Peanut butter oatmeal bars are a no-bake recipe that uses just four ingredients and comes together in minutes. The combination of rolled oats, natural peanut butter, maple syrup and dried cranberries makes a wholesome and delicious sweet treat or breakfast on-the-go.
One thing I know for sure is that the Clean & Delicious family loves a good oatmeal recipe. Especially super easy oatmeal recipes like my 3-ingredient banana oatmeal cookies or these banana oatmeal muffins.
And I get it. Oats are not only nutritious (high in fiber, digest slowly and are naturally gluten-free) they are also insanely delicious. And if you don’t love them as much as I do; perhaps these 4-ingredient no-bake peanut butter oat bars will make you a forever fan.
How To Make Healthy No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Get excited, because it really is as easy as it sounds! Here’s how you make peanut butter oatmeal breakfast bars (or snack bars!).
- Combine rolled oatmeal, peanut butter, maple syrup and cranberries in a large bowl.
- Mix together until you gave a thick batter.
- Transfer batter into an 8×8 baking dish lined with parchment paper.
- Pop in the fridge for a couple of hours until the bars set up.
- Cut into 16 squares and enjoy!
And just like that, you my friend, have learned how to make peanut butter oatmeal squares. This would be a great recipe to add to your weekend meal prep, so you have them ready to go for the week.
Tips for Making Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
- Choose an all-natural peanut butter with no added sugar or salt. Be sure to stir your peanut butter before measuring. It should be loose and pourable.
- Be sure to look for gluten-free rolled oats if you want this recipe to be 100% gluten-free.
- I recommend cutting them into small squares. They are super energy-dense, so one or two squares will really hold you over.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To have them last longer, store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Oatmeal Bars Variations
I really love these oatmeal bars with chewy dried cranberries BUT you can certainly switch things up if you prefer. Try stirring in chocolate chips, raisins and walnuts, or shredded coconut to change the flavor of the bars. Really, any type of stir-in you like or have on hand would be great. Just remember to keep the measurements at half a cup.
So now that you know how to make these simple, delicious oatmeal bars, I can’t wait for you to try them!! And if you like recipes like this, be sure to subscribe to my youtube channel as well (it’s free!) and jam-packed with hundreds of step-by-step videos like the one below.
More Delicious Oatmeal Recipes To Try
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- No-Bake Almond Butter Oat Cookies
- Baked Blueberry Lemon Oatmeal Muffin Cups
Thanks so much for reading! You can watch the video down below and if you make this recipe I would love for you to give it a ★ rating below. And be sure to follow me on YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and FaceBook for more healthy food inspiration!
No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1.25 cups rolled oats, gluten-free
- 1 cup all natural peanut butter, unsalted
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
Instructions
- Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.*
- In a large bowl; combine oatmeal, peanut butter, maple syrup and dried cranberries.
- Mix everything together until you have a thick batter.
- Transfer batter into prepared baking dish.
- Flatten using a spatula or your hands until the oat mixture is evenly distributed and even on top.
- Chill for a couple of hours or until the oat bars have firmed up. Cut into 16 squares and enjoy!
Deb says
Can you possibly use regular peanut butter? I know it would change the nutritional value but would the consistency work? I don’t have any other peanut butter and am not going shopping for extra things right now.
Dani says
It just depends on the texture of the peanut butter. You want it to be loose so the bars arent too dry.
Keith Woodcock says
The recipe is so easy to follow and the results delicious! One can substitute the fillings to almost anything. Instead of cranberries, I chopped up mixed dried fruit (apples, apricots, prunes, pineapple, pears) and it came out great.
Dani says
Hi Keith! So glad you enjoyed these. I appreciate you taking the time to share.
Josephine says
Didn’t have most of the ingredients, but enjoyed them still will have to redo them ounce I have all the ingredients.
Thanks Dani
Dani says
So glad to hear it. Enjoy them.
Lorraine says
Hi
Do you need to use 100% Maple Syrup…? Can you use honey instead…or will it not stay together as well…??
Dani says
Yes, I’m pretty sure that would work just fine.
Adam says
Are these bars supposed to be a little crumbly when cut? I tried mine after about 2 hours, and a lot of it fell apart. I may or may not have used 1/3 a cup of Maple Syrup though (the only PB I had was a natural JIF with honey and a bit extra sugar in it and thought that might be enough to not need Maple, but added some at end eyeballing it), and may be why as per my friend the syrup would solidify the bars more from her own experience making Cereal Bars with Peanut Butter. Figure may as well ask though to be sure.
PS: Love your website and YouTube channel, just discovered it recently and it’s inspiring to cook, and in particular bake a bit more than I have before. Been wanting to a while as it is especially now in the current climate we are in as a society, but your content is a very valuable resource in doing this. This recipe is the 2nd I have tried in a week (3 ingredient Banana Breakfast Cookies being the first), and I’ll be using it frequently I suspect from here on. Thank you for providing it all. 🙂
Dani says
Hi Adam, welcome! The nut butter consistency plays a big part in the texture of the bars. It needs to be loose and almost pourable, not too oily and not too dry. Hope that helps a bit.
Carolyn says
Just made these and I’m sure they’ll still taste delicious, but they definitely aren’t as “wet” looking as yours are. I used natural peanut butter ground in a store, which is very thick (not at all oily). Is pre-packaged natural peanut butter more oily, and could that perhaps be the issue? (I’m new to buying these types of ingredients and am still figuring it out.) Any tips would be appreciated!
Dani says
That could 100% be the issue! The consistency of the nut butter can make all the difference. It needs to be kind of loose but not too oily.
Faith V. says
Hello! This is my second time making these bars. I made them the first time because I was looking for a bar recipe to make in order to hold me over until I could go to the store and buy some. After this recipe, I won’t be going to the store to buy anymore pre-made bars!
The first time I had all the ingredients on hand and made them with natural peanut butter. My husband liked them so much he asked me to make them again, but this time with Earth Balance peanut butter and coconut blend. They turned out great again, and I really like the additional coconut flavor! These will continue to be a staple in my house!
lana says
Looks like another fantastic recipe. Could I use almond butter though? Also, which brand you use (just want to compare to make sure I’m aiming the right consistency butter). Thank you!
Tanya Crosse says
This is my 4th time making these and they are just delicious. Just minutes to put together, not too sweet and very simple. These are great with coffee or a glass of cold milk.
I’ve used the ground in store peanut butter, Earth Balance natural peanut butter and Smucker’s Organic peanut butter. All turned out great in this recipe. I’ve also tried a variety of mix-ins, but I personally like the tartness of the dried cranberries best. I recently found a vanilla bean maple syrup at my local Costco and that added a nice touch of added flavor. Highly recommend.
Dani says
Thanks for sharing, Tanya! If you ask me, peanut butter and almost everything, right?