Healthy No-Bake Oatmeal Bars

These chocolate peanut butter no-bake oatmeal bars are an easy & healthy dessert or snack! They only take 5 minutes to make, and are gluten and dairy-free! Plus they have no refined sugar and are vegan-friendly!

These No-Bake Oatmeal Bars with Peanut Butter & Coconut are one of our favorite healthy treats! They are made with only 7 ingredients and come together in 10 minutes and are so delicious your kids will think they're eating dessert when they're really eating a wholesome snack!  

These No-Bake Oatmeal Bars are a combination of all my favorite things...Peanut butter, chocolate, coconut, and honey. YUM! Plus they are no bake, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free and SO easy to make!

Seriously, combine the wet ingredients then add the dry ingredients, mix it up, press into pan.  Melt some chocolate & peanut butter then drizzle or spread it on top and you're done. The longest (and most challenging) part of this no-bake oatmeal bars recipe is letting the bars cool enough to eat without making a mess.

I just have to tell you, that these No-Bake Oatmeal Bars are so delicious that my daughter Bethany (age 8) ate one and said, "MOM, next year on my birthday I want these instead of cake."

That girl lives for dessert, especially, birthday cake. She starts brainstorming ideas for her cake in July...and her birthday is in January. (Priorities) So needless to say, when she says "I want these instead of a birthday cake," it means that we have a seriously rockin' recipe on our hands.

No-Bake Oatmeal Bars: Ingredients & Substitutions

As always, I recommend making this recipe exactly as it's written, but here are a few possible substitutions!

• Old-fashioned oats. Quick-cooking oats can be use here you just might need to add 1-2 TBS extra peanut butter to keep the bars from becoming too crumbly! 
• Almond meal. If you have a tree-nut allergy in your family simply increase the amount of oats by ¼ cup and omit the almond meal. You can also substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour!
• Peanut Butter. Any nut or seed butter should work well in this recipe, however depending on the consistency you may need to adjust the amount used.
• Honey. Any liquid sweetener will work well in this recipe, however honey is my favorite! For a vegan version use pure maple syrup. 

How to make No-Bake Oatmeal Bars 

These No-Bake Oatmeal Bars with Peanut Butter & Coconut are SO easy to make, but let's walk through the process step-by-step to ensure your success!

Combine the wet ingredients

Combine the honey, peanut butter together and the vanilla and stir to combine. I use natural peanut butter so it's very smooth, liquidy and easy to stir.

If you are using a firmer peanut butter (one that is solid at room temperature), I recommend gently melting it with the honey either in the microwave or on the stovetop until it's easy to stir! Then add the vanilla once the honey and peanut butter are combined!

Add the dry ingredients 

Next, add the dry ingredients and stir until everything is combined and the mixture is uniform throughout. As you can see below, the mixture should be firm but not soupy. 

• If the mixture is too wet add more oats 1 TBS at a time until it reaches the correct consistency. 
• If the mixture is too dry add more honey or peanut butter until it reaches the correct consistency. 

Hopefully you won't run into either one of these issues! But in case you do there are some solutions for you!

Press mixture into a baking dish

Using a spatula or your greased hands, press the mixture into the bottom of an 8x8" baking dish and set aside but do NOT chill. 

Make the Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping

Simply melt chocolate and peanut butter together in the microwave or on a stovetop over low heat until the mixture is smooth and glossy. See the recipe card for a refined sugar free version (not using chocolate chips)!

Pour the chocolate/peanut butter mixture on top of the bars in the baking dish and use a spatula to spread it out evenly.

Chill

Place the bars in the refrigerator to harden, or let them sit at room temperature until the chocolate is set (this takes significantly longer). 

Cut and Serve

Be sure to remove the No-Bake Oatmeal Bars from the refrigerator before the chocolate is completely set, otherwise they will be difficult to cut.

Store/freeze

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw slowly at room temperature - do not microwave.

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No-Bake Oatmeal Bars (with Peanut Butter & Coconut)

Laura

These chocolate peanut butter no-bake oatmeal bars are an easy & healthy dessert or snack! They only take 5 minutes to make, and are gluten and dairy-free! Plus they have no refined sugar and are vegan-friendly!

4.98 from 75 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Chill time 30 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 16 bars

Calories 188 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the bars:

• ▢ 1 cup old-fashioned oats gluten-free
• ▢ 1 cup unsweetened coconut (shredded)
• ▢ ¼ cup almond meal
• ▢ ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• ▢ ½ cup honey
• ▢ ¼ to ½ tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla

For the chocolate topping:

• ▢ ¼ cup chocolate chips
• ▢ 1 TBS peanut butter

Refined-sugar free topping option:

• ▢ ¼ cup unsweetened chocolate chopped
• ▢ 1 TBS peanut butter
• ▢ 1-2 TBS honey or maple syrup

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

For the Bars:

• In a small bowl mix together oats, coconut and almond meal. Set aside
• In a large, microwave safe bowl or in a pot on the stove, gently melt the peanut butter and honey together until smooth. (If your peanut butter is liquid at room temperature, simply mix the honey and peanut butter together without warming). 
• Add vanilla and salt (to taste...I love sweet/salty so I use ½ tsp) and stir until combined.
• Add the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Spread into an 8x8” pan and set aside.

For the topping:

• Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together on the stovetop or in the microwave (start by heating for 60 seconds. Stir then heat in 30 second increments until smooth).

Refined-sugar free topping:

• In the microwave or on the stovetop, gently melt together the chocolate, honey (or maple syrup) and peanut butter.

Putting it together:

• Drizzle or spread melted chocolate/peanut butter over bars.
• Let the bars setup on the counter or in the fridge until the chocolate sets.
• Cut and serve at room temperature or cold!
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions

• Old-fashioned oats. Quick-cooking oats can be use here you just might need to add 1-2 TBS extra peanut butter to keep the bars from becoming too crumbly! 
• Almond meal. If you have a tree-nut allergy in your family simply increase the amount of oats by ¼ cup and omit the almond meal. You can also substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour!
• Peanut Butter. Any nut or seed butter should work well in this recipe, however depending on the consistency you may need to adjust the amount used.
• Honey. Any liquid sweetener will work well in this recipe, however honey is my favorite! For a vegan version use pure maple syrup. 

Store/freeze

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw slowly at room temperature - do not microwave.

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 188kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 5gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3.6gSodium: 35mgPotassium: 15mgFiber: 2.7gSugar: 11.4gVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 0.5mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More delicious recipes:

• These healthy peanut butter blondies
• Fudgy paleo brownies (seriously try them)!
• This Puppy Chow (gluten-free & dairy-free)!
• And my favorite black bean brownies!

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