Okay, so if you love no-bake cookies, these peanut butter no bake bars are even better than no-bake cookies… because they are even bigger than no-bake cookies!!!
4 ingredients • Vegan + GF • No Baking Required!
More of a good thing is always a good thing… especially when that good thing is made up of peanut butter and oats. And especially when that good thing can be made in under 5 minutes!
Who doesn’t ♥ recipes that take longer to eat than to make!
Peanut Butter “No Bake” Bars
Peanut Butter “No Bake” Bars
Print This Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups quick oats
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup peanut butter - or allergy-friendly alternative
- 1/2 cup agave or honey (For vegan bars, use agave)
- optional 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
Instructions
Line a 7×5 pan with parchment paper (or double the recipe for an 8×8), and set aside. Gently warm the peanut butter until it reaches an easily spreadable consistency. Stir together with the sweetener and salt (and oil, if using), then add in the quick oats and stir until evenly mixed. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, spread out, then put a second sheet of parchment over the top and press down firmly. Press down with a spatula or roll a can over the top to really press it in. Freeze 1/2 an hour or until firm, or refrigerate 2-3 hours or until firm. Cut into slices with a sharp knife. I store these in the fridge or freezer.
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Samantha @ThePlantedVegan says
Love the simplicity of this recipe! They look super delicious!
Michele says
This recipe looks awesome but I only have regular oats, not quick cooking. Can I use them or does it have to be the quick oats? Thanks!!
Anon says
I use rolled oats for all recipes that call for quick oats (quick oats are higher glycemic). The bars will turn out a bit chewier with the rolled oats, but otherwise it should be the same.
Annie says
I made these last night with old fashioned oats (I didn’t have any minute oats either) and they turned out great!!! Super yummy and satisfied my love for sweet cereal bars. Good texture. I would avoid steel cut oats though, as they would be very hard to digest if not cooked.
Megan says
Can I use aluminum foil instead of parchment paper?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
I’ve not tried, but I guess you can. Don’t see why not!
Jennifer C. says
Can I add melted chocolate in the mixture?
Jason Sanford says
Sure why not? 🙂
Alys says
You just answered my need-a-long-run-extra-carb-snack but isn’t garbage dilemma!
Lauren says
These look amazing! Is there an option to replace the coconut oil?
Anon says
She states in the recipe that the coconut oil is optional.
Gina Bean MN says
Katie, I ADORE your site and bought your delightful book! For this and other recipes, “quick cook oats” is specified. I only buy regular oats, the kind that cooks for five minutes. Does it really make a big difference? I hate to spend money on a separate product for only some, special recipes. I am not cheap, but mindful of food waste!
I have succumbed to the power of the Fudge Brownie Protein Bars. I kneel at your feel, I Chocolate Almighty Katie! ???
Anon says
I use rolled oats for all recipes that call for quick oats (quick oats are higher glycemic). The bars will turn out a bit chewier with the rolled oats, but otherwise it should be the same.
S says
Can oats be eaten raw (without digestive discomfort)?
Anon says
I’ve been eating raw oats all summer long and last summer, too. Oats are far easier on the digest tract than wheat and also raw foods have enzymes that help you break down the food that cooked food doesn’t have (though I know some things just shouldn’t be eaten raw). I’m no doctor and each individual is different, so if you have trouble digesting a lot of foods, you might want to scale down the recipe and try a small portion at first and perhaps even to drink some liquids with it or make one of her overnight oats recipes instead, as soaking it should help make it easier to digest. You’ll never know unless you try. 😉
Pottedfern says
Looks tasty!! Can I use rolled oats instead of quick oats??
Anon says
I use rolled oats for all recipes that call for quick oats (quick oats are higher glycemic). The bars will turn out a bit chewier with the rolled oats, but otherwise it should be the same. Someone above said they tried it with rolled oats and it turned out fine for them.
Anthony says
I love that it’s a no-bake recipe, I’ve been trying to cut the processed food for the past month or so and I’m doing great, but I miss the sweets. I’ve cut back on them totally, which I don’t think is a good idea. I have craved sweet for quite some time now, and one of these days I know I will give up. Why not make sure to find the healthiest recipes out there?
Thank you for sharing this, Katie.
Heidi Kokborg says
I am going to make these bars this weekend! They look so delicious!
Joey says
Hey Katie. I really need to know if the syrups you use in practically every recipe ie honey/agave are absolutely fundamental to the recipe due to a particular property, or if it is purely for taste where a granulated artificial sweetener can be substituted. In a nutshell: can I make any of these recipes sugar free, assuming some kind of sugar free syrup is commercially unavailable?
