This post is sponsored by the National Peanut Board. I received compensation, but all opinions and content are my own.
If there’s one thing we always have in our pantry it’s peanut butter. Because…well duh. Peanut butter is and has ALWAYS been one of my absolute favorite foods. It’s versatile, affordable, packed with protein, and also delicious. Wins all around.
Which is why I made peanut butter the star of these vegan homemade chocolate peanut butter bars that taste just like a peanut butter cup.
Ahh Peanut butter and chocolate. Dare I say it is the most perfect combination of foods?
I do dare. I want to scream it from the rooftops. I LOVE YOU PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE.
While there’s nothing quite like those delicious peanut butter cups you can buy at the gas station, they often leave me feeling sluggish and with a sugar crash.
And honestly I love peanut butter so much, this is one of the rare cases where I’d rather less sweetness, so that the peanut butter and chocolate can really shine through.
So I made this happen: Vegan, no bake homemade peanut butter chocolate bars. Confession: I might like them better than the real thing.
How to make vegan peanut butter chocolate bars?
You won’t believe how ridiculously easy it is to make these delicious vegan peanut butter chocolate bars. You need 4 simple ingredients: 2 cups peanut butter (duh), 16 ounces vegan dark chocolate (double duh), ¾ flaxseed meal, and a half cup of maple syrup. That makes these bars both gluten and dairy free, and yet so delicious because of real, wholesome ingredients that are naturally delicious.
Melt the peanut butter, maple syrup and flaxseed together in a large saucepan. The mixture will seem runny at first, but as it cools and sits it will thicken up right away.
Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler, stirring constantly until no lumps remain.
Press the peanut butter mixture into an 8 x 8 pan.
Top with that gorgeous vegan dark chocolate. (or regular chocolate if you’re feeling wild)
Let cool, then devour
Oh! And for more peanut butter recipes for every occasion, head here 🙂
When I think about the foods I ate growing up, peanut butter is at the top of the list. Even though my daily lunch sandwich when I was in school was a turkey sandwich, I went through phases of extreme peanut butter sandwiching.
Peanut butter with fluff, peanut butter with honey, peanut butter with strawberry jam, straight peanut butter on a spoon…I just never tire of it. And I think we can all relate to the nostalgia of a good PB & J. It feels like a hug and brings you back to childhood in the best way possible.
Why do I love peanut butter so much?!
I love peanut butter because you can smear it on toast for breakfast, add it to a smoothie for a tasty and nutritious boost, whip up peanut sauce for some homemade pad thai, beat it with some sugar and butter for an insane peanut butter chocolate cake, or just eat it by the spoonful. It’s easily one of the most diverse foods in my pantry and for that I will always defend legumes to the death.
Better yet, it has protein, fiber and unsaturated fat AKA the good kind that we should be eating more of 🙂
Now it’s your turn to spread the peanut butter love! Share your favorite peanut butter recipe in the comments with the hashtag #HowDoYouPB!
No bake healthy peanut butter chocolate bars made with just 4 ingredients! Vegan, gluten-free, and made with maple syrup, flax seed meal, & dark chocolate!
No bake healthy peanut butter chocolate bars made with just 4 ingredients! Vegan, gluten-free, and made with maple syrup, flax seed meal, & dark chocolate!
Line a 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large sauce pan, melt the peanut butter. Stir in the flax seed, vanilla, and the maple syrup and remove from the heat. The peanut butter will be runny, but as the flaxseed absorbs it will start to thicken up. Pour the peanut butter mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Place in the refrigerator to rest while you melt the chocolate.
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate, stirring constantly with a heat resistant spatula until it’s completely melted and smooth. Pour the chocolate over the peanut butter mixture and use a spoon to smooth out. Place in the refrigerator and allow the chocolate to set completely before cutting into squares.
Hi Shira! Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I hear you on this, and it’s something that we get asked a fair amount. I know that nutrition information is very important for some with health concerns, but it’s important to us that we do not promote diet culture, counting calories, or any disordered eating. We believe in eating in moderation and enjoying baked goods as part of a healthy diet. There are tons of free tools online where you can calculate the nutrition information, but to have it on every single recipe can be triggering for some people recovering from or struggling with an eating disorder. Because of this, we figure that if you really need to know the nutrition facts you can look them up without potentially triggering anyone who might not want the nutrition information. I do appreciate your comment and hope that you can understand where we are coming from 🙂
I think 16 oz of chocolate was too much. The chocolate was too hard to cut through, because that layer is very thick.
The filling was yummy. I think I’d roll it into small balls and coat those in chocolate next time so you avoid the cutting problem.
Made these and when I went to cut them, the chocolate was so hard to cut through that the peanut butter layer squished out from underneath. Even after I refrigerated for a day. They taste so yummy though! Any tips?
We’re crazy about chocolate around here haha. We found cutting the bars at room temp did the trick! Wha ta great idea to make bite sized balls. Enjoy 🙂
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
ILY
★★★★★
I love your blog but wish you would consider adding nutritional information to your recipes.
Hi Shira! Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I hear you on this, and it’s something that we get asked a fair amount. I know that nutrition information is very important for some with health concerns, but it’s important to us that we do not promote diet culture, counting calories, or any disordered eating. We believe in eating in moderation and enjoying baked goods as part of a healthy diet. There are tons of free tools online where you can calculate the nutrition information, but to have it on every single recipe can be triggering for some people recovering from or struggling with an eating disorder. Because of this, we figure that if you really need to know the nutrition facts you can look them up without potentially triggering anyone who might not want the nutrition information. I do appreciate your comment and hope that you can understand where we are coming from 🙂
Anyone tried cutting the recipe in half and using a 9×5 loaf pan?
Can these be frozen?
Absolutely! The chocolate might get some condensation when you defrost it but should be fine 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions!
I think 16 oz of chocolate was too much. The chocolate was too hard to cut through, because that layer is very thick.
The filling was yummy. I think I’d roll it into small balls and coat those in chocolate next time so you avoid the cutting problem.
Made these and when I went to cut them, the chocolate was so hard to cut through that the peanut butter layer squished out from underneath. Even after I refrigerated for a day. They taste so yummy though! Any tips?
We’re crazy about chocolate around here haha. We found cutting the bars at room temp did the trick! Wha ta great idea to make bite sized balls. Enjoy 🙂