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.
Substituted WOW butter for the peanut butter… used extra oats to replace the almond meal and used 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips instead of 1/4 regular chocolate chips! WOW! So easy and tasty! Satisfied my sweet tooth while being on the healthy side !
Thank you Joey!
Absolutely divine!!! Used 2 100g bars dark choc for the topping as there were no choc chips in the shop. Used ground almonds instead of almond flour as assumed it was same thing. Obsessed with these!! Sooooooooo good!! Healthy is a misnomer tho…… 😉
Thank you Georgia! They are definitely healthier than traditional desserts! 🙂
Love these! It’s fun when I feel like making something but don’t have a lot of time. I also love that they use healthy wholesome ingredients and they’re a great energy boost in the middle of the day. My husband is allergic to almonds so I used an extra 1/4 C oats. I also did 1/2 honey 1/2 agave syrup and they turned out great!
Thank you Olive!
This was so good! I worried that the coconut would be too much, but it was great. I didn’t have almond meal, so I simply increased the oats by 1/4 cup. I cut the honey almost in half and, to make up for the lost liquid, subbed 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil instead, which really helped the bars stick together when firmed up in the fridge. My husband liked it too, so I’m sure this will become a family staple.
These were delicious! I agree that the honey can easily be decreased to 1/4 or 1/3 of a cup; I will do that next time and try your tip of adding in a little coconut oil. 🙂
I personally found that a quarter cup of chocolate chips wasn’t enough to cover the whole pan—I will use 1/2 cup next time and add coconut oil to make it more spreadable. I also used 1/4 teaspoon salt and topped them with flaky sea salt, so good!
can i use date syrup on stead of honey? and is the pb natural pb?
Hello,
My parents and husband cannot have sugar and it’s always such a pain for me to find good, quick recipes that don’t use artificial sweeteners. As I was searching away for recipe for mom’s birthday, I came across your recipe and immediately bookmarked it, and sure glad I did!! I usually never leave reviews but if it’s the same recipe I’m making the 3rd time, that definitely deserves a 5 * review :)) Thanks so much for the amazing recipe!! So easy and calls for everything that I have in my pantry. And the taste is phenomenal! My entire family thoroughly enjoyed them and I ended up making it two more times after that. And just made some today for a tea party. Love the recipe so much!! Thank you!!
I made these and they are so delicious!
Our new go to! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi, wondering what I can use in place of the almond meal?
She answered this question in her post. She listed substitutions for most of the ingredients.
These were great! Made just as directed, except I halved the recipe and used a 9×5 loaf pan. It ended up making 6 squares, which was the perfect amount. For anyone looking to make just a small batch, it’s totally doable– and delicious!
Hey there! Any recs for an oatmeal substitute? I was thinking of using almond meal instead. Any thoughts?
Thank you 💕
I was wondering how big a serving size is? I assumed it would be about 1/9 of the pan, but the nutrition facts don’t specify. If someone could let me know, I’d greatly appreciate it 🤗
Hi! At the top of the recipe it says it makes 16 bars!