These indulgent, no-bake, chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars are totally irresistible and have only 4 ingredients! An easy-to-make treat!
The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is utterly divine!
These bars are absolutely delicious and made with only 4 wholesome ingredients - creamy peanut butter, sweet honey, rich chocolate, and hearty old-fashioned oats.
But the best part is that they are extremely simple to make!
Love no-bake desserts? Try my easy Lazy Cake Recipe, my Dulce de Leche Mousse, or my Eggless Chocolate Cheesecake.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No Oven Needed: This no-bake dessert is just perfect for when you don't want to use your oven and heat up the kitchen.
- Quick to Prepare: Honestly, these chocolate oatmeal peanut butter bars come together in just a few minutes. The hardest part is waiting for them to set.
- Great snack: These bars make an excellent on-the-go snack, any time of the day.
- Versatile: Easily customize and adapt this recipe to suit your own preferences by adding fillings or toppings.
- Wonderful as gifts: These bars have a pretty swirled design on top, making them a pretty homemade food gift. They can be placed in cute boxes with parchment paper.
What do these chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars taste like?
When my husband tried these bars, he said they tasted a lot like Reese's peanut butter cups! Once you sink your teeth into these chocolate peanut butter oat bars, you taste the creamy richness of the peanut butter and the decadent chocolate.
The oats add a wonderful subtle, chewiness, which pairs so well with the peanut butter and chocolate. I also love the ratio of peanut butter to oats. In these bars, the peanut butter stands out more than the oats, which is exactly what I was aiming for when testing this recipe.
Ingredients for Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
- Peanut butter - I use creamy peanut butter, but you could use crunchy, instead.
- Oats - You'll old fashioned oats for this recipe.
- Honey or Maple Syrup - You can use maple syrup or honey. Either one works fine.
- Chocolate - For the topping, you'll need chocolate, either milk chocolate and dark chocolate.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for quantities.
Equipment you'll need
- 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) square pan
- parchment paper
- mixing bowls
- silicone or rubber spatula
- whisk
- saucepan (preferably non-stick)
How To Make No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars
Whisk together the honey and peanut butter over medium heat until they melt slightly and are fully combined.
Add the oats and stir everything together.
Scoop the peanut butter/oat mixture into the bottom of a pan lined with parchment paper. Spread it out evenly to all corners using the spatula.
Melt the chocolate and peanut butter together.
Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the oat base.
Melt some peanut butter and drizzle it all over the melted chocolate. Use a toothpick to make swirls.
Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours so that it has enough time to set up.
TOP TIP
Use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to smooth out the surface of the base before adding the melted chocolate.
Substitutions
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Substitute the peanut butter with almond butter, cashew butter, or even sunflower seed butter, each with its own unique flavor.
- Honey: You could easily replace the honey with equal amounts of maple syrup.
- Milk Chocolate: I've made these treats with dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate, too. They have a richer flavor and aren't as sweet as milk chocolate. I chopped up chocolate bars, but you could melt chocolate chips, instead.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to about a week.
I often wrap individual bars in plastic wrap and then store them in freezer-safe bags or containers. They can be frozen for up to about 3 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Variations & Dietary Adaptations
These oats and peanut butter bars are amazing on their own, but there are so many other ways you can create a variety of flavors and textures.
Here are a few ideas:
Nutty - For more texture, add your favorite nuts, like chopped peanuts, pecans, almonds, walnuts, or cashews.
Tropical - For a tropical twist, add some dried, shredded coconut.
Crunchy - I love adding crushed pretzels to these bars! They're great on top of the chocolate before it sets, or you could add them in the peanut butter layer.
Seeds - Sprinkle some flaxseeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds over the melted chocolate. You could incorporate them into the oat base, too.
Salty - You can also make them saltier by sprinkling some flaked salt over the chocolate.
Spicy - Cinnamon is amazing with peanut butter! For an even spicier flavor, you could add a pinch of nutmeg.
Chocolate Chips - Make oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip bars! Just stir ½ a cup of mini chocolate chips with the oats and then mix everything with the peanut butter/honey mixture.
Gluten-free - Make sure your oats are certified gluten-free.
Vegan - Use maple syrup and vegan chocolate, instead of honey and milk chocolate.
Tips for Success
- Weigh your ingredients for accuracy. A digital scale is essential for best results.
- Using a non-stick saucepan ensures you won't burn the peanut butter. Alternatively, you could heat both the peanut butter and honey together in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave in 15 second increments and whisking well after each increment.
- Make sure you chill the bars adequately before cutting them. That way you'll get nice, clean slices. You could also let them chill overnight in the fridge.
Enjoy these oat chocolate peanut butter bars with a a nice cold glass of milk. They're also delicious with coffee.
I really love these bars with some homemade salted caramel sauce drizzled on top!
Frequently Asked Questions
I love the smooth and creamy consistency in these bars, so I use creamy peanut butter. If you want more texture, you can also use crunchy peanut butter.
Yes, you can use other nut butters, such as almond butter or cashew butter, however the flavor will be different.
Related Recipes
Looking for other peanut butter recipes? Try these:
Enjoy!
Let me know how these peanut butter chocolate oat bars turn out for you in the comments below! I'd love to hear from you!
Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Equipment
- 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) square pan
- mixing bowls
- silicone or rubber spatula
- saucepan (preferably non-stick)
- parchment paper
- whisk
Ingredients
For the base
- 1 ½ cups (375g) creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup (125ml) honey (or maple syrup)
- 1 ¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon old-fashioned oats (110 g)
For the topping
- 8.8 ounces (250g) chocolate, chopped (or 1½ cups chocolate chips) (you can use dark or milk chocolate)
- ¼ cup (60g) creamy peanut butter
- 1½ tablespoons creamy peanut butter (for swirls)
Before You Start:
For best results, please read through the full post before beginning the recipe.
Instructions
- Lightly grease and then line an 8x8 inch (20x20cm) pan with parchment paper with overhang. Set it aside.
Make the base
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the ½ cup honey and the 1½ cups peanut butter over medium heat until they melt slightly and are fully combined, about 2 minutes. Keep stirring so the peanut butter doesn't burn. Then take the saucepan off the heat.
- Add the oats to the peanut butter and honey and stir everything together. It will thicken slightly.
- Scoop the peanut butter/oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread it out evenly to all corners using the spatula. You can also use the bottom of a measuring cup to even out the surface.
Make the topping
- Melt the 8.8 ounces chocolate and the ¼ cup (60g) peanut butter together in the microwave or on stove.
- Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the oat base. Move the pan from side to side so that the chocolate spreads and evenly covers the surface.
- Melt the 1½ tablespoons peanut butter and drizzle it all over the melted chocolate. Use a toothpick to make swirls across the surface.
- Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours so that it has enough time to set up.
- Lift the dessert out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Cut into slices or squares.
- Enjoy!
Mandy
These look delicious!
Voula
They really are, Mandy!