Oatmeal Bars Recipe inspired by Nature Valley’s soft baked bars, but even better homemade with a thick, chewy texture and rich peanut butter flavor.
author’s note
Homemade Oatmeal Bars That Beat the Box!
When I road tripped to California (DISNEY!!!) with my family a few years back, I grabbed a stash of snacks for the drive. One of them was Nature Valley’s® Peanut Butter Oatmeal Squares.
I’m usually a traditional granola bar girl, but I was instantly hooked on how soft these were and how strong the peanut butter flavor was. I also couldn’t help thinking I could make them even better at home. Or at least with better ingredients 🙂.
After a little testing, I finally got it right, and honestly, I’m way more excited than I probably should be about this recipe. These bars turned out so much better than anything from the store.
I’m truly obsessed. Like best breakfast bar I’ve ever had and I don’t say that lightly. They’re soft, chewy, and taste like a cross between a peanut butter cookies and oatmeal, but they’re made with minimal refined sugar, no flour, and plenty of peanut butter to keep them filling with a boost of protein.
Oatmeal Bars Recipe Ingredients
| Ingredient Group | Helpful Tip |
|---|---|
| Peanut Butter | Use creamy peanut butter for the smoothest texture and best binding. Avoid no-stir peanut butters since they can be inconsistent in baking. |
| Sweeteners | Honey adds chew and moisture while brown sugar boosts that classic soft baked flavor. |
| Oats and Oat Flour | Old fashioned oats give structure while oat flour keeps the bars tender. Measure oat flour after blending up the whole oats. |
| Egg and Vanilla | These help bind the bars and add richness. Make sure the egg is at room temp for easier mixing. |
| Peanut Butter Chips | This Oatmeal Bars recipe is easy to switch up by using semi sweet, milk, or dark chocolate chips instead. |
Featured Comment
“These are so good! My family loves them and they never last in our house. Definitely recommend!”
– Lu
How To Make This Oatmeal Bars Recipe
- Prep pan: Heat oven to 325°F and line a pan with parchment, leaving an overhang.
- Mix batter: Beat until smooth, then gently fold in the chips.
- Bake: Spread evenly and bake until edges are lightly golden and the center is set.
- Cool: Let bars cool completely in the pan so they fully set.
- Slice: Lift out using the parchment and cut into bars.
The BEST Baking Pan!
My Favorite Pan
I swear by this 8 x 8-inch pan when baking. It’s made from heavy aluminized steel, which means heat spreads quickly and consistently so you don’t get burnt edges or underbaked centers. The corrugated bottom helps with airflow and release, so bars lift out clean and bake with the perfect texture.
Storage
Let bars cool completely, then wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
More Easy Snack Recipes:
Oatmeal Bars
Video
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (like Skippy)
- 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 (blended oats) see note 2
- 1 cup peanut butter baking chips
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F and line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
- Add all ingredients except the peanut butter chips to a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth, then gently fold in the chips with a spatula.
- Spread batter evenly in the pan and bake for 18 to 25 minutes until the edges are lightly golden and the center is set with very little jiggle.
- Remove bars from the oven and let cool completely in the pan so they fully set.
- Optional: For extra peanut butter flavor, place 1/4 cup peanut butter in a small resealable bag, snip a small corner, and drizzle over the bars.
- Lift out using the parchment and cut into 16 bars with a sharp knife.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are one of the best tasting “healthy” things I have ever baked! I’ve never actually had the nature valley bars, but I don’t think I need to anymore. I can’t believe there’s only 1/4 cup of sugar in the whole thing! Also, if it’s of interest to anyone, I used regular whole wheat flour and dark chocolate chips and it worked great!!
Yay! I am so glad you tried and liked these!! Thanks for your sweet comment 🙂
I have been looking for a recipe similar to the Nature Valley forever! So glad I stumbled upon yours! My husband prefers the blueberry bars, do you have any tips on how to substitute the peanut butter for blueberry instead?
