No Bake Peanut Butter Bars {Oats}

Easy no bake peanut butter bars recipe, homemade with oats or oatmeal and without graham crackers. Requires 5 simple ingredients. They are smooth, creamy, rich and fudgy. Great as a healthy snack or dessert.

*Thank you Vital Proteins for sponsoring today's so that I can share this recipe with all of you. As always, all opinions are mine.*

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Do you guys remember those dessert bars from school cafeterias growing up that tasted like Reese's candy? I was crazy about them and my Mom developed a copycat healthier recipe years ago. They have all these "good for you" ingredients just like my Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Energy Balls and these Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bars (Eggless) but still taste remarkable.

Key ingredients for old fashioned peanut oat bars

• Peanut butter- You can use either smooth or chunky.
• Honey- Raw, local honey is best.
• Oats- To be used to make oat flour.
• Protein powder- This is completely optional.
• Chocolate chips- Melted to use as part of the top layer.

Variations

• Stir in ½ cup mini marshmallows- in the peanut butter mixture. It looks pretty and also adds a subtle chewy texture in each bite.
• For a granola version- Reduce the oat flour to ¼ cup and also add ½ cup of your favorite granola mixture.
• Add a chocolate drizzle- Melt white chocolate and drizzle that on top of the dark chocolate layer.
• Make a simple version with no chocolate- Just omit the chocolate layer completely.
• For crispy and crunchy texture- Add ⅓ cups roughly chopped salted pretzels on top of the chocolate layer before it has a chance to set. You can also use chunky peanut butter instead of smooth.
• Add chocolate chips- Stir in ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips in the peanut mixture for an additional chocolate flavor.
• Instead of dark chocolate- Use semisweet, milk or even white chocolate.
• Replace the top chocolate layer- With my Easy Chocolate Ganache (2 Ingredients) for even more of a fudge factor.
• Add cereal- Like Cornflakes, Cheerios, Frosted flakes, Rice Krispies. You can even replace the oat flour with a cereal of your choice. Make sure to pulse it in the food processor until it's in powder form.
• Try other flours- Instead of oat flour, you can use almond flour or even coconut flour. This would thicken the mixture and add a wonderful flavor too.
• Use graham crackers- Many old fashioned recipes for this treat that are in vintage cookbooks use graham cracker crumbs. You just replace oat flour with the same quantity of cookie crumbs and it works very well too.
• Add extracts and spices- Such as maple or almond extracts, pumpkin pie spice, or cinnamon.
• Top with nuts- Of your choice, such as walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, or cashews. Just make sure they are finely chopped.
• Mix in some shredded coconut- In the peanut mixture if you are a coconut fan.

How to make easy healthy no bake peanut butter bars recipe from scratch?

1. Add together- Peanut butter and honey (Image 1).
2. Mix in- Oat flour and collagen peptides until combined (Image 2,3).
3. Spread it in a square pan- and chill in the fridge (Image 4,5).
4. Melt together- Chocolate chips and peanut butter (Image 6).
5. Pour this mixture on top- Of the bars and spread evenly (Image 7).
6. Cut into bars- And enjoy (Image 8)!

Tips and techniques

• Use good quality peanut butter- Without any additives or anything artificial.
• You can use creamy or chunky peanut butter- But I like to use the creamy version for a smoother consistency. If you like a more crispy texture, then use chunky.
• If you don’t have oat flour- You can just pulse some quick cooking oats in a food processor for a few seconds to make your own homemade version.
• Use raw honey- If you can because I believe it tastes the best.
• If you don’t have honey- You can use maple syrup too.
• Don't use coconut oil- I have tried a couple of recipes with coconut oil but I find them to be too unstable. They melt too fast and are a little messy to eat. So, I don’t recommend that modification.
• To make perfect, sharp, square slices- Remove the pan from the fridge and keep it a room temperature for 10 minutes. Then, run a sharp knife under warm water, wipe it clean with a towel, and then cut slices.

I added some Vital Proteins collagen peptide powder in these bars to give them a boost of nutrition. These individual stick packs are my favorite thing in the world these days. I carry them in my purse and even my travel bags. I also have some in my gym bag for to use in my post work-out smoothies. They have no odor, flavor or color and your recipes won’t be affected at all, which is incredible.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

• Room temperature- These can be left out for 2-3 hours.
• Refrigerate- Keep in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
• Freeze- Store in a sealed container for up to 1 month.
• Make ahead- These can be made 1 day in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

More peanut butter desserts

• Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars
• Small Batch Peanut Butter Cookies (With Chocolate Chips)
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Soft and Chewy)
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Bark
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies (Thumbprints)
• How to Make Peanut Brittle (No Bake)

Recipe

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars (Oats)

Abeer Rizvi

Easy no bake peanut butter bars recipe, homemade with oats or oatmeal and without graham crackers. Requires 5 simple ingredients. They are smooth, creamy, rich and fudgy. Great as a healthy snack or dessert.

5 from 2 ratings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Chill time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16 pieces

Calories 460 kcal

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Peanut butter layer

• 2 cups Peanut butter Creamy
• ½ cup Honey I like to use raw honey
• ¾ cup Oat flour
• 1.5 tablespoon Unflavored protein powder I used 1 packet of collagen peptides

Chocolate layer

• 2 cups Dark chocolate chips Can also use semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup Peanut butter Creamy

Instructions

 

• In a mixing bowl, mix together peanut butter, honey, oat flour and collagen peptides until smooth.
• Spread this mixture in a square cake pan (Dimensions: 6x6).
• Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together and mix until smooth and glossy.
• Pour this chocolate mixture on top of the peanut butter layer and spread with a spatula.
• Chill overnight or at least 6 hours. Cut slices and enjoy.

Video

Notes

• Use creamy peanut butter for the smoothest texture. 
• If you prefer a crispy texture, use chunky peanut butter. 
• To make homemade oat flour, just pulse some quick oats in a food processor. 
• Add extracts of your choice for additional flavor. 
• Allow the mixture to set completely before slicing. 
• Maple syrup can be used instead of honey. 
• Read additional tips and variations above. 
• Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 460kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 14gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 11gSodium: 247mgPotassium: 482mgFiber: 4gSugar: 20gVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 1.5mg

An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.

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