Name: 4 Ingredient Vegan Peanut Butter Bars
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 16 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups / 360 ml / 360 g natural smooth peanut butter; 1/2 cup / 120 ml / 172 g brown rice syrup; 3/4 cup / 84 g coconut flour; 6.3 oz / 180 g dark chocolate

These 4 Ingredient Vegan Peanut Butter Bars are a healthy version of the old fashioned chocolate peanut butter recipe. Made with simple ingredients, the bars are no bake, gluten free, grain free and dairy free. They still taste like a treat, similar to chocolate peanut butter cups.

Classic chocolate peanut butter bars are usually made with regular peanut butter, which contains refined vegetable oils and sugar. They also normally include butter and graham cracker crumbs, which means that they aren’t dairy or gluten free. There is nothing wrong with this, but if you want to make something a little healthier, give this recipe a try.

How to make healthy peanut butter bars

These healthy peanut butter bars are made with four basic ingredients. The result is a delicious chocolate peanut butter dessert with less sugar and without gluten, grains or dairy.

Use natural peanut butter. Choose a natural smooth peanut butter instead of regular peanut butter. You can find natural peanut butters at most supermarkets in the health food section. The ingredients written on the jar should only list peanuts and perhaps some salt.
Use brown rice syrup instead of regular sugar. Brown rice syrup, also called rice malt syrup, is made from rice and is low in fructose. Of course, it’s still a form of sugar so I would enjoy it in moderation like all sweet foods.
Use dark chocolate. I use 85% cocoa dark chocolate in the topping to reduce the sugar content. It’s mixed with some extra peanut butter, which helps to balance out excess bitterness and makes the topping set softer for a fudge-like texture.

Ingredients for vegan peanut butter bars set out in bowls — Natural smooth peanut butter, brown rice syrup, dark chocolate and coconut flour

Peanut butter bars without graham crackers

Old fashioned peanut butter bars are usually made with graham cracker crumbs in the base. Instead of graham crackers, I use coconut flour. The coconut flour absorbs some of the moisture from the peanut butter and syrup to bring the base to a dough consistency. Using coconut flour also keeps the bars gluten free, grain free and provides additional fiber.

You can buy coconut flour at most supermarkets these days in the health food section. One thing I have found with coconut flour is that different brands absorb varying degrees of moisture when added to a recipe. So it is a good idea to start with half the amount needed, then gradually add the rest until you reach the desired dough consistency.

Dough for four ingredient vegan peanut butter bars pressed into a square dish — Natural peanut butter, brown rice syrup and coconut flour gives the base of these vegan peanut butter bars a soft and chewy texture

Ingredients for vegan peanut butter bars

Natural peanut butter: Natural smooth peanut butter works best in this recipe. You want it to be runny in texture. If your peanut butter doesn’t contain salt, you can just add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the base mixture.
Brown rice syrup: Brown rice syrup, also known as rice malt syrup, works well in this recipe due to its thick texture. You could use maple syrup instead. If using maple syrup, you may need to add slightly more coconut flour to firm up the dough since it is thinner in texture than brown rice syrup.
Coconut flour: Used to bring the base to a dough consistency and give it some structure. I haven’t tested the recipe with a substitute, but I image you could use oat flour instead. If you try this, I would start with a small amount of oat flour and keep adding it gradually until you get a soft dough.
Dark chocolate: I use 85% cocoa dark chocolate to make the bars, but you can use any chocolate you like. If you need to keep the recipe strictly vegan and dairy free, check that your dark chocolate doesn’t contain milk solids. Most good quality dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa doesn’t contain dairy.

Gluten-free four ingredient vegan peanut butter bars topped with chocolate and crushed peanuts — Decorate these easy peanut butter bars with drizzled melted chocolate and crushed peanuts

How to store these vegan peanut butter bars

These four ingredient vegan peanut butter bars are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge. This is because the natural peanut butter in the base will soften as it comes to room temperature.

The bars also freeze really well. After cutting the recipe into individual bars, I usually store some in the fridge for the coming week and freeze the remaining portions. That way, I can pull a few bars out of the freezer as needed to defrost in the fridge overnight. To make this easier, I separate the bars with some baking paper before freezing so they don’t stick together.

Healthy four ingredient vegan peanut butter bars stacked on a sheet of baking paper — These four ingredient peanut butter bars are gluten free, dairy free and grain free

More vegan no bake recipes

You can find more ideas on the No Bake Recipes page.