Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
These healthy oatmeal bars are loaded with peanut butter, oats, and other good for you ingredients. Perfect for a quick and healthy snack!
How is it already the middle of August? When did this even happen? Kids are already heading back to school and I’m still wondering how it’s almost September. But that means fall is just around the corner and let me tell you, it’s one of my favorite baking seasons!
But, it’s still summer and I’m living up the last few weeks of it with these bars. I’ve made two more batches of these this past week because they are that good. I wanted these bars to be on the healthier side, so I used oats and white whole wheat flour. When it comes to baking a little healthier, I love to use white whole wheat flour and it works so perfectly in these bars.
Annddd.. there’s zero butter in these bars too, just peanut butter and a little coconut oil. I also threw in some chocolate chips because chocolate + peanut butter is always a winning combination.
These oatmeal breakfast bars are super soft, thick, and chewy and almost like eating a peanut butter cookie. A peanut butter cookie in bar form that’s a little healthier is always welcome in my home. Plus, you only need one bowl to make these. The less dirty dishes the better!
Ingredients in This Recipe
The ingredients list for these healthy oatmeal bars is short and sweet:
- Peanut butter: I typically use a peanut butter brand like Jiffy or Skippy rather than natural peanut butter.
- Coconut sugar: Brown sugar can be used instead of coconut sugar, if desired.
- Honey: Sweetens the bars.
- Egg: It’s best to use an egg that’s room temperature in these bars, so the coconut oil does not solidify. If you need to do this quickly, just place your egg in a cup of warm water for about 5 minutes before adding it to the recipe.
- Coconut oil: I prefer to use melted coconut oil in these bars, but you can use vegetable or canola oil.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Oats: You’ll need old-fashioned (rolled) oats for this oatmeal snack.
- Flour: I’ve only made this recipe with white whole wheat flour, but I imagine all-purpose flour would also work.
- Salt: Enhances the peanut butter-chocolate flavor.
- Baking soda: Prevents the bars from being too dense.
- Chocolate chips: Use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips, whichever you prefer!
How to Make Oatmeal Bars
To make these easy oatmeal bars, simply mix together the wet ingredients before adding in the dry. Fold in the chocolate chips last.
Turn the batter into a greased 8×8-inch baking dish, then bake until the top is set and golden brown.
How to Store These Bars
Leftover bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Baking Tips
- For a slightly less sweet bar, the coconut sugar (or brown sugar) may be reduced from 1/4 cup to 2 tablespoons.
- The coconut oil may be replaced with 2 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil.
- You’re welcome to omit the chocolate chips entirely or substitute them with another baking chip, chopped nuts, or dried fruit.
More Oatmeal Snacks to Try!
- No-Bake Chocolate Cherry Almond Granola Bars
- No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- Cinnamon Raisin Granola
- Banana Baked Oatmeal Cups
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125 grams) creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 large egg , room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (100 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (95 grams) white whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup (95 grams) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, coconut sugar, honey, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla until fully combined.
- Add in the oats, flour, salt, baking soda and mix until combined. Add the chocolate chips and fold them into the batter.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the top is set and lightly golden brown.
- Allow to cool in the pan, then cut into bars.
Notes
I feel the need to leave a comment because so many people are saying these turned out dry. You bakers almost scared me off from trying these! Mine turned out perfect and were greatly enjoyed by the entire family. I made a double recipe, baking one batch in a square pan and another batch in a silicon bar mold. Baked them around 20 minutes, and they were still moist. Check early if you get nervous like I do. A few recommendations for those interested. I happened to have white whole wheat flour but, if you don’t, use a mix of white and whole wheat. Or, throw caution to the wind and just use all purpose. As someone else recommended, spoon in your flour and level it off to avoid over measuring with packed cups. (It would be nice if the recipe had oz/g measures for those of us with scales). Use a peanut butter like Jiffy. I have heard that the all natural peanut putters that separate can lead to dried out baked goods.
