No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars (Healthy!)

When you’re craving a sweet treat and need something easy AND healthy, you’ve got to try these No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars! You don’t even have to turn on the oven and they take 15 minutes to prepare!

Are these easy chocolate oatmeal bars a healthy dessert or a snack? Does it really matter? They can be whatever you want them to be! Breakfast? Sure, why not?

All I know is that your whole family will love them and thank you for making them. Consider making a double batch as they won’t last long!

Recipe Ingredients–What You Need

This is such a short and simple ingredient list! These ingredients make these No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and they have no refined sugar.

Old Fashioned Oats

Make sure you grab certified gluten-free oats to avoid any cross contamination with gluten if you have a serious allergy. Otherwise, oats are naturally gluten-free and a great source of fiber, complex carbohydrates, protein, iron, zinc, and manganese. There are several different types of oats, but I recommend old fashioned oats for this recipe. Steel cut oats won’t work here. Quick cooking oats may be substituted, but I prefer old fashioned as they are less processed and have a lower glycemic index.

Almond Butter

You don’t need a cup of butter to make a delicious treat! Almond butter adds healthy fat to this great recipe, and has anti-inflammatory properties thanks to its high amount of vitamin E. You can use natural peanut butter in its place if you prefer. Peanut butter oat bars are delicious, too! Cashew butter would also work, or use sunflower seed butter for a nut-free layer bar!

Maple Syrup

These are naturally sweetened with maple syrup. A lot of similar recipes call for brown sugar, but maple syrup keep these refined sugar free while adding some riboflavin, zinc, magnesium, calcium and potassium.

Vanilla Extract

This adds a depth of flavor to these delicious bars.

Salt

Again, salt is needed to bring out the flavor!

Cinnamon

Cinnamon adds a touch of warmth to the recipe and also has anti-inflammatory properties while helping to control blood sugar levels.

Stevia-Sweetened Chocolate Chips

Using stevia-sweetened chocolate chips keeps the overall sugar content of these bars much lower. Of course, regular chocolate chips work also, but the nutritional content will change. I prefer dark chocolate chips, but semi-sweet chocolate chips are great, too.

How to Make No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine 1/2 cup almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined.
2. Add the oats, salt, and cinnamon and stir to combine. Cook the raw oats, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan over low heat, combine the remaining 1/2 cup almond butter with the chocolate chips. Stir constantly to melt chocolate chips with the almond butter. This should take only about a minute or so. Remove from heat when you only see a few signs of chocolate chips left, keep stirring until you have a smooth mixture.
4. Line an 8X8 inch square pan with parchment paper that’s been cut so that two sides fit inside the baking pan and two sides overhang the edges.
5. Pour half of the oat mixture into the 8 inch pan, and use the portion of parchment paper you cut to press the mixture firmly into the pan.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture on top of the first layer, and use a spatula to evenly smooth it out. Optional: reserve a small amount for a chocolate drizzle on top.
7. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top of the chocolate layer and gently press it into the chocolate with your hands.
8. Put the pan in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or the freezer for 1-2 hours for the bars to firm.
9. Pull on the parchment paper to remove the bars from the pan and cut into 16 bars. They may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Enjoy!

I hope that you love these bars as much as we do! If this flavor combination is your jam, you might also love these similar 4-ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola Bars.

If you try these No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars or any of my other healthy recipes, please share it on Instagram  and I’ll feature you! Also, if you try it, please leave a comment with a star rating below! Those star ratings are so helpful in helping my recipes get discovered. I appreciate you!

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