No-bake chocolate peanut butter bars are thick, rich, and decadent. Originally published in 2013 and made from only 5 simple ingredients, these are a delicious treat anytime of the year. No oven required!
It’s no secret that many bakers love baking with peanut butter. Like these peanut butter cookies, a recipe that has lived on my site for years and serves as the base for so many of our other peanut butter favorites like peanut butter blossoms. But what about NO BAKING with peanut butter? No bake chocolate peanut butter bars combine an alluring flavor combination that we all love: chocolate and peanut butter. In this easy dessert, velvety smooth chocolate sits on top of a thick layer of peanut buttery goodness. The peanut butter layer tastes remarkably similar to the center of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
The best part of all? They’re made from just 5 simple ingredients!
These no-bake peanut butter bars are a family favorite recipe. Every Christmas, my mom made a large tray of mini pecan pies, coconut macaroons, snowball cookies, and these glorious peanut butter bars. The competition was high, but you can imagine which dessert disappeared first.
I look forward to these bars every holiday season, so I quit limiting them to December. We make these no bake chocolate peanut butter bars all year long and they always cause a frenzy. In fact, I’ve never regretted making a double batch!
Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter Bars
- Taste like peanut butter cups
- Only 5 ingredients
- Quick to make and even quicker to disappear
- Cut them as large or small as you want
- Freeze beautifully
- No oven needed
- Chocolate + peanut butter (!!)
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar Ingredients
There are only 5 ingredients required for no bake chocolate peanut butter bars and I bet you have each one in your kitchen right now.
- Butter: Butter binds the powdered sugar and graham cracker crumbs. You can use salted or unsalted butter. If using unsalted, add 1/4 teaspoon salt when you add the peanut butter.
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: Graham cracker crumbs add structure and texture. You need about 8 full-sheet graham crackers for 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs. If desired, use gluten free graham crackers to make these a gluten free dessert recipe.
- Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is the main ingredient and it’s actually used in both layers. For best texture, I suggest a processed creamy peanut butter such as Skippy. (I do not recommend oily or natural style peanut butter for this recipe, though I do make homemade peanut butter all the time! If you are looking for a recipe to use natural style peanut butter, these peanut butter cookies are for you.)
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar keeps everything together and adds sweetness.
- Chocolate Chips: Because we can’t have chocolate peanut butter bars without chocolate!
How to Make No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
The first step is to melt the butter. Mix the butter with the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and peanut butter. Press into a 9-inch square pan. Melt remaining peanut butter with chocolate chips. Pour on top of the peanut butter layer. Chill in the refrigerator until set, then cut into squares.
That’s it. You’re done. This is probably the easiest dessert you’ll ever make. Even easier than peanut butter balls and peanut butter eggs!
These 5 ingredient no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars are so easy. They’re fudgy, creamy, absolutely irresistible, and taste like peanut butter cups! Step away from the computer and run (don’t walk) to the kitchen to get started. Like, right now.
More Peanut Butter + Chocolate Recipes
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Scotcheroos
- Peanut Butter Cup Tart
- Peanut Butter Balls
- No-Bake Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies
- Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie
More 5 Ingredient or Less Recipes
Print
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
- Yield: 20-24 squares
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars are incredibly decadent and made from only 5 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) salted butter, melted*
- 1 cup (120g) graham cracker crumbs (about 8 full sheet graham crackers)*
- 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (280g) creamy peanut butter, divided
- 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Mix the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, and confectioners’ sugar together in a medium bowl. Stir in 1 cup (250g) of peanut butter, then press evenly into prepared baking pan.
- Melt remaining 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter with the chocolate chips in the microwave or on the stove. Stir until smooth. Spread over peanut butter layer.
- Chill in the refrigerator until completely firm, at least 2 hours. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve chilled. Setting them out for a few hours at room temperature for serving is OK.
- Cover leftover bars tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cover bars tightly, as a whole or cut into individual squares, and freeze for up to 3 months. I simply line the squares in a freezer-friendly container between sheets of parchment paper. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Square Baking Pan or 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Rubber Spatula
- Butter: Unsalted butter can be used instead. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt with the peanut butter in step 2.
- Peanut Butter: For best texture, I strongly suggest a processed creamy peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy. I do not recommend oily or natural style peanut butter for this recipe. You can use chunky-style peanut butter, though the bars can get a little crumbly.
- Graham Crackers: Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 120g ground digestive biscuits instead (about 8 biscuits).
- This recipe was updated in 2019 with more confectioners’ sugar and peanut butter to produce thicker bars.
These are very sweet
You can only eat a small piece, but they
Are delicious
Gave some to my neighbor, he loves peanut butter cups so he really enjoyed them
These are amazing! Easy to make! My family enjoyed them!
This was by far the hit of the party!! They were easy to make and so delicious.
Made this recipe yesterday for a get together for our long time friends. A simple and easy recipe which turned out wonderfully. My friends loved the bars and I have passed along the recipe to them! Thanks!
I have made this twice now. First time with plain cookie crumbs, second time a mix of cookie and butter crackers. Both times bars were wonderful.
