How To Make Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Main Ingredients For Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
- Oatmeal- traditional rolled oats work best and maintain their shape during the baking process giving the oatmeal bar a flaky texture.
- Banana adds a little natural sweetness and helps bind the oatmeal bars together.
- Peanut Butter adds some protein and provides a creamy, savory flavor to these breakfast bars.
- Eggs- help bind the oats together in the baking process.
- Non-dairy milk adds moisture to the oatmeal and helps the oats bake through.
Healthy Homemade Breakfast Bars Faq
Can I swap Peanut Flour for Peanut Butter?
Unfortunately, no you cant. This Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Bars Recipe requires the actual nut butter, as peanut flour is a completely different consistency.
What if I dont have protein powder?
You can easily add a bit more flour to replace the protein powder, but flour will also lack the sweet factor. Go ahead and tweak the amount of sugar by adding a bit extra to bring in that sweetness that will be missed by omitting protein powder.
Can I use a whole egg?
The yolk is what makes these healthy breakfastbars dense and chewy, so you really do just need the yolk this time!
Trust me, you are gonna like em!
I also shared the Oatmeal Breakfast Bar Recipe over at Food Fanatic, so be sure to check it out there!
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Why Youll Love These Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
- Chewy oatmeal bars meet delicious thick layer of chocolate peanut butter!
- Made with easy healthy & wholesome ingredients and with no refined sugar.
- Naturally vegan, gluten-free and macro-balanced!
- Satisfying your sweet tooth
- Seriously the easiest ever no-bake recipe.
- Freezer friendly and perfect treat to have on hand!
- Low sugar and packed with 8 grams of protein and taste MUCH butter than a store-bought protein or granola bar.
Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
These Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars are sweet, nutty, and stuffed with the most delicious and creamy homemade chocolate peanut butter spread! They come together quickly for a tasty treat thats pretty healthy and even packed with a little protein.
I just love no bake recipes, and these Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars are no exception! Chocolate peanut butter lovers, get excited!! This healthy treat is absolutely delicious and will quickly become one of your favorite healthy snacks!
Theyre made with easy ingredients and absolutely hits both the sweet tooth and hunger cravings. They make a great quick breakfast, sweet afternoon snack, or healthy dessert. Since they are macro-balanced, they also make the perfect post-workout snack!
While indulgent, these bars are actually quite healthy! They are made with simple ingredients that wont leave you crashing later on. They feature two layers made with oats, peanut butter, maple syrup, and a little salt to bring out the flavor. And are stuffed with a yummy healthy homemade chocolate peanut butter made with cocoa powder, peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Thats it!
These oat bars are also gluten free as written and are so easy to make vegan-friendly. The whole family will LOVE these delicious bars!
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Chocolate Drizzle Is Optional
The dark chocolate is optional here: but its 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! Thats for the large sized bar . Were not in the habit of counting calories, but we were pleasantly surprised to note that the drizzle doesnt 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.
How To Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Revel Bars
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl, you’ll beat butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until smooth. Then the egg and vanilla are added and lastly the dry ingredients are mixed in. Be sure to scrape down the sides of bowl so everything gets mixed in well.
About of the mixture is pressed into the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.
Next, you’ll make the best part – the chocolate fudge filling! You’ll combine the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips and butter and either microwave or cook over low heat in a medium saucepan until smooth.
This mixture will be poured over the bottom layer and spread to an even layer.
Next, you’re going to add more peanut butter by dropping spoonfuls of it over the fudge. Use a spoon to marble it into the fudgy layer a bit.
Lastly, you’ll sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on the top of the chocolate layer and top with candies. They’re ready to bake!
These will bake for about 22-25 minutes or until the outer edges are a light golden brown. The center might still seem quite soft, but it’ll firm up as it cools to room temperature.
How to Store
These are best kept at room temperature or in the freezer in an airtight container. They’ll easily last up to a month in the freezer.
Can I Line the Pan for Easier Clean-Up?
Of course! You can line the baking pan with parchment paper and that’ll make them super easy to get out of the pan….and cleanup much easier, too!
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Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
Just when you thought healthy foods meant bland, boring, or funky aftertaste, these bars come along to shake that thinking up! In fact, one bite and youll swear they taste way too good to be healthy for you.
