Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars – Easy No Bake Recipe

These Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars are rich, decadent, and packed with peanut butter flavor. Easy to make and perfect for the holidays – or any time of year!

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a plate of crunchy peanut butter bars.

These gluten-free Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars are a delicious addition to your holiday treat platters. Other popular recipes include these Vegan Thumbprint Cookies or these No Bake Chocolate Pecan Bars. Browse all of our Healthier Dessert Recipes for inspiration.

IN THIS POST: Everything you need to make Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars

a plate of crunchy peanut butter bars.

Ingredients

  • peanut butter
  • maple syrup
  • coconut sugar
  • salt
  • coconut oil
  • vanilla
  • peanuts
  • crispy rice cereal
  • dark chocolate chips

How to make this recipe

First, line a square baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

Next, add the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and coconut oil to a medium saucepan.

ingredients in a small saucepan.

Stir together using a wooden spoon over medium-low heat and melt together until smooth and blended. 

a wooden spoon stirring ingredients in a saucepan.

Remove it from the heat and stir in the sea salt and vanilla. 

Then, stir in the peanuts and rice krispies for that crunch factor.

a wooden spoon stirring ingredients in a saucepan.

Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and press it firmly with the back of your spoon until even.

Place the dish in the freezer to set.

peanut butter and rice crispy mixture firmly packed into a parchment lined pan.

Meanwhile, over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, melt together the chocolate chips and coconut oil until completely smooth. 

Take the dish out of the freezer and pour the chocolate mixture overtop. Place back in the freezer to set for about 20 minutes

peanut butter bars with melted chocolate on top.

Finally, slice into squares and store in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container.

crunchy peanut butter bars in a container.

FAQs, Tips, and Substitutions

  • Are these bars dairy free? Yes, they are! Just be sure to check the label of your chocolate chips to ensure they don’t have any milk products.
  • Use a microwave to melt the chocolate topping instead of the stovetop. Use a microwave-safe bowl and melt it in increments, stirring every ten seconds until it is smooth.
  • Run a  sharp knife under hot water before slicing these bars to get a super clean edge.
  • Substitute honey for the maple syrup. Just remember that it won’t be considered a vegan recipe if you use honey.
  • You can swap in quick oats instead of rice crispies in the peanut butter layer.
  • Use almond butter instead of peanut butter for a different protein.
  • Store in the freezer or refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
a plate of crunchy peanut butter bars.

More gluten free treat recipes

a plate of crunchy peanut butter bars.

**This recipe was originally posted on December 10, 2014, and updated on June 21, 2019, and updated again on November 15, 2022, with recipe notes, writing, and new photos.**

If you’ve tried our  Peanut Butter Crunch Bars, please rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out by leaving a comment below. We’re always interested in feedback!

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a plate of crunchy peanut butter bars.

Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars – Easy + No Bake Recipe

Sharon Rhodes
These Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars are rich, decadent, and packed with peanut butter flavor. Easy to make and perfect for the holidays – or any time of year!
5 from 9 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Chill 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 16
Calories 279 kcal

Ingredients
  

BOTTOM LAYER

TOP LAYER

Instructions
 

  • Line a 9×9 dish with parchment and set aside.
  • In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt together the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and coconut oil until smooth and blended.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the sea salt and vanilla.
  • Stir in the peanuts and rice crispy cereal.
  • Spread into your prepared dish and press it firmly with the back of your spoon until even. Place the dish in the freezer.
  • Meanwhile, over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, melt together the chocolate chips and coconut oil until completely smooth.
  • Pour over the base and place back in the freezer to set for about 20 minutes.
  • Slice into squares.

Video

Notes

  • Are these bars dairy free? Yes, they are! Just be sure to check the label of your chocolate chips to ensure they don’t have any milk products.
  • Use a microwave to melt the chocolate topping instead of the stovetop. Use a microwave-safe bowl and melt it in increments, stirring every ten seconds until it is smooth.
  • Run a  sharp knife under hot water before slicing these bars to get a super clean edge.
  • Substitute honey for the maple syrup. Just remember that it won’t be considered a vegan recipe if you use honey.
  • You can swap in quick oats instead of rice crispies in the peanut butter layer.
  • Use almond butter instead of peanut butter for a different protein.
  • Store in the freezer or refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 5gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 72mgPotassium: 254mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 87mgIron: 0.7mg
Keyword crunchy peanut butter bars
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19 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I can see these are going to disappear very quickly in my house! Easy to make and I can’t resist the combination of peanuts and chocolate.

  2. 5 stars
    Superb recipe! As a hopeless peanut lover, I am always looking for new recipes, and this was just the perfect one to try! So much healthier than most other sweet treats, so easy to put together, and they turned out just like in your photos. Cannot fault it! Will make them again and again!

  3. 5 stars
    These peanut butter bars were so easy to make and were an absolutely perfect dessert to serve with dinner this past weekend! No one could even tell they were vegan & gluten free!

    1. Swap out the coconut sugar for another sweetener like sucanat, brown sugar, maybe turbinado? Any granular sugar should work.

  4. Oh girl, when I saw these pics I knew you wouldn’t have these loaded full of crap, yay! I’ve had two recipes gone bad aiming for a great holiday treat to share with a few guests, I’m thinking this will be it. 😉 DROOLWORTHY!

    1. I’m so happy to associated with all things NOT CRAP! These are hubby approved which is always a good thing. I hope you love them. 🙂

  5. I’m doing a board game night with John and our friends on Friday… and you can’t play board games without snacks right? Totally going to make these to serve, except made with almond butter. And somewhat stale puffed millet in place of the puffed brown rice. Hopefully they still turn out lol.

    1. Ha! Too funny because this recipe was born out of need. I had a bag of crispy brown rice with a rapidly approaching best before date. So I can confirm they should work out fine. 😉 Have fun at board game night! Love those.

5 from 9 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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