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No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bars. Simple to make, no-fuss, and made with real, wholesome ingredients. These bars start with creamy peanut butter, naturally sweet dates, old-fashioned oats (just like Grandma used), sprouted quinoa, seeds, and vanilla. Mini chocolate chips are mixed in to make every bite extra delicious.
Leaving you all with a Friday treat this week. One that’s delicious, satisfying, and made with ingredients that feel good too. Best of all, there’s no baking required, which means no heating up the kitchen.
I have to say, I finally understand why so many of you request no-cook recipes during the summer. Coming from Colorado, where summer temperatures usually hovered in the 60s and 70s and the nights stayed cool, my kitchen never felt overly hot.
But now that I’m in Miami, where temperatures are pushing 90 degrees and the humidity is no joke, I totally get it. No-cook recipes are essential this time of year.
Lately I’ve been leaning heavily on the grill and making plenty of no-bake bars, homemade ice cream, easy desserts, and smoothies whenever possible. Anything to keep the oven off.
These bars have been on repeat. I’ve been leaving them out for my family to snack on, and I’ve even gotten my youngest brother hooked. He loves helping me make a batch too.
They’re incredibly easy. Just add everything to a food processor, blend until combined, press the mixture into a pan, and slice into bars. That’s it.
And somehow they taste just like a soft, chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bar, but without any baking. They’re the perfect summer treat when it’s simply too hot to turn on the oven, and just as great to have tucked away in the fridge for busy afternoons, road trips, and back-to-school snacks come August.
These are the details
Ingredients
- creamy peanut butter – I love Whole Foods’ 365 peanut butter best
- Medjool dates – these add sweetness and so much fiber
- vanilla extract
- old-fashioned oats
- cooked sprouted quinoa – I love using sprouted quinoa because it’s easy to digest and adds extra texture and nutrition to these bars. If you can’t find sprouted, regular works perfectly too
- ground flaxseed or hemp seed – I like to use half and half
- sprouted pepitas – simply sprouted pumpkin seeds with the shells removed. They add a delicious crunch, but regular pepitas work just as well
- mini chocolate chips – I used dark chocolate
- melted chocolate
- flaky sea salt
From the Kitchen
You do need a high-powered food processor or blender for this recipe, but I highly recommend using a food processor for the best results. The larger bowl gives the ingredients more room to move around, helping everything blend evenly into a smooth, sticky dough.
Beyond that, all you need is a baking sheet or 9×13-inch baking pan and some parchment paper for easy removal and cleanup.
The Steps
Step 1: Blend Everything Together
Line a 9×13-inch baking pan or baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the peanut butter, dates, vanilla, oats, quinoa, flaxseed, and pepitas to a food processor. Blend until a thick, sticky dough forms and the dates are fully broken down.
Tip: If your dates are on the dry side, soak them in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes before blending. This helps them break down more easily and creates the perfect soft and chewy texture.
Step 2: Add the Chocolate
Transfer the mixture to a bowl, if needed, and stir in the mini chocolate chips.
My little styling tip: Save a handful of chocolate chips to sprinkle over the top before chilling. More chocolate is always a good idea.
Step 3: Press into the Pan
Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. I like to use the back of a measuring cup to really pack everything down and create smooth, even bars, but your hands work great too.
Drizzle generously with the melted dark chocolate, then finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt (optional).
Tip: Don’t skip the sea salt. It makes the peanut butter and chocolate flavors pop. I know I say this a lot, but it’s true!
Step 4: Chill and Slice
Transfer the bars to the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
Once chilled, use the parchment paper to lift everything out of the pan, then slice into squares or bars.
And that’s it! Soft, chewy peanut butter cookie bars loaded with chocolate, made completely without turning on the oven. These bars store beautifully in the fridge, making them perfect for meal prep, afternoon snacks, or a little sweet treat after dinner.
They freeze well too, and are honestly pretty delicious straight from the freezer. They stay surprisingly soft and chewy.
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
Servings: 20
Calories Per Serving: 270 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup sprouted cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed - or get hemp
- 1/4 cup sprouted pepitas
- 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
- 3 ounces dark chocolate, melted
- flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Line a baking sheet or 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.2. Add the peanut butter, dates, vanilla, oats, quinoa, flaxseed, and pepitas to a food processor. Blend until the mixture is very sticky and mostly smooth. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.3. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Drizzle with the melted dark chocolate and finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt (if desired).4. Chill for at least 2 hours, then cut into bars and enjoy. Keep in the fridge, they'll be melty otherwise!
This post was originally published on June 12, 2026
I currently can’t eat oats! What would be a good sub for those?
Hi Chelsea,
So sorry, I have not tested this recipe without the oats so I am not sure what the best option would be here.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
I was looking for something sweet, and still be a little healthy. I saw this on her IG, so I made it during the weekend. I read the comments first and will note on a few. Yes, this looks like granola to some degree, but trust the process. I used my Vitamix, and it was fine. I stopped it occasionally to mix it up a bit with a spatula. I used oats in place of the quinoa and did not use the pepitas or flaxseed. I didn’t have any. I also added just a touch more peanut butter. And, yes, 365 peanut butter is the best. The mixture is so good before I even put it in the fridge to cool. The best thing about Tieghan’s recipes are that you can tweak them. I end up having to do this often when I don’t have something. But, one thing you can depend on, the recipes are always great. I also used regular sized chocolate chips. Once you pat the mixture into your glass dish, you can see how they will become bars. Again, trust the recipe. Also, the sea salt sprinkle is sooo good. I love these easy recipes!
Hey Tiffany,
Happy Sunday! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try. Love to hear it turned out well for you and I appreciate your detailed notes.
Have a great week!
These taste amazing, everyone loves them except I can’t get them to stay together, more like granola except for the drizzled chocolate on top. Any suggestions?
Hey Heidi,
Love to hear this! Thanks for making this recipe and taking the time to comment.
Next time, try adding some more peanut butter to help hold them together. Enjoy your Sunday!
What would you recommend in place of quinoa? I love the idea of these bars, but my body doesn’t do well with quinoa!
Hey Krissie! You can use an equal amount of oats to replace the quinoa. The oatmeal bars will be so yummy! Hope you love the recipe, and happy Sunday! Have an awesome week ahead!
So… cook the quinoa first? And measure one cup cooked, not one cup before cooking, correct? These look tasty!!
Hi Julie,
Yes, that is correct. Cook the quinoa first and then use 1 cup of the cooked quinoa.
I hope you love this recipe!
Could I use regular quinoa? Does it need to be cooked. 😊
Hi Lynn,
Yes, you will need to use cooked quinoa. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Have a great Friday!
From the pictures, it looks like there’s a full bottom layer of melted chocolate, then the oat/peanut butter mixture, and then a chocolate drizzle on top; however, I don’t see that in the recipe. Please advise. Thank you in advance.
Hey Brook,
There is no chocolate layer on the bottom, you can follow the recipe as written:)
Please let me know if you have any other questions. Have a great Friday!
In the pictures above, there is a layer of chocolate on the bottom, how did you do that? I would love to add more chocolate.
Hi Karen,
You can do that when dipping bars, feel free to dip them in as much or as little chocolate as you like!
Girl you dipped each bar in chocolate and then drizzled chocolate on top on your IG stories! There IS chocolate on both sides 😅❤️
You can dip them however you like:) I just meant I didn’t put a solid chocolate layer under the bars. Hope that makes sense!
Can you add protein powder also? Would that change your “wet” ingredient amounts?
Hey Jennifer! Yes, you can add protein powder without making any other changes. If the mixture seems dry, just add a little more oil as needed. Hope you love the recipe, and happy Sunday!
Hello, can I use freshly sprouted pepitas or do they need to be crunchy dehydrated ones?
Hey Cheryl! I would recommend using crunchy pepitas for the best results. Enjoy the treats, and happy Sunday! Have a great week!
Can one omit the dates or will that take away from the moisture needed?
Hey there,
So sorry, I have not tested without the dates, I would recommend keeping them for best results. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try!