Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Banana Bars
Is it okay if I share a couple more pumpkin recipes with you this season? Honestly, there have been sooo many good pumpkin recipes floating around it’s hard to know where to start.
And things have gotten pretty pumpkin craazzayy around here this Fall. I mean, I’ve been putting pumpkin in almost everything we eat. From pancakes, to brownies, to bread, to a mac and cheese recipe I can’t wait to share next week. #swoon
The combination of pumpkin and banana goes without saying. Two of my favourite things to bake with combined in one chocolate-filled, chewy and soft Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Banana bar.
And I love a good pumpkin bar. A hearty bar full of wholesome and healthy ingredients that I can bring along with me to work or school or grab as a quick and nutritious breakfast on-the-go. What’s your favorite snack for when you’re on the move?
If I am going to make a bar for snacking it better be healthy. Something nutrtious that will not only fill me up until my next meal but also be filled with good-for-you and tasty ingredients. And this Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Banana Bar fits the bill. Filled with hearty oats, heart-healthy almonds, nutrient-packed pumpkin and banana and some dark chocolate chunks for good measure. 🙂
These Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Banana Bars are super thick, soft, moist, hearty, ooey-gooey and filled with melty chocolate chunks. They are infused with pumpkin-spice goodness, come together in one bowl and make the perfect breaky or snack! Enjoy 🙂
Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Banana Bars
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
These Flour Free Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Banana Bars are chewy, soft, moist and full of good-for-you and tasty ingredients. They come together in a cinch in one bowl and make the perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack.
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup brown cane sugar*
- 1 tbsp melted coconut oil or olive oil*
- 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup or honey*
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar*
Dry Ingredients
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups oats (or scant 1 1/2 cups oat flour)
- 1 cup almond flour/meal
Mix-Ins
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp chopped dark chocolate chunks or semisweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cups oats
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375F or 180F. Grease a square baking pan with coconut oil or non stick spray.
- Blend the oats until a fine flour forms (using a blender or an immersion blender).
- Add the pumpkin and banana to a large mixing bowl. Blend or mash the pumpkin and the banana together.
- Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the large bowl. Whisk them together until they are fluffy and fully combined.
- Whisk and add the seeds, baking powder, sea salt and spices, one by one, to the wet ingredients in the large bowl. Fold in the oat flour and almond meal until a thick and fully combined batter is formed.
- Fold in the oats and chocolate chunks (1/3 cup) to the batter until the oats and chocolate are evenly dispersed.
- Pour the batter into the pan. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon and sprinkle the extra tbsp of chocolate chunks on top.
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the bars begin to golden and a toothpick inserted in the bars comes out almost clear.
- Leave the bars to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Store the cooled bars in a sealed container in the freezer for a couple of weeks or in a sealed container for up to 4 days in the fridge. Enjoy!
Notes
* Substitute brown cane sugar with light brown sugar (Note: this recipe will no longer be refined sugar free)
* For an oil-free option use 1 tbsp more pumpkin puree
* Substitute apple cider vinegar with freshly squeeze lemon juice or white vinegar.
* Ensure that all your products are certified gluten-free if necessary (oats, baking powder, almond meal)
* Honey is not for strict vegans
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Dessert
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 286
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 102mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 44g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
If you do try these Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Banana Bars or any other recipes of mine, I love hearing about it! Insta or Tweet it to me (@cearaskitchen with hashtag #cearaskitchen) or Facebook it to me via the Ceara’s Kitchen Facebook Page! 
Wow, these looks amazing! There’s no such thing as too much pumpkin 😀
These bars looks phenomenal! I love this!
oh my gosh I bet your kitchen smelled blissful with these guys in the oven. WANT
this look like the best! they are so healthy I love it! pinning!
Thanks for the kind words and pin! 😀
Those look incredible! I’ve been needing something easy for weekday breakfasts, and this looks like something I’d look forward to grabbing and taking with me to work. I love chocolate for breakfast! Definitely an incentive to actually eat in the mornings 🙂
These are such a quick and perfect grab and go bar for the morning 🙂 Thanks, Michelle!
I wish I had seen this recipe back in Halloween, I had so much spare pumkin I didn’t know how to take advantage of it!
Darn! It’s never too late! I was in the same boat the other day and froze a whole bunch of my homemade pumpkin puree for later 😀
Oh, Ceara, I am just about to see if we can use our own homemade pumpkin puree, as I browse along your recipes, I notice that you use pumpkin quite a lot. I think you have already shown how to make it, I might not find it yet, thanks for these healthy recipes.
Yes!! I actually use homemade pumpkin puree in all my recipes because the regular canned stuff is not sold where I live (in Belgium). So feel free to use your own! I used to have a tutorial on making pumpkin puree at home but removed the post because I’ve since changed my method. I use sugar pumpkins and cut them in half lengthwise. I remove all the seeds and stringy parts inside the pumpkin and roast them at 400F on a baking sheet *face down* until they are soft inside. I then puree the insides of the pumpkin in my food processor. Hope this helps 🙂
Oh my word these look amazing! Gotta love how healthy they are as well! Great recipe girly! 🙂
Thanks Cailee!!
pumpkin and chocolate together? ohhhhhhh my wholly YUM!
<3 The best combo ever! Thanks lucie!
These sound so good! Can’t wait to try them out 🙂
Thanks, Michelle! Let me know how they turn out 😀
As soon as I saw the words chocolate, pumpkin and banana, I knew I had to check this out! What a beautiful site you have, Ceara! This recipe looks so delicious and I know it will be a hit with everyone. Your pictures are so lovely as well. Followed on FB and Google + 🙂
Thanks so much for the kind words, Robyn!
