Crunchy Pineapple, Banana, and Pecan Granola Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

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Let the feeling of spring in with these simple Crunchy Pineapple, Banana, and Pecan Granola Bars with Cream Cheese Icing…aka Hummingbird Granola Bars! Probably the BEST celebration of spring and summer flavors all in one bite. These bars have the perfect crunch and are hinted throughout with pineapple and banana, nutty, and perfectly sweetened. Oh, and we can’t forget about the cream cheese icing on top! No hummingbird cake would be complete without it. The icing adds a classic creamy, sweet, tanginess that really sets these granola bars apart from everything else! The bars are made with a dried bananas, dried pineapple, a dash of cinnamon, old-fashioned oats, chopped pecans, and just a little bit of honey. Oh so simple, but SO very good. Of course, each bar is then finished off with a light drizzle of cream cheese frosting. A truly decadent spring or summer snack! The best part? These granola bars are completely gluten-free.

→ This post is also available as a Web Story: Pineapple, Banana, and Pecan Granola Bars

About The Recipe

Even though we’re still in the middle of winter and it’s in the mid 40’s most days, we can’t help but dream of warmer weather! Which is where the inspiration behind these granola bars came from. I mean, what is more spring/summer-y than pineapple and bananas?

Every bite tastes like sunshine! Well, it actually tastes just like hummingbird cake, but we’ll keep that between us.

One of my absolute favorite cakes to bake has been Hummingbird Cake since we made it a few years ago for the blog. It may be a southern recipe, but it LITERALLY tastes so tropical. I adore it!

If you’ve never had the cake version of this granola bar, then no worries! You can actually introduce yourself to the cake with our super simple Hummingbird Cake recipe. Though, between me and you, I think I might actually prefer these granola bars.

Made using dried pineapple, banana chips, ground cinnamon, pecans, and oatmeal. Seriously. It doesn’t get any easier or more delicious! The best part? These granola bars are no-bake, gluten free, and can be made dairy free if you leave off the frosting.

Though, developing and testing the recipe for these granola bars was definitely not as easy as we were originally hoping it was going to be.

We have made these granola bars a total of FOUR times. Each time, the recipe changed. Our first incarnation was a soft and chewy bar that didn’t hold up well and, for some reason, we thought there was coconut in it. I think it’s probably because our original granola bars have coconut flakes, plus every other granola we do also has coconut.

Obviously, Hummingbird Cake doesn’t have coconut in it and we didn’t want soft and chewy bars. So, we tried again after making adjustments to the recipe…but it was the same result. We couldn’t figure out what the problem was!

We found out through LOTS (like two days worth!) of research on granola bars that we had too much liquid.

Immediately, my mom refigured the recipe and scaled the syrup WAY back. Our third batch was perfect…but we waited too long to cut them and instead of cutting, they broke apart. So, while very tasty and crunchy, we couldn’t take photos of them because we had Hummingbird Granola…not granola bars.

Our four batch of these granola bars, we cut them while still mostly warm and…it worked! We finally had perfect and delicious Pineapple Banana Granola bars.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s let the sunshine in and get to making these delicious granola bars!

What To Expect From These Granola Bars

• Only 10 ingredients!
• Tastes just like the southern classic Hummingbird Cake!
• These bars are actually so easy to make!
• Uses a blend of honey and brown sugar as the syrup to bind the nuts and fruits.
• The perfect use of rolled oats.
• Perfectly sweet and tropical.

Equipment Needed

• Jelly Roll Pan
• Parchment Paper
• Mixing Bowls
• Rubber Spatula

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

For The Granola:

• Dried Pineapple
• Dried Banana Chips
• Chopped Pecans
• Rolled Oats
• Ground Cinnamon
• Raw Unfiltered Honey
• Brown Sugar
• Vegetable Oil
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract

For The Icing:

• Cream Cheese
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Whole Milk

How To Make These Crunchy Pineapple, Banana, and Pecan Granola Bars

Step 1: Make the granola

In a large glass bowl, mix together the oats, ground pecans, banana chips, dried pineapple, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a small glass bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla.

Pour the honey mixture into the nuts and fruits mixture. Mix well.

Step 2: Bake

Dump the granola onto a lined jelly-roll pan and spread to cover the bottom. Pack down tightly.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the bars to cool for 12-15 minutes before cutting.

Step 3: Make icing

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese.

Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Mix in the vanilla.

Stir in the milk.

Step 4: Cut and drizzle

Cut the cooled granola bars and drizzle with icing.

Substituions

• If you want to make this recipe vegan, use agave instead of honey, vegan cream cheese, and your favorite non-dairy milk (we like it most with unsweetened almond and unsweetened coconut milk!).
• You can use any honey you like, but raw and unfiltered honey tastes the best and has the most nutritional benefits. In the photos, we used what we had on hand because we had to make these bars so many times! But, it really is best to use a lighter honey.

How To Store

It’s best to store these granola bars without the icing on the counter in a zip-top bag for 7-10 days. If there is icing, keep these granola bars in the freezer for up to 2 months! Since our icing is actual cream cheese and milk products and no preservatives, this leads to a much shorter shelf life compared to store-bought. Which is why we recommend freezing them if the bars have been iced.

Expert Tips

• Use a metal spatula or a measuring cup to pack granola tightly into pan.
• If you under bake, the bars will be soft and chewy when they cool. You can fix this by putting them back in the oven for a few more minutes!
• Don’t try to cut the bars when they are hot, they will fall apart. Though, don’t wait too long to cut them, either. You will also need to use a very sharp knife to keep these bars from breaking when cutting.
• This recipe is naturally gluten free with vegan options!

When you make this Crunchy Pineapple, Banana, and Pecan Granola Bars with Cream Cheese Icing, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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