PB Oat Bars

PB Oat Bars are sure to become your new favorite snack bar! These No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars are made with only 4 ingredients to create a wholesome snack packed with whole grains and protein!

These Oatmeal Bars are a gluten-free and dairy-free recipe that is both kid-friendly and parent-approved.

When it comes to snacks, my kids always crave something sweet. More like they want a dessert for a snack. 

However, this mom would prefer their snacks to be less like dessert and instead packed with protein and whole grains. 

These PB Oat Bars satisfy us all! 

These snack bars are naturally sweetened, yet taste like dessert. They are packed with whole grains and fiber from oats and protein from peanut butter. They are chewy, yet have a soft texture, and are so delicious. 

But the best part about these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars is that they are no-bake and come together in less than 5 minutes. Talk about easy!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars are one of our favorite snacks. Sweet enough for the kids to feel like a treat, and wholesome enough to win mom's approval any time of the day. Okay, I will be honest, I LOVE to snack on these bars myself. After one bite, you will fall in love with the PB Oat Bars yourself. 

Notes on Ingredients

• Peanut Butter: This recipe works with natural peanut butter or shelf-stable peanut butter. I personally prefer using all-natural peanut butter, to keep these bars are pure and wholesome as possible. 
• Oats: Use rolled oats or quick-cooking oats to make these bars. Do not use steel-cut oats. 
• Honey: I love the combination of honey and peanut butter together. However, feel free to use maple syrup if you would like vegan PB Oat Bars. 
• Salt: Even if your peanut butter is salted, you want to add just a touch of salt to bring out the flavors. 

How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

• Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. This will make the bars super easy to remove from the pan. 
• Combine the peanut butter, honey, and salt in a glass measuring cup or medium heat-safe mixing bowl.
• Microwave this mixture for 30-60 seconds. This will help to loosen up the peanut butter and honey and make it super easy to mix together.

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats with the peanut butter and honey. You can use a spatula, spoon, or handheld mixer to mix the oats into the peanut butter and honey. I find it is quickest to mix this together using a handheld mixer on low speed, but when my kids make these peanut butter bars, they use a spatula to stir the mixture together. 

• Press the oat mixture into the pan in an even layer. 

• While you can certainly dig into the peanut butter bars right away, I find it is best to allow the bars to chill for 30 minutes to set up and be easier to cut. 
• When you are ready to cut the bars, lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper.

• Slice the bars into squares and dig in!

Storage Instructions

I recommend storing these bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days--if they last that long! 

Recipe Modifications

• Add chocolate: No one will complain if you add chocolate chips to these peanut butter bars. Stir in up to 1 cup of mini or regular chocolate chips to the oat mixture before pressing into the pan. 
• Gluten-Free Oat Bars: As long as you use certified gluten-free oats, these bars are naturally gluten-free. 
• Peanut-Free: It may sound odd, but you can make these Peanut Butter Bars peanut-free. Simply use almond butter or soy butter in place of the peanut butter.

More Kid-Friendly Mom-Approved Snacks

• No-Bake Granola Bars
• Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
• Homemade Larabars
• Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
• DIY Yogurt Tubes

If you tried these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.