These healthy peanut butter oatmeal bars are vegan, gluten-free and jazzed up with some chocolate chips. They make an awesome snack or a healthy dessert!
Peanut butter. Chocolate chunks. And oats. No matter how those three things are combined, you know it's going to be good. Whether it's in a cookie form, a breakfast form or bar form like today, it's just an epic combination that never fails.
Today we're turning those three goodies into the most incredible, chewy, dense and delicious snack bars!
These healthy peanut butter oatmeal bars are full of fiber, they're quick to make, are perfectly sweet and have everything you need for a quick snack. We're talking good for you fats, carbs, protein and natural sugars all in one!
The Best All Natural Peanut Butter
When it comes to all-natural peanut butter, the choices can be quite overwhelming. If you walk into any major health food store – or store that carries natural products – you'll probably find at least 4 – 5 brands. So what's the best all natural peanut butter and which should you choose?
For me, it's less about the brand and all about the label. Here's what I look for in all-natural peanut butter:
- organic
- non-GMO
- no added sugars
- no added oils
Basically, I want the ingredient list to have one thing: peanuts! From there, it's all about personal taste and texture preferences. I am planning to do a review soon to share all-natural peanut butter I like best!
How to make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
For this recipe, you can choose either smooth or crunchy peanut butter. The flavor will still be the same, it'll just be a slightly different texture depending on which you choose.
Once you've got your peanut butter selected, all you need to do is mix everything together in one bowl and bake it up. This is such a simple recipe and takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
I start by mixing up all the wet ingredients until they're smooth and creamy, then beat in my dry and finish off with some chopped up dark chocolate. I like to use these vegan chocolate chunks, but you could also just use a high-quality dark chocolate bar if you wanted!
GF & Vegan Peanut Butter Bars
I'm here for the sweet afternoon snacks you guys and these deliver! We're using a blend of applesauce and coconut sugar to make sure these don't spike the blood sugar too much, while also jamming them with fiber, protein, and healthy fats to keep you full and satisfied.
Did I also mention these healthy peanut butter bars are also gluten-free, vegan, egg-free and oil-free? Because they are!
But don't worry, just like all the other desserts/sweet things we've shared, these definitely don't disappoint. They're soft and chewy, they're full of peanut buttery goodness, and they have little pops of chocolate throughout. I mean I'm honestly salivating just writing this.
Final tip: give these about 15 seconds in the microwave before serving and they'll knock your socks off!!
More Healthy Peanut Butter Bar Recipes:
- No Bake Peanut Butter Power Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Vegan Rice Crispy Treats
- Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
- Vegan Peanut Butter Quinoa Bars
- 5-Ingredient Quinoa Granola Bars
Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 6 tablespoons warm water
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup quinoa flour
- 1 cup gluten-free quick cooking oats
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chunks (or chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8” x 8” baking pan with parchment and set aside.
- Whisk together flaxseed meal and water and set aside. Allow to gel for 3 - 4 minutes.
- Beat together applesauce and peanut butter until creamy. Add sugar and flax eggs, and beat until combined.
- Add quinoa flour, oats, baking soda and salt and mix until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chunks (or chips).
- Transfer batter to the prepared baking pan. Press it into the corners of the pan using wet hands or a pastry roller. Bake on the center rack for 20 - 22 minutes.
- Let the bars cool in pan completely before slicing. Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
Video
Nutrition
dear Alyssa, I love your approach and would like to try so many of your recipes – but they are all measured in cups, which I (based in Europe) am not very familiar with and I am afraid that I would not get the amount of ingredients right… is there a chance that you also state them in grams, like 1 cup peanut butter (250g) or so. that would be a great help for people outside of the anglo-american area. thank you so much!!
Let me see what I can do!
Is there another flour I could use? I don’t have quinoa flour. I have almond flour though
A better substitution would be oat flour or brown rice flour!
Is there another sweetener I could use instead of coconut sugar?
Regular brown sugar or maple sugar would work!
Is there a substitute for the applesauce? It’s the only ingredient I don’t have.
Can u pls let me know how many grams is each serving to account for the calories?
It’s one bar for the nutrient facts you see here!