Hello Chelsea! While searching for a copycat recipe of the Nature Valley oatmeal squares, I stumbled upon your blog and I’m impressed with everything I’ve viewed, like your homemade cookie dough bites for the cereal and the no bake cookies. I’m definitely going to make this recipe. I’m preparing myself for it, I just grinded up oats in my sister’s magic bullet and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I just made oat flour! I didn’t think I could grind up oats in the magic bullet,since the texture is so soft but I did. I bought some silk milk today. It’s a mixture of almond and coconut milk. I’ll be using this for the milk part.Tomorrow morning, I’m going out to buy the rest of the ingredients I don’t have. I’m already in love with your site Chelsea! Thank you for all the recipes. I have a family reunion next weekend and I’m sure I could make a potluck dish. Have a great day!
Hi Ashley!! Thanks so much for your sweet comment – that means a lot to me 🙂 Isn’t making oat flour the coolest thing ever? I love watching them go from oats to flour in seconds!! Thanks again SO much and sorry for the delayed response! I hope you were able to try these and liked them 🙂 Have a good one!
any ideas on how to make the cinnamon brown sugar ones? We’re not huge peanut butter fans, but LOVE the other ones.
I actually have a copycat recipe for those too! Here’s the link: https://chelseasmessyapron.com/nature-valley-copycat-cinnamon-brown-sugar-soft-baked-oatmeal-squares/
Omg!They looks so good!!!!!I am craving now!
Thanks for sharing !
These are great! Made the first batch exactly like the recipe and they came out great. next batch I changes one tbsp of brown sugar for one tbsp of jam (used plum jam but i think any jam will work well. 1/4 cup = 4 tbsp).
Thanks!
OOO that sounds delicious!!! 🙂
I just made this recipe, and it performed amazingly in nearly all aspects! The only thing I didn’t like was that it had a tendency of sticking to the roof of my mouth as I chewed it, but that’s an unimportant aspect.
My family and I have been wondering if the number of failed trials was what you actually had to go through to create this recipe (I think it is because you said ‘seriously’ and because of the specificity of the number of trials and peanut butter jars, but my family says you could be exaggerating).
I’m going to replace the peanut butter chips with dark chocolate chips the next time I make this recipe to see how it compares. Thanks for creating and sharing this recipe; I love replacing foods my family buys with homemade alternatives :).
Oh that is so good to hear! Thank you for taking the time to comment and leave a review 🙂
Haha!!! I am definitely an exaggerater 🙂 I probably had in reality about 6-8 fails before I was happy with the bars! I’d love to hear how it is with the dark chocolate chips – that sounds fantastic and is definitely healthier than peanut butter chips. Thanks again for your comment Sam!
What a delightful surprise to Google NV Copycat Soft Oatmeal Squares and find your recipe. Looks simple enough, however I am seeking the Cinnamon version of these soft squares. Any chance on modifying the recipe to omit peanut butter?
Thank you, Chelsea, for your forthcoming response.
D.
Thanks Deneen! I haven’t tried any versions without peanut butter so I’m not quite sure what to recommend! I’d love to experiment and work out a recipe that copycats the cinnamon one. I will work on a recipe this week and keep you updated! Thanks for your comment!
Hey Deneen, I just wanted to let you know, thanks to your comment I’ve been busy working on a new recipe! Here is a cinnamon and brown sugar copycat: https://chelseasmessyapron.com/nature-valley-copycat-cinnamon-brown-sugar-soft-baked-oatmeal-squares/
Enjoy!
Oh my gosh thank you. I never thought a recipe would actually come up when I googled it! After buying another too-expensive box, I need this recipe. Pinned, hopefully making this week!
Hi Chelsea! I found your recipe on Pinterest, and because I am a peanut butter fanatic, I was so excited to try it. I’m an expat living overseas, and it isn’t always easy finding specific ingredients, so I had to modify the recipe a little, but it didn’t matter because they turned out great! I used regular whole wheat flour instead of the white whole wheat, subbed dark chocolate chunks for the peanut butter chips, used coconut palm sugar I purchased on a recent trip to Thailand in place of the brown sugar, and added some ground flax seed. They were not overly sweet, which I actually prefer. I am guessing the peanut butter chips probably add more sweetness than dark chocolate. These will make a great pre-workout snack for me, and my husband who usually turns his nose up at anything that looks remotely healthy enjoyed them as well. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
This is SO good to hear Kristy! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and letting readers know the great changes you made! Thanks again and have a wonderful weekend 🙂