These mini no-bake chocolate peanut butter energy bars are easy to make with just a few simple ingredients and make the perfect sweet treat to keep stashed in the freezer.

Stack of 5 chocolate oat bars on a plate. More bars in background.

These easy no-bake bars call for just 6 simple ingredients – no dates needed either! I love dates and have many no-bake recipes that use dates for the base but I do get requests for date-free desserts and snacks.

That being said, you can substitute chopped dates for the raisins or omit them all together. In addition to the raisins, all you need is rolled oats, chia seeds, chocolate chips and peanut butter – the cinnamon and salt are optional, so really only need 4 main ingredients.

These bars are rich, chocolately, peanut buttery, easy to make and perfect for a snack or dessert anytime of day.

Recipe Features

  • You’ll need just 6 simple ingredients and a few minutes of prep time.
  • You don’t need a blender or food processor to make them.
  • No baking needed!
  • This recipe is vegan, gluten-free.
  • They can be made sugar-free and nut-free if needed.

Ingredients Notes

A complete list of ingredients with amounts and full instructions is located in the printable recipe card below. This section covers ingredient and substitution considerations.

  • Chocolate: Use dairy-free chocolate chips such as Enjoy Life or chopped dark chocolate. I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Morsels, for a sugar-free recipe use sugar-free chocolate such as Lily’s.
  • Raisins: Any variety is suitable or you can use chopped dates or omit them.
  • Oats: You can use quick oats or rolled oats (old fashioned oats).
  • Peanut Butter: use dripped, naturally peanut butter. For a peanut-free recipe, use almond butter. For a nut-free recipe, use tahini or sunflower seed butter.
  • Chia Seeds: These help bind the bars and add crunch and nutrition. They can be swapped with 1 tbsp of ground flax seed if needed.

Step by Step Instructions

Before You Start: Line a small square (approx. 7 inch) baking pan with parchment paper so it sticks out over the sides of the pans. This will allow you to lift the bars out once done.

Step 1. Mix everything but the chocolate together in a mixing bowl.

Oats, raisins and chia seeds mixed together in a mixing bowl.

Step 2. Melt the chocolate then pour it over the ingredients in the bowl. Add the peanut butter as well.

How to Melt the Chocolate: Use a double boiler (or make one by placing a bowl over a small pot of boiling water) or the microwave. If boiling, stir frequently until completely smooth. If microwaving, melt in 15-second increments, stirring in between. Once it’s mostly melted, stir to melt and remaining chunks.

Pouring melted chocolate into a bowl of oats and peanut butter.

Add the peanut butter as well and mix it up until you have a thick, uniform dough.

Thick chocolate dough in a glass mixing bowl with a spoon.

Step 4. Firmly press the dough into the lined baking pan. Use the back of a mixing spoon to smooth the surface. It can help to wet the spoon so it doesn’t stick.

Alternative: If you don’t want to do bars, press the dough into a mini muffin tin to make chocolate peanut butter cups!

Hand using a spoon to smooth chocolate dough into a baking pan.

Place the whole pan in the freezer for 1 hour to firm. Lift the bars out of the pan, slice and enjoy!

Overhead view of a chocolate bar chopped into 24 small portions on a cutting board.

Notes and Tips

  • Sugar-Free Option: Use sugar-free chocolate chips such as stevia-sweetened Lily’s.
  • Nut-Free Option: Use Wowbutter or sunflower seed butter.
  • Raisins: Technically optional but add a nice, sweet chewiness! Could be substituted with dried cranberries, finely chopped dates or any finely chopped dried fruit.
Stack of 5 chocolate oat bars on a plate. More bars in background.

How to Store

  • Fridge: Store in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
  • Freezer (Recommended): Store in a sealed container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
  • Room Temperature: Okay at room temperature for a couple days in a sealed container if kept cool.

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Stack of 5 chocolate oat bars on a plate. More bars in background.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites

  • Author: Running on Real Food
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 24 1x
  • Category: Snack
  • Method: No-Bake
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

These delicious mini peanut butter bars are packed with chocolate flavour thanks to melted dark chocolate! Enjoy these for a tasty treat or wholesome snack anytime of day.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup raisins (85 g)
  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (150 g)
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds (24 g)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt, optional
  • 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (90 g)
  • 1 cup natural, drippy peanut butter (240 g)

Instructions

  1. Add the oats, raisins, chia seeds, sea salt and cinnamon to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
  2. Line a 7-8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper so the paper sticks out over the edges of the pan. Alternatively, you can press the dough into a mini muffin pan to make cups (no need to line, you’ll be able to pop them out with a knife once solid).
  3. Prepare a double boiler or use a bowl over a small pot of water on the stovetop, or place the chocolate in a bowl to melt in microwave. If using the double boiler method, stir frequently until completely melted and smooth. If microwaving, stop every 15 seconds and stir, once it’s mostly melted, stir to mix in any remaining pieces so it’s smooth and creamy.
  4. Add the melted chocolate and the peanut butter to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix well until combined into a thick, uniform dough.
  5. Firmly press the dough into the lined pan (or press into the muffin tin). Use the back of a mixing spoon to smooth the surface of the bars.
  6. Place in the freezer for 1 hour to set.
  7. Lift the bars out of the pan using the edges of the parchment.
  8. Slice into 24 mini bars.

Notes

  • Sugar-Free Option: Use sugar-free chocolate chips such as stevia-sweetened Lily’s.
  • Nut-Free Option: Use Wowbutter or sunflower seed butter.
  • Raisins: Technically optional but add a nice, sweet chewiness! Could be substituted with dried cranberries, finely chopped dates or any finely chopped dried fruit.
  • Storing: Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer (recommended) for up to 3 months. Okay at room temperature for a couple days in a sealed container if kept cool.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 119
  • Sugar: 4.5 g
  • Sodium: 46.7 g
  • Fat: 7.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 10.9
  • Fiber: 1.6 g
  • Protein: 3.5 g

Keywords: peanut butter energy cups

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Originally published on February 26, 2014. Updated on October 9, 2020 with new photos and text.