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These no bake PB and J oat bars have everything you love about a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but in an easy wholesome snack bar. They’re super simple to make and perfect for the whole family.
These no bake peanut butter and jam oat bars have the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavor, they’re SO yummy and they’re made with wholesome ingredients.
If you love these, you’ll absolutely love my No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars too!
Why You’ll Love Them
- Low ingredient and SO easy. A handful of simple pantry staples and super minimal prep is all you need to pull these together.
- Fiber and protein. Each bar has 4 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein for a sweet snack that will actually keep you satisfied.
- Adult and kid approved. Classic PB & J flavor with a healthier twist, perfect for the entire family!
- Perfect for snacks or dessert. These are great for dessert but work for a healthy snack any time, too.
Ingredients
- Quick oats: Instant oats or quick oats work best. You can use traditional rolled oats too but the bars won’t hold up quite as well.
- Peanut butter: Any kind will work (or any other nut butter, too). And extra for drizzling!
- Honey: Or maple syrup for a little sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: For a hint of flavor in the oat layer.
- Raspberries: You can use fresh or frozen.
- Chia seeds: Chia seeds is what gives the jam it’s jam texture!
- White chocolate chips: For drizzling on top. You can melt with coconut oil to help it melt easier and smoother.
Variation Ideas
- Use store-bought jam. Not into making your own? Just use your favorite store-bought raspberry or strawberry jam instead.
- Change up your jam! You can also use my blackberry chia jam or my absolute favorite, my low sugar strawberry freezer jam.
- Peanut free. Make these with almond butter or cashew butter to make them peanut free. For totally nut free, use sunflower seed butter instead.
- Swap your toppings. Instead of white chocolate, go for dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate instead. You could even mix mini chocolate chips right into the topping.
- PB and J Oat Cups. Instead of a pan, make these right in a silicone muffin pan by layering each cup with the oat mixture, jam, and topping as written.
How To Make No Bake PB and J Oat Bars
- Start chia jam. Add raspberries and honey to a medium sauce pan on low medium heat. Stir occasionally until berries break down and begin to boil (use spoon or rubber spatula to help mash berries while stirring).
- Add chia seeds. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously to prevent burning. Remove from heat and stir in chia seeds. Set aside to cool.
- Mix the peanut butter oat layer. Mix all bar ingredients (oats, peanut butter, honey and vanilla) until completely combined.
- Spread the chia jam. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Press 1 ½ cups of the bar mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan to form an even layer. Spread jam evenly over the oat bars.
- Top with crumbles. Crumble remaining bar mixture evenly over top of the jam and then drizzle with white chocolate.
- Drizzle with white chocolate. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate with coconut oil in 15-30 second increments until melted and smooth. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and then slice into bars.
How To Store
Store sliced bars in the fridge in airtight container for up to 4-5 days. To prevent the bars from sticking, you can place a small piece of parchment paper in between each layer.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tips
- Use an 8×8″ pan. Don’t use larger than a 8×8″ square pan, or your oat layer won’t be thick enough.
- Press the oat base firmly. Make sure to press the oat base down firmly so that everything presses together. This keeps to bars together and makes sure they aren’t crumbly.
- Let the jam cool. Make sure to let the jam cool before spreading it so that it’s thick enough and not runny.
- Quick oats vs. old fashioned oats. Quick oats give these bars the best texture. If you only have rolled oats, you can pulse them quickly in a food processor or the bars will just be a bit more crumbly.
More Healthy No Bake Treats
If you’ve made and loved this No Bake PB & J Oat Bars or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and comments below!
No Bake PB and J Oat Bars
Wholesome peanut butter and jam oat bars made with raspberry chia jam, oats, and peanut butter.
Ingredients
PB oat layer
- 2 cups quick oats
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Jam filling
- 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, or fresh
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tbsp honey, or maple syrup
For drizzling
- 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1-2 tbsp peanut butter, melted
Instructions
- Make jam filling: Add raspberries and honey to a medium sauce pan. Heat over medium low. Stir occasionally until berries break down and begin to boil (use spoon or rubber spatula to help mash berries while stirring).
- Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously to prevent burning. Remove from heat and stir in chia seeds. Set aside to cool.
- Next, make the bars: Mix all bar ingredients (oats, peanut butter, honey and vanilla) until completely combined.
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Press about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of the bar mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan to form a firm and even layer.
- Spread cooled jam evenly over the oat layer. Crumble remaining bar mixture evenly over top of jam.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate with coconut oil in 15-30 second increments until melted and smooth. In a separate small bowl, melt peanut butter for 15-20 seconds.
- Drizzle with white chocolate and peanut butter.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours and then slice into bars.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an estimate.
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + star rating below!
We loved the recipe! We didn’t have any frozen raspberries so we used frozen blueberries instead. Also, we were out of chia so subbed in flax. But still, it was so easy, so yummy and beautiful too!
Yay! Happy to hear that those swaps work too, thank you for sharing!
You are missing the chia seeds amount fyi! I’ve made chia jam before so knew offhand, but I just wanted to make you aware! These are super was to make. Can’t wait to try!
Fixed now! My brain sometimes 🙂
Delicious, easy and kid friendly!
Thanks Dana!
These were easy and delicious. Friends and family loved them! Will definitely make again!
Another recipe on repeat. So good!
Do you actually taste the chia seeds in the jam? I have a problem with textures.
I’d personally say these are a good option for someone who might not be the biggest fan of chia seeds, but you’ll have to give them a try!
Another great & quick recipe! Easy to swap out jam flavors for different tastes.
Looks yum! Confused about step 7. Am I mixing white chocolate and PB before drizzling? Or…what happens to the PB I melted?
Drizzle white chocolate and PB (separate) on top!
I messed up and didn’t separate out the oatmeal mix so it’s all just one layer of each thing but still turned out very tasty!
Can these be frozen? I won’t get through it all in the 4-5 day time range as it’s just me, might need to find a friend to give away to otherwise, which is fine, just curious!
Thank you for the yummy recipe!!
I haven’t tried freezing them so I’m not sure, but you could try! I’d just slice them first!
These have become a staple item in our house! I’m making a batch once a week at this point. We are in the picky eater stage with our 20-month old, but these are ALWAYS a hit 🙌 I’ve now made them with fresh raspberries and a mix of fresh blueberries & blackberries.
Yum- I need to start making them with different berries too!