Thanks a lot,
Joey
xxx
Anon says
I’ve tried a lot of her recipes and make them low sugar or sugar free (sf) where I substitute all or some of the sugar for sf alternatives. If you are unable to find a sf imitation honey or sf maple syrup where you are, you could likely make some sf maple syrup with maple extract. Otherwise in a lot of her recipes she specifies where granulated sweeteners can be subbed for liquid (adding more of other liquid in the recipe). This particular recipe may or may not work with granulated sweetener. It may not blend as well without the liquid sweetener or cover the oats without it.
Amanda - Create N Plate says
Oh yum!! I think this will be my first pumpkin recipe of the season. Thanks!
Anna says
these look so good to eat on the go!! yum
https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/
Celeste says
Hi Katie! I made these bars over the weekend with old fashioned oats, subbed light corn syrup for the agave (because I was out), and added about 1/3-1/2 c. chocolate chips. The kids and I loved them! I’m thinking about making these for Christmas. They’re THAT good & it would save me a bunch of time that I normally spend baking. Thanks for such a simple recipe!
Kalena says
These were really good but just too sweet for my taste. When I make them again I think I will use a 1/3 cup of honey.
Lindsay says
Katie, these are absolutely delish, I just made them tonight….took 5 mins with minimal cleanup. How do you do it???? Every recipe you come up with is so amazing. You are one of my favourite vegan/raw bloggers and I just bought your book and everything I try comes out amazing. You are the person who made me start believing that vegan desserts are better than the butter/dairy/sugar laden desserts, which I (unfortunately) loved and ate my whole life until about 2 years ago when I embraced the vegan diet. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us all =)
Cassie says
What an incredible easy recipe that sounds delicious too!
Noel says
Made these today! Was too lazy to put them in a pan so used my cookie scoop and put them in a mini muffin tin. Everyone in the house likes them!
Kelly J. R. says
I made these with only a 1/4 C. of honey and they still turned out great. Next time I’ll add a few mini choc chips too. They are a great snack for before yoga or zumba.
Ruth says
I made these using rolled oats and included the optional coconut oil. They were AMAZING! The entire batch was gone in less than a week and I’m going to be making a double batch again for this week! The only changes I’m planning to make are to reduce the honey to 1/3 cup since they were a little too sweet for me and add an extra pinch of salt. Great recipe Katie, keep it up!
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship says
I don’t know – but I don’t see how they would take very long before they are all completely vanished!
kaytee says
Oh wow, just made these and they are my new favourite thing! So quick and easy and so tasty!
Michelle says
What is the purpose of the oil? I am trying to decide whether to add it or not. This would make a great breakfast bar or snack for my vegan son. Thanks!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
I’ve never tried it without the oil so I can’t say how it would work. But be sure to report back if you experiment!
Michelle says
We made the first batch with coconut oil. one son loved the richness of it and the other thought it to be too rich. Second batch was made with no oil and it was too dry and crumbly. So next batch we will cut the oil in half! Both my sons love the bars!
Joy says
Hi! How long can it be stored? Planning to make it them 2-3 days ahead, would that be recommendable?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
That works! Nothing is super perishable, so they should last a week or more.
Natalie says
This looks great. I have a question though. I live in Japan and instant or rolled oats are not available so I use barley. I’m presuming I can use this for the recipe but would I need to soak beforehand or can I use dried? They usually take about 15 minutes to cook for barley porridge.
Claire says
I made the peanut butter no bake bars today, so easy and quick to make and tasty. I doubled the recipe and threw in a bunch of chocolate chips which melted while stirring…yum!. Thank you Katie, you are making me look really good!!
Corinne says
Has anyone made this with almond butter instead of peanut butter? Just wondering how they turned out before I start experimenting :)))
Francesco says
Can you suggest to me anything of fat free to substituite the nut butter?? Thank younso much
Kathleen says
Hi Katie,
Thanks for this super-simple recipe! Could I make these using PB2 instead of peanut butter?
Flora P says
Delicious! So easy! I made these while I waited for the baked cauliflower to finish (also a recipe from this site).
These PB bars are just what I needed after my work out. I will make these again and again. Thank you!
It was so easy to warm up the PB and honey to add in. Next time I want to try maple syrup.
Lissa says
The texture of these is great and they would be delicious but they were WAY too sweet! 1/2 cup honey is overpoweringly sweet. I would use at most 1/4 cup and you could get away with less since peanut butter is naturally quite sweets