No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
These No Bake Peanut Butter Bars are the healthy, satisfying and contain just (6) wholesome ingredients! They’re dairy and gluten-free and make a delicious vegan snack or dessert, and they take just 10 minutes to make!
I’ve been making these no bake peanut butter bars for months now, and it’s about time I’m sharing them with you.
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably caught me making them in my stories a few times. Because these bars are in the regular snack rotation!
These bars have big peanut butter flavor, a wholesome, chewy texture from rolled oats, and a nice crunch from the cacao nibs.
I love my peanut butter banana oat bars because they’re also versatile enough to eat for snacks, breakfast or even dessert, but they do require turning on the oven.
Like my peanut butter rice krispie treats, this recipe is even easier because it’s no bake. And let’s face it — in the summertime nobody wants to turn on the oven!
These bars hit all the marks. 🙂
Recipe ingredients
What makes these no bake peanut butter bars healthy? They contain wholesome ingredients that you can pronounce, with no refined sugar or artificial ingredients.
They also happen to be gluten-free, dairy free and vegan!
The ingredients are as follows:
- Peanut butter
- Pure maple syrup
- Rolled oats
- Cacao nibs (optional for crunch!)
- Dairy free dark chocolate chips
- Coconut oil for the chocolate topping
- sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
How to make no bake chocolate peanut butter bars
These bars are so easy to make, and only require 5 minutes of prep time.
The hardest part is waiting for them to set in the refrigerator, but I promise they’re worth the wait. 🙂
- Line an 8×8″ baking dish with parchment paper.
- Place the peanut butter, maple syrup and cacao nibs in a medium bowl and stir to combine. If the peanut butter is too solid, melt it slightly in the microwave to make it easier to stir.
- Add the oats and stir until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in small microwaveable bowl. Heat for one minute, then stir. Heat another 30 seconds, then stir until smooth.
- Drizzle the chocolate over the bars, and sprinkle with sea salt, if desired. Chill for a minimum of 3 hours or until set, then cut into bars.
Recipe notes
- I used natural peanut butter with no added sugar and very low salt for this recipe.
- The chocolate drizzle on top of these bars is optional, but highly recommended. It is included in the nutrition information. Regular chocolate chips may be substituted for dairy free.
- The cacao nibs add a nice crunchy texture that I love. If you don’t have any on hand, omit them or substitute with chocolate chips or even chopped dried fruit.
- Store bars in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
See all of my snack recipes.
More snack recipes you’ll love:
- Banana smoothie
- Chocolate chia pudding
- Granola bars by Minimalist Baker
- Healthy banana snack cake
- Peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies
- Peanut butter granola
No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs or sub with mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup dairy free chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line an 8×8″ baking dish with parchment paper.
- Place the peanut butter, maple syrup and cacao nibs in a medium bowl and stir to combine. If the peanut butter is too solid, melt it slightly in the microwave to make it easier to stir.
- Add the oats and stir until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in small microwaveable bowl. Heat for one minute, then stir. Heat another 30 seconds, then stir until smooth.
- Drizzle the chocolate over the bars, and sprinkle with sea salt, if desired. Chill for a minimum of 3 hours or until set. Cut into bars and enjoy!
Notes
- I highly recommend using the cacao nibs. They give the bars a great crunchy texture!
- Substitute the maple syrup with honey or favorite sweetener.
- Regular chocolate chips may be used in place of the dairy free.
- Store bars in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
11 Comments on “No Bake Peanut Butter Bars”
You know I’m a fan of all of these ingredients!! These look awesome, Marcie. I”m definitely giving them a go! Such a good idea to use cocoa nibs for crunch. And no-bake is a MUST in the summer. Pinning!
The crunch from the cacao nibs is my favorite part — besides the chocolate drizzle of course! 🙂
I adore this short ingredient list! I’ll definitely be making these soon… maybe later on today! 🙂
I hope you get to try them Nicole!
All that healthiness in the baking methods and high quality ingredients and you partially destroy it with using a microwave? Be truly healthy and toss that microwave in the e-waste recycling bin.
You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, and obviously you can melt the chocolate any way that you wish.
Well, I’m a huge peanut butter and chocolate fan, and I have all the ingredients to make these bars. They would be great for a guilt-free evening treat!
Sometimes I eat them twice a day, and I do love them as an evening treat!
How do you think these would hold up with almond butter instead of peanut butter?
I’m sure they would work well with almond butter!
Epic win!!!! I made these vegan using no added sugar dark chocolate baking chips only, reduced syrup to 1 Tablespoon and added 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. #divine!!! #delish!!!