This was phenomenal! My husband and I love it! It tastes exactly like an oversized Reese’s peanut butter cup, which is delicious! I will definitely make again and again! Definitely a keeper in my books! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Very good – I made by pressing into cupcake liners in a muffin tin and they looked super cute! But the portion was too big – I’m going to try them in mini-cupcakes next! I personally found the peanut butter to chocolate ratio a to be slighly too much peanut butter and will reduce slightly on my next attempt. Very yummy! Very easy!
The bars were a hit. Even though my grandchildren are in college, they still enjoy when I bake for them. They’re definitely going to be made again. I did take the advice of one review and doubled the peanut butter. This is what made them taste more like a peanut butter cup. Thanks for another great recipe.
Can you add a small amount if cream to make chocolate topping more pliable
Hi Jacquelyn, we haven’t tried that, but it shouldn’t be a problem!
Make this recipe whenever I want a chocolate bar …because honestly chocolate bars just don’t taste as good. These are dangerous though. I can easily eat this tray in a few days
So quick! Everyone loves this recipe!!!
I made these today and my husband rated them as BETTER and more DECADENT than any peanut butter cup novelty he’s ever bought… It will definitely be a keeper at our place!! Thank you for the GREAT recipe.
Do you have the nutritionals on this? Breakdown on carbs etc
Hi Katie! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Can I lessen amount of powdered and have it still hold together well?
Hi Jackie, you can try slightly reducing the powdered sugar, but the bars will get a bit crumbly.
Hi Sally,
Can I use semi-sweet chocolate squares in lieu of chocolate chips? If so, how many grams of it would I use?
Thank you,
Brenda
Hi Brenda, we’d still recommend sticking with 180g. Enjoy!
Delicious!!!!!!!! I used pretzels/had no graham cracker and sprinkled the top with reese’s pieces! Having them tomorrow for my daughter’s bd party if I don’t eat them all. Awesome recipe!
delish, and i love the texture of these bars. i thought it would be quite moldable, so i made a flat freestyle bunny shape with the bar mixture, coated it with the chocolate chips, then added features with piped icing. turned out great to bring to Easter dinner and also tasted good! wish i could send a pic. will make this again for sure, and for other other
Hey Sally, I plan to make them in a disposable pan to bring to a gathering. Will I still need the foil or liner? Also I want to make them for a 13×9. What do you recommend for the recipe so the portions comes right for that size. Thank yo
Hi Heather! You can double the recipe for a 9×13 pan. We would still line the pan – this makes it easy to lift out the bars to cut them.
Hi Sally, could coconut be added to the peanut butter mixture base, if so, how much, I plan to double the recipe?? Thanks.
Hi Tim, We are unsure about adding shredded coconut to these bars. If you try it, you may want to slightly reduce the graham cracker crumbs. Let us know if you give it a try!
I did try it, they didn’t turn out to bad, the bottoms are very moist. I doubled the recipe and added 1 cup of the coconut, next time I’ll reduce the coconut to 3/4 cup or I’ll add 1/3 cups more of the Graham cracker crumbs. Overall…still very good. Thanks
Yea! I know what I am going to do today!
Can i make this recipe with no graham crackers?
Hello! We haven’t tested any substitutes for graham crackers, but other bakers have reported using Rice Krispies or Rice Chex in the place of the graham crackers (turned to crumbs). Something crispy and crunchy should work well. Let us know what you try!
I did make these bars so good!! I used rice cereal instead of Graham crackers and put a little powdered sugar in the melted chocolate because my peanut butter wasn’t sweet and they tasted so good!!! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!!
crushed ritz crackers are the ultimate substitute! balances out some of that sweetness as well 🙂
Love this easy also
This was way too sweet for me as written. I doubled the amount of peanut butter which made it less sweet and closer to an actual peanut butter cup in my opinion.
What would happen if I used a different type of peanut butter?
Hi Ellie, are you hoping to use natural peanut butter? We find the natural variety makes these bars a little crumbly.
These are so good! We had them for a family dinner! Definitely recommend these!
No bake chocolate peanut butter bars. Can I make and send to CA from WA? We had them on our counter for over a week and they didn’t go bad or stale.
Hi Valerie! We recommend storing these bars in the fridge. Could you ship them cold? You never know the heat conditions a package will be shipped through, the chocolate could melt and it’s best for the butter not to get too warm.
What a great recipe! Can i be doubled?
Hi Sharon, this cookie recipe should double well.
I made this with leftover homemade graham crackers. Far better than the sum of its parts, I want to hide the pan under my bed so I can sneak eat it at night when everyone else is asleep. Thanks!
Always a hit whenever I make these, usually I have to double the batch! So delicious
Very easy to make and delucious!!!!!
We just put them in the fridge but it was really hard to mix the butter, graham crackers and powdered sugar, so we turned to the stand mixer, will this affect the turn out or will it mean nothing because it doesn’t bake?
Hi Anna and Macy, they should turn out fine if you used a mixer. Hope you love them!