No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (vegan, gluten-free)

These no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars are a super easy and healthy dessert made from four gluten-free and vegan simple ingredients like peanut butter, oatmeal, maple syrup, and chocolate chips. They taste like a Reese’s peanut butter cup but made healthier!

A chocolate peanut butter recipe that has few ingredients, takes five minutes to make and tastes just like a Reese’s? Sign me up. This girl over here loves her combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

These no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars are a delicious healthy alternative to the traditional peanut butter cup. Plus there is more peanut butter filling and it is made with wholesome ingredients like oat flour, peanut butter, maple syrup, chocolate chips.

The whole recipe only calls for four ingredients. Four ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry, too.

I love to make these bars for parties and even for the holidays because they always get eaten up right away. Everyone thinks you slaved away in the kitchen working for hours, when in reality these chocolate peanut butter bars only take five minutes to make.

With all the time you saved making these bars, you can quickly make my Chocolate Protein Mug Cake for some extra chocolate and sweetness.

Ingredients in no-bake peanut butter bars

Natural peanut butter – you’ll want to use a natural peanut butter here because it is runny and easier to work with. If you don’t have a natural peanut butter, pop it in the microwave for a little bit before hand to get it looser.

Maple syrup – maple syrup works great in this recipe, as does honey if you don’t have any maple syrup! You’ll need a sweetener that is wet to help the bars come together.

Oat flour – I prefer store bought oat flour to homemade. I’ve tried making homemade oat flour several times and while it works, it never gets quite as fine as store bought.

Chocolate chips – we like to use dairy free chocolate chips here in order to keep this recipe both dairy-free and vegan. Enjoy life brand is great!

Yep, this list is really it! There are only four ingredients in these no-bake peanut butter bars. You’ll mix all the ingredients together besides the chocolate chips, then melt the chocolate to put on top, then pop in the fridge! They are that easy.

How to make no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars

It’s clear that you don’t need to be a baker to make these no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars. All you need to be able to do is pour the ingredients into a bowl, mix them together, and then put in the refrigerator.

Step 1.

Pour peanut butter, maple syrup, and oat flour into a medium sized bowl. Mix them together until they are well combined, then press into an 8×8 dish. I lined my dish with parchment paper to prevent further sticking.

Step 2.

Melt the chocolate and remaining peanut butter in the microwave for 30-second intervals, mixing between each interval, until the chocolate is completely melted.

Step 3.

Pour melted chocolate over top of peanut butter base and place the bars in the freezer to cool for an hour. Once cooled, cut into bars and store in fridge!

Tips for making chocolate peanut butter bars

These bars can be made up to a week ahead of time! They will stay good in the fridge, but also can be frozen as well.

Double the recipe for these bars if you’re looking to feed a crowd. You could use a 9×13 cake pan and yield more no-bake bars.

Want to turn these into peanut butter balls? That would be a great idea! No-bake chocolate peanut butter balls sound like a delicious treat. I would roll the peanut butter mixture into balls and then place in the freezer for at least a half hour before dipping into chocolate. You could also drizzle the chocolate on top as well!

If you make this recipe, be sure to comment below and let me know how it was! Also tag @erinliveswhole on Instagram and use the hashtag #erinliveswhole so I can see it and feature you!

If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!

Almond Butter Blondies

Peanut Butter Fudge

Peanut Butter Banana Bread