If I make these again (and I definitely will), I will add something for added texture. Probably some pecan pieces to give it some crunch. I might sprinkle some nice salt on top as well to make it salty/sweet combo, which I like. Other than that, the recipe is a real winner. Give it a try and don’t be scared off by those claiming dry outcomes.
These are so good. I made my first batch yesterday and I used 1/2 almond flour and 1/2 gluten free and it was so good. My kids and hubby ate it all. Today I wanted to try it with sun butter and it was also good and a hit at my house. Next time I want to try it with almond butter. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Looking forward to making these bars! They look absolutely delicious! Is there a substitute you would recommend for the coconut oil?
You can use vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted butter.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I’ve made them three times in the last two weeks and my entire family loves them! I used all-purpose white flour, organic oats, and brown sugar and they have turned out delicious every time! So full of rich peanut butter flavor and nourishing.
Hi! Do I need to necessarily store these in the refrigerator? will they go bad if I keep them at room temperature?
No, you can store them at room temperature for 4-5 days.
Used Almond Flour & Swerve Brown sugar- only baked for 12 minutes. Super moist & delicious!
I have a question…my daughter is allergic to peanuts…we use Sunbutter as a substitute….have you known this to be used with this pparticular recipe?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would be okay to use in place of the peanut butter in these bars.
My son and I just tried this recipe for the first time ever (whenever we try a recipe online we expect poor results so we can be over-the-moon happy when we find a keeper). Well, we certainly found a keeper in this one – we ended up replacing the white whole wheat flour with almond flour for one person in our household and replacing the coconut oil with canola oil for another (which means we also used the brown sugar and not the coconut sugar). I found that I actually had to cook them longer to get the middle to set so when I checked them I just folded the extra aluminum foil that I liked the pan with over the edges and after somewhere between and 25 minutes they were good to go! (I also suspect I have an issue with my oven at the moment that I’m slightly in denial of for fear of having to go through the task of choosing and purchasing another – ours is getting up there in age). However, once the middle was set I took them out and when they were (mostly) cooled we each tried one and they were simply amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!
So glad you enjoyed the bars, Michelle!
Can I make these into cookies instead of bars
I haven’t tried it, I’m not sure if they would spread very much. If you try it, I’d love to hear how they turn out!
I made these today subbing almond flour for the white whole wheat and maple syrup for the honey – they were delicious. Definitely kid-approved! I have a feeling these will be made at least weekly for the foreseeable future! Thanks for a delicious and healthy recipe!
So glad you liked the bars, Julie!
Good Day
I made this yesterday, and it was yummy,. I didn’t add sugar coz the honey is already sweet.
Thank you for the delicious healthy recipe.
Glad you liked the bars!
Hello!!
I’m going to make these tonight!!!! But don’t have oats, and we don’t eat or have oats in our house normally.
What substitute ingredient can I use I use instead?
Thank you
Becca
I haven’t tried these with anything other than oats, so I don’t really have any suggestions as to what you can replace them with.
Great recipe! I was worried about them being a little dry so I just added two Tbs melted butter. I think they would’ve been perfect as is though! I took it out at 15 minutes but after cooling realized they needed the extra 5 min. Still super soft and gooey! I baked in a glass pan. Most people who have an issue with baked goods being dry are measuring the flour incorrectly. It took me many bad bakes before I discovered and starting using this trick: The best way to get accurate results is to fluff or sift your flour before measuring and spoon it into the measuring cup before leveling it with a knife. Next time I’ll try it as is to cut down on the extra calories. Great recipe!!
Glad you liked the bars!
I don’t have honey. Is there a proper substitute?
You can use maple syrup in place of the honey.
These are delicious. I added extra honey and just a sprinkle of brown sugar and they turned out perfect!
Sounds delicious, Meg! So glad you liked the bars!
Can you use oat flour?
