It’s hard to think of a more quintessential American treat than these peanut butter oatmeal bars. Made with just five ingredients and showcasing a thick chocolate peanut butter topping, kids and adults will love them for a sweet snack or dessert.
My mom despises peanut butter so it was never in my house growing up. I feel like I missed out on many classic American treats because of this. While kids at school all ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I was over there nibbling at my cream cheese and jelly (on whole wheat to boot because mom didn’t do white bread either). No shade at cream cheese and jelly though, it’s delicious.
Unfortunately in the 80s and 90s, alternative nut butters had yet to become mainstream so treats like these peanut butter oatmeal bars wouldn’t have even crossed my mom’s mind. Thankfully, I’m an adult now and delicious wonders like this can now be made any time I want.
Once you realize this is a five ingredient recipe and it hits all those sweet snack craving desires, I have a feeling these bars will be appearing weekly in your house like they are in mine.
Why These Bars Are The Best
- Simple: With just 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of hands on prep, they’re quick to make and perfect for weekly meal prepping.
- Satisfying: They’ll satisfy any sweet tooth craving without making your teeth hurt.
- Thick chocolate layer: As a chocolate lover, this is my favorite part. Nothing goes together better than peanut butter and chocolate and the generous layer of chocolate coating these bars is happiness in each bite.
- Great snack: Whether it’s an after school treat or a mid-afternoon pick me up at the office, these bars give everyone something to look forward to.
- Storage: They store wonderfully in the fridge all week.
Ingredient Highlights
When a recipe only requires five ingredients total (including salt!) there’s not much to say. But a few notes of importance:
- Oats: You’ll want to make sure to use quick cooking or instant oats for these bars. Since we’re not cooking the oats, they’re the thinnest, most processed of all the different types of oats and therefore easiest to digest and chew.
- Honey: To make the peanut butter oatmeal bars vegan friendly you can swap the honey for maple syrup in the same quantity. The two are totally interchangeable and I use both depending on what I have on hand.
- Salt: The salt is used in the oat mixture but also sprinkled on top of the bars for that sweet and salty kick. I use a finer salt for the oat mixture and a flaky coarse salt for topping the chocolate layer.
How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars Step by Step
The full set of ingredients and directions can be found at the bottom of this post in the recipe card. This is a quick visual walk through for reference.
- Start by combining the peanut butter and honey in a pan.
- Heat the mixture over medium-low heat for a few minutes and stir until it’s completely combined.
- Add the oats and salt.
- Stir everything together until it’s well mixed. The texture should be crumbly but sticky enough to hold together.
- Dump the oat mixture into a baking dish. A square 9×9 inch pan lined with parchment works well.
- Press the oatmeal base evenly into the dish so that it spreads into all four corners.
- Melt the chocolate in a small bowl.
- Add a dollop of peanut butter and stir to combine.
- Pour the chocolate mixture on top of the oatmeal base in the baking dish.
- Spread the chocolate evenly using a spatula then transfer to the refrigerator to chill until the chocolate sets. Sprinkle coarse salt on top of the chocolate after 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator.
My Pro Tips
Helpful Suggestions
- You can use chocolate chips or chopped chocolate for the topping. Choose whatever percent cacao you like best. Some people prefer milk chocolate, others dark. I personally like these bars with 85% dark chocolate so the bitterness from the chocolate offsets the sweetness from the peanut butter oatmeal base.
- A teaspoon or so of coconut oil will help the chocolate melt easily in the microwave.
Additions and Variations
This base recipe is perfect as it is, but if you want to play around with some fun add-ins, there are plenty to choose from.
- Protein powder: this is the addition I use the most often. I try to make protein a focus of everything I put in my mouth (otherwise it’s quite hard to hit my daily protein goals!). You can mix in a scoop of your favorite protein powder to the oat base and you shouldn’t need to adjust the ingredients for most protein powders. I most frequently use a half and half blend of Equip’s unflavored and vanilla beef protein isolate.
- Vanilla extract: add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste to the honey and peanut butter mixture for extra flavor. Almond extract is good too, especially if you’re using almond butter as suggested below.
- Different nut butters: maybe you don’t love peanut butter like my mom — try a different nut butter. This recipe works perfectly with creamy almond butter or cashew butter.
- Unsweetened coconut flakes: I make energy bites that are chocolate chip, oat and coconut based and I absolutely love the combination. You can add some coconut flakes into this mixture too for a great flavor combination.
With add-ins like coconut flakes and protein powder, start with no more than 1/4 cup and see how the oatmeal base feels. If it’s not sticking together well enough just add a touch more peanut butter and/or sweetener to help bind it.
Storage
These bars store like a dream. They’ll easily keep in the refrigerator for a week (longer even if they last!) and they freeze well too.
To freeze, cut the bars into squares after they’ve chilled and set in the refrigerator and then transfer the bars into a freezer safe bag. They’ll last in the freezer for 3-4 months in sealed container or bag. Thaw at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes so the chocolate becomes easier to bite through.
More Snack Bars To Try
The no-bake nature of these oatmeal peanut butter bars is one of their best features. If you like that aspect, you’ll want to try these chocolate coconut pumpkin bars too.
Cookie dough bars with chocolate chips and cherries are another no-bake treat that’s healthy but decadent at the same time.
These pumpkin chocolate chip bars are baked but full of nuts, chocolate chips and flavorful pumpkin. You can play around with an array of add-ins with this recipe and they make a great hearty snack.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups quick oats
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey, or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup chocolate, chips or chopped
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter and honey. Heat over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring until the mixture is well combined.
- Add the oats and salt. Mix well until the mixture is evenly distributed.
- Line a 9×9-inch pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Transfer the mixture to the pan and press firmly with a spatula (or clean hands) to create an even, compact layer.
- Separately, melt the chocolate in the microwave in short bursts, stirring between each cooking time until completely melted.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Pour the chocolate mixture over the oatmeal base, spreading it evenly with a spatula to form an even coating.
- Place the pan in the freezer or refrigerator until the bars are firm.
- Before the chocolate hardens completely, sprinkle a little flaked sea salt on top.
- Cut into 9 (or 12) bars and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
