I double-checked and the more expanded version shows 15 to 20 minutes. I’m just about to take my batch out of the oven… stay tuned!
Thanks Lynn! Yes, it should be 15 – 20 minutes. I have updated it now 🙂
I believe there is a typo in the cooking time. Should it not be 15-20 minutes?
Whoops, yes there is! 15 – 20 minutes is correct, thanks for pointing that out 🙂
Instead of brown sugar can i use datepaste?
I haven’t tried it myself but I imagine that would change the texture of the recipe so I wouldn’t recommend it.