No Bake Oatmeal Bars

By Laura

Posted May 19, 2019, Updated May 10, 2024

4.98 from 94 votes

136 Comments

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These no bake oatmeal bars with peanut butter are a nutritious dessert or snack! They’re easy to make in 5 minutes with a handful of simple ingredients.

These no bake oatmeal bars with peanut butter are one of our favorite healthy treats. They are easy to make with 7 ingredients 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 delicious combination of all my favorite things: Peanut butter, chocolate, coconut, and honey. 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.

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 are a good substitute, just decrease the amount by 2 Tablespoons.
• Almond flour. If you have a tree-nut allergy in your family, increase the amount of oats by ¼ cup and omit the almond flour. You can also substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour.
• Peanut Butter. Any nut or seed butter works well in this recipe, however depending on the consistency you may need to adjust the amount used.
• Honey. maple syrup is a great substitute.

How to Make No Bake Oatmeal Bars 

Let’s discuss how to make no bake oatmeal bars, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Begin by combining the honey, peanut butter and vanilla and stir to combine. I use natural peanut butter so it’s liquid at room temperature 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.

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 Tablespoon 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.

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

Make the Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping

Once the oatmeal layer is pressed into the pan, make the chocolate layer by melting the chocolate and peanut butter together in the microwave or on a stovetop over low heat until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Assemble & Set

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

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 & Serve

Remove the no bake oatmeal bars from the refrigerator before the chocolate is completely set, otherwise they will be difficult to cut.

Cut into 16 squares and serve slightly cold or room temperature.

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.

No Bake Oatmeal Bars Recipe FAQs

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No-Bake Oatmeal Bars with Peanut Butter

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 94 votes

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 16 bars

Calories 188

Prep Time10 minutes minutes

Chill time30 minutes minutes

Total Time40 minutes minutes

Equipment

• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• spatula
• 8×8″ baking pan

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the bars:

• ▢ 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• ▢ 1 cup unsweetened coconut (shredded)
• ▢ ¼ cup almond meal
• ▢ ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• ▢ ½ cup honey
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Topping*

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

Instructions 

Make the Oatmeal Layer

• 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 8×8” pan and set aside.

Make 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).

Assemble

• Drizzle or spread melted chocolate/peanut butter over bars.
• Let the bars set up at room temperature or in the refrigerator until the chocolate is hardened.

Serve

• Cut and serve at room temperature or cold.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions

• Old-fashioned oats. Quick-cooking oats are a good substitute, just decrease the amount by 2 Tablespoons.
• Almond flour. If you have a tree-nut allergy in your family, increase the amount of oats by ¼ cup and omit the almond flour. You can also substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour.
• Peanut Butter. Any nut or seed butter works well in this recipe, however depending on the consistency you may need to adjust the amount used.
• Honey. maple syrup is a great substitute.

*Refined Sugar Free Topping

• ¼ unsweetened chocolate
• 1 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey

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

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: 1bar | Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.6g | Sodium: 35mg | Potassium: 15mg | Fiber: 2.7g | Sugar: 11.4g | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!

This recipe is so delicious that my daughter (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 delicious recipe on our hands.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars