Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars are a delicious recipe idea your whole family will love! A healthy grab-and-go breakfast idea or after-school snack. 10-minutes of prep and one bowl and one pan are all you need. Perfect for the peanut butter lover!
What can we say? We're a family who loves oatmeal bars! These Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars are no exception! Not too sweet, but totally satisfying! They make a nutritious, easy breakfast, snack, or post-workout pick me up any day!
It's hard finding healthy food recipes the kids love, especially snacks that don't come in a package or wrapper and contain icky processed ingredients.
We're big fans of Easy Oatmeal Bar Recipes!
Table of Contents
Are Oat Bars Healthy?
One of our go-to healthy snack ingredients is oatmeal. Oatmeal contains calcium, potassium, and soluble fiber, so it’s good for your heart and health!
Plus, it's so satisfying.
Oatmeal bars contain whole-grain ingredients and have the added benefit of a little protein when you add creamy peanut butter. This keeps the kiddos satisfied at snack time. (Natural peanut butter, of course 🙂 )
If you like bananas, you have to try these Banana Oatmeal Bars!! If you want fruit in your bars, try our Raspberry Oatmeal Bars. Addictive!
The more we read, the more we find it important to bake my own snacks and treats for my family. Artificial ingredients and preservatives are everywhere, so balancing that out with some wholesome goodness is important.
Ingredients
These wholesome ingredients make one great bar!
- Creamy Peanut Butter - we like to use all-natural peanut butter, but whatever brand you use will be fine.
- Eggs - two large eggs.
- Honey or Brown Sugar - either works well.
- Vanilla - we like real vanilla extract.
- Baking Soda.
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats - not quick-cooking oats.
- Whole Wheat Flour - or white flour.
- Dark or semi-sweet chocolate (optional) - to drizzle over the top.
Step By Step Instructions
Making these tasty baked peanut butter bars is pretty darn easy. You likely have all the ingredients on hand in your pantry and can whip them up before the kids are home from school. Perfect!
One large bowl. One pan. One delicious snack!
Step 1 - Line Pan & Combine Wet Ingredients
First, line your baking pan with parchment paper. (This will keep your bars from sticking and make them easy to take out.)
Now, combine all your wet ingredients - peanut butter, eggs, vanilla, and honey. Stir well.
Step 2 - Add Dry Ingredients & Place in Pan
Then add your dry ingredients (oats, baking soda, flour). Mix thoroughly and then press into a baking pan.
Step 3 - Bake
Place the pan in your preheated oven and bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown. Then, let them cool and top with a drizzle of chocolate if you're so inclined. (how could you not be inclined, it's chocolate!)
Step 4 - Top with Chocolate (optional)
Just melt your chocolate morsels in the microwave and drizzle over the bars.
Substitutions
- Coconut sugar for the brown sugar (or honey).
- Regular white flour for the whole wheat flour.
- Crunchy peanut butter for the creamy peanut butter if that all you have on hand.
- Dark chocolate for the semi-sweet chocolate morsels.
- Almond butter for the peanut butter.
Tips & Tricks
- These Peanut Butter Bars with Oatmeal aren't overly sweet. If you want a more sweet bar, you can add a bit more sugar. We find adding a little drizzle of chocolate (dark or semi-sweet) gives them precisely what they need to please everyone!
- This recipe is best with old-fashioned oats, not instant oats.
- If your family prefers regular flour, sub out the whole wheat. You can also use a combo of both.
- One of our readers suggests doubling the batch - they're that good!
How To Store
To store your oatmeal bars made with peanut butter, layer your bars between waxed paper in an airtight container. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
You can also flash freeze them and then freeze them in an airtight container for up to three months. If you follow our tips to prevent freezer burn, you'll be all set!
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Oat Bars
You can make this recipe gluten-free but omitting the whole wheat flour and upping the oats to 2 cups. Just make sure they are gluten-free oats.
Supplies Used for This Recipe
Try These Peanut Butter Recipes
If you're a fan of Peanut Butter, definitely try these:
GF Peanut Butter Cookies
Crockpot Peanut Butter Oatmeal
Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Saltine Toffee
We Love to Hear from YOU!
