Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars with Chocolate Chips

Looking for an easy dessert that’s both gluten free AND deliciously satisfying? These delightful peanut butter oatmeal bars are packed with nutritious oats, creamy peanut butter, and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chips. Best of all, they come together in a snap, so you can satisfy your sweet tooth without sacrificing your time. Perfect for a snack, lunch boxes, and dessert, these bars will become a favorite in your house.

Looking for more easy cookie bars? Try my Flourless Coconut Almond Bars, Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars here, or these Whole Grain Oat Apple Butter Bars.

I am loving this recipe for peanut butter oatmeal bars! They have such a great combination of things that make a good dessert:

• They contain gooey peanut butter, hearty rolled oats, and decadent chocolate chips, all wrapped up into one irresistible dessert with sweetened condensed milk.
• They are quick and easy to make and bake in about 40 minutes.
• The bars are also naturally gluten free when made with oat flour along with the rolled oats. If you’re not gluten free, you can use regular flour or whole wheat pastry flour.

After one bite you’ll see why these are so good – they melt in your mouth with the perfect ratio of creamy filling to crispy crust and peanut butter flavor to chocolate.

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make these easy peanut butter oat bars:

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

• Oat Flour: Use this to make the bars gluten free, otherwise you can use the same amount of all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour.
• Old Fashioned Oats: oats are naturally gluten free, but if it’s important look for brands that guarantee they are not processed in plants where wheat is also processed.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk (not evaporated milk): You can use either store bought or this homemade no-cook sweetened condensed milk with maple syrup.
• Peanut Butter: You’ll want to use a natural style without added sugar, either creamy peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter. Feel free to substitute any natural nut butter for a different variation.
• Brown Sugar: Use light or dark or substitute with coconut sugar.
• Melted Butter: I haven’t tried this with coconut oil or regular oil but if you have tried this with other crumb bars and like the result you can use it here, too.
• Chocolate Chips: Dark chocolate chips, semi sweet or milk chocolate. You can also leave them out or replace them with another type of chip or chopped nuts.

How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars: Step by Step

Here are a few helpful visual instructions – the full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the printable recipe card below.

Recipe Tips

• TIP: Lining with parchment paper allows you to lift out the cooked bars to more easily cut them.
• TIP: Don’t pour the milk-peanut butter mixture into one spot on the partially baked crust – it will sink some and stick to the crust as you try to spread it. Instead, pour or spoon the mixture all over the top as you can and simply pull the mixture to the edges as you can. It will spread as it cooks and the variations in thick and thin filling are good!

Storage

Storage: You can store the bars at room temperature in an airtight container for a couple days or in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Freezing: These oatmeal bars are great frozen! To freeze, layer them in an airtight container or freezer baggie, separating rows with parchment paper if needed for 3-4 months.

More Easy Gluten Free Dessert Recipes

• Quick & Easy Coconut Macaroons (No Condensed Milk)
• Easy No Bake Chocolate Almond Oat Cups (Dairy Free, Gluten Free)
• Incredible No-Churn Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (+ Mint Variation)

I hope you love these peanut butter oatmeal bars as much as I do – if you make them, be sure to leave a rating so I know how you liked it!