No-Bake Gluten Free Peanut Butter Bars Recipe

These Gluten Free Peanut Butter Bars are a more wholesome twist on the classic Midwestern Peanut Butter Bars and make a healthy snack or dessert.

If you grew up in the Midwest or live there now, you know about Peanut Butter Bars.

They typically consist of a mixture of peanut butter, powdered sugar, and graham cracker crumbs spread on the bottom of a 9×13 pan and topped with a layer of melted chocolate. My mom made them and called them Peanut Butter Gems, and they were my absolute favorite. My high school cafeteria served a version dubbed Peanut Butter Confections.

Whatever you call them, they’re an addictive crowd-pleaser.

They’re so quintessentially Midwestern that they featured prominently in the novel Kitchens of the Great Midwest (which I named in my list of favorite books I read in 2015).

While I occasionally make my mom’s recipe, I wanted to create a version with more wholesome ingredients.

I made some significant swaps. Instead of graham crackers, I’m using a mix of quinoa and oats. Instead of powdered sugar, I’m using honey.

But this bar still lives up to the Midwestern Peanut Butter Bar hype.

One of our 11-year-old house guests ate one and said it tasted like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, which I take as the highest compliment.

Ingredients in Gluten Free Peanut Butter Bars

• Quinoa: I use white quinoa
• Oats: quick or old fashioned oats work here; just be sure they are labeled “gluten free” if you are avoiding gluten
• Peanut Butter: I use natural creamy peanut butter. You could also experiment with using almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter
• Powdered Milk: If you don’t have (or want to use) powdered milk, you can swap in extra oats, crisped rice cereal, or unsweetened protein powder.
• Honey: You may also swap in maple syrup if you prefer
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: You can swap in milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips instead

You might also like: Six Amazing Recipes With Peanut Butter

How to make Peanut Butter Quinoa Bars

Combine oats (either old-fashioned oats or quick oats), cooked quinoa (see the full recipe card below for instructions), natural peanut butter, dry milk powder, and honey in the bowl of a food processor.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can also mix the ingredients by hand in a bowl. Your bars will be chewier, but just as tasty.

If using a food processor, blend until the ingredients come together in a ball.

Using a rubber spatula, press peanut butter mixture at the bottom of a square pan, lined with parchment paper (I recommend this instead of using nonstick spray, because the parchment paper lining allows them to be easily lifted out to cut).

Top with melted semi-sweet chocolate and either freeze or refrigerate until firm. Remove from the baking dish to cut into squares.

Are all oats gluten free?

Oats do not naturally contain gluten but may have cross-contact with gluten if they’re processed in a facility or on equipment that also makes gluten-containing products. If you need to avoid gluten, look for oats labeled “gluten-free” such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Old-Fashioned Oats or Quaker Gluten-Free Quick Oats (affiliate links).

Can you make these bars vegan?

If you want to make vegan chocolate peanut butter bars, swap out the powdered milk or extra oats, gluten-free crispy rice cereal, or unsweetened protein powder. Use dairy-free chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life) for the chocolate topping.

What is natural peanut butter?

Natural peanut butter contains either just peanuts or peanuts and salt. Other peanut butter contains additional ingredients like oil and sugar. If you’re using natural peanut butter, these are best made with a variety that has salt. But you can also use regular smooth peanut butter in this recipe.

How to store these No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

The bars will slice more neatly when slightly softened (cutting bars are straight from the fridge or freezer will result in the chocolate layer cracking) . I recommend taking them out of the freezer or fridge and letting them rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes or until softened. Then slice these quinoa bars into squares, place in an airtight container, and keep refrigerated.

Can you freeze peanut butter bars?

Yes! You can either freeze the whole pan or freeze them once they’re cut into squares.

Want more great recipes with peanut butter?

• How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter
• The BEST No Bake Cookies
• 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
• No Bake Peanut Butter Balls

Hope your family enjoys these bars!

Recipe for Peanut Butter Quinoa Bars: Click to Tweet