Ever tried Nature Valley peanut butter bars? They’re quite similar to these homemade peanut butter granola bars. They’re no bake, and made with just 6 simple ingredients. Are these yummy oat snacks really granola bars… or something a little more decadent?
I’ve had it in mind to make something like these sweet and salty peanut butter granola bars ever since I tried Nature Valley Sweet and Salty granola bars on a hike.
Because, you know, hikes equal perfect opportunity to stuff one’s face with granola bars – especially of the smug homemade variety!
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Peanut butter lover… or hater?
Before I go any further, I’d better just say this: peanut butter haters stop right here, because there’s quite a bit of it hanging out in these sweet and salty bars! Not only do you use peanut butter (and honey) to bind together the oats, rice krispies and peanuts, but you use it to make a chocolate coating to dip the bars into.
On the other hand, if you happen to be a peanut butter lover, may I also suggest you try these addictive peanut butter cheerio bars and these yummy banana bars with peanut butter fudge frosting, too?
About the ingredients
- rolled oats: You’ll need just regular rolled oats for your yummy peanut oatmeal bars. No quick cooking or other fancy pants versions.
- rice Krispies: Just your regular brand.
- salted peanuts: Make sure they are indeed salted, since we’re emphasizing the sweet and salty bar part here.
- peanut butter: I go for smooth, as this is what works best in the coating. Almond butter works as well!
- honey: Just to keep things on the healthier side!
- white chocolate: To make the yummy peanut butter coating. They wouldn’t be a very good Nature Valley copycat without this part!
How to make sweet and salty peanut butter granola bars
As these peanut butter oat bars are no bake, and contain just six ingredients (see above!), they’re ridiculously easy to make.
In fact there are just 4 simple main steps.
Step 1: Simply warm the peanut butter with the honey, then pour onto oats, rice krispies and peanuts.
Step 2: Mix well, press into a tin, and freeze for half an hour before cutting up into bars.
Step 3: Now comes the fun part. Melt a bit of peanut butter into white chocolate, then dip the bars into the mixture so that half of them are coated.
Step 4: Let set in the fridge. Then wrap individually and store in the freezer until ready to enjoy! 🙂
Pro tips
- As no bake granola bars go, these are a bit sweeter and richer than the average. They almost taste like some kind of peanut butter cookie bar. If you’d rather make them a bit lighter, feel absolutely free to skip the white chocolate and peanut butter coating.
- Make sure you melt the white chocolate in a bowl or dish that’s small enough so that the white chocolate is deep enough to dip into but big enough so that you can dip the whole of the bar in it. If you only have a bigger bowl, just use a bit more chocolate – I’m sure you’ll be able to cope with licking out the bowl afterwards!
- I like to wrap these up individually in greaseproof or baking paper and store them in the freezer until ready to eat. This isn’t essential, and don’t worry, it doesn’t actually ‘freeze’ them – it just keeps them nice and fresh and chewy.
Whether you decide to go with the coating or not (I say yes!), you’ll still end up with that irresistible ‘sweet and salty’ quality from the combination of salted peanuts and honey.
So now next time you go on a hike, or get hangry at work, or just need an emergency healthy snack, you’ve got yourself covered.
Variations to try
- Almond butter instead of peanut butter and almonds instead of peanuts.
- Swap Rice Krispies for Corn Flakes, Cheerios, or another favourite cereal.
- Swap a few of the oats for some shredded coconut.
- Add chopped dried fruit.
More healthy snack recipes
- These 5-ingredient raw chocolate orange truffles are so easy to make, and perfect for keeping in the freezer for healthy snack ’emergencies’.
- Dessert ’emergency’? Give this popular 2-minute healthy peanut butter mug cake a try.
- Homemade granola: Tropical chocolate granola, or check out this post – how to make granola
- You literally can’t go wrong with these Greek yogurt blueberry muffins (low sugar recipe). They have so many 5-star reviews!
- These Pecan, white chocolate & maple no bake granola bars are simple and delicious.
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Sweet and salty peanut butter granola bars
Equipment (affiliate links)
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
For the bars
- 1½ cups rolled oats
- 1 cup rice Krispies
- ½ cup salted peanuts
- 1 cup peanut butter (smooth – almond butter works too)
- ½ cup honey
For the coating
- 3½ ounces white chocolate
- 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
Instructions
- Combine the rolled oats, rice Krispies and peanuts in a bowl.
- Heat the peanut butter and honey together slightly in a smaller bowl (I did this by microwaving for 20 or 30 seconds*).
- Pour the peanut butter and honey mixture over the oats and peanuts, and mix until the dry ingredients are well combined.
- Press into a 9 x 9 inch (or similar) tin or dish (press down and right into the corners!), then freeze for around 30 minutes before cutting into about 10 bars.
- Melt the white chocolate and peanut butter together in a small(ish) flat bowl or dish, then dip the top side of each bar into it. Place the bars non-coated-side-down to set.
- If you like, wrap bars individually in baking or greaseproof paper and freeze until ready to eat.
Candice says
I’ve made this recipe for a couple of years. It’s my absolute favorite! Today, I made it as a special treat for my husband’s birthday. Didn’t have white chocolate so I had to improvise. Used 2 tbsp PB, 1 tbsp PB flour and 1 tbsp coconut oil. Turned out delicious!
