No Bake Oatmeal Bars
Posted May 19, 2019, Updated May 10, 2024
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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
Yes, double the ingredients and use a 9×13″ baking dish.
Yes, halve the ingredients and use a 9×5″ loaf pan.
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No-Bake Oatmeal Bars with Peanut Butter
Ingredients
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.
Video
Notes
- 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.
- ¼ unsweetened chocolate
- 1 Tablespoon creamy peanut butter
- 1 to 2 tablespoons honey
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
I saw these on your social media this morning and was immediately smitten! Just whipped them up this evening and they are everything I expected and more– just like something my Grandma would make, but so much healthier! Thanks so much for this recipe. 🙂
These look like an amazing alternative to the “Special K” bars I grew up with! I can’t wait to make them!
They seem yummy.. Any suggested substitutes for the coconut flakes? We are not fans of coconut here..
You can simply use all oatmeal if you’d like. However coconut tastes amazing in these! 😉
I was legit thinking about a recipe using coconut flakes a few days ago, so I instantly made these as soon as I saw your post. I used chunky peanut butter and… oh. my. goodness. They taste like a candy bar! Thanks, Laura. 🙂
I’m also thinking about a dessert recipe with lemons… (nudge, nudge)
OoOoO love the idea of chunky PB! YUM! LOL I definitely need to do something with lemons! I’ll add that to the list! 😉
LOVED these! Mine were about 1/3 of the thickness of yours though and I’m wondering if you doubled or tripled the recipe for the photo at the top (I used an 8×8 pan)? Thanks for posting!
Hey Brenda! Just remember that photos can be deceiving! They look a lot thicker than reality on an up-close macro shot! 🙂 I made the recipe as written for the video!
Thank you!
These are so good I cannot stop making them. This is our 3rd batch in 3 weeks. We have a serious problem due to the irresistability of these little bars. I do not know whether to love you or loathe you. So delicious. So chewy. So chocolatey. Awesome job!
LOL Jen!!! I’m SO glad you love these! They’re a favorite around here too!!!
These look yummy! I work in ounces or grams – what is the equivalent of 1 cup please?
Hi there. Can I use coconut sugar in place of honey?
Hey Rachel! Coconut sugar would yield a very dry bar that would not hold together. You may use any liquid sweetener!
Can I substitute almond meal in this recipe? I can’t find almond meal in mu country!
Absolutely!! Simply increase either the coconut or oats by 1/4 cup!
Mmmm! I want exactly this, but baked. Do you have any experience with that or a really similar recipe that is baked? I may have to just try these anyway, they look amazing.
Hey Megan! I don’t have experience with a similar baked version of these! But if I come across one you’ll be the first to know!