Fresh Milled Honey Banana Bars
Soft and nourishing, these banana bars are sweetened with honey instead of refined sugar and made with freshly milled flour. These are the kind of everyday bars you feel good handing to hungry kids after a morning outside — filling, comforting, and gently sweet instead of dessert-level sugary.
They’re tender, cozy, and full of real flavor: warm vanilla, ripe banana, walnuts, and just enough chocolate to feel special.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Naturally sweetened with honey
- Made with fresh milled soft wheat flour
- Lower sugar than typical banana bars
- Hearty enough for snacks or breakfast
- Easy to make, no mixer required
- Kid approved but still satisfying for adults
This recipe was created because many banana bar recipes rely on both bananas AND a full cup of sugar — which turns a wholesome snack into cake. Here the banana provides moisture and natural sweetness while the honey adds just enough warmth and depth.
Jump to RecipeWhy Fresh Milled Flour?
Fresh milled flour keeps the entire wheat berry intact, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. This means it delivers naturally occurring fiber, healthy fats, and essential nutrients in every bake. When you mill flour fresh, you preserve B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc, and magnesium that disappear during commercial processing.
By using fresh milled flour, you support digestion, steady energy, and overall wellness — not just empty calories.
I have the NutriMill Classic. I use mine several times a week and have had no issues in over two years. It is a great, affordable grain mill.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Soft white wheat – soft white wheat is ideal
- Baking soda
- Salt – I use pink himalayan salt, but any salt will work
- Butter – melted
- Honey – raw honey is best
- Vanilla – I love my homemade vanilla extract!
- Egg
- Banana – very ripe banana’s work best
- Chocolate Chips – We love dark chocolate with these gently sweet banana bars
- Walnuts – Any nuts you like will work. Or omit if nut allergy.
Equipment/Ingredients I Use
Our favorite add-ins – chocolate chips and walnuts
Instructions
Prep
Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
Prepare the Dry Ingredients
Start by milling your flour. Soft white wheat works best. Whisk the flour, salt and baking soda. Set the dry ingredients aside while you prepare the wet ingredients.
Mix the Wet Ingredients
Start by melting the butter. I love using my stainless steel bowls beings I can melt the butter in them using low heat on my stove. I always vote for the option that makes less dishes to wash! Then whisk in the honey and mix till smooth. Next, add the egg, vanilla, and mashed banana. Stir until fully combined.
Combine
Fold the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and nuts, stirring them in gently. Avoid over-mixing. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
Bake the Banana Bars
Allow the batter to rest while the oven preheats to 350°. Freshly milled flour absorbs more moisture and benefits from a short rest before baking. Don’t skip the 10–15 minute rest — it softens the crumb and prevents density. Bake 22–26 minutes until edges are lightly golden and the center springs back softly.
Variations and Tips
- Sprinkle flaky salt on top before baking
- For nut allergies, skip the nuts and double the chocolate chips
- Dark chocolate chips pair best with honey sweetness
- Use very ripe bananas for natural sweetness
Fresh Milled Banana Bars
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 125 g soft white wheat
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 113 g melted butter 1/2 cup
- 85 g honey 1/4 cup
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup mashed banana 1 large
Mix-ins
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup walnuts
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- First, mill the soft white wheat flour. Then mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together melted butter and honey until smooth. Add egg, vanilla, and mashed banana. Stir until fully combined.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Be careful to not over-mix.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Let the batter rest 10–15 minutes to hydrate the fresh milled flour while the oven preheats.
- Spread evenly into prepared pan.
- Bake 22–26 minutes until edges are lightly golden and the center springs back softly.
- Cool at least 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into 9 large bars or 16 small squares. Store covered in fridge for up to a week.
Notes
Variations and Tips
- Sprinkle flaky salt on top before baking
- For nut allergies, skip the nuts and double the chocolate chips
- Dark chocolate chips pair best with honey sweetness
- Use very ripe bananas for natural sweetness
Did you make this?
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Very delicious, happy to find a recipe that doesn’t use sugar and uses 100% freshly milled flour. Doubling the recipe to bake in a 9×13 pan is perfect. Since these were for the “public,” I did add a cream cheese/organic powdered sugar thin glaze. Thank you. I’ll definitely be trying more of your recipes!
Glad you liked them! We love all things 100% fresh milled flour and are working on adding more recipes with no processed sugar. Thank you for following along!