Homemade peanut butter banana oatmeal bars are the best way to treat yourself to something sweet. They are made with whole, healthy ingredients and are the perfect way to keep you feeling full between meals.
In fact, these bars are so good for you that you can make them a part of your well-balanced lunch.
They are so high in protein and potassium that these bars also make a perfect post-workout recovery snack too.
Plus, they are fantastic for your gut health too! Oatmeal and bananas are high in dietary fiber, which is amazing for digestion and feeding healthy gut bacteria.
If you are allergic or sensitive to peanut butter, any nut butter will do! Just replace the peanut butter with sun butter or cashew butter.
Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars: Faq
Do I have to stuff these healthy no bake oatmeal bars with chocolate peanut butter?
You could definitely use something else if youd like! You could just do straight peanut butter, Nutella, make a tasty date-caramel, or even frosting if you wanted to make it a dessert!
Can I freeze these no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars?
Yes, these are a great recipe to freeze! I would suggest wrapping them individually and freeze. For best results, store in a freezer-safe ziploc bag and remove as much air as possible.
What can I eat with these peanut butter oat bars?
These bars taste amazing on their own but if youre looking for a macro-balanced snack, pair them with some fruit or along some yogurt. If youre eating with breakfast, you can pair these no bake bars with some eggs and bacon!
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How To Make Breakfast Bars
The breakfast bars are a combination of old fashioned oats, rice cereal, raisins, dried cranberries and pecans.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a small sauce pan, stir the peanut butter and honey over low heat until melted. Add in the brown sugar and bring to a simmer. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Pat the mixture into a greased 9×9 pan and let them cool. Then just cut them into bars and they are ready to grab and go!
The oats and the rice cereal give the bars the perfect ratio of chew to crunch and you can add in your favorite dried fruit and nut combo for even more goodness.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
These peanut butter oatmeal bars are the best trick! Theyre no bake, easy and healthy and the flavor is out of this world.
Heres 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 . And we cant get enough of them! Our son Larson often asks with a sly smile if he can have an oatmeal bar: and were happy to indulge him. This sweet treat optimizes whole grain oats while hitting it big in the sweet, salty and satisfying department. Lets get cooking! Though reallytheres no real cooking involved.
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Peanut Butter Granola Bars Ingredients
Here are the five ingredients to gather so you can make these chewy granola bars today:
BONUS add-ins get creative with what you have on hand, or let your kids be chefs for the day and choose their favorite add-ins! Youll find a full list of our favorite substitutions and mix-ins for these Healthy Granola Bars below!
Tips For Making No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Squares
- If your honey isnt brand new it might be a little crystallized, which makes it hard to pour. BUT heating honey weakens the ingredients rendering the health benefits ineffectiveso if youre just in it for the taste you can heat it a bit. But if youre looking for the good stuff that comes along with honey, heating it might not be the option.
- Use Old Fashioned . I find that they work for the texture and stability of these bars a little better. If you only have Quick oats on-hand, it will be fine, its just a texture thing.
- Use whatever kind of peanut butter you prefer! If you love Skippy, use it! If you like natural peanut butter, use that! Its completely up to you!
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Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Breakfast Bars Are Made With:
- Oats: Complex carb that is high in soluble fiber, can aid in weight loss, and lower blood sugar levels
- Apple: healthy fiber and sweetens this recipe without added sugar
- Apple sauce: adds extra apple flavor to the bars
- Coconut oil: healthy fat that contains medium-chain fatty acids and provides satiety
- Eggs: have not tried with flax or chia eggs so I can only vouch for eggs
- Collagen Peptides: healthy source of protein that may support skin, joint, and gut health
- Vanilla Protein: A good source of protein that helps to balance blood sugar
- Cinnamon: lowers blood sugar and contains antioxidants
- Plant-based milk: use your favorite milk such as almond milk, cashew milk, or hemp milk
- Walnuts/Pecans: optional but adds a little crunch
How To Make Granola Bars
This is one of our favorite healthy granola bar recipes because of how easy it is to throw together! Bonus: theres no need to dirty your food processor or blender everything is mixed together in one bowl for easy clean-up!
Scroll down for the printable recipe card, including ingredient amounts, complete directions, and full nutrition analysis .
