This Oatmeal Bars Recipe tastes just like a Nature Valley copycat. They’re soft-baked, thick, and chewy with rich peanut butter flavor and plenty of peanut butter chips.
author’s note
Homemade Oatmeal Bars That Beat the Box!
On a recent road trip, the kids tried Nature Valley’s® Peanut Butter Oatmeal Squares and loved how soft they were. I wasn’t a fan of the ingredients, so after we got home, I made a homemade version.
It took a little testing to get them just right, but once I nailed it, I couldn’t have been more excited. These are so much better than anything you’ll find at the store.
They’re soft, chewy, and taste like a mix between peanut butter cookies and oatmeal. Made with simple ingredients like honey, peanut butter, oats, and oat flour. Peanut butter chips add sweetness, but dark chocolate works as a great swap.
Oatmeal Bars Recipe Ingredients
- Peanut Butter: Use no-stir peanut butter for the best texture.
- Honey & Brown Sugar: Warm the honey a little so it mixes easier.
- Egg & Vanilla: Help hold the bars together and add flavor.
- Baking Soda & Salt: A little extra salt makes the peanut butter stand out more.
- Oats & Oat Flour: Blend oats into flour first, then measure for the right amount.
- Peanut Butter Chips: Swap with dark chocolate chips for a different flavor.
- Extra Peanut Butter (Optional): Pipe while warm for a smooth drizzle.
Featured Comment
“These are so good! My family loves them and they never last in our house. Definitely recommend!”
– Lu
Quick Tip
Try other gluten-free treats: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake, Healthy Chocolate Cookies, or Blueberry Oatmeal Bars.
How To Make This Oatmeal Bars Recipe
- Prep pan: Lightly grease the pan and line with parchment leaving an overhang so it’s easy to lift the bars out.
- Mix ingredients: Don’t overmix—too much mixing makes the bars dense.
- Add peanut butter chips: Save some to sprinkle on top before baking.
- Bake: The center may look soft but will firm up as it cools.
- Cool completely: Chill in the fridge for 15 mins to make slicing easier.
- (Optional) Add peanut butter drizzle: Cut a small corner off a plastic bag for an easy drizzle.
Storage
- Store leftovers of this oatmeal bars recipe in an airtight container at room temp for 2 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
- For longer storage, freeze them in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
More Easy Snack Recipes:
Oatmeal Bars
Video
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup oat flour see note 2
- 1 cup peanut butter baking chips
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal, and set aside.
- Combine all the ingredients except the peanut butter chips in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in the peanut butter chips and fold with a spatula to combine.
- Transfer batter to the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake for 18–22 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. They may look a bit underdone or gooey in the center, but as long as they don’t jiggle at all, they are done. These bars continue to set up and firm as they cool.
- Remove bars from the oven and let cool completely in the pan. Use the parchment paper overhang to pull out the bars and cut into 12 squares with a sharp knife.
- Optional: (This is for peanut butter fanatics!) Once bars are cut into squares, place 1/4 cup of peanut butter in a small resealable bag. Cut off a tiny corner tip of the bag and pipe the peanut butter on the top of the bars.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What size pan do you use to bake a 2x batch in? 11×13? Also how long and what temperature do you bake a double batch?
I’d recommend making 2 different batches in 2 smaller pans
Have you ever tried freezing these?? I’m going to make them today!
Hey Mary, I haven’t actually tried freezing these, but based on similar recipes I’ve frozen, I think they should freeze really well!
These are amazing! I used AP flour instead of the oat flour and mini chocolate chips and flipped the ratio of honey and brown sugar. Baked 20 min. Omg! Will make again and do different fillings!
Yay! I’m so excited to hear this! Thanks for sharing!
Followed the recipe to a T minus using regular flour instead of making oat flour. I just didn’t feel like making the oat flour. Haha. The bars were delicious! I’ll be making these again for sure. I wonder if I could make these in a muffin tin or even as a cookie? Thanks for the recipe!
Yay, so thrilled to hear this! I haven’t tested that, so I can’t say for sure if it would work, but it does sound delicious.
These are so good! My family loves them and they never last in our house. Definitely recommend!
Yay! So happy to hear this! Thanks Lu!