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.
-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
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!
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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!
Here are our favorite RIPE BANANA RECIPES:
- Banana Cream Cookies
- Banana Split Milkshakes
- Chocolate Chip Banana Cake
- Banana Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Nutella Banana Muffins
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!
Jessica says
Blueberry and bananas are a flavor match made in heaven. These were easy to make and my whole family loved them. Thanks!
Jaime says
Delicious! No glaze necessary. I chose not to put the glaze on. My bananas were larger, so I only needed three. I used 50/50 applesauce and coconut oil. I will be making this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Jessica says
We love these without the glaze too Jaime! So glad you enjoyed them!
Suzy says
The tip about ripening the bananas quickly was so helpful! We were able to bake these up and enjoy them!
Amanda Finks says
Love the combination of blueberries & bananas in these yummy bars!
Amanda Finks says
Forgot to rate 😊
Kim and Kalee says
Can I just say, YUM?! We loved the combination of bananas and blueberries, and the texture of these bars were absolutely perfect! They’re a must-make!
Alison says
Thanks so much Kim and Kalee! I’m so glad these turned out just right for you!
Joan Pearce says
These blueberry banana bars were simply delicious. Incredibly moist without using much fat in the recipe.
Speaking of the recipe, the vanilla was listed in the ingredients but omitted from the instructions so I just added it to the wet ingredients.
This recipe is so easy and nutritious, baking these bars certainly would be a fun project to do with all those at home bored school children.
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed them Joan!
Sarah says
These do not even need the glaze. They are sweet and perfect. So easy to throw together. They took longer than twenty two minutes but they were easy to keep an eye on and at twenty seven minutes are perfect. Will we even have enough left at the end of the day to freeze? Maybe not. Thanks!
Nellie says
So glad you enjoyed them Sarah!
SJ says
Five bananas mashed does not equal 1 2/3 C. Make sure to measure the amount of mashed bananas to recipe as this was way too much bananas for the amount of flour. I also substituted almond flour with the baking soda as recommended. This did not constitute enough flour to turn these into bars. The result was a very banana sweet mush.
Jessica says
Bananas have a tendency to vary in size. Honestly though, this recipe is SUPER versatile. I always use 5-6 bananas. Turns out great! I think the issue is with the almond flour.
Ethan says
I can second this. Used 5 normal sized bananas, followed the rest of the recipe to a tee and turned out as banana mush. In hind sight, 5 bananas made probably 3 cups at least for me. Not sure where everyone else gets their bananas…. or they just do a better job reading the recipe and measure out the correct amount.
Jessica says
I’m sorry it didn’t work out- can you double check the measurements, pan size, etc? I have made these countless times and it’s always proved to be a very easy, versatile recipe.
Leslie says
I only used 4 bananas (cause that’s all I had) & they turned out great. Did not glaze them either as they are sweet enough as is. Took longer than 22 minutes – did mine 25. Will make again!
Alison says
I also love them without the glaze Leslie! Glad they turned out great for you!
Trisha says
I only have a 13 × 9 pan. Can I use it?
Nellie says
Yes, but you may have to increase the baking time by about 5-7 minutes so just keep a close eye on them.
Mary says
I will not be making this again …way too bland. Not enough sugar or favor…. I usually put less sugar in recipes that is called for but I did use 3/4 cup of sugar. My very ripe bananas didn’t add sugar. If you do make it , the glaze is needed.
Jessica says
Wow! There’s always plenty of sugar/ flavor when we make it! Everyone’s different I guess.
Lynn Moratz says
Loved these. Used the info for cutting down on sugar & oil vs. applesauce..Thnx. Made the glaze and I think that takes these Over The Top
So good, moist, banana & blueberries bursting in every Bite. We Loved them. Thnx!!❤️✅👍
Nicole says
We’re happy to know that you loved this recipe!
Michelle says
So yummy, I didn’t have any oil so I used melted butter instead and they were delicious!
Jessica says
Butter is always a good idea!