No bake peanut butter oat bars are protein-rich and made in one bowl with 5 ingredients combining peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate to make an energizing, nutritious treat.
My no bake peanut butter oat bars are the best breakfast bars, so easy to make in one bowl with only 5 healthy ingredients, and no oven is required. The chocolate frosting is optional for these oatmeal cookie bars but simple, just melted chocolate chips softened with peanut butter and with an extra swirl of peanut butter on top.
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Why You'll Love These
Easy no bake oatmeal bar. Mix up 5 ingredients to make a bar similar to a granola bar although much softer.
A delicious flavor combination. Apparently, the body reacts positively to the flavors of chocolate and peanut butter combined.
Nutritious oat bar. Rolled oats are the backbone of this cookie bar recipe and oats are full of nutrition, making the bars filling, and full of fiber.
If you prefer a similar bar without peanut butter, check out my reader-favorite no bake chocolate brownies, my chocolate oatmeal bars, or my no bake chocolate protein bars. Like all the no bake snacks on my blog, these cookie bars too are dairy free, vegan and gluten free.
Ingredients
1. Rolled Oats. Rolled oats add fiber and help keep these oatmeal peanut bars gluten-free and nut-free and give the oat bar structure.
2. Peanut Butter. Any nut butter can be used.
3. Maple syrup. Or make a date paste with Medjool dates.
4. Chocolate. This recipe uses both unsweetened cocoa powder and chocolate chips.
5. Milk. I used almond milk to keep the bars dairy-free, but any milk works, although I do not recommend sweetened condensed milk.
See the recipe card at the bottom for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Steps to Make Peanut Butter Oat Bars
For more detail, visit the complete recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
Step 1: Measure out ingredients. You can use maple syrup or soak dates in just-boiled water or make my date paste. Mix ingredients in a bowl until crumbly.
Step 2: Press into a parchment-paper-lined loaf pan.
Step 3: If you are adding the frosting, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter and pour the mixture on top.
Step 4: Drizzle some melted peanut butter on top and use a toothpick to make a design.
Step 5: Cover the pan with plastic and chill in freezer or refrigerator for 30 minutes or until you can cut them. Cut and serve, store frozen or refrigerated.
Recipe Tips
1. Make sure you use a peanut butter that is natural and made of just nuts and oil.
2. To use maple syrup, use ¼ cup. To use date paste, use ⅓ cup and make it by blending 4-5 Medjool dates in ¼ cup of water.
3. To cut the peanut butter oatmeal bars, dip the knife in boiling hot water, wipe it dry, and then press the point and then edge of the knife on the chocolate for a moment to melt a cut before then pressing down to avoid the chocolate breaking.
Variations & Mix-ins
Nuts. Add ¼ cup chopped nuts of any variety.
Chia seeds. For added protein, add ¼ cup of chia seeds.
Raisins. Oatmeal and raisins go hand in hand, add ¼ cup. Add organic raisins to avoid sulfates.
Peanut butter & banana. Use a fork to squash in half a ripe banana to the mixture to create the classic peanut butter banana oatmeal flavor with these bars.
Granola. Sprinkle the top with your favorite crushed granola.
Storage
Room temperature & refrigerated. These no bake oatmeal peanut butter bars are fine at room temperature for 24 hours. After that, seal them in a container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freeze. To freeze, put them cut into a sealed container and freeze for up to three months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight for best texture.
FAQS
Yes! Oatmeal and peanut butter provide fiber, healthy fats, protein and carbs that support nearly every cell process in the body.
Peanut butter oatmeal bars are healthy because of the fiber in oats and the protein in peanut butter. Oats have about 8 grams of fiber per cup. Peanut butter has about 22 grams of protein per 3.5 ounces, one of the highest protein levels in a plant-based food.
More Healthy Bars
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Bars
Equipment
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Mixing bowl
- spoon
- parchment paper The parchment paper hangs over the sides so you can grab and lift out the bars.
Ingredients
Peanut butter oatmeal bars
- ½ cup peanut butter or nut butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup or ⅓ cup date paste ⅓ cup date paste = 4-5 dates blended with ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup dairy-free milk
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
frosting top
- ¾ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup peanut butter or nut butter
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Instructions
Prep
- Measure ingredients, and if using, make date paste by soaking 4-5 Medjool dates in just-boiled water for 2 minutes. Pit and blend with ¼ cup of water to make a paste.
- Melt peanut butter in microwave for 30 seconds until melted.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper hanging over the sides. That gives you handles to lift the bars out of the pan with.
Make the Oat Bars
- Put melted peanut butter into a mixing bowl.½ cup peanut butter
- Add maple syrup or the date paste, milk and stir.¼ cup maple syrup or ⅓ cup date paste, ¼ cup dairy-free milk
- Then pour in the oats, salt and cocoa and fold.2 cups rolled oats, ¼ cup cocoa powder, pinch of salt
- Press mixture into the pan. Press with spoon to even top.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes while you make chocolate top.
Make Chocolate Top
- Prepare chocolate top by melting the chips and peanut butter in a pyrex measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute.¾ cup chocolate chips, ¼ cup peanut butter
- Pour on top of chilled oat bar in pan.
- Top with a drizzle of more melted peanut butter over the chocolate. Use a tooth pick or a sharp knife to create the swirl effect. To melt some peanut butter, microwave ¼ cup in a microwave safe cup for 5-10 seconds repeatedly until melted.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill until the chocolate is set - about 30 minutes in the freezer or refrigerator or until you can slice them. Then slice into 8 squares.
Storage
- The bars are fine at room temperature for 24 hours. After that, seal them in a container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.To freeze, put them in a sealed container and freeze for up to three months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight for best texture.
Christy Long
I make these a LOT. They're absolutely delicious, and very much like health food!😉
Dee Dine
That's the best news, thank you for sharing and for your rating!
James W
WOW! These were beyond expectation. I forgot the milk and they still turned out great. So decadent tasting but still healthy sweet treat.
Dee Dine
I'm so glad you loved them! Thanks for commenting!
WG
Delicious! These are just what I was craving!!! Thank you!
Dee Dine
So glad you liked these bars! Thank you for the rating!
Stephanie J.
love love this recipe!!
but..if i wanted to add or replace to use carmel/salt how would i do that?
Dee Dine
Glad you love the recipe! Yes, you can either mix caramel and salt to taste into the bar base instead of the maple syrup, or you can add a caramel layer on top, and chill it to set before adding the chocolate top, and sprinkle on flaky salt. I typically use date paste instead of store-bought caramel.
Monty
The only thing I would change for my next go 'round is maybe add a little more of the almond or oat milk. For me, after using the amount called for in the recipe, once the oats absorbed so much of the liquid, the bars were a little dry. I'm sure it will take a bit of trial and error to find the right amount without making the bars soggy, but if making these over and over is the price I must pay to get it right, then it's a price I'm willing to pay.
Dee Dine
The moisture level will definitely fluctuate depending on your the moisture levels of your peanut butter, whether you choose dates or maple syrup, and even how fresh your oats are, but if your mixture looks like mine and is pressable so it holds shape in the pan, you are good to go!
Katie
Can I substitute honey for the syrup/date paste? Or would that be too thick?
Dee Dine
I think you could! It's the same consistency. The flavor will be sweeter as honey is higher in sugar.
Christy
These are INSANE!!! Im probably going to eat the entire batch. Next time, ill double it! Try with a frosty glass of milk🥰
Dee Dine
So glad you like them! We love these too.
Lolliime
Do these need to be refrigerated?
Dee Dine
These chocolate oat peanut butter bars are fine at room temperature for 24 hours. After that, seal them in a container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.