These no bake vegan peanut butter bars are absolutely delicious and couldn't be easier to make. You only need five ingredients and don't even have to turn on the oven!
Peanut butter bars are a classic dessert that I'm guessing a lot of folks reading this grew up eating. Maybe you even made them in middle school cooking class (I'm pretty sure I did). My vegan peanut butter bars are nothing new or revolutionary: I simply made a few ingredient swaps in the classic recipe to remove all animal products.
And if you're reading this and you've never had peanut butter bars before, well you are certainly in for a treat. The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is pure magic, as you probably know if you've tried my vegan peanut butter blossoms, peanut butter frosted chocolate cupcakes, or peanut butter blackstrap molasses chocolate chip muffins.
These bars really put that flavor blend on center stage. They actually taste like peanut butter cups. And, perhaps the best part, they're ridiculously easy to whip up!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Vegan graham cracker crumbs. Be careful here, as you'll want to avoid buying graham crackers that contain honey. Check out this helpful guide to vegan graham cracker brands if you're unsure of what to buy.
- Powdered sugar. Use organic powdered sugar to keep the recipe vegan, as conventional powdered sugar of often processed using animal bone char.
- Vegan butter. Look for brands like Earth Balance, Miyoko's, and Melt, which can usually be found right next to the regular butter at the supermarket.
- Peanut butter. I'm normally a natural peanut butter kind of girl, but I don't recommend it for these bars — stick with no-stir peanut butter. I used Skippy brand, which is vegan.
- Vegan chocolate chips. I used Enjoy Life brand chips, which are available in lots of supermarkets.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
First, crush your graham crackers into crumbs. You can do this in a food processor, or place them in a sealed bag and roll them with a rolling pin.
Place the graham cracker crumbs into a large bowl, along with the powdered sugar and melted vegan butter. Stir everything up to mix the ingredients.
Tip: If you choose to crush the graham crackers in a food processor, you may as well mix all of the ingredients for the peanut butter layer in there. Simply add the ingredients in the order specified in the recipe, pulsing the machine to mix everything.
Add peanut butter to the bowl and stir everything well, until the mixture starts to hold together.
Place the mixture into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Spread it out and press it firmly, in order to condense and compact it.
Tip: If you want to get the top of your bars perfectly flat, place a sheet of parchment over top of the peanut butter layer, then use a flat object like a cookbook to press and flatten it out.
Melt your chocolate and peanut butter by placing them in a large microwave-safe bowl, then microwaving in short bursts, stirring in between.
Pour the chocolate mixture over the graham cracker mixture, then smooth it out with a spoon or spatula. Pop the bars into the fridge to chill and set.
After a couple of hours your vegan peanut butter bars will be ready to slice and serve!
Shelf-Life & Storage
Store your peanut butter bars in an airtight container in the fridge. They'll keep for about a week. You can also store them in the freezer for up to three months.
More Vegan Dessert Bars
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegan graham cracker crumbs (Note 1)
- 1 cup organic powdered sugar
- ¾ cup vegan butter, melted
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (Note 2)
For Topping
- 1 ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Line the bottom and sides of an 8 x 8 inch or 9 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil.
- Stir the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and melted vegan butter together in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the peanut butter.
- Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of your prepared baking dish.
- To make the topping, place the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave them in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted and the ingredients are fully combined (Note 3).
- Spread the topping evenly over the graham cracker mixture.
- Place the baking dish into the refrigerator. Chill the bars until they are fully set, about 2 hours.
- Once fully chilled, remove the bars from the pan, then slice and serve.
Notes
- You will need about 14 whole graham crackers to make 2 cups of crumbs.
- I don't recommend using natural (runny) peanut butter for this recipe, as the bars may not hold together as well. I used Skippy brand.
- You can also melt the chocolate in a double boiler on the stove, if preferred.
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I have to use what I have, I have almond flour. Would that work in place of Graham crackers?
I'm not sure, but I wouldn't risk it. My instinct tells me they'd fall apart with almond flour. If you have any type of cookies with a similar texture to graham crackers (crispy, not chewy), they'd be worth a try!