Chewy No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
No-bake peanut butter oatmeal bars have a soft, chewy texture and the perfect balance of savory peanut butter and sweet honey. Featuring rolled oats, these bars have been shared thousands of times on Pinterest but can be made from five simple ingredients that you probably have in your pantry. Only ten minutes to make and thirty minutes to cool means you are closer to a homemade snack than you thought!
Easy Homemade Granola Bars
When I set out to make these bars the first time, I was in need of a post-hike snack that I could quickly make from my pantry out of minimally processed ingredients. I wanted something that would provide enough energy to hold us until dinner without requiring refrigeration or making a mess.
Finding three kinds of oats and a jar of peanut butter in my pantry, my first thought was a chewy granola bar. I didn’t have the extras I typically toss in my crunchy granola, like dried fruit or nuts, but simplicity turned out to be delicious. These no-bake oatmeal bars turned out so well that they inspired me to make these 5-ingredient oatmeal balls, too.
Featured Ingredient: Rolled Oats
This recipe calls for rolled oats, which are also known as old-fashioned oats or jumbo oats in the UK. In the world of oats, they are more processed than steel-cut oats but less processed than instant oats. They are quickly steamed and then rolled flat to give them a chewy texture.
Rolled oats are a great choice for many baking applications, specifically recipes that call for the oats to be added without prior cooking. Try them in pumpkin spice granola, overnight oatmeal, banana oatmeal and oatmeal cookies.
How to Store
As these bars contain ingredients that are shelf-stable, they do not need to be refrigerated. However, they will keep longer and take on a firmer shape and chewier texture when stored in the fridge. Personally, I keep them in the fridge at home but don’t worry about keeping them out of the fridge when taking them with me on the go.
For best results, store them in an airtight, resealable container and plan to use them within a week. If you’d like to store them longer, they can be frozen and thawed at room temperature as needed.
Like this recipe?
Help us reach more readers like you by giving it a FIVE-STAR rating, leaving a comment, and/or sharing it on your favorite social channel!
Chewy No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Line a 9" x 9" or 8" x 8" square cake pan with parchment paper.
- Measure oats into a medium size mixing bowl.
- Heat peanut butter and honey in a small saucepan. Stir to combine. Once the edges start to bubble stir constantly until the texture is smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds.
- Remove from flame, add vanilla and salt, mix completely.
- Pour peanut butter honey mixture over oats. Fold oats into the mixture until evenly coated.
- Scoop oat mixture into the middle of the parchment paper. Using the back of a silicone spoon or your greased hands, evenly press oats into the bottom of the pan.
- Allow to cool completely prior to cutting.
- Store in an airtight container, refrigerate for firmer bars or store at room temp for softer bars.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Check out my Amazon shop to see all of my recommended kitchen tools.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
Easy and quick recipe. The bars were great! I used maple syrup instead of honey and Laura Scudder’s smooth old fashion peanut butter. I also added some mini semi sweet chocolate on top while they were cooling. Will make this again.
Great bars. I used maple syrup instead of the honey and added some chocolate chips on top while they were cooling.
These bars taste amazing amd much healthier than store bought ones. My picky kid also loved it. Thanks for sharing
I’ll have to be honest here, I don’t think the chef took into account the various types of honey and peanut butter there are. Both peanut butter and honey I used in mine have a more stable consistency than your average store shelf peanut butter and honey. I think the recipe should be altered on the oats to a little less that way it will mix cohesively or you will be stuck with a batter that won’t stick together. Taste is great though but definitely dry.
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
This is simply delicious and so easy. I have 2 friends that are diabetics & they love them. It will be a ‘make again’ recipe.
Hi can I use maple syrup instead of honey as I find honey to sweet
Yes! You absolutely can. I use a maple syrup and peanut butter combination in my 5-Ingredient Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls It’s a one to one, equal part swap.
I love this recipe. So easy to make.
Would natural peanut butter work for this?
Yes! I have made it with both commercial/traditional peanut butter and natural peanut butter.
So yummy! They taste like Rice Krispie treats to me!
once you heat up the honey to a bubbly boil, it takes away the benefits of it. Have you ever cooked the oatmeal first then add the honey and peanut butter to it?
Hi Joyce,
The reason we cook the peanut butter and honey together is to thin out their consistency enough so that it can be blended with the oats, then when cooled, the peanut butter and honey return to their semi-solid state and can solidify further when chilled in the fridge to give us solid bars.
If you were to cook the oats first using a liquid, you would end up with soft, mushy, semi-dissolved oats. Once their texture has been altered in this way they will not give you the chewy texture of a bar. Cooked oats blended with peanut butter and honey makes a delicious stovetop oatmeal, but it’s not an oat bar.
If you were to bake or toast the oats without a liquid, you would end up with the same dry texture as the original recipe, but with a nuttier flavor. It won’t make it any easier to blend the peanut butter and honey with the oats.
I haven’t tested it, but I image that heating the peanut butter on it’s own without the honey MIGHT work, but it also might result in burnt peanut butter. My thought here is that if you can heat the peanut butter then add the honey before adding the oats it might still get you to the end result you want. However, I don’t know how hot honey can get and still be considered “raw”, I also do not know if heating the peanut butter alone would allow it to carry over enough heat to thin the mixture enough to blend it with the oats.
If you do decide to test it out, I would love to hear what you find.
Do these squares freeze well? They taste delicious!
Janice,
I haven’t had them stick around long enough to freeze, but I do have them scheduled for an update with new photos in two weeks. I’ll make sure to test and find out for you. If you try it, let me know!
Renee