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These no bake chocolate peanut butter bars are the best quick dessert, made with just 6 ingredients and 20 minutes of active time! They’re deliciously decadent, rich, and so easy to make.
I’ve shared before that my daughter and I love to bake together. Our recent favorites have been a summer peach galette and freshly milled chocolate cake.
But sometimes it’s simply too hot to bake!
We were in a major heat wave at the end of August, and my daughter and I were discussing what kind of dessert we could make without having to warm the house up with the oven!
We went back and forth for a while, and it wasn’t until I was scrolling through my other site that I came across my healthy Valentine peanut butter cups!
Now, those are good and all, but I didn’t have all the ingredients to make them on the spot, and we needed a dessert NOW.
So using that recipe as inspiration, this no bake chocolate peanut butter bar recipe was born.
My whole family absolutely loved it, and these bars became our new go-to summer treat!
With some tweaking (and lots of delicious taste-testing!), we settled on this final recipe, and it’s even better than the first. I’m so excited to share it with you!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No bake dessert: If you’re also avoiding the oven on these hot summer days, chocolate peanut butter bars are a must-make! Well, these and my homemade banana pudding.
- Naturally gluten-free: I love an allergy-friendly recipe without any hassle!
- Easy to make: Not only are they no-bake, but these bars are made with just 6 ingredients and around 20 minutes of active time.
- Family favorite: I’m certain your family is going to love these just as much as mine does! They taste similar to a Reese’s peanut butter cup, but with way more texture and a much better flavor.
Ingredients
- Peanut butter: I used natural peanut butter — the kind you have to stir that is made with just peanuts and salt. You can use any peanut butter (see notes) or substitute another nut butter!
- Honey: A little bit of honey in addition to the sugar adds a deeper flavor and helps the peanut butter mixture stick together.
- Almond bark: You can find chocolate almond bark in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. Semi-sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, or milk chocolate also work.
The full list of ingredients, with the measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page!
How to Make No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Step 1. Add the butter, powdered sugar, peanut butter, and honey to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the butter melts and everything is smooth.
Step 2. Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly into a greased 8 by 8 baking dish and set it aside.
Step 3. Rinse out the same saucepan and add the chopped almond bark. Melt it over low heat, stirring constantly, then stir in the milk.
Step 4. Spread the chocolate gently over the peanut butter layer and let it cool on the counter.
Step 5. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.
Step 6. Remove from the baking dish and cut into squares. Enjoy!
Tips + Notes
- I used natural creamy peanut butter in these, the kind you have to stir. Crunchy works too, and honestly any kind you have on hand will do. If you use sweetened peanut butter, you may want to cut back on the sugar or honey in the recipe.
- I melt the almond bark on low and keep stirring the whole time, because it scorches fast. If you cannot find almond bark, semi-sweet chocolate chips are the next best choice.
- I used a 9 by 7 dish, and an 8 by 8 pan comes out the same, so use whichever one you have. I grease it and cut them right in the pan, but parchment with some overhang lets you lift the whole slab out onto a board.
- Let the chocolate cool on the counter before the pan goes in the freezer. Going straight from hot to cold is what cracks the top.
Storage and Freezing
Store these no bake peanut butter bars in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week. I prefer to enjoy them chilled, so you don’t have to do anything before serving!
For longer-term storage, these peanut butter bars freeze very well! Once they are cut into squares, pack them into a freezer-safe bag, remove the air, and keep them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Recipe FAQs
As long as you froze the bars long enough, they should be easy to remove with a spatula once you get that first one out (the first one is always a little tricky). Next time, you might prefer to line the pan with parchment paper so you can easily lift the whole thing out of the pan before cutting.
Honestly, these are pretty rich and sweet. You could absolutely serve them for breakfast or snack, but you might prefer something a little less decadent. Try my homemade granola bars or no bake peanut butter protein bites for something similar!
Of course! You can cut these peanut butter bars to any size you’d like. They make really fun bite-size treats when cut really small.
If you try these peanut butter bars, be ready to make them several more times! They’re just that addicting.
While I made them with the summer heat in mind, I’m certain they’ll become our new family staple for Christmas treats, too! Maybe with some holiday sprinkles, like I put on my Oreo dipped Christmas cookies!
More Dessert Recipes
- Double Chocolate Cast Iron Brownies
- Whole Wheat Peach Upside Down Cake
- Freshly Milled Strawberry Crumble Bars
- The Best Dutch Oven Dump Cake Recipe
- Dutch Oven Apple Crisp
If you tried these No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Equipment
- 8×8 baking dish glass, metal or ceramic
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups peanut butter*
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 cups almond bark finely chopped
Instructions
- Add the butter, powdered sugar, peanut butter, and honey to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the butter melts and everything is smooth.
- Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly into a greased 8 by 8 baking dish and set it aside.
- Rinse out the same saucepan and add the chopped almond bark. Melt it over low heat, stirring constantly, then stir in the milk.
- Spread the chocolate gently over the peanut butter layer and let it cool on the counter.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.
- Remove from the baking dish and cut into 24 even squares. Serve chilled.
Video
Notes
- *I used natural creamy peanut butter in these, the kind you have to stir. Crunchy works too, and honestly, any kind you have on hand will do. If you use sweetened peanut butter, you may want to cut back on the sugar or honey in the recipe.
- I melt the almond bark on low and keep stirring the whole time, because it scorches fast. If you cannot find almond bark, semi-sweet chocolate chips are the next best choice.
- I used a 9 by 7 dish, and an 8 by 8 pan comes out the same, so use whichever one you have. I grease it and cut them right in the pan, but parchment with some overhang lets you lift the whole slab out onto a board.
- Let the chocolate cool on the counter before the pan goes in the freezer. Going straight from hot to cold is what cracks the top.
