No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

These No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars are easy, healthy peanut butter bars topped with a silky, luscious chocolate peanut butter ganache. It’s a comforting, healthy vegan dessert recipe ready in less than 20 minutes with a bonus! Yes, the recipe is not only vegan but also grain-free, paleo, and keto-friendly!

I am so glad you are here today to try these easy, luscious peanut butter bars! You know my passion for peanut butter and easy vegan desserts, right? I’ve made Perfect Bars, 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls, or No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars to fill your vegan dessert platters.

So this is my new creation, or should I say an improvement of my 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies, turned into no-bake peanut butter bars.

That’s pretty much what it is, but you will love the chocolate peanut butter ganache on top of these bars. It brings the previous cookie recipe to the next level of decadence.

Ingredients and Substitutions

This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe

Let’s see what you need and also how you can adapt the recipe to your taste.

Ingredients for No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars in bowls and ramekins.

Peanut Butter – No surprise, peanut butter bars are made of peanut butter but make sure you are using the healthy kind. You need pure peanut butter here, no added oil, no added sugar or salt.
Maple Syrup – You can replace this with any unrefined liquid sweetener like agave syrup (the bar will taste sweeter!), coconut nectar, sugar-free monk fruit syrup (the texture will be dryer), or brown rice syrup to decrease GI.
Coconut Flour – It is a delicious grain-free, gluten-free, keto-friendly, perfect for raw baking. It is also high in fiber and perfect to stabilize blood sugar levels and create a healthy dessert. While all-purpose white wheat flour shouldn’t be eaten raw, it is safe to eat raw coconut flour. If you don’t like coconut flour, I recommend using fine oat flour in the recipe. See the variation of ratio in the recipe notes. If you are concerned about eating raw flour, read my article about the raw flours that are safe to eat.
Dark Chocolate – most 70% cocoa chocolate is vegan-friendly. The darker, the less sugar it will have, so choose what you prefer.
Coconut Oil – You need coconut oil for the ganache, but you can use refined coconut oil to avoid the coconut flavor or unrefined coconut oil.

How To Make Healthy Peanut Butter Bars

All you need to make this delicious healthy vegan dessert are 5 ingredients.

Line a 9×9-inch baking dish with parchment paper and oil it with coconut oil to make it easier to unmold the bars.

Bowl with peanut butter and maple syrup.

In a medium bowl, stir peanut butter and maple syrup until combined and smooth.

Coconut flour added to a bowl with a maple syrup and peanut butter mixture, with a wooden spoon.

Add coconut flour and stir until fully incorporated. The dough will be thick and dry.

Peanut butter base layer pressed on a baking sheet.

Use your hands to knead the dough into a ball and press it evenly into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Freeze the base while you prepare the ganache.

Dark chocolate and coconut oil in a small mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, combine chopped dark chocolate with melted coconut oil and peanut butter. Melt using a bain-marie or microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each cycle to prevent burning. Continue until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is shiny and smooth.

Pouring melted chocolate mixture on the peanut butter base.

Remove the frozen base from the freezer and pour the ganache over it. Spread the ganache evenly with a spatula. Return the pan to the freezer for 10 minutes or until the ganache is set.

Slice the frozen bars into 16 squares. Let the bars thaw slightly at room temperature before serving for easier cutting.

Watch How I Make It

Tips for the Best Peanut Butter Desserts

Use 70% or higher dark chocolate for a richer flavor and firmer ganache.
Substitute refined coconut oil with melted cacao butter for a different flavor profile.
Add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top of the set ganache for an extra flavor dimension.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do The Bars Taste Like Coconut?

This is probably one of your main questions since the recipe uses a good amount of coconut flour.
Coconut flour is not as flavorsome as desiccated coconut because it is made from the leftovers of soaked coconut meat while making coconut milk.
As the coconut meat is soaked, then dried, the coconut flavor is washed off. So, except if you absolutely dislike coconut flavor, you won’t taste much coconut in these bars.

How Long Can I Keep These Bars?

No-bake recipes, in general, must be stored in a cool place, fridge, or freezer, in an airtight box.
You can keep these bars for up to 1 week in the fridge or freeze them for a few months.
Defrost the bars 2 hours before eating, at room temperature.

More No-Bake Vegan Dessert Recipes

No-bake vegan desserts are the easiest to indulge in a treat that is nourishing and delicious. I recommend trying:

Gluten-Free Protein Bars

Healthy Date Bars

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

Did You Like This Recipe?

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