No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars (Gluten Free)
These gluten free no-bake peanut butter bars are probably different than other peanut butter bars you’ve tried. There are a few surprise ingredients in the recipe, including crunchy granola which makes these bars unique. And they take about 10 minutes to make.
One of my all-time favorite desserts are the granola peanut butter bars at Pizza Luce in the Twin Cities. These bars are thick, dense, chocolaty, peanut buttery – and not overly sweet.
A few years ago I found a copycat recipe for Pizza Luce’s granola peanut butter bars and have been making them ever since.
I like them because they’re super indulgent and rich – without being too sweet.
About The Recipe: The Bar Recipe You Didn’t Know You Needed
I’ve made a lot of bars in my life. And these bars are definitely unique.
They’re not scotcheroos. They’re not peanut butter Rice Krispie bars. They’re not brownies or million dollar bars.
They’re in a league of their own. Here’s what you need to know:
- They’re not super sweet: The first thing you might notice about them is that they’re not overly sweet like scotcheroos, for example. The granola adds subtle sweetness (depending on what kind of granola you choose) and powdered sugar is the sweetener of choice. They’ll satisfy your sweet tooth without that sweetness overkill.
- Granola is a main ingredient: Instead of similar bars featuring Rice Krispies or corn flakes, these bars contain a combination of Rice Krispies and granola. The granola adds extra crunch and flavor – depending on what kind of granola you use. I used a store-bought vanilla-almond granola but you can certainly use homemade granola or your flavor of choice.
- Coconut oil is added: The liquid base that holds these bars together is made of a combination of peanut butter and coconut oil. The coconut oil adds very subtle coconut flavor (IYKYK) and keeps them together when chilled – but they may crumble at room temperature.
What You’ll Need
The ingredients needed for this no-bake peanut butter bar recipe are pretty basic – nothing too costly or hard to find. You’ll need:
- Crispy rice cereal (Rice Krispies)
- Gluten-free prepared granola (your choice: I used vanilla-almond flavored granola)
- Powdered sugar
- Peanut butter – You can use creamy peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter
- Coconut oil – While the original recipe I followed suggested vegan butter, I like to use coconut oil as it’s a pure ingredient. Feel free to substitute vegan butter or regular butter.
- Chocolate chips – These are melted with a bit of coconut oil to make a chocolaty
- Sea salt – Sprinkled on top of the chocolate frosting
Can I Make Substitutions?
First time making these bars? I encourage you to stick to the recipe, below. This is a great recipe to enjoy exactly how the recipe is written.
However, I know that some of you will be asking about substitutions and whether certain ingredients can be swapped out. Here are a few options – and one to avoid:
- Peanut butter: In lieu of peanut butter, you can use nut butters like almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter. Avoid natural peanut butter (the kind that separates) as it’s harder to control the right ratio of peanuts to oil.
- Coconut oil: Instead of coconut oil, you can substitute vegan butter or regular butter
- Powdered sugar: Do NOT substitute granulated sugar or brown sugar
A Great Tasting, No-Bake Bar Recipe
Because they’re no bake, these bars come together quickly. Scroll down for the detailed recipe. Here’s the process, in a nutshell:
- Pulse crisp rice cereal and granola in the food processor a few times to break down cereals into smaller, more uniform pieces
- Mix cereals with powdered sugar
- Melt coconut oil and peanut butter over low heat, mixing until melted and uniform
- Combine peanut butter mixture and dry ingredients, stirring gently
- Gently press into an 8×8-inch baking dish lined with parchment paper
- Place in fridge to cool
- Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil to make chocolate layer topping to spread on top of the peanut butter layer.. You can use milk chocolate, dark chocolate chips or dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Add a sprinkle of sea salt
- Cool for an hour to harden before cutting bars and diving in
- Store in fridge. At room temperature, these bars will soften slightly and become crumbly due because of the coconut oil.
To Serve: Cut These Squares Small
These peanut butter chocolate bars are hearty and calorie dense. That’s why I always like to cut them into small squares for serving.
Since there is coconut oil in these bars, you’ll want to store them in an airtight container in the fridge to keep them from falling apart at room temperature.
If you like these no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars, check out this similar recipe: million dollar bars, a peanut butter oatmeal bars with a chocolate-butterscotch topping.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars (Gluten Free)
These bars take about 10 minutes of prep + extra chilling time. Store in the fridge once they're cut to keep the bars in tact.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
- 1 1/2 cups granola
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
For frosting
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place Rice Krispies and granola in food processor. Pulse a few times to break down the cereals. You want small pieces. Avoiding pulsing too many times or the cereals will turn into powder. Place in mixing bowl and toss with powdered sugar.
- Heat peanut butter and coconut oil over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is runny and uniform. Pour into cereal mixture and gently stir to evenly coat.
- Press mixture into prepared pan. Place in fridge to harden for an hour.
- Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-minute increments, stirring each time, until melted. Spread chocolate evenly over bars. Sprinkle with sea salt. Return to fridge to set chocolate for 30 minutes before cutting into bars.