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 amazing!!! My family ask for these all the time now. I have to make double the recipe because everyone just gobbles them up!.
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Rochelle!
I baked for only 18 minutes. Sadly, mine are very dry.
Hmm they shouldn’t be dry, I would love to troubleshoot with you!
I don’t usually write reviews for recipes, but these are so good I just have to! These are absolutely delicious! The only changes I made was halving the honey and doubling the brown sugar (because I’m a college student and honey is expensive haha), and using all purpose flour instead of oat flour and they still turned out great! I added walnuts, raisins and chocolate chips as well, and they add the perfect texture and taste!! I was looking for an alternative snack to store bought granola bars, and these definitely do the trick!!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much for your comment Sydni!
I noticed most of these reviews were from people who didn’t seem to have made the recipe! I did make it, and I really enjoyed it. They are different than the Nature Valley bars, but much more wholesome and still delicious. I baked mine for probably 40 minutes because they continued to look really underdone to me, but they turned out just fine.
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Kinsey! 🙂
Hi Chelsea
Can you make thes bars in muffin pan for part of school lunch?
Thank you Corry
Umm… yum! These are so good! They really do taste like the Nature Valley bars! I didn’t have peanut butter chips, and didn’t want to add chocolate to it as I was making these to eat for breakfast so I left them out. Made no other changes. Still amazing!
YAY! So happy to hear this! Thanks so much Heather! 🙂
These are so good!!! I make them on repeat. I’ve been subbing the PB with sun butter so my kids can take them to school. And we use chocolate chips instead of PB. I omit the added brown sugar and just use the honey, and they are plenty sweet. Thanks so much for such a great recipe!
So thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Cierra! 🙂
Would maple syrup work in place of honey?
I’ve been trying to eat less processed foods, and my daily granola bar (specifically Nature Valley Soft Baked Oatmeal Squares) clearly needed to go. This one hits the spot! I’ve made it three times now and it’s turned out perfectly soft every time. I’ve landed on a couple mods to make it match my taste: reduce the amount of honey by about half, add a bit extra brown sugar and salt, add flaky salt on top, syrup instead of vanilla, skip peanut butter chips and drizzle, bake for 15 minutes. An easy thing to do to reduce the amount of processed foods in my diet!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Jen! 🙂
I stumbled across these looking for a “lactation” cookie or bar recipe post partum (which is mostly just oats in recipes haha). These are so unreal delicious I have probably made 10 times already since June – Beau e my husband and son can’t keep their hands off of them. I sub coconut sugar for brown sugar and dark chocolate chips for PB chips and add a little chia seeds and flax meal to make a little healthier – so so yummy!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Tosha! 🙂