These look so good Ceara! I don’t like bananas unfortunately, but I love pumpkin and chocolate chips, of course, haha!! I love using pumpkin too…it really goes with just about anything does it!! I bet these smell wonderful too! xo
Thanks for the kind words! To each their own re. bananas – I’m sure replacing with applesauce would make a perfect sub!
I am never sick of pumpkin especially when you pair it with dark chocolate and banana! Yum! These bars look amazing, I love how healthy and hearty they are!
Thanks, Kelly!! 😀 Pumpkin + Dark Chocolate = Pure bliss!
Ceara these look awwweeesome! So yummy! Love the addition of banana. You can never go wrong with choc chunks either. Ever. <3
Thanks girl!! <3
These bars look so hearty and delicious, Ceara! I’m a super-big fan of pumpkin and chocolate together, but bananas too?! I’m sold. 🙂
Thanks Sarah <3 😀
Greetings from the Niagara Falls area! I can never get enough pumpkin recipes. They are so good. I’m new to just how good the pumpkin/chocolate combo is – Loving it!! Such a thrill for the mouth. I love how these are flour free but also can be made oil free, something I avoid when I can. Such a yummy, yet healthy snack for that afternoon slump =)
Greetings Laura! Niagara Falls is one of my fave places ever – I was there last summer on the Canadian and American side on separate occasions! Thanks for the kind words, Laura!
If I didn’t know better… After reading:
Thick.
Chewy.
Moist.
Soft.
Hearty.
Ooey-Gooey.
I would think… You were describing something else! 😉
Haha – you are too funny Gigi!! 🙂
Are there tons of pumpkins in Belgium or do you use canned pumpkin puree? I remember that it was difficult to find pumpkins in Europe back then. It’s totally OK to share tons of pumpkin recipes, hehe, I’ve been eating pumpkin-based dishes twice a week! Oh golly, these banana bars are lovely – I love these melty chocolate chunks, pumpkin spice you incorporated and the banana for the moist texture!
There are tons of sugar pumpkins here (the tiny ones!) and I roast them and make homemade pumpkin puree 🙂 There is not canned pumpkin puree at all here so I’ve taken to making my own 🙂 Thanks for the kind words, Rika! 🙂
I am not sick of pumpkin yet! These look delicious! Pumpkin and chocolate are such a heavenly combination 🙂
Good to know, Denis! Thanks!
I’m so embarrassed about how little pumpkin I’ve been eating this season! When does pumpkin season end?! I hope not after Thanksgiving, or else I really need to get on it! I’ve never had pumpkin and banana together, but I bet it is amazing and chocolate chunks make everything better 🙂 This is such a great recipe, Ceara!
You need some more pumpkin in your life right now – wish I could send you some of these 🙂 Pumpkin and Banana make a wonderful combo! 🙂 Thanks for the kind words, Izzy!
i need a pan of those in my life 🙂
Ceara, this looks fantastic. Pumpkin, chia seeds, flax seeds and the big bonus are the chocolate chips! I love your delcious guilt free recipes!
Pinned <3
Thanks for the love and the pin, Hadia! <3
There can never be too many pumpkin recipes! these bars look amazing!
You are so right! Thanks, Richa 😀
It is more than okay Ceara, we love your pumpkin recipes so keep them coming! These bars look great, healthy and delicious! Pinned.
Thanks for the kind words and pin, Manali! 🙂
My girls absolutely love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate and make a favorite muffin using them. But, I love the healthy subs here. Perhaps I can persuade them to swap out their muffin recipe for this and give it a go! Wish me luck!
Let me know how it words out, Lori 😀
I am all about the pumpkin recipes, so you can keep them coming all year long! These bars look awesome!
Pumpkin all year long #FTW 🙂 Thanks!
Just love pumpkin, but my 30 days will becoming to an end soon I may pick up next year. I half to move on to my favorite fruit of the fall!!!!! Love these bars keep the pumpkin coming 🙂
Thanks girl! Can’t wait to see what you bake up next!
Keep the pumpkin recipes comin’, Ceara! These bars look fantastic! They’re totally calling my name with how chewy and moist they look. I’ve never had a pumpkin and banana combination before, so I’m loving your creativity. I love that this is such a healthy bar, yet tastes like dessert! Pinned!
Thanks for the kind words as always, Gayle! 😀 Pumpkin & banana make a great combo! You have to try it 🙂
I’ll take pumpkin all year, Ceara! Especially pumpkin and chocolate… mmmm. These look so delish!
Pumpkin and chocolate do make the best combo ever 😀 Thanks!
I love everything about these bars! Chewy, thick and loaded with some wonderful super foods! And of course pumpkin and chocolate, can’t get any better! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks for the sweet words, Mira! Let me know how it goes 😀
Hey Ceara! There are NEVER too many pumpkin recipes to be had. Thanks for sharing this delicious one. PINNING THIS! What are you planning on making next, any ideas? On our end, we were thinking of doing vegan cookies and cream cheesecake, heh!
My thoughts exactly! Thanks for the kind words and the pin 🙂 Vegan cookies and cream cheesecake sounds ah-mazing!! I have a Pumpkin Mac and Cheese coming up!
You can share as many pumpkin recipe as you like especially if there like this! I would like a piece now please! X
Sending you one! Thanks <3
These look incredible Ceara! Keep the pumpkin recipes coming, I don’t think you can ever overdo it. 🙂
I like the way you think, Linda! There’s no such thing as overdoing pumpkin! 😀