Special equipment needed? No way! This recipe doesnt even require a small saucepan. You simply need a bowl, a spoon, and a 9-inch square baking dish.
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Reasons Youll Love Triple Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
If you love peanut butter as much as our family, then youll totally love my Triple Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars Recipe for 3 main reasons:
These soft peanut butter oatmeal bars taste almost like an oatmeal cookie but come alive with the addition of peanut butter in the batter.
But the peanut butter fun of course doesnt stop there.
These baked peanut butter oatmeal bars also feature a tasty peanut butter + brown sugar streusel thats sprinkled and baked to golden perfection on top.
Lastly, these chewy peanut butter oatmeal bars are topped with a delicious, creamy peanut butter drizzle frosting that creates both a beautiful presentation and adds a light sweetness.
Tips for Making Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
- Use regular, creamy peanut butter like Jif. This will give it the best flavor and texture, vs. using a natural peanut butter.
- Line your pan with parchment paper so that you can easily lift your bars out and cut them.
- Use a decorators bag or Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off the corner to drizzle on your peanut butter icing.
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars FAQs
Can I use quick oats instead of old fashioned rolled oats?
Yes, you can use either type of oats, and its really personal preference.
I originally used to make this recipe with quick oats, which make them chewier, but now prefer the softer texture that old fashioned oats give it.
Adjust For Your Lifestyle: Nut Free Vegan Or Gluten Free Breakfast Bars
One of the best things about simple recipes is theyre simple toadjust! Whether you follow a specific dietary lifestyle or members of yourhousehold deal with specific food allergies, you can make these peanut butteroatmeal bars suit your needs with some easy substitutions.
For Nut Free BreakfastBars:
Instead of peanut butter,try making your no bake oatmeal bars with sunflower seed butter! I used a natural peanut butter when I made this recipe, whichhas a fairly similar texture to most sunflower seed butter. If you can find it,I recommend opting for an unsweetened varietyof sunflower seed butter!
The texture of your nut free breakfast bars might be slightly different or a bit stickier,but they should hold together just fine. A great option if your household isnut free, or if you have kids at a nut free school and theyd like to packtheir oatmeal bars for lunch!
For Vegan Breakfast Bars:
Already, these peanut butter oatmeal bars are dairy free, thanksto the coconut milk. The only ingredientyoud need to substitute for vegan breakfast bars would be the honeyandthats an easy fix! A plant-based sweetener like agave or maple syrupwill work in this recipe just as well.
Since agave has a thicker, stickier texture, it will likely holdyour breakfast bars together better than maple syrup. But, maple syrup will getthe job done, tooyour oatmeal bars may just be slightly crumblier!
For Gluten Free BreakfastBars:
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Tips To Make Sure Your Breakfast Bars Result In Perfection:
- Make sure you are using rolled oats for your recipe and not quick oats. This will help your bars hold up and not fall apart easily.
- You can substitute a couple ingredients out for allergies, but make sure you dont take out the bananas. The bananas are a big factor in the texture and taste.
- Let your ingredients sit for a couple minutes to soak up all the moisture to make sure your bars dont end up crumbly and hard to eat.
Homemade Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars Vs Store
Often, store-bought breakfast bars appear healthy because theyre low in calories and moderate in sugar. But, that isnt an indication that theyre truly healthy, fuel-filled breakfast options. In fact, many contain anywhere from just under 200 calories up to 250 calories, which isnt a lot of calories. But its also not enough FUEL for a satisfying breakfast!
Most importantly, those calories are coming from not ideal sources, so youve got to READ the ingredients lists. Sure, many will list whole grains as the first ingredient. But, this can be so misleading, because most processed breakfast bars use a blend of whole grains AND plenty of nutrient-lacking refined grains.
Then, the 2nd or 3rd ingredient in most store-bought breakfast bars is some form of refined added SUGAR! Most of the total sugar content provided on those labels is coming from added sugarsa.k.a. the most damaging to our healthand not natural sugars.
On top of that, theres the questionable additives, artificial flavors and colors, preservatives, and inflammatory vegetable oils! Plus, some still use sneaky sources of trans fats like shorteningbut in small enough amounts that they can claim 0g trans fats on the label. All things considered, youre better off making homemade breakfast bars!
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