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These no bake chocolate oat bars are only 5 ingredients and so easy to make. They’re the perfect sweet treat for a healthy dessert, a quick snack or even having alongside your breakfast.
Why You’ll Love These Bars
I absolutely love a no bake recipe. They’re always easy and delicious, and bonus- no oven to turn on! A couple more you need to try: my No Bake Coconut Protein Balls and my No Bake Protein Cookies!
Here’s why I love these no bake chocolate oatmeal bars:
- No baking required. I love a baked treat just as much as the next one, but
- Simple ingredients. These bars only call for 5 wholesome ingredients that just happened to be pantry staples too- it doesn’t get much better than that!
- Nutrient boosted. Thanks to the oats and peanut butter, each bar offers a mix of fiber-rich carbohydrates, healthy fats and some protein too! Each bar has 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber!
Ingredients
You only need 5 simple ingredients to make these yummy no bake bars! Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for full instructions and ingredients.
- Quick oats: Quick cooking oats help the oat layer to set. You can use old-fashioned oats or rolled oats too but make sure to pulse in a food processor first. Use certified gluten-free oats to make this treat gluten free. I don’t recommend using steel cut oats.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: You could also use dark chocolate chips. I also like to top the bars with mini chocolate chips, but you can use regular chocolate chips too!
- Creamy peanut butter: Any kind works. You can use regular or natural peanut butter if that’s your thing too.
- Honey: Maple syrup works too. For a different flavor, you could even swap in my Brown Sugar Simple Syrup.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract (this one is my fave) bumps up the flavor of the oat layer!
Variation ideas
- Change up the peanut butter. You can use any kind of nut butter. Try almond butter, cashew butter or even sunflower seed butter!
- Top with nuts. You could add chopped peanuts, walnuts, pecans, or almonds for a nutty topping.
- Boost the fiber. Add 2 tbsp ground flaxseed to the oat layer for more fiber and healthy fats. Add a couple extra tablespoons of peanut butter (or water) to adjust for the extra ingredients.
- Add flaky sea salt. If you love a chocolate treat with flaky sea salt, sprinkle some on top of the chocolate layer!
How To Make No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars
- Prepare the oat layer. In a medium bowl mix oats, 1/2 cup peanut butter, honey and vanilla extract. Stir together until fully combined.
- Make the chocolate layer. Add 1/3 cup peanut butter and chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 20-30 second intervals, stirring in between until chocolate is melted and combined with peanut butter.
- Press oat layer. First, line a 8×8” square pan with parchment paper. Add 1 ½ cups of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared dish. Press the mixture down firmly in an even layer.
- Pour chocolate layer. Pour chocolate peanut butter mixture evenly over oat mixture in the prepared dish.
- Top with remaining oats. Crumble remaining oat mixture evenly over the top (the chocolate will peek through a bit).
- Finish with toppings. Drizzle with extra melted peanut butter and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before cutting into 9 or 16 squares, or 12 rectangles.
How to store
Store leftover bars in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. I don’t recommend storing them at room temperature because the chocolate will get a little too soft.
Jamie’s tips
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to line your pan. Lining your baking pan with parchment paper is essential for no bake treats, or your bars will stick to the pan.
- Don’t skip the fridge time. These bars need a full 2 hours to set in the fridge. I know it’s hard to wait, but it’s worth it, promise!
- If your hands are sticking, use parchment paper. If your hands are sticking to the oat layer when pressing it down, you can lay down another sheet of parchment for a nonstick barrier between your hands and oats. Or, spray your hands with a little bit of cooking spray!
More No Bake Treats
If you’ve made and loved this No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and comments below!
No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars
Chewy and fudgy no bake chocolate oat bars made with five simple ingredients.
Ingredients
Oat layer
- 2 cups quick oats, gluten-free if needed
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
Chocolate layer
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter, extra for drizzling
- 2-3 tbsp mini chocolate chips, for topping
Instructions
- Line an 8×8” baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl mix oats, 1/2 cup peanut butter, honey and vanilla extract. Stir together until fully combined.
- Add 1 ½ cups of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared dish. Press the mixture down firmly in an even layer. Make sure it's pressed down firmly and is very compacted to set the layer.
- Next, make the chocolate layer. Add 1/3 cup peanut butter and chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl and then microwave in 20-30 second intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate chips have melted. Stir the mixture until chocolate and peanut butter is fully mixed.
- Pour chocolate mixture evenly over oat mixture.
- Crumble remaining oat mixture evenly over the top (the chocolate will peek through). Drizzle with extra melted peanut butter and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.
- Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before cutting into 12 even bars. Refrigerate or freeze remaining bars. Note: You can also slice into 16 small squares or 9 squares for a bigger bar.
Notes
Make sure to line your pan with parchment paper or the bars will be very difficult to remove and will turn out crumbly.
Don’t skip the fridge time! These bars need the full 2 hours to reach their best texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 0.5mg | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 0.05mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an estimate.
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + star rating below!
Food photography by Marie-Catherine Dubé.
