The classic melt-in-your-mouth chocolate oatmeal no bake bars are popular for a very good reason – they’re impossible to stop eating!
At first glance, traditional chocolate no bake recipes—made with wholesome oatmeal instead of flour—might seem like a healthy choice.
But with half a cup of butter and two full cups of refined sugar packed into traditional no bake bar recipes, they’re really not even close.
These homemade chocolate oatmeal no bake bars offer the perfect healthy alternative:
You get all of the wholesome ingredients, without all the extra butter and sugar.
I swapped out the sugar here for pure maple syrup and have also cut way back on the sweetener in general, and I substituted peanut butter for the butter, for an added protein boost you won’t even realize is in there.
Also Try These Buffalo Cauliflower Wings – Just 6 Ingredients
The recipe first came about during the Snowpocalypse 2016, when my then-boyfriend and I were trapped in my apartment while the snow relentlessly slammed down outside.
After watching about seven Daredevil episodes in a row, he looked at me and said, “So where are all the famous Chocolate Covered Katie baked goods?”
With no grocery stores open, I took stock of my pantry and pulled out every one of my favorite ingredients that I always have on hand:
Chocolate.
Peanut Butter.
Oatmeal.
Combining so many delicious ingredients into one easy-to-make and heart-healthy dessert was pretty much a guaranteed success right from the start.
I formed them into no bake cookie balls and put them on a plate.
The boy proceeded to eat eight of them… So I took that as a good sign!
Then we watched even more Daredevil, and ate pasta with jarred Ragu from 7/11 for dinner.
And swore we’d never tell.
Also try the recipe in cookie form –> Chocolate No Bake Cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate No Bake Bar Instructions
Step One: Prepare an 8-inch pan by lining it with parchment or wax paper.
Stir together the liquid ingredients, then combine with the oats and stir until evenly mixed.
Step Two: Smooth into the prepared pan, and press down with a spoon as hard as you can.
Really press down as hard as you can.
Transfer the pan to the freezer until the bars are firm enough to cut.
Step Three: Slice into bars, and enjoy!
Leftovers can be left out at room temperature for a few hours, but for optimum freshness I like to keep them in the fridge or freezer, where they last a few weeks…
If you don’t eat them all first!
Above, watch the video of how to make chocolate oatmeal no bake bars.
Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup peanut butter or allergy-friendly sub
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey or agave
- 1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups quick oats (Here's a keto version)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment or wax. Set aside. Stir together the first three ingredients. Gently heat until the oil is melted and peanut butter is easily stir-able. Whisk in the vanilla extract and salt, stirring until completely smooth. Stir in the quick oats and cocoa powder until evenly coated. Smooth into the prepared pan, and press down with a spoon as hard as you can. Really pack it in. Freeze until firm enough to cut. Leftovers can stay out a few hours, but I like to keep them in the freezer for optimum freshness, where they last a few weeks.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Healthy No Bake Recipes
Or this Avocado Chocolate Mousse
Yum this looks delicious!!! Do you think if I used Quinoa flakes instead of Oats, it would taste just as good?
Lennae xxx
Feel free to experiment!
Awesome, Awesome. I’m a 64 yr. old vegan guy who has followed your blog for a couple of years and also have your book. I was looking all summer for a recipe for no bake oatmeal peanut butter chocolate cookies that I remember from my school days. Your recipes are the only ones I trust to lighten the sugar properly. I must confess that I did sub some well-chopped dates for 3 tbsp of the maple syrup. I love your work. Thank you.
Dead Theron, that is a BRILLIANT idea. Thank you!
Delicious. Thanks for another great idea.
I would like to try these for our after church coffee, the problem is the peanut butter. What can I use in place of?
You can use SunButter or almond butter. You could also experiment with coconut butter in the no bake version.
These sound great. I’m working in a VERY tiny kitchen right now and the less steps, the better!
Hie. If we do can not use coconut oil, what substitute would you suggest as an alternative here. Thanks!
You can experiment and try more peanut butter. Let us know how they turn out if you do experiment!
A couple people said they used butter instead of coconut oil.
I must try this recipe. I love no-bake recipes to mix things up a bit and produce something delicious really quickly. Thanks for sharing, so glad you created them in your Snowpocalypse! And your photos look amazing.
I seriously made these before I even finished reading the post! They’re awesome! So easy, I’m going to bring these to all the parties now.
I made this following the recipe quantities posted on your Instagram (but now I can’t find the photo anymore!). I didn’t have coconut oil nor liquid sweetener so I substituted them with vegetable oil and cane sugar. I also added some chopped salted peanuts for some extra crunch.The bars turned out AMAZING! I loved the salty/sweet/chocolate-y taste combination. Yum. Thank you for another wonderful recipe, Katie!
These are delicious! I don’t think my husband and kids even noticed that they weren’t the real thing (we’re not vegan, and no bakes are my husband’s favorite, so we have them often)! Thanks for cutting down the sugar! Every time I make the “normal” recipe, I am always appalled at the two cups!