This Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Bars Recipe is SO easy & tastes like store-bought! There’s no refined sugar and are gluten free!
Table of Contents
I made you Soft-baked Oatmeal breakfast bars with none of those weird ingredients that you need to Google to figure out what they are.
Because I know you want some breakfast meal prep recipes that don’t make you feel all the guilty ickies when you find out what you just pulled from the box and shoved into your facial hole.
The softy-baked-goodness of these gluten free breakfast bars kind of hurt my heart for the first few moments that they were in my mouth. Because, I felt like I was cheating on my usual oatmeal recipe or cookie dough overnight oats.
I have been happily going spoon >> overnight oats >> face >> 😀 for the past eleventy billion years until these breakfast bars entered my life.
And since I made them, I have been making MORE variations of cookie dough oatmeal breakfast bars, pumpkin oatmeal breakfast bars in the slow cooker, and cacao peanut oatmeal breakfast bars.If you’re feeling low carb, you could even eat some Sugar Free Keto Low Carb Breakfast Bars and sing with us!
Healthy Swaps
These Healthy Breakfast Bars bring a lot to the table: they’re dense, they’re chewy, they’ve got just enough sweetness to satisfy that craving, and they’ve got PEANUT BUTTER. You heard right- your breakfast dreams have now come true! Similarly, PB&J Healthy Soft Oatmeal Breakfast Bars or Cookie Dough Oatmeal Breakfast Bars will also hit the spot if you want some breakfast bar variety. If you’re looking for some simple ways to make this recipe a bit healthier, here are a few swaps you can make:
- Coconut Sugar/Brown Sugar: baking stevia can be substituted for the sugar and the bars will still taste AMAZE.
- Mini Chocolate Chips/Semisweet Chocolate: If you’re looking to cut the sugar found in chocolate, you can opt for some sugar free chocolate baking chips. If it’s dairy you’re trying to avoid, try some dairy free chips.
Ingredients Needed
There’s just something about a chewy baked oatmeal bar that gets me excited for breakfast! These bars are made with a wholesome but delicious list of ingredients that will leave you feeling good about eating them! Let’s take a look at what you’ll need:
- Natural Peanut Butter
- Honey
- Coconut Sugar or Brown Sugar
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
- Oat Flour
- Powdered Peanut Butter (I recommend PB2)
- Vanilla Protein Powder
- Salt
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Cinnamon
- Roasted Peanuts
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Egg Yolk
- Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- Mini Chocolate Chips
- Semisweet Chocolate
Mix It Up
Now let’s get creative with THIS healthy breakfast bars recipe and amp them up a little! Here’s a few ways to do just that:
- Cashews: These are another DELICIOUS nut that can easily be substituted for peanuts in this recipe. Simply use natural cashew butter instead of the natural peanut butter, and use roasted cashews in place of the peanuts. I also love my vegan cake batter cashew butter!
- Almonds: Roasted almonds can be used in place of the roasted peanuts, and natural creamy almond butter (or my homemade almond butter!) will make a great substitute for the natural peanut butter. SO yummy!
- Chocolate Protein Powder: If you’re a chocaholic like me, a fun way to add more chocolatey goodness to these bars would be to use chocolate protein powder in place of the vanilla!
How to freeze Healthy Oatmeal Bars
These tasty bars can be enjoyed immediately or frozen to enjoy one by one as needed! Simply wrap each portion in plastic wrap and place them in a heavy duty freezer bag and toss them in the freezer. You could also store them in an airtight container, making sure to place parchment paper in between layers to prevent them freezing in one big block!
Healthy Homemade Breakfast Bars FAQ
Can I swap Peanut Flour for Peanut Butter?
Unfortunately, no you can’t. This Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Bars Recipe requires the actual nut butter, as peanut flour is a completely different consistency.
What if I don’t have protein powder?
You can easily add a bit more flour to replace the protein powder, but flour will also lack the sweet factor. Go ahead and tweak the amount of sugar by adding a bit extra to bring in that sweetness that will be missed by omitting protein powder.
Can I use a whole egg?
The yolk is what makes these healthy breakfast bars dense and chewy, so you really do just need the yolk this time!
Trust me, you are gonna like ’em!
I also shared the Oatmeal Breakfast Bar Recipe over at Food Fanatic, so be sure to check it out there!
Other Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Recipes
Pb & J Healthy Soft Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Apple Healthy Oatmeal Protein Pancakes
Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Banana Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Natural peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1/4 cup coconut or brown sugar
- 1 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp Oat flour
- 1/4 Cup Powdered Peanut Butter
- 1/4 Cup Vanilla protein powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 Cup Roasted Peanuts, Roughly chopped
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 Egg yolk
- 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 1/3 Cup Mini chocolate chips
For the topping (optional)
- 2 oz Semisweet Chocolate
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla protein powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and generously spray an 8×8 inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, microwave the peanut butter and the honey until it is smooth and fluid, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the coconut sugar on top and let it stand for 5 minutes. Do not mix the coconut sugar in.
