These easy 5 ingredient no bake vegan peanut butter bars taste just like a Reese’s peanut butter cup, only are secretly vegan, gluten free, and ready in 30 minutes!

stacked no bake chocolate peanut butter bars

What’s in these 5 ingredient vegan peanut butter bars?

Yes, you read that right. These vegan peanut butter contain only 5 ingredients, and trust me, the process is even easier to make them (but don’t worry, we’ll get to that in a second).

sliced vegan peanut butter bars

Peanut butter. I use creamy smooth peanut butter. You can use crunchy, but I think the texture is better with smooth.

Oats. I make my own oat flour, but you can absolutely purchase store bought. For store bought, I love Arrowhead Mills or Bob’s Red Mill. When making your own, I find it’s best to use sprouted oats. I’m not sure why this is but, it is much easier to turn into a fine powder.

Dates. Yes, these no bake peanut butter bars only contain fruit as a sweetener!

Vanilla extract. Vanilla is my favorite part of these peanut butter bars, as it makes these bars taste like a Reese’s peanut butter cup in bar form.

Chocolate. Well, who doesn’t love chocolate?!

How to easily make no bake peanut butter bars

Now that we’ve gone over what you need for these easy peanut butter bars, let’s make them!

As with all of my recipes, the full written instructions, as well as measurements, are found down below in the recipe card. However, let’s go over the basics here!

  1. You can easily make these vegan peanut butter bars in just one bowl. We’ll make the peanut butter dough first, and then melt the chocolate. The peanut butter dough should be thick, like below.
  2. Freeze the peanut butter dough in the pan while you’re melting the chocolate.
  3. Melt the chocolate as is, and then stir in the peanut butter. This will help make the chocolate much easier to slice into after they’re frozen!
  4. Rinse your knife under really hot water first, and carefully wipe it with a clean dish towel. Then slice into your peanut butter bars!
peanut butter dough
peanut butter dough in bowl
pressed peanut butter dough
chocolate being poured onto bars
peanut butter swirled onto bars
no bake healthy vegan peanut butter bars

Can I use another flour aside from oat flour?

Unfortunately, I’ve only tested these with oat flour, so that’s what I recommend! I have not tested these vegan peanut butter bars with all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 flour.

If you do choose to experiment with these bars, please make sure that you heat the all purpose flour.

No Bake Healthy Peanut Butter Bars (Vegan + Gluten Free!)

Tips for these peanut butter bars

  • Make sure you use a drippy and creamy peanut butter. Of course, you can absolutely make your own peanut butter as well!
  • Use a large knife when you slice the no bake bars. This will help ensure that the chocolate doesn’t break when slicing.
  • Use your favorite vegan chocolate. Enjoy Life, Valrhona, and/or Pascha Organics.
  • Add in nuts, chocolate chips, or sprinkles to the peanut butter dough. If you want a fun and crunchy twist on these vegan peanut butter bars, throw in your favorite add ins!
bitten healthy peanut butter bars

I hope you adore these no bake peanut butter bars as much as I do! If you make them, let me know by leaving a comment down below, as well as a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others may find this recipe!

As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations, so be sure to tag @the_bananadiaries on Instagram and Pinterest!

Happy no baking 😉

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

No Bake Healthy Peanut Butter Bars (Vegan + Gluten Free!)
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No Bake Healthy Peanut Butter Bars (Vegan + Gluten Free!)

No Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Bars

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  • Author: thebananadiaries
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: No Bake
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

These easy 5 ingredient no bake vegan peanut butter bars taste just like a Reese’s peanut butter cup, only are secretly gluten free and ready in 30 minutes!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup + 4 tbsps creamy unsalted peanut butter, divided
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 10 dates, soaked and pureed*
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 12 ounces vegan dairy free chocolate (sugar free if desired)

Instructions

  1. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup creamy peanut butter with the oat flour, pureed dates, and vanilla extract. You should achieve a thick dough.
  3. Press the dough into the pan and place the pan into the freezer to set while you melt the chocolate.
  4. Melt the vegan chocolate, either via stove top or microwave. Add in 2 tbsp of creamy peanut butter and stir until dissolved.
  5. Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the melted chocolate onto the peanut butter dough. Spread the chocolate to reach the edges of the pan. 
  6. Place the pan back into the freezer to chill for 20 minutes or until set. When ready to slice, use a large kitchen knife and slice into 16 bars. 
  7. Store any leftovers in the freezer.

Notes

Pureed dates: very similar to a date paste, you can soak the dates in 1 cup warm water for 20 minutes. Once soft, place the dates into a food processor, along with 5 tbsp of the date water. Pulse until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, you can use 1/2 cup maple syrup or 1/2 cup sugar free syrup.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 265
  • Sugar: 12.2 g
  • Sodium: 4.8 mg
  • Fat: 17 g
  • Saturated Fat: 6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 32.2 g
  • Fiber: 10 g
  • Protein: 7.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg