These healthy banana flapjacks are perfect for lunchboxes, or a wholesome snack at any time of the day. Sweetened with ripe banana and just one tablespoon of honey, they are easy to make, taste delicious, and will keep your energy levels up.
What's great about healthy banana flapjacks?
They are good for you. These banana flapjacks are high in fibre, and low in added sugar. That means they won't send your blood sugar levels skyrocketing, and then crashing down later. They'll also keep you fuller for longer. In addition, the soluble fibre in oats, called beta glucans, is good for heart health. The combination of banana and oats will also provide you with a good source of B vitamins and a wide range of important minerals.
Easy to make, with everyday ingredients. It literally takes just 10 minutes to mix up a batch of these healthy banana flapjacks. The recipe uses everyday ingredients, and there's no special equipment required.
A delicious snack at any time of day. Even though they are low in added sugar, these banana flapjacks taste great and are very satisfying. And as they are as healthy as a bowl of oatmeal, you could even enjoy them for breakfast:)
Great to pack for on the go snacking. It's tempting to end up popping packaged snacks into lunchboxes as they are so easy. But these homemade flapjacks are a great replacement, and much healthier. They are robust, and don't make a mess when they are eaten on the go.
Ingredients
You'll just need 5 simple everyday ingredients for these healthy flapjacks:
- Oats. You'll need rolled or porridge oats for this recipe. Instant oats won't have the same texture, and steel cut oats will be too chewy as they won't cook through properly.
- Banana. Make sure that your banana is properly ripe, as you'll get a much better flavour.
- Butter. If you prefer, you can use olive oil, or another type of health oil in this recipe. Compared to many flapjack recipes, these flapjacks are lower in fat, but a little makes for a better taste and the texture.
- Honey. This provides a little extra sweetness and flavour. If you want vegan flapjacks, you could use maple syrup instead. If doesn't matter if you use runny or set honey, as you can melt it with the butter to ensure it mixes in easily.
- Cinnamon enhances the sweetness in the recipe. You can use mixed spice instead if you prefer, or experiment with other spices such as some grated nutmeg, allspice or ground cardamom.
How to make healthy banana flapjacks
Peel and mash the banana with a fork in a large bowl.
Melt the butter in a pan. If you are using set honey, add this to the pan along with the butter so that it softens and is easier to mix. As soon as the butter is melted, turn off the heat. (If you are using oil instead, skip this step.)
Add the melted butter, honey, cinnamon and oats to the mashed banana and stir well.
Place a piece of baking paper in the bottom of a 1lb/450g loaf tin. Spoon the flapjack mixture into the prepared tin and level out with a spoon.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees (160 fan) for 30 minutes. Turn partway through if necessary to ensure that the flapjacks brown evenly.
When cool enough to handle, remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Cut into 6 pieces.
Storage
These healthy banana flapjacks will store well in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If you want to store them for longer, wrap them well and pop them in the freezer.
Frequently asked questions
For this quantity of mixture, I use a 1lb/450 g loaf tin, which has dimensions of 21cm x 10cm. Obviously, you don't really need the depth of a loaf tin to make flapjacks, but in my case it was the best size of tin that I had. If you want to make double the mixture, then you can use a 20 x 20 cm square pan.
This recipe can easily be adapted to vegan. Simply switch the butter for oil - you could use olive oil or coconut oil. You'll also need to replace the honey with maple syrup.
You can use certified gluten free oats to ensure that these flapjacks are free from gluten.
You could use a food processor or blender to mash the banana, but stir in the oats by hand otherwise they will lose their texture. I find that the recipe is so quick to make that it's not worth the hassle of washing up the food processor.
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As an alternative to banana, you could also make healthy flapjacks with applesauce.
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a rating and/or comment at the bottom of the page. Your feedback and questions are much appreciated.
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Healthy Banana Flapjacks
Ingredients
- 1 large banana
- 30 g butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 120 g porridge oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan). Line the base of a 21cm x 10cm loaf tin with baking paper.
- Mash the banana in a large bowl.
- Melt the butter. If you are using set honey, add this to the pan with the butter so that it is easier to mix. Turn off the heat as soon as the butter/honey are melted.
- Add the melted butter, honey, cinnamon and oats to the banana and stir together until well mixed.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, and bake for 30 minutes.
- When cool enough to handle, remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Cut into 6 rectangles.
Notes
- Instead of melted butter, you can use olive oil or another healthy oil
- Maple syrup can be used instead of honey, if you want vegan banana flapjacks
- Use ground mixed spice instead of cinnamon if you prefer. You could also use some allpice, nutmeg or cardamom.
Please note nutritional information is for guidance only
Kristin
Made these today. Turned out absolutely delicious.
Wendy
Thank you, that's great to hear. Enjoy:)