- While the sugar stands, combine the oatmeal, oat flour, powdered peanut butter, protein powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and roasted peanuts in a large bowl until well combined. Set aside.
- Once the peanut butter/sugar mixture has been standing for 5 minutes, beat it until well combined with an electric mixer.
- Add in the vanilla extract and egg yolk and beat again until well combined. The egg yolk will thicken the peanut butter mixture up quite a bit.
- Pour the peanut butter mixture, along with the almond milk and mini chocolate chips, into the oatmeal mixture. Mix until well combined. Your dough will be very thick.
- Press into the prepared pan and bake until it appears just set and the edges begin to turn golden brown, about 20 mins. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
- Once the bars have cooled, melt the remaining chocolate in the microwave using 20 second intervals on 50% power, stirring between each interval until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Stir in the protein powder and drizzle on the bars.
- DEVOUR!
Tips & Notes:
- Coconut sugar is a little bit coarse, and letting it sit for 5 minutes helps it slightly dissolve. If you use brown sugar, skip this step and go right into beating the sugar and the peanut butter.
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PER SERVING: FREESTYLE SMART POINTS: 8 POINTS+: 9 OLD POINTS: 7
(per 1 bar)
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Christine says
Are these ok to eat if you’re trying to lose weight?
Taylor Kiser says
Losing weight is just about eating less calories than your body needs. So, I really can’t tell you that. If they fit within that, then yes.
Kathe says
I am a flight attendant and I am ALWAYS looking for food that travels well and actually tastes great! For a while I did the Isagenix smoothies as I felt I wasn’t getting enough protein with what I could pack. But I learned that I soon got REALLY tired of smoothies all the time. So needless to say, I have loads of it in my pantry. THIS recipe allows me to use that! I twerked this recipe just a little! I didn’t have PB powder, but I did have a dutch chocolate Isagenix powder and the vanilla. So, I added the chocolate protein powder instead of the PB powder. And at 52 I learned to make oat flour in my Ninja blender! YES!!!!! I added coconut flakes instead of peanuts and let me tell you how good this is. I swear its like eating cake. The texture is amazing and it is perfect for travel. I may have to hide out in my hotel room instead of eating this on the plane or my co-hearts will want all my yumminess! Thank you!
Taylor Kiser says
Yahoo!!! So glad you love them!
Karen says
Will these still taste good without the chocolate. My husband is alergic. I am trying to find him breakfast and snack ideas without chocolate. The struggle is real.
Taylor Kiser says
Yes! I think so 🙂
Sky and Summer says
Using coconut and almond flours as replacements for the peanut and protein powders and wowsah..yum! My 13 yr old and I are enjoying making some of your recipes. this New Year 2020! She’s really into healthy nutrient dense yet tasty baking now. Thanks and Bless!
Taylor Kiser says
YAY! Glad you liked!
Klee says
How much peanut butter flour does the recipe call for?
It’s on the ingredients list early in the article but not listed later on with the measurements.
Thanks for updating!
Taylor Kiser says
Recipe has been updated with that information. It’s 1/4 cup. Thanks, Klee!
Charles says
Directions refer to PB powder but it’s not in the ingredients list. How much does the recipe need?
Taylor Kiser says
The recipe has been updated with that information. It’s 1/4 cup. Thanks, Charles, for bringing this to my attention.
Alicia says
1/2 c. or 1/2 c. + 2 T. on the oat flour? The video says 1/2 c., but the recipe says 1/2 c. + 2 T. Mine came out pretty crumbly, so I wonder if that’s the difference.
Taylor Kiser says
The recipe card amount is correct – 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp oat flour.
Sarah says
I’m making these today for the third time in about 3 weeks. My 13 year old daughter loves them, and I’ve been sending them in her lunch box to school. She sees it as a sweet treat, and I see it as a filling snack. My husband loves them too. Thanks for the great recipe.
Taylor Kiser says
So happy to hear this! Thanks, Sarah!
Jordan says
Hello friend! These were DELISH! I wanted to add banana to this recipe for a pb/choc/banana dream of deliciousness, any idea how? 🙂
Taylor Kiser says
Hi Jordan! So glad you enjoyed these breakfast bars! That’s a delicious idea to add banana! I’ve never done that in this recipe, but you might want to try my easy peanut butter oatmeal banana cookies (find the recipe here: https://www.foodfaithfitness.com/easy-peanut-butter-oatmeal-banana-cookies/) and finish with a drizzle of chocolate over the tops of them! You’ll get that pb/choc/banana flavor combo you’re wanting. 🙂 Let me know if you make them!
Laura says
Delicious & easy to make. I made a few substitutions as I didn’t have peanut butter powder or roasted peanuts. I used 1/4 c peanut butter & all good. The texture was soft & moist. Next time I may add coconut flakes, in & on top. Love them!
Foodfaithfitness says
That’s great to read Laura, glad you liked them!