I haven’t tried oat flour, so I’m not quite sure. It’s not quite the same as regular flour though, so it may make the bars a little dry if you use it.
I just made these! I added some crushed nuts. Not much. This receipe was amazing! I love it so much! It’s easy and ready to bake in 15 min. The taste was outstanding! I’d give you 10 stars!
Thank you, Debbie! I’m glad you liked the bars!
Was looking for a yummy treat today and came across these! Boy am I glad I did!!! A new favorite for SURE! They are perfect, soooooooooooooo delicious! My four littles love love loved them as well!!
I’m so happy to hear that you and your little ones loved the bars, Jaszmyn!
I’ve baked these several times. Always used natural peanut butter, both crunchy and smooth. I like the Smucker’s organic smooth the best. No stir and just peanuts. I like it best using oat flour ( tried this when a gluten free guest was visiting). The whole wheat flour does make them drier- perhaps grittier, all purpose unbleached floor is fine, but not as healthy. I double the batch in a 9×12 pan. I like to use semi-sweet chocolate chunks, I think the coconut sugar is better than brown sugar, a little less sweet, but not that much difference. In the batch I made today, I used the Neat Egg, egg substitute and they came out fine, not crumbly. I’m shifting to a vegan lifestyle and trying to figure out how to make these vegan. The next step is to figure out exchange of honey.. maybe for agave? And vegan chocolate chips. These freeze great, and actually taste amazing frozen in the summer. They are good shipped, as long as you pack with no wiggle room using parchment paper between layers. Great for healthy college snack. My whole family 2 vegans, 2 non-vegans love these. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad to hear that oat flour works great, Christine! I think agave would probably be okay to substitute for the honey in this recipe too.
Oh.My.Word! AMAZING. So, I doubled the recipe, used almond butter and Lilly’s dark choc. chips sweetened w/stevia (Amazon ftw!) and added some coconut, then baked them for the same time in a 10×13 pan. I did make 1 small, little, teeny-tiny error…I accidentally QUADRUPLED the flour-oops! (I didn’t math very well that day) In spite of the error, these bars obviously came out drier than you’d prefer but NO ONE in my house turned them down. Safe to say, these are hard to mess up.
I’ve been wanting to try the stevia-sweetened chocolate chips, Julia! Do you like them? I’m glad the bars still turned out great even with the extra flour 🙂
These are delicious! We love that they are a healthier snack option. Served them to our best friends that don’t eat as healthy as we do and they loved them.
That’s wonderful to hear, Victoria! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them 🙂
Is it just mine or the mixture is extremely dry before cooking them. I just put the extremely dry mix in my pas and press it with the spatula and it’s seems okay. I have made those many, many time and they are to die for. I’ve made some today and used Skorr chip pit and mini dark chocolate chip and oh my gosh…. last week I made those with salted caramel chippit and dark mini chocolate chips and again…. really good. I keep them in the freezer and just take one out at the time.
Hi, Nathalie! The mixture shouldn’t be dry, it’s usually pretty moist when I mix it up and put it in the pan.
Hi, excited to try your recipe! Do you use natural peanut butter or skippy /jif type peanut butter? I have a bunch of natural peanut butter but I know they can make things more dry so wondering if you’ve tried. Thanks!
I always stick with a peanut butter like Skippy/Jif.
Can you post the nutrition information for one serving?
Hi, Heather! I typically don’t include the calorie count for recipes on my site, since it can vary based on the brands/products that you use. My Fitness Pal has a great website and app that you can use though to get a more accurate calorie estimate. Hope that helps! ?
Hi, would these still be as tasty if I don’t add peanut butter?
You need the peanut butter in this recipe otherwise the bars will be very dry.
Do you use milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips?
I always use semi-sweet because it’s what I have on hand. Any kind would be fine though, even dark chocolate.
Thank you for your delicious recipes which I always love to try out.
I was a bit disappointed with these bars which turned out too dry. I probably slightly overcooked them but I read the threads above and can see some other bakers had the same problem and offered various solutions.
