Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars (No-Bake)
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Sep. 5, 2024
These Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars are easy, unbelievably yummy, and packed with a boost of healthy energy. A perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter, this no-bake recipe is ready in 20 minutes.
In This Article
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Why This Recipe Stands Out
Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:
- Super Easy: This recipe uses easy-to-find ingredients and comes together quickly, like our Forever Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- No-Bake: No need to turn on the oven for these bars! Similar to our Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Bars.
- Healthy Ingredients: This recipe is packed with nutritious ingredients like oats, coconut, and nuts, making them a perfect, guilt-free snack.
- No Refined Sugar: These bars are sweetened with honey, making them a healthier alternative to traditional dessert bars, like these 5-Ingredient Protein Bars!
- Kids Love Them: Even our kids and teenagers love these. You’ll feel so good about packing these up for them!
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Creamy Peanut Butter – The creamy peanut butter not only adds a rich, nutty flavor but also acts as tasty binder.
- Pure Honey – Honey not only adds a touch of natural sweetness but also helps to soften the bars, giving them a chewy texture.
- Coconut Oil – Coconut oil adds a hint of flavor and helps to firm up the bars, giving them structure once they cool.
- Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – Mini chips melt easier than regular-sized chips, and their mini size ensures a more even distribution of chocolate throughout the bars.
- Old Fashioned Oats – The oats add a hearty, chewy texture and are a good source of fiber.
- Shredded Coconut – It adds a slightly chewy texture and great flavor.
- Chopped Nuts – We love using either pecans or walnuts for an added crunch. They also add a nice nutty flavor to the bars.
Substitutions And Variations
Here are our favorite substitutions and variations:
- Nut Butter: The creamy peanut butter can be substituted with almond butter or any other nut or seed butter. If you use a natural nut butter, make sure it is well-stirred and not too runny.
- Sweetener: Pure honey can be substituted with maple syrup for a vegan version. We also recommend trying our Vegan Pumpkin Bread this fall!
- Chocolate Chips: Dark chocolate chips or even white chocolate chips would also work well in this recipe, as they do in our White Chocolate Raspberry Muffins.
- Nut-Free: Feel free to substitute the nuts with seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds for a nut-free version, or try our Nut-Free Healthy Cookies!
- No Coconut: Feel free to omit the shredded coconut flakes, if desired.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- In a large saucepan, melt peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil over medium-low heat. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until just melted.
- Add oats, coconut, nuts, and vanilla to the melted mixture. Stir until fully incorporated.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into a greased 9×13-inch pan. Spread it out evenly and sprinkle extra coconut if desired. Chill for several hours or overnight.
- Cut the hardened mixture into squares and serve chilled. Keep the bars covered and chilled to prevent melting.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
Take a look at our favorite prep ahead tips and strategies:
- Make-Ahead: These chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Take out of the fridge for 10 minutes to soften before serving if desired.
- Freeze for Later: These bars also freeze well, so you can make a big batch and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just be sure to let them thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Commonly Asked Questions
We recommend using old-fashioned oats for this no-bake oatmeal bars recipe. Quick oats may become too mushy, and steel-cut oats won’t have enough time to soften. Old-fashioned oats strike the perfect balance and provide a satisfying chewy texture to the bars.
Yes, you can use any type of nut or a mix of nuts for this recipe. We like to use pecans or walnuts, but almonds, cashews, or even peanuts would work well. If you have a nut allergy, you can simply omit the nuts altogether, or try your favorite seeds instead.
These no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep well for up to 2 weeks, although they are so delicious they may not last that long.
Yes, you can freeze these bars for up to 3 months. Simply place them in a freezer-friendly container or wrap them in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Thaw them in the refrigerator when you’re ready to enjoy.
You can omit the shredded coconut completely, if preferred. We do like using coconut oil, as it solidifies upon chilling and will help keep the structure of bars.
Did you make this?
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars (No-Bake)
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter, creamy
- ½ cup pure honey
- ½ cup coconut oil, solid
- 1 ¼ cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, see note
- 2 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked
- 1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened or sweetened
- ½ cup chopped nuts of your choice, I use pecans or walnuts
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- shredded coconut, optional, extra for topping
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, add peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil. Stir constantly until just melted; take care that it doesn’t burn. Turn heat off.
- Add the chocolate and stir until just melted. Add oats, coconut, nuts, and vanilla. Continue to stir until fully incorporated.
- Grease a 9×13 pan. Pour chocolate mixture into the pan. Use rubber spatula to spread mixture out evenly into the corners and edges. If desired, sprinkle extra coconut evenly over the top.
- Cover and chill for several hours or overnight. Once it is hardened and set, cut into squares and serve chilled. Bars will melt if kept out too long, so keep them covered and chilled at all times.
Notes
- We recommend using mini semi-sweet chocolate chips as they melt more easily and distribute more evenly throughout the bars.
- When melting the peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil, keep the heat low and stir constantly to prevent burning. This will also help the ingredients to mix well.
- Adding the chocolate chips after the peanut butter mixture is melted will prevent them from burning and maintain their smooth texture.
- Feel free to use unsweetened or sweetened shredded coconut based on your preference. You can also leave them out if you wish.
- Feel free to swap our your favorite nuts or use seeds instead.
- Use sunflower seed butter in place of peanut butter for a nut-free version.
Nutrition (per serving)
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