Healthy Recipes With 2 Ripe Bananas

These old-fashionedBanana Bars with chocolate chips are the epitome of snack-meets-dessert (or is it dessert-meets-snack?) stardom. Use your ripe bananas to make this easy, moist, and delectable treat!

Wholesome enough to fly as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up but scrumptious enough to satisfy sweet cravings, this healthy-dessert-meets-anytime-munchie is a recipe you can feel great packing for your kids’ lunches or rewarding yourself with after (or during!) a long day.

One of the reasons I adore banana recipes like these banana bars so much is that they allow me to sweeten up my baked goods more naturally.

Creative Ways To Cook Or Bake With Brown Bananas

These banana bars are made from less processed ingredients and offer nutritional benefits too (just like the recipes on this list of 50 Healthy Desserts).

5 Star Review “These are brilliant. The bars are not too sweet and have a great banana taste. Thank you for sharing such a genius creation.” — Tracy —

In addition to being naturally sweetened primarily with mashed banana, these banana bars are made without brown sugar. (I use coconut sugar, though you can swap in brown sugar if that is what you have on hand.) The banana bars are also 100% whole wheat.

Healthy Vegan Ripe Banana Recipes

Even with these healthy swaps, however, this banana recipe will still satisfy any sweet tooth. I found a good reason to eat them at any time of day.

Like theseStrawberry Oatmeal Bars, and honestly the majority of the healthy dessert recipes on my site, they’re well balanced, nutritious, and hit the spot whether you need a 3 p.m. energy boost or a late-night treat.

You can also make these banana bars for a crowd. Double the recipe, then bake it in a 9×13-inch pan. The 9×13 banana bars recipe will be thicker, so you will need to extend the baking time by several minutes.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

If you’ve already frosted the bars and want to store them for a longer period, you can freeze banana bars with cream cheese frosting (or any other frosting). See tips below.

This high-quality baking pan is easy to clean and creates perfect corners every time. It’s a kitchen tool you’ll use for years to come!

Healthy Banana Bars with Chocolate Chips. Moist, chewy, and easy to make. Kids love them and they are perfect for healthy desserts and snacks!

Creative Ways To Use Overripe Bananas (that Aren't Banana Bread)

Serving: 1 (of 16) Calories: 98 kcal Carbohydrates: 14 g Protein: 1 g Fat: 4 g Saturated Fat: 3 g Cholesterol: 18 mg Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 8 g

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!Calls for: 2 ripe bananas Whenever I pass a display of bananas in the grocery store, I can almost smell the wonderful aroma of my best banana bread recipe. It really is that good! —Gert Kaiser, Kenosha, Wisconsin

This cake doesn’t need any frosting—just a dusting of powdered sugar. Guests are always amazed that I made this treat from scratch. —Denise Loewenthal, Hinckley, Ohio

Banana Smoothie, How To Make Banana Smoothie

My daughter, Liz, often made this banana bundt cake for us. It was delicious and different. She discovered five-spice powder during a culinary class field trip. —Marina Castle Kelley, Canyon Country, California

Chopped pecans add pleasant crunch to these hearty banana oatmeal muffins with rich flavor. The muffins are low in cholesterol, but you’d never know it. My husband and I love them. —Marjorie Mott, Galatia, Illinois

How’s this for a dish—all the joy of a banana split without the mess. Everything in my recipe fits into one pan of delectable brownie bars. —Connee Sheckler, Chestertown, Maryland

Best Easy High Altitude Banana Bread Recipe (+ Gluten Free Option) • The Fresh Cooky

I enjoy these versatile banana nut pancakes. Besides being a satisfying breakfast, they can be a deliciously different dessert. —Diane Hixon, Niceville, Florida

I have been making these treats for many years. I no longer remember where the recipe came from, but one thing is certain—the bars are always a hit at family get-togethers and parties. The secret to tasty banana desserts is the ripeness of the bananas—the riper, the better. —Mary Sturgis, Hingham, Massachusetts

This absolutely scrumptious banana Bundt cake needs no icing…just a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. Even though the recipe has been a family secret for years, I’m delighted to share it with my fellow home cooks. —Oma Rollison, El Cajon, California

Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies (low Calorie + No Sugar Added

I make this moist cake for Christmas morning every year. It tastes like banana bread but has a sweet golden topping with a nutty crunch. —Gloria Friesen, Casper, Wyoming