I have recently been making non bake peanut butter energy balls with very similar ingredients and a lot less sugar which we all love so I will probably stick to the balls for healthy peanut butter snacks.
Thank you for your feedback, Rozenn! I know you’ve made several of my recipes, so I do appreciate it. I find that it helps to bake the bars closer to 15 minutes. But I’ve had a few people mention that they’ve turned out dry, so this is a recipe I plan to revisit in the near future and rework it to make it better.
I’ve made these bars 3 times, and they were always delicious. I followed directions exactly, made with brown sugar, bob’s red mill thick rolled oats, chunky 60% cocoa chocolate chips, and unbleached all purpose flour. Today, I made a double batch since my college kids love them and they are a quick healthy snack for finals week. They ship very well too. However, this time I tried whole wheat flour, and had organic regular rolled oats and they turned out kind of dry and too grainy. I will go back to unbleached all purpose flour. Or maybe a double batch doesn’t work as well?? Ugh so disappointed, I feel like I should put a layer of icing on top and that would defeat the whole healthy snack thing.
Hi, Christine! I haven’t tried doubling this recipe yet. I think the reason they may have come out dry this time may be because of the whole wheat flour. It can give baked goods that grainy texture and can also cause them to be a bit more dry, since it requires a little more liquid. I have had luck using half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour in baked goods, which may work in the recipe. But I do suggest using white whole wheat flour (some brands are better than others) or all-purpose flour in these bars. Hope that helps!
I haven’t made these yet, but I plan to do so this weekend. I’m going to use whole wheat pastry flour, which is ground from a softer wheat. I grind my own flour. I’ll post back to let you know how that works.
I just had to come back to the post to let you know this was the best peanut butter chocolate chip recipe I have ever made. These were so addicting, the pan was gone in a day! I followed the recipe exactly except I used honey powder and added water to “reactivate” it! Thanks for sharing! Definitely will be making these again soon!
So glad you liked the bars, Krissy! And I’ve never heard of honey powder, I’m going to keep an eye out for it! 🙂
Thx for the recipe! Mine turned out super dry. Flavor was good though. I think maybe I would add apple sauce next time. I will def. try again.
I’m sorry to hear that, Laura! Did you bake them closer to 20 minutes? Maybe try baking them a little less longer next time and see if that helps too. Glad you liked the flavor of the bars though!
I’m obsessed with these bars! I just finished having not one, but two for breakfast. I’m have a terrible sweet-tooth so I always make sure to keep at least one kind of healthy homemade dessert in the house to keep me away from the ice cream (it works for the most part!) Anyways, these were perfect and I’m definitely going to make these again and I look forward to checking out some more of your recipes!
I’m so glad you liked the bars, Chelsea! I have a major sweet tooth too, so I make these all the time too 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by!
I’ve made these bars several times now, always with almond flour (1:1 substitution for the wheat flour) and no other changes, and they turn out amazing. One time I made them with the white whole wheat flour as written and they turned out very, very dry. Almond flour has a lot more moisture so I guess that was the reason. Either way, it is very important not to overcook these bars as that will make them dry no matter what flour you use. I take them out after 16 minutes, the edges have a touch of golden brown to them and the top is just set. Thank you for this delicious and healthy recipe!
Can I use coconut flour instead?
I wouldn’t suggest it with this recipe, Diana. Coconut flour absorbs more liquid than regular flour, they would likely turn out too dry.
Thank you, I’ve been told to use almond flour as a substitute in quite a few healthy snacks. I’m all in this!° But I was wondering, can or is there walnut flour? Let me explain..when I purchase nuts, I take them home and toast them in my toaster oven till ALMOST burnt, but not ! It really Bri vs out the flavor ! So, can I roast walnuts and gr8 d them into flour as well?
You can definitely grind walnuts into flour, but I haven’t tried walnut flour in this recipe.