These Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are fudgy and chewy, perfectly salty-sweet and covered with a thick layer of silky peanut butter-infused chocolate! They're melt-in-your-mouth rich, super satisfying, and high in protein and fibre. They're quick and easy to make, require just 4 ingredients, take 20 minutes to make and come together in one bowl. They're also gluten-free and refined sugar free and great for meal prep. They're perfect for sharing, are a great make-ahead dessert for entertaining and make excellent edible gifts!
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Place the oats in a food processor.
- Whizz until they form a fine powder.
- Place the peanut butter and maple syrup in a glass mixing bowl.
- Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir regularly until the peanut butter is melted and liquidy.
- Add the ground oats and mix well.
- Transfer the mixture to a one-pound loaf tin lined with baking paper.
- Smooth over the top.
- Place in the fridge to firm up slightly while you melt the chocolate.
- Break up the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl with the peanut butter.
Tip: You can use the same bowl - no need to wash it out.
- Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir regularly until melted - make sure not to overheat it as the chocolate will 'split' if you heat it too much.
- Carefully pour the melted chocolate mixture on top of the peanut butter layer.
- Tip the loaf tin from side to side so that the surface is completely covered all the way to the edges.
- Place in the fridge for at least a few hours until completely firmed up.
- Cut into squares once it's completely firmed up.
How long do these keep for?
They keep covered in the fridge for a good few days.
Substitutions you can make
- The peanut butter can be replaced with almond butter, cashew butter or pecan butter.
- For a nut-free version, replace the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter.
- The maple syrup can be replaced with agave syrup or brown rice syrup.
- For a refined sugar free version, use a refined sugar free chocolate.
More vegan no-bake desserts
- Chocolate Pudding Pots
- Chocolate Truffles
- Fudge
- Strawberry Trifle
- Key Lime Pie
- Blueberry Cheesecake
- Healthy Peanut Butter Balls
- Snickers Bars
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I'd really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Watch how to make it
Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 75 (¾ cup) rolled oats (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 250 g (1 cup) smooth peanut butter (or sub almond butter)
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other similar sweetener)
For the chocolate layer:
- 150 g (5.3 oz) dark chocolate (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary) *
- 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter (or sub almond butter)
Instructions
- Place the oats in a food processor and whizz until they form a fine powder.
- Place the peanut butter and maple syrup in a bowl.
- Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir regularly until the peanut butter is melted and liquidy.
- Add the ground oats and mix well.
- Transfer the mixture to a loaf tin lined with greaseproof baking paper (I used a one-pound loaf tin).
- Smooth over the top .
- Place in the fridge to firm up slightly while you melt the chocolate.
For the chocolate layer:
- Break up the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl with the peanut butter (you can use the same bowl - no need to wash it out).
- Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir regularly until melted - make sure not to overheat it as the chocolate will 'split' if you heat it too much.
- Carefully pour the melted chocolate mixture on top of the peanut butter layer.
- Tip the loaf tin from side to side so that the surface is completely covered all the way to the edges.
- Place in the fridge for at least a few hours until completely firmed up (may take slightly longer depending on the temperature of your fridge etc).
- Cut into squares once it's completely firmed up - you should be able to get 8 squares.
- Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog - thank you.
Susan
This is a 5 star so exuberantly declicious treat!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much!
Ekawati
I love your recipes they’re great and easy to make. But just wanted to make sure on something here just to sure I’m not wrong, the nutrition facts on calories is per serving right? So in this recipe 1 bar = 347 calories. If I’m wrong please correct me thank you.
Rhian Williams
Hi - yes the nutrition facts is per serving. This whole recipe makes 8 very large bars!
Nicola
These bars look like the peanut butter bars I enjoyed for dessert at lunchtime in my middle school cafeteria. I’ve been hoping to find a recipe for them, for years now. Thank you.
{One issue with your wording, though: usually if I see “nut-free” in a recipe, I think of tree nuts, from raising my nut-allergic son. Peanut allergy is different—sometimes I think it’s worse for those people, like a more vicious allergy—but your suggestion of sunflower butter works for both allergies.}
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, hope you'l like them! And thank you for the feedback re. allergies, I will definitely bear that in mind. Appreciate you pointing it out!
Agnes
delish, thanks! and lovely photos
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much!