Go Back
+ servings
side view of stacked no bake peanut butter bars
Print

No-Bake Peanut Butter Oat Bars

These no-bake peanut butter bars are naturally sweetened, dairy-free, and gluten-free. A healthy version of a delicious treat and they are perfect for snacks or lunches.
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Diet Gluten Free
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 14 bars
Calories 187kcal
Author Sara

Ingredients

No-Bake Bar Ingredients

  • 14 pitted medjool dates
  • ¾ cup + 1 TBSP natural peanut butter
  • ½ cup rolled oats certified gluten-free if needed
  • ¼ cup flaxseed meal
  • ¼ cup unsweetened, shredded coconut + more for sprinkling
  • ¼ tsp. fine sea salt just a pinch if your peanut butter has salt in it

Chocolate Spread/Topping Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
  • 3 tbsp. cacao powder
  • ½ tbsp. pure maple syrup more if you like it less bitter

Instructions

  • Add dates to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until only small pieces remain. You may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor or blender a few times until done.
  • After dates are blended, add peanut butter, oats, flaxseeds, coconut, and salt to the blender or food-processor. Pulse until all ingredients are evenly mixed. You may need to break up the date chunks with a fork from time to time (and if some smaller chunks of dates remain, that's okay too).
  • Place parchment paper in the bottom of a large loaf pan or square baking dish. Scoop mixture into prepared pan and press down firmly with fingers or the back of a spoon until mixture is evenly spread and packed down.
  • Mix the melted coconut oil, cacao, and maple syrup in a small bowl until cacao is completely mixed in. This will be on the thicker side. Spread chocolate evenly over bars. Sprinkle with shredded coconut if desired.
  • Refrigerate for about 30 minutes so chocolate and bars can set. Take bars out of pan by pulling on the parchment paper. Evenly cut into bars or squares.
  • Store bars in fridge in an airtight container. These should stay good for about a week in the refrigerator.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • I make my own chocolate topping for these bars to keep them completely refined-sugar free, but you can easily use melted chocolate chips to spread on the bars if you want. If using chocolate chips, melt ½ cup chocolate chips with 1 tsp. coconut oil and then spread onto bars. Also, look for organic and/or fair-trade certified to keep them as clean as can be (Equal Exchange Chocolate Chips are our favorite). 
  • Nutrition info is calculated off of 14 bars, but if you cut into smaller pieces, you'll have less sugar per bar (even though it's still natural sugar from the dates, I try to limit my sugar so I like the bars cut smaller than 14 total).
 

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 266mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg