Glazed Blueberry Banana Bars are a simple & delicious ripe banana recipe that’s even better than banana bread! Great for breakfast, lunch, snacking, and it even makes a great dessert!
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I recently made a couple of variations to this recipe! You’ve got to try our Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bars, Double Chocolate Banana Bars as well as our Peanut Butter Banana Bars, they’re all delicious!
How can I ripen bananas quickly?
Ripe banana recipes are ideal when you already have a bunch of banana getting spotted, but sometimes you want that baked treat without the wait. So what can we do to speed up and time and ripen our bananas more quickly? We actually have 2 great options.
- You can ripen your bananas in the oven by placing them in at 350 degrees with the peel and bake for 30-40 minutes. You’re going to want to do this on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let the bananas cool for at least an hour before using.
- If you can wait a day, you can place your bananas in a brown paper bag and fold it closed. Leaving the bananas in here will trap the natural gasses they release and allow the bananas to ripen more quickly.
How to make Healthy Banana Bars
-If you want to enjoy a healthier treat, you can make the following variations:
-Use brown sugar instead of white sugar or decrease the sugar to ½ cup (if you do this make sure your bananas are VERY ripe to add that sweetness back in).
-Replace half or all of the requested oil and substitute it with applesauce. Personally, I enjoy using 50/50 coconut oil and applesauce.
-Use almond milk or cashew milk in place of regular milk.
-Swap out the regular flour with almond flour, just add in a rounded teaspoon of baking soda too.
-Add in 2-3 tablespoons of ground flax (it’s unnoticeable and gives a fiber boost).
-Add in spinach and cocoa powder like in my double chocolate version of this recipe. Blending the spinach small enough with coconut oil makes it impossible to see a difference when you hide it under the delicious color of chocolate! Not only that, but no one tastes a difference either!
Blueberry Banana Bar Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make our Glazed Blueberry Banana Bars~
– 5 very ripe bananas (should make about 1 2/3 cup) – yes, you can use frozen bananas! Just let them thaw out slightly and drain the excess liquid before use.
– ¾ cup granulated sugar
– ¼ cup oil (any type – I use coconut)
– 1/4 cup milk
– 2 eggs
– 1 3/4 cup flour (I regularly swap out all-purpose flour for whole wheat!)
– 1 tsp baking soda
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
– 1 cup powdered sugar
– 2-3 TBSP hot water
How to make Glazed Blueberry Banana Bars
Heat your oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 15×10.5″ pan with non-stick spray.
Peel the bananas and mash them well. Stir in the sugar, oil, milk, and the eggs until they’re combined.
Add in the dry ingredients and stir. Fold in the blueberries.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 18-22 minutes, until a wooden toothpick can be inserted in the center and come out clean.
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk powdered sugar and hot water together until smooth and slightly runny and then set the glaze aside. (If it hardens, just microwave it for 15-20 seconds or until it’s smooth again.)
Cool completely and drizzle with glaze. Let it cool to set and then cut into squares & enjoy!
These make a great snack and addition to school lunches, so I often love freezing cut pieces in individual baggies after they’ve cooled.
Glazed Blueberry Banana Bars
Glazed Blueberry Banana Bars are a simple & delicious ripe banana recipe that’s even better than banana bread! Great for breakfast, lunch, snacking, and it even makes a great dessert!
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Ingredients
- 5 ripe Bananas (about 1 2/3 cups)
- 3/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup Oil
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 2 Eggs
- 1 3/4 cup Flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda plus 1 rounded teaspoon of baking soda if using a gluten-free flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 2 cups Fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp Hot water
Instructions
-
Heat your oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 15×10.5″ pan with non-stick spray.
-
Peel the bananas and mash them well. Stir in the sugar, oil, milk, and the eggs until they’re combined.
-
Add in the dry ingredients and stir. Fold in the blueberries.
-
Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 18-22 minutes, until a wooden toothpick can be inserted in the center and come out clean.
-
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk powdered sugar and hot water together until smooth and slightly runny and then set the glaze aside. (If it hardens, just microwave it for 15-20 seconds or until it’s smooth again.)
-
Cool completely and drizzle with glaze. Let it cool to set and then cut into squares & enjoy!
Can you use frozen bananas in banana bars?
While most people looking for ripe banana recipes already have ripe bananas in their homes needing to be used, you could have a few already in the freezer ready to go as well. In this case, you’ll want to thaw the bananas before use so that they can mash together with the rest of the ingredients.
Thawed bananas will create a pool of liquid in their bag or bowl (wherever you have them placed) so make sure that you drain that excess liquid before using the bananas.
Can you freeze Blueberry Banana Bars?
Yes and I often freeze these delicious bars. My personal favorite way to freeze them is to cut them into 2-3in sized squares and then placing them in a small baggie and then placing several of those small bags into a gallon-sized bag in the freezer so that they don’t scatter everywhere and get lost in the frozen depths.
They last up to 2 months this way and it’s perfect for a grab-and-go snack!
Are banana bars gluten-free?
Gluten is found in regular flours and as such, this recipe is not gluten-free. That being said, you can make the necessary substitutions to make it gluten-free. Just swap out the flour with a gluten-free blend like almond flour and add a rounded teaspoon of baking soda.
So if you’re in the mood for a delicious ripe banana recipe that isn’t a traditional or boring banana bread, you’re going to love these glazed blueberry banana bars!
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Glazed Blueberry Banana Bars are a simple & delicious ripe banana recipe that’s even better than banana bread! Great for breakfast, lunch, snacking, and it even makes a great dessert!
