Oatmeal Bars—A Nature Valley copycat! Soft-baked, thick, and chewy with peanut butter flavor and peanut butter chips.

Try other gluten-free treats: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake, Healthy Chocolate Cookies, or Blueberry Oatmeal Bars.

Oatmeal bars with peanut butter glaze on top ready to be enjoyed.

Table of Contents

The Best Oatmeal Bars

On a recent road trip, the kids tried Nature Valley’s® Peanut Butter Oatmeal Squares and loved how soft they were. The ingredients weren’t my favorite, so after getting home, I made a homemade version.

These homemade oatmeal bars are soft, chewy, and taste like peanut butter cookies mixed with oatmeal. Made with simple ingredients like honey, peanut butter, oats, and oat flour. Peanut butter chips add sweetness, but dark chocolate works as a swap.

Combining ingredients for oatmeal bars recipe, adding peanut butter chips, transferring dough to a pan, and baking.

Oatmeal Bars Ingredients

  • Peanut Butter: Use no-stir peanut butter for the best texture.
  • Honey & Brown Sugar: Warm the honey a little so it mixes easier.
  • Egg & Vanilla: Help hold the bars together and add flavor.
  • Baking Soda & Salt: A little extra salt makes the peanut butter stand out more.
  • Oats & Oat Flour: Blend oats into flour first, then measure for the right amount.
  • Peanut Butter Chips: Swap with dark chocolate chips for a different flavor.
  • Extra Peanut Butter (Optional): Pipe while warm for a smooth drizzle.

Quick Tip

Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving extra on the sides to lift the bars out easily. Without it, the oatmeal bars will stick and be hard to remove.

How To Make Oatmeal Bars

  1. Prep pan: Lightly grease the pan so the paper sticks in place.
  2. Mix ingredients: Don’t overmix—too much mixing makes the bars dense.
  3. Add peanut butter chips: Save some to sprinkle on top before baking.
  4. Bake: The center may look soft but will firm up as it cools.
  5. Cool completely: Chill in the fridge for 15 mins to make slicing easier.
  6. (Optional) Add peanut butter drizzle: Cut a small corner off a plastic bag for an easy drizzle.
Freshly baked oatmeal breakfast bars in the pan, cut into squares, with peanut butter added on top.

Storage

Store leftover oatmeal bars in an airtight container at room temp for 2 days or in the fridge for up to a week.

For longer storage, freeze them in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

More Easy Snack Recipes

Oatmeal bars with peanut butter glaze on top ready to be enjoyed.
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4.90 from 29 votes

Oatmeal Bars

By Chelsea Lords
Soft-baked Oatmeal Bars that taste just like Nature Valley’s! Packed with peanut butter flavor, chewy goodness, and peanut butter chips, these gluten-free bars are made with better-for-you ingredients (see note 1).
Prep Time: 10 minutes
20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 bars

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup oat flour see note 2
  • 1 cup peanut butter chips
  • 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter optional

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal, and set aside.
  • Combine all the ingredients except the peanut butter chips in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in the peanut butter chips and fold with a spatula to combine.
  • Transfer batter to the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake for 18–22 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. They may look a bit underdone or gooey in the center, but as long as they don’t jiggle at all, they are done. These bars continue to set up and firm as they cool.
  • Remove bars from the oven and let cool completely in the pan. Use the parchment paper overhang to pull out the bars and cut into 12 squares with a sharp knife.
  • Optional: (This is for peanut butter fanatics!) Once bars are cut into squares, place 1/4 cup of peanut butter in a small resealable bag. Cut off a tiny corner tip of the bag and pipe the peanut butter on the top of the bars.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Although this recipe uses naturally gluten-free ingredients, check labels to ensure they weren’t processed in facilities with gluten. For guaranteed gluten-free bars, use products labeled as made in gluten-free environments.
Note 2: To make oat flour, grind up oats in a blender or food processor until the oats are the texture and size of regular flour. Make sure to measure the oat flour after grinding the oats.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.1g | Protein: 5.6g | Fat: 9.1g | Sodium: 77.3mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 17.8g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Meet Chelsea

Hello, and welcome to Chelsea’s Messy Apron! I’m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. I’m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping by—I hope you find something delicious to make!

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4.90 from 29 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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122 Comments

  1. Emily says:

    I really liked the Nature Valley bars, but my body didn’t agree with the chicory root fiber. I will definitely be trying these!

    Reply
    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Hope you love this recipe!

      Reply
  2. Indie says:

    5 stars
    Just tried this recipe and it’s so delicious. Just like Natures Valley without all the chemicals.

    Reply
    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So glad to hear you enjoyed these bars! Thank you for the comment 🙂

      Reply
  3. Brandy says:

    I was looking for a Nature Valley copycat recipe, when i found yours. The only question I have is can you replace the old fashion oats with quick oats? Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Sorry, no. They don’t work the same in this recipe; quick oats act more like flour and will make the bars dry

      Reply
  4. Laurie Lackey says:

    5 stars
    Made these last night they are amazing ! Super simple & quick . My teenage son and I think they are better than nature valley ones!! Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply
    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I am thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Laurie! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Annie says:

    5 stars
    I’ve made this recipe 5 or 6 times this month! So delicious.

    Reply
    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So happy you’ve enjoyed these 🙂

      Reply
  6. Maja says:

    5 stars
    Made these yesterday and they are AMAZING. Didn’t add peanut butter or chocolate chips. Next time might skip the brown sugar as I’m not a fan of anything too sweet. Loved how soft and chewy they are. Way better than the packaged store oatmeal bars!

    Reply
    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So happy to hear you enjoyed these! 🙂 Thanks Maja!

      Reply
    2. Maja says:

      I mean, didn’t add peanut butter chips! Definitely added actual peanut butter! Haha

      Reply
  7. Thomene says:

    Hi Chelsea. Can these bars be made ahead of time and frozen? Would like to make for road trips! Thank you for the wonderful recipe, I can’t wait to have my kids try them out!

    Reply
    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Absolutely! I would just freeze them in an airtight bag and leave out to defrost the night before the road trip! Hope you enjoy! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Shannon says:

    Sounds yummy. Do you think it would be possible to add some protein powder?

    Reply
    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Without personally testing, I’m not sure. I think you’d need to add in some additional wet ingredients so it wouldn’t be too dry.

      Reply
  9. Anna says:

    5 stars
    I tried these minus the PB chips simply because I forgot to buy them but the bar was very sweet and filling!! My husband thought it was just okay but I enjoyed it! Also, I’ve decided to keep them in the fridge as they were crumbly and after being in the fridge all night helped a lot with that! If you’re looking for something sweet without feeling super guilty, this is the way to go! I grabbed it on my way out the door this morning and was satisfied till lunch. Thank you for the recipe!!

    Reply
    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Ahh i’m soo happy to hear this! These are some of my favorite grab and go breakfasts as well. Thanks for your comment Anna! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Caryn says:

    5 stars
    I live abroad… so unfortunately Nature’s Valley isn’t readily available to me. 🙁 So you can imagine that I was soooo excited when I found this recipe after my box went empty! Made them today and they came out great!! These are totally going to be my crack snack haha. Thanks!!

    Didn’t have peanut butter cups so I just added 1/2 cup milk chocolate chopped up and 1/2 cup chunky PB. Worked fine!

    Oh yea, and you were right. They ARE crumbly.

    Reply
    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      I’m thrilled that you enjoyed these! 🙂 Thanks for the comment Caryn!

      Reply