This light-as-air chocolate cake has a yummy banana flavor. It’s scrumptious as is, but you can also dress it up with nuts or light frostings. —Tina Bellows, Racine, Wisconsin

I adapted a basic pound cake recipe from my great-aunt for this treat. It makes a moist cake that pops out of the pan perfectly. —Nancy Zimmerman, Cape May Court House, New Jersey

Easy Banana Cookies

I use to buy name-brand breakfast cookies from the supermarket, but since I found this recipe I’ve enjoyed making my cookies more than buying them.—Linda Burciaga

Banana and chocolate are such an irresistible combo that I make this quick dessert often. You can also top them with the butter and brown sugar mixture left over from coating the bananas, or sprinkle on a dash of sea salt. —Thomas Faglon, Somerset, New Jersey

I came across this recipe in a local newspaper about 10 years ago, and I still make the bread on a regular basis. The recipe conveniently yields a number of mini loaves, making gift-giving easy. —Linda Wood, Roanoke, Virginia

The Best Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

For a lightening-fast breakfast, I layer vanilla yogurt with bananas, peanuts and multigrain cereal. It’s crunchy, easy and perfect for kids. —Teresa Miller, Hamilton, Indiana

Each slice of this cake has a temptingly tropical twist. If you’d like, sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top. —June Yeates, Bradley, Illinois

When we were first married, my husband was in the Navy. Stationed in Puerto Rico, we had banana trees growing in our yard, so I found ways to use dozens of ripe bananas at a time. I made these banana squares often. They freeze well and make a great snack to have on hand when friends drop in for coffee. —Susan Miller, Raleigh, North Carolina

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

This old southern banana pudding recipe features a comforting custard layered with sliced bananas and vanilla wafers, then topped with meringue. I serve it year-round. —Jan Campbell, Hattiesburg, Mississippi

I am always looking to use up the brown bananas on my counter. My usual go-to was banana nut bread, but when my youngest developed an egg allergy I had to come up with something different. Since bananas and chocolate are so good together I decided to make these muffins. You would never be able to tell they are egg-free. —Danielle Siero, Farmington, Michigan

We keep bananas on hand, but with just two of us in the house they ripen faster than we can eat them. That makes them perfect for roasting and baking into this cheesecake with a nutty crust. —Patricia Harmon, Baden, Pennsylvania

Banana Ice Cream With Peanut Butter

Oatmeal is a favorite breakfast food, quick, easy and filling. I came up with this version by using some of the same ingredients from my favorite breakfast smoothie. Add bran cereal for a heartier taste and more fiber. A brown sugar substitute and soy milk also blend in well. —Jessi Rizzi, Odenton, Maryland

I found this recipe more than five years ago and have been making it for family gatherings ever since. The coffee-flavored frosting complements the moist banana cake. —Kathy Hoffman, Topton, Pennsylvania

These muffins taste even better the next day, so to save time, I often make them the night before. They stay moist for days. —Stasha Wampler, Clinchport, Virginia

Banana Bread Recipe {with Applesauce}

Summer isn’t summer without a banana split or two, and these fun bars bring that same delicious flavor in potluck-perfect form. —Jasey McBurnett, Rock Springs, Wyoming

This dessert is delicious and decadent, yet is chock-full of healthy fruit with a creamy lime dressing; the blueberries provide a lovely pop of color. —Laura Stricklin, Jackson, Mississippi

My mom made these oatmeal banana cookies when I was young. Now my children like making them just as much as I did, and we quadruple the recipe to serve our large family. You can’t eat just one of these goodies packed with chocolate morsels. —Jaqueline Wilson, Armstrong Creek, Wisconsin

Moist Banana Bread Recipe (video)

I like this recipe because the orange juice gives the nut bread such a bright flavor and also makes it moist. —Barbara Roethlisberger, Shepherd, Michigan

This blueberry pancakes recipe is a favorite in our home. My kids don’t even realize how healthy it is! —Kelly Reinicke, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

I love this cast-iron banana bread because it cooks evenly every time. The end result is so moist and delicious! —Ashley Hudd, Holton, Michigan

Healthy Overripe Banana Recipes To Savor

These bars are always a hit at potlucks in the small rural farming community where my husband and I live. I also like to provide them for coffee hour after church. They’re so moist and delicious that wherever I take them, they don’t last long. —Karen Dryak, Niobrara, Nebraska

As a toddler, my son loved bananas, so we always had them in the house. We didn’t always eat them all

Share :