Here’s our new favorite trick for healthy treats: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars! These are everything you want in a treat: irresistible sweet peanut-y flavor, chewy texture, and a little drizzle of chocolate on top! These no bake oatmeal bars are like our famous bliss bite cookies, but easier and healthier (if that’s possible). And we can’t get enough of them! Our son Larson often asks with a sly smile if he can have an oatmeal bar: and we’re happy to indulge him. This sweet treat optimizes whole grain oats while hitting it big in the sweet, salty and satisfying department. Let’s get cooking! Though really…there’s no real cooking involved.
Ingredients for peanut butter oatmeal bars
There are only 5 ingredients you’ll need for these peanut butter oatmeal bars…and two are in the recipe title! That’s the ultimate easy recipe, right there. We love these no bake oatmeal bars for treats, but they’re also great for snacks since they’re mostly just whole grain oats. For breakfast bars, we prefer our straight up Oatmeal Bars: but you could also eat these for breakfast as well. Here’s what you’ll need for these babies:
Old Fashioned rolled oats: Use plain old oats here: not steel cut or instant oats!Peanut butter: We like natural peanut butter with no added sugar or salt, but use your favorite brand. Honey: Honey has the best warm flavor and sticky texture. See below for a few vegan options! Cinnamon: This spice adds just the right nuance. Dark chocolate: All you need is a 1 ounce of dark chocolate — it’s just a hint of the good stuff!
Chocolate drizzle is optional
The dark chocolate is optional here: but it’s a great addition! Just the small amount of chocolate adds a great punch, but still keeps the treats on the healthy side. How?
Dark chocolate adds just 8 calories per bar! That’s for the large sized bar (see more on that below). We’re not in the habit of counting calories, but we were pleasantly surprised to note that the drizzle doesn’t take it into decadent territory. Also try milk chocolate, peanut butter, or white chocolate. Some variations? Melt semi-sweet chocolate, peanut butter chips, or white chocolate chips into a drizzle. White chocolate and dark chocolate together would also look lovely.
Cut them into large or small servings
Serving size is helpful when you’re looking at healthy treats! These peanut butter oatmeal bars have two size options depending on what you’re looking for:
Cut them into 20 bars, 4 x 5-inches. We like small rectangles vs the standard large squares you get if you simply divide a 9 x 9 pan evenly into 16. Call us crazy, but it’s more fun to eat this size! Or go smaller: cut those in half to make 40 bars! Love curbing a sweets craving with a little morsel? Go for 40 small bars: they’re perfect for little nibbles.
Vegan no bake oatmeal bars
Want to make vegan peanut butter oatmeal bars instead? The honey in this recipe is important for creating a nuanced, warm flavor and the sticky texture. Typically we use maple syrup as a vegan sweetener, but it doesn’t have quite the same texture and sweetness here. We recommend using agave syrup: it’s slightly stickier than maple. But you can use maple syrup if it’s all you have!
How to store peanut butter oatmeal bars
These peanut butter oatmeal bars are the perfect treat to throw in the fridge and gobble up on moments notice! They keep very well in the fridge or freezer; here’s what to know:
Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If you do the drizzle, wait for it to dry, then place wax paper between the layers. Or just don’t care and stack them, like we do! Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. They also freeze well…and honestly taste great popped out of the freezer too.
More healthy bars & balls
We love these healthy bars as a sweet treat that’s not decadent and fills us up with whole grains! Here are a few more healthy bars that taste amazing:
Easy Oatmeal Bars The original! These are perfect for breakfast or snacks. Homemade Granola Bars Made at home, they’re full of amazing flavor.Peanut Butter Energy Balls or No Bake Energy Bites Try these tasty and easy energy bites that use similar ingredients.Pecan Energy Bars More like a granola bar meets a Larabar. Cashew No Bake Energy Bars Same idea, but with cashews and dates!
This peanut butter oatmeal bars recipe is…
Vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free. For vegan and plant-based, see the notes above.
More with peanut butter
Who doesn’t love nutty peanut butter? There’s nothing it doesn’t make better. Here are a few more peanut butter recipes to enjoy: 4.2 from 10 reviews **We typically use about 1 ounce for a very light drizzle, but you can use more if you’d like more chocolate.
Make up a batch of homemade peanut butterWake up to Peanut Butter Oatmeal or Peanut Butter Pancakes Throw together 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies or Peanut Butter Granola BarsBlend up a Peanut Butter Smoothie Make our famously easy Peanut Butter Dip