If you try these Peanut Butter Oat Squares or any other recipe on Suburban Simplicity, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it went in the comments below; we love hearing from you! Better yet, use the hashtag #suburbansimplicity if you make the recipe.
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Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars Recipe
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- 8x8 baking pan
- Spatula
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup honey or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of an 8x8 pan with parchment paper spray or with cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the peanut butter, eggs, honey, and vanilla. Mix to combine. Stir in baking soda, old fashioned oats, and whole wheat flour until everything is evenly incorporated.
- Place batter in the prepared pan and press mixture into the pan's bottom in an even layer. Bake for 15-17 minutes. If you overcook it, it may get dry. Stick a toothpick into the center; when it comes out clean, it's done.
- You can stop here or add a little chocolate topping. While bars cool on a wire rack, melt chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between intervals until completely melted.
- Once your chocolate is melted, drizzle over the top of the bars. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with enhanced instructions on March 23, 2020.
If you like Oatmeal, You'll Love These:
Christina says
These came out soooo good! And they were simple to make! Instead of the chocolate drizzle, we just tipped them with some apricot jam-mommy, daddy alsbd both kiddos gobbled them up. Do they freeze well?
Erin Henry says
What a yummy treat, Christina! We are so glad you and the family enjoyed them. Yes, they freeze well and are great for an easy snack!
Roger says
First time baking oatmeal bars. I am so happy I tried this recipe to start.
I used honey, pinch of brown sugar, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup mixed nut butter (almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, chia and flax seed), because we were out of P.B.
Absolute show stopper, this one is saved for all time! Low sweetness (mixed nut butter adds a touch of sweetness), not dry, not soggy, just perfect.
Beautifully delicious energy bar morning or night.
Looking forward to trying other recipes on suburbansimplicity.
Thank you!
Erin Henry says
We are thrilled you loved the recipe, Roger! It's one of our favorites and never disappoints. You are right, it's great to eat morning or night. Thanks for the 5-star review!
Kelly Hess says
Fantastic! We took these backpacking this weekend for breakfast. What a great way to start the day and they even stayed together in our packs. We mixed the chocolate chips in the batter for easier transportation. Thanks!
Erin Henry says
Perfect! They are a wonderful snack to take on the road. Glad you enjoyed them while backpacking!
Krissy Allori says
These are so good. I love that they are easy and so very tasty. I'll be making these again for sure.
Erin Henry says
This is definitely a great recipe to make again and again! Perfect for meal prep.
wilhelmina says
These bars are so dang yummy, we ate every single crumb! They are super easy to make also!
Erin Henry says
We love how easy this recipe is to make in one bowl and then one pan! Enjoy!
Laura Reese says
This recipe is amazing! We love this and will be making it again for sure.
Erin Henry says
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Laura!
Christine says
Do you think you could make the oats into oat flour? What about using coconut sugar in place of brown sugar?
Erin Henry says
You can definitely use coconut sugar in place of brown sugar. As far as making the oats into oat flour, I think it would change the consistency of the recipe and make it even denser, but we've never tried it.
Kayla says
Delicious! I made one pan so I could freeze them and take one to work each morning, but ended up eating the whole pan over the course of a couple days, so I had to make another pan.
Erin says
Yum! Kayla! So glad you enjoyed them so much. Thanks for letting me know...I love to hear from readers and recipe makers!
Marcelina says
I've made these a few times now, and I love them! Each serving is so filling, too! I enjoy a bar after a workout or as an afternoon snack. Definitely a great alternative to chocolate chip blondies or cookies if you are wanting a healthier "dessert" option.
Erin says
I like them after a workout too, Marcelina! Definitely healthier than cookies or something sugary. Enjoy in good health!
Deborah says
These are wonderful...made them just like the recipe. I doubled it and uses a 9x13 pan. If I'm going to go all the trouble to bake I never use a 8x8 so there is more to last longer.
Erin says
Such a good idea to double the batch, Deborah! Smart lady! I think I'll add that to the suggestions. Thanks!
Cindy says
just pinned, these look delicious!
Erin says
Thanks, Cindy! The kids love them and they have low sugar, so I call that a win 🙂