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 recipe, 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, the same size pan we use for these homemade brownies. 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
- Soft & Thick Monster Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies
- Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie
- Peanut Butter Fudge Puddles
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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
My grandchildren and I loved this recipe but we felt bad that my daughter could not have them due to a peanut allergy. I made a batch for her with granola butter and they still turned out great. This recipe is amazing!!
Great no bake recipe with items on hand. I didn’t have graham crackers so I used almond flour, and I didn’t have chocolate chips so I used semi-sweet baking chocolate. Still came out perfect! Thank you.
This recipe was a huge hit with my entire family. It was so easy to make and was delicious. Will make this often!!!
I tried the chocolate on the bottom of the pan and think it would have been great had i remembered to line the pan first (it stuck to the bottom). They still turned out great and were well received by all. I think next time I’ll try adding a little milk to the chocolate/peanut butter mix (or just use milk chocolate instead). That’s just a personal preference though, I like milk chocolate better 🙂 this is a keeper and will be made again and again! Very easy to make and tasted great!
Tried this recipe and it was so great! I’m thinking of using dark chocolate chips next time 🙂
These are excellent! My husband told me numerous times to make sure I save this recipe.
So easy to make during the heat. Creamy decadence- better than a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Thank you Sally.
I am a diabetic so I substituted Splenda sweetener for the icing sugar and it worked perfectly. Yummy!
I made them but it’s hard to get them out of the pan in one piece.
Hi G, did you line your pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil (step 1)? That makes it much easier to lift the bars out of the pan and then cut from there.
I’m planning to make these next week as a dessert with pulled pork bbq sandwiches, but have a question…can I double the chocolate part and add a layer of chocolate on the bottom? The hubs LOVES peanut butter cups and has asked me to find a way to make them at home and this sounds like the perfect recipe to try that with. Hoping it works out!
Hi Nana, we haven’t tested anything like this before, but you could try adding a layer at the bottom, then chilling until solid, then proceeding with the middle and top layers. Or, you could make as-in, cut into squares/bars, and then dip the bottom into the warm chocolate mixture. Or if you’re looking for more of a traditional peanut butter candy, you might like these peanut butter balls or peanut butter Easter eggs instead. Let us know what you try!
They taste just like peanut butter cups with way better ingredients. I can’t wait to make them for a party! I just pulsed the grahams in my blender and it worked great.
I made these No Bake Peanut Butter Bars for a special treat for the staff at our Veterinarian office. They all really enjoyed the treat and asked for the recipe. Now it’s time to make them for my family.
Every recipe I make we have really like. I appreciate what all you do to make baking so much easier and fun.
I asked about the mold earlier.. it worked great! I coated the molds in the chocolate n formed pieces of the peanut butter mix for inside n coated with chocolate. Delicious. They held their shape too.
Good to hear it! Thanks for letting us know!
I’ve made these bars probably 15 times already because every time I take them somewhere they are so well received. Depending on the group I may reduce the powder sugar to one cup and make up for it with an extra cup of crushed graham crackers. I’ve even made them with only a half cup of powder sugar and used 2 1/2 cups of graham crackers. They’re all good depending on the degree of sweetness you like. Thanks for the recipe!!!
I will try this. Thank you for the suggestion!
Great idea!
My graham crackers were lumpy should they be out in food processor?
Hi Michelle, We do use a food processor to grind the graham crackers.
If you’re making with kids, get a rolling pin and put them in a plastic bag and just roll them the kids really enjoyed doing it and it gets done
I love this recipe! I even replaced peanut butter with speculoos butter and it was amazing!
I love this recipe. Chocolate and peanut butter is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Bars like this are available store-bought, but they don’t even compare. If I knew these were so easy to make, I would done it ages ago. That they’re no-bake is especially great in the height of summer.
The Spouse loves them, too. He said we should certainly bring them to our next party/potluck.
We love this recipe as written, but the last time I made it I only had ‘Nilla wafers on hand. I used the same weight of these wafers, but reduced the confectioner’s sugar to 200g (instead of the recipe’s 240g). This was pretty darn good, & will make it this way going forward. I cut them into 1” squares & eat them frozen, straight from the freezer. Yumm!
Can i make this into thin molds?
Hi Jen, we haven’t tested this recipe in molds, so aren’t sure. If you try it, please report back!
These are amazing. They truly taste like peanut butter cups only in bar form, and far less laborious to make! The peanut butter layer is a little sweet, but that’s only because I used unsalted butter and forgot to add salt as stated in the recipe. I only remembered the salt when the layer was already in the pan! So I just sprinkled it on top. Not the same but still something. If I use salted butter next time, which is likely, I’ll still add the 1/4 teaspoon salt because the sweet-and-salty experience is everything to me. I’m so making these again.
If using aluminum foil, isn’t it a good idea to butter or grease the foil so the bars don’t stick?
Hi Tony, we’ve never had an issue with these sticking, but you certainly can lightly coat the foil if you’d like.
Thanks. And this may be a dumb question, but do you cover the bars in the chilling step? It doesn’t say to cover them, so I guess not.
Either way will work just fine!
I did not grease the foil and they did not stick.
Do you let the melted butter and chocolate cool a little first before proceeding with them?
Hi Tony, no need to let them cool.
Thank you. I asked in a previous post but it disappeared for some reason.
I keep a ready supply of these in the freezer as they are a family favorite. Alas, someone just ate the last one. . . . OK, it was me; I’m the guilty one, but I had the best of intentions to make a new batch right away. So now the butter is melted . . . and there are no graham crackers in the pantry. Zero. Zip. Nada. There is, however, a box of vanilla wafers. Can they be used as an equal substitution for graham crackers, or should I reduce the amount of confectioners sugar? (Not familiar with these wafers, but suspect they are sweeter than graham crackers…)
Hi Barbara, we’ve never tested this recipe with vanilla wafers, but other readers have reported success doing so. We’re so glad you love these bars! They’re definitely a favorite.
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly! I need to make a new batch before anyone realizes there aren’t any left in the freezer or I’m in big trouble.
Three for three! So far I’ve made these tree times and come home with an empty plate all three times! Thank you for this winner Sally!! It’s my new go to for pot lucks and gatherings.
Love to read this!
These were so easy, delicious and well received! I added mini choc chips on top, when the bars were chilled, the chips added a nice crunch. After 2.5 hours in the fridge, they were firm. One of the best no-bake recipes I’ve ever tried
I made this recipe last night and just had some of it this morning. It tastes like the best chocolate peanut butter cups you have ever had! Thank you so much for making this recipe Sally!
Great treat and easy recipe. I do have a question…do you think they will still turn out okay if you use less confectioners sugar?
Hi Maggie, you can try slightly reducing the powdered sugar, but the bars will get a bit crumbly.
Didn’t realize I had run so low on grahams. Used three grahams, a hand full of teddy grahams, and some other nature valley bar biscuits. Still turned out great! Put heath crumbles on half and it’s really tasty!
Ok! These are amazing! I had to give some away so I wouldn’t eat them all. No need to make any changes in the recipe. In fact, I purchased off brand the ingredients from the dollar store to make it more economical. I wish I could share my photo of how beautifully they turned out.
I made these for a gift. I love the taste of these but mine were really dry and crumbly. They were still good tasting but not great as a gift as the bottom just broke up and crumbled. I must have done something wrong.
I made these for a function at church. I cut them in bite sized pieces and there were none left when it came time to go home! I certainly will be making them again! Thanks Sally!