For any peanut butter and chocolate lovers, this recipe is a must! These peanut butter oat bars are smooth, crunchy, nutritious, and delicious. They have only four ingredients and are super easy to make. You’ll want to double this recipe and eat them for days!
The peanut butter and chocolate combo:
The idea of eating something with chocolate and peanut butter that is substantial and has no added sugars (aside from the sugar in the chocolate chips but who counts that?!) is pure joy.
You can turn that into a healthy snack? Count me in. It’s like having dessert in the middle of the day.
I love oat bars. The problem is they are usually full of sugar and unhealthy ingredients when all I want is a simple and healthy snack to fill me up. In addition, the high-quality ones that are healthy can get expensive when you want to stock up on them.
I tasted so many different kinds, thought about it, and realized that to make them must be simple. All it requires is choosing your favorite flavors and adding them to oats. You just need to make sure there is something in there that will hold it all together and you’re good!
So I tried it and it turns out the homemade ones are better! They are more wholesome, have more real flavors, and can be unique to you.
Keep it simple!
- Peanut butter – try to get peanut butter with one ingredient – peanuts! Trust me; it’s rich, creamy, and healthier than the ones with all sorts of added stuff.
- Oats – Although I’ve used quick oats when that was all I had, rolled oats hold up better since they are bigger and coarser.
- Honey – a naturally delicious sweetener.
- Chocolate chips – You can use any you like but I find semi-sweet to be the best for this recipe!
What I love about these oat bars:
I love that these bars have oats because adding oats into your day is so healthy. If you’re not a fan of oatmeal you might enjoy these oat bars instead. You can read more about the benefits of oats here.
All this recipe requires is a few easy steps. Mix the dry ingredients and mix the wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry, flatten them onto a baking sheet and freeze them. Freezing them molds everything together and turns them into bars. You can quickly make a batch of this anytime to have it on hand!
Storing these is easy. You can store them at room temperature, in the fridge, or in the freezer. They will last longer in the fridge or freezer and are also better when they are cold so that will be your best bet.
So many variations and substitutes:
You can do so many different things with these oat bars. Some of the ways I’ve changed them around in the past are:
- I added chia seeds to the oat mixture.
- I added chopped nuts to the oat mixture.
- I used almond butter instead of peanut butter.
- I added dried fruit to the oat mixture.
- I used maple syrup or brown sugar as a sweetener.
Enjoy peanut butter oat bars in many different ways:
- Break them up into pieces of granola and add them to your yogurt or homemade acai bowl.
- Have them for breakfast with a coffee or tea.
- Crumble them on top of ice cream.
- Enjoy them as a snack with our healthy & delicious brownies.
- Have them with fruit to feel super nutritious!
Peanut Butter Oat Bars
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups oats
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix the oats and chocolate chips in a bowl.
- Mix the peanut butter and honey in a bowl.
- Add the peanut butter mixture to the oat mixture.
- Mix everything really well.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and transfer the mixture to it.
- Even everything out until it's really compact.
- Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes or up to a few hours depending on how stiff you want them.
- Remove them from the freezer and cut them into bars.
This sounds delicious
Can I use maple syrup instead of honey? If yes, the same amount? Thanks
Thank you!
Yes you can. And yes it’s the same amount.
Enjoy!