Helen says
Really Candice? Oh thank you so much for letting me know! I actually haven’t made these for a while but now you have me craving them again! Great to know the coating works with coconut oil too. Thank you!
Esther Berns says
Hi is this product kosher ?
Helen says
Hi Esther! I’m afraid I don’t know an awful lot about kosher foods, but the coating on this is made of white chocolate mixed with peanut butter. So if you get a kosher white chocolate then I think it should be OK. I hope you enjoy them!
Linda says
I love the sweet and salty combo and am always looking for new granola bars to stuff my face with. These look like an absolute must for a peanut butter lover like me. Can’t wait to give them a try!
Helen says
So glad you like them, Linda!
Renee Goerger says
Such a brilliant idea to melt a little bit of peanut butter in with the white chocolate!! LOVE this recipe!
Helen says
Thanks Renee! It works really well!
Jessica says
I like the Nature Valley sweet and salty cashew bars. I wonder if I could sub the peanuts for cashews and possibly use almond/cashew butter…
Helen says
Oh yes absolutely! That would work out fine! Good luck! 🙂
Ann Fitzjohn says
Hi Helen – I love this recipe and have just made it for my husband’s daily snack bar. I wonder what your calorie count of 213 kcal refers to? I have just added up the calories for all the ingredients and if I cut into 10 bars they will be approx 325 calories each before adding the topping. Maybe i’ll have to cut into smaller pieces!!
Helen says
Hi Ann! Oooh, well spotted! You’re absolutely right – the calorie count was wrong. I’d forgotten to include the peanut butter in my calculation, which is a pretty important thing to miss out! I’ve updated the post with the correct calorie count. I actually got something like 365 calories – sorry it’s a bit more than you thought!
Ann says
I decided to cut into 20 pieces and with the topping came out at a respectable 187 calories each, My hubby loves them in his lunchbox 🙂
Helen says
Good thinking, Ann! I’m glad you found a solution!
Ann says
I have just made a version using choco rice krispies and chocolate/coconut/honey flavoured peanut butter. I’m going to top with milk chocolate and honey! Lets see if they are nutty enough for my nut mad hubby!!!
Helen says
Hi Ann! Wow, that sounds amazing! Heavenly, actually 😉 Fingers crossed they go down well. Thanks so much for reporting back!
Kenna says
Is there a difference between using instant oats vs. rolled oats? Or is there a difference at all? THanks!
Helen says
Hi Kenna. You can use instant oats in this recipe if you like – they are just a ground-up version of the bigger rolled oats.
Korey says
Do you know the shelf life for these bars? I’d like to make a big batch but wouldn’t want them to go bad.
Helen says
Hi Korey! Really happy you’re going to give these a go. I always keep mine wrapped individually in the freezer – they stay lovely and fresh that way. They don’t seem at all frozen when you take them out, just cold and firmer. I’m afraid I’m not too sure exactly how long they last out of the freezer, but I’d say you’d be absolutely fine with at least a week. Good luck!
Lisa C says
Yummy!! Thanks, Helen, for sharing this a recipe, we all love the store bought sweet and salty and this is so much better, I know everything that’s in it!
Helen says
Hi Lisa, and you’re welcome! I’m really glad you like these. They really do taste like the store-bought ones!
Jess @ What Jessica Baked Next says
These granola bars look delicious, Helen! Love the sweet and salty flavours – so good. Loving the sound of the white chocolate peanut icing too. Can’t wait to give the recipe a try sometime! 🙂
Helen says
Hi Jess! Do give these a try – you’ll love them!
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
I will never ever complain about too much peanut butter, you can be sure of that 😉 These look absolutely delicious!
Helen says
Thanks Denise! I agree – let’s pile in that PB!
Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom says
I am no joke, eating a granola bar as I read this. Unfortunately it’s the supermarket variety and not one of these awesome homemade delights! I LOVE sweet and salty desserts/snacks – best combo EVER! And I love that they’re no bake! Great for someone like me who doesn’t have AC. Can’t wait to take these on our next hike!
Helen says
Ha – I just can’t imagine needing AC right now, Kathleen. It’s actually cold here! No summer at all so far… 🙂
Eva says
Elles sont carrément irrésistibles ces petites barres de céréales ! eh oui, comme je suis gourmand je le préfère recouvertes ! Bon weekend Helen 😉
Helen says
🙂
[email protected] says
You had me at melted white chocolate and peanut butter. These granola bars are peanut heaven and I can’t wait to try them
Helen says
Hope you do, Janette!
mira says
So creative, love these bars! Peanut butter is my favorite! Pinning to try them!
Helen says
Thanks, dear Mira. Hope you’re doing well! 🙂
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
Ooh have I mentioned how much I love peanut butter and drippy icing Helen? 😀
Helen says
Yay for PB and drippy coatings!
Samina - The Cupcake Confession says
I love peanut butter, Helen! I love how it is included in the bars and the chocolate coating on the top! These would be so perfect for breakfast on the go or snack – time. Love this!!!!!!
Helen says
Hello Samina! Isn’t this just the perfect excuse to eat chocolate and peanut butter for breakfast?