I’m not sure whether to hug or curse the person who invented no-bake peanut butter bars. This homemade version of a peanut butter cup is so ridiculously simple that you might never buy a packaged peanut butter cup at the store again. Especially since you can stash these in your freezer and just take one out to nibble on every now and then. IT’S JUST TOO EASY.
No-bake peanut butter bars have been around for eons. Well, decades at least. There are a million versions of this recipe out there, but mine have a slightly more even ratio between the chocolate and peanut butter portions, and I like to nestle a little mini-pretzel in the top for a little added crunch.
Oh, and most no-bake peanut butter bar recipes usually specify not to use natural-style peanut butter, but that’s what I use with mine and it works just fine! :)
What Kind of Nut Butter Can I Use?
I used a natural-style peanut butter made with just peanuts and salt for these peanut butter bars. If you’re allergic to peanuts you can use a different type of nut butter, like almond or cashew (although those will be quite a bit more expensive).
Just make sure you choose a nut butter that is quite firm when refrigerated and soft when room temperature. As long as it firms up when refrigerated, it will work for these bars. Oh, and make sure it has at least a little salt and is very well stirred before adding to the recipe. Too much oil and the bars won’t set.
Choose Your Chocolate
This recipe is also fairly flexible when it comes to the type of chocolate used. I used plain old semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you could have a little fun and use dark chocolate, or a different flavored chocolate chip if you’d like.
How to Store Peanut Butter Bars
You’ll want to keep these peanut butter bars refrigerated so they don’t melt. I suggest keeping them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator no longer than a week, or you can freeze them for longer storage (freezer bag, up to three months or so). To thaw, just let them sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
No Bake Pretzel Peanut Butter Bars
Servings 25 1 squareIngredients
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 8 sheets) ($0.38)
- 1/2 cup butter ($0.82)
- 1 cup peanut butter (+ 2 Tbsp) ($1.38)
- 1 cup powdered sugar ($0.07)
- 1.5 cups chocolate chips ($1.19)
- 25 mini pretzels ($0.10)
Instructions
- If your graham crackers aren't already in crumb form, use a food processor to blitz them into a fine crumb.
- Place the butter and 1 cup of peanut butter in a bowl. Microwave and stir in 30-second intervals, just until they're warm enough to melt together. Stir until evenly combined. (Reserve the last 2 Tbsp peanut butter for later.)
- Add the powdered sugar and graham cracker crumbs to the melted peanut butter mixture and stir until evenly combined.
- Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper making sure some of the paper overhangs on the sides so you can lift the bars out of the dish later. Press the peanut butter mixture into the bottom in an even layer.
- Add the chocolate chips and the last 2 Tbsp peanut butter to a bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue to microwave and stir in 15 second increments until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter base in the baking dish and spread it smooth. Add the mini pretzels on top in even rows (I did five rows of five across).
- Refrigerate the peanut butter bars for two hours, or until completely set. Once set, lift the bars out of the dish using the parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to cut them into squares between the pretzels. Enjoy immediately, refrigerate for later, or freeze for long term storage.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
Love peanut butter and chocolate? Check out my Peanut Butter Fluff Cups or “The One” Chocolate Mug Cake!
How to Make Pretzel Peanut Butter Bars – Step by Step Photos
While you can actually buy graham crackers already in crumb form, it’s going to be less expensive to make crumbs out of whole crackers. You want a very fine and even crumb for this, so a food processor is probably the best option. You need 1 cup of crumbs, which should be about 8 sheets of graham crackers.
Whiz those graham crackers until they’re very fine and even.
Add 1 cup peanut butter and ½ cup butter (I used salted) to a bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or just long enough that they’ll melt together. Avoid heating it until it’s piping hot. That will make the later steps more difficult. Stir until the mixture is even and smooth.
Add the graham cracker crumbs and 1 cup powdered sugar to the peanut butter mixture.
Stir until it forms an even paste-like mixture.
Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper so that some of it sticks up the sides (this will help you remove the bars from the dish later). Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly into the bottom of the dish.
Add 1.5 cups chocolate chips and 2 Tbsp peanut butter to a bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir will. Continue to microwave and stir in 15 second increments until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Avoid over heating the chocolate or it will begin to get grainy.
Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter base and then spread it out until smooth.
Press the mini-pretzels into the melted chocolate in rows. I did five rows of five across. Make sure to leave a little space between each because that is where you’ll cut your bars.
Refrigerate the peanut butter bars for at least two hours, or until they are solid. Lift them out of the dish using the sides of the parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to cut them into squares between each pretzel.
You can keep your peanut butter bars in the refrigerator for about a week, or freeze them for longer! They thaw pretty quickly at room temperature, so you can get that peanut butter chocolate fix whenever you’d like. ;)
These are great but I love them best straight from the freezer!
Graham crackers aren’t easily available here in New Zealand so I substituted them with pretzel crumbs and those turned out great too!
I trust your word that these things can last in a fridge but I can’t see them lasting two days in this house!
Just tossed them in the fridge, can’t wait to try them tonight.
Haha, so true! Maybe I should have added a disclaimer to that statement. 😅
Genial excelente receta, me encanto, siempre añado un toque de café al chocolate cuando lo preparo le da un toque especial
Would the texture turn out okay if I used only ½ cup powdered sugar? I like peanut butter cups that are a little less sweet. If it changes the texture substantially, could I do 1/2c powdered sugar and an additional ½ cup of ground graham crackers?
Unfortunately, it’s hard to estimate how much that would affect the outcome without actually testing it.
Kelly did you end up trying this? I was thinking of doing no sugar and I didn’t even consider the texture until I read your comment!
These look amazing! Could I sub white sugar for powdered sugar or will that replacement not work here?
Unfortunately, that sub won’t work quite right here. The unique texture of the powdered sugar and the way it dissolves into the mix are what gives the base the correct texture. Granulated sugar will make the base pretty grainy and it probably won’t hold together quite as well.
You can make your own powdered sugar by blitzing a cup of white sugar along with a tablespoon of cornstarch in a food processor.
I made these today (using vegan butter and chocolate) and they turned out really well. I made mine a little bigger and got 16 our of the mix, and they were devoured very quickly indeed!
Picture here. https://i.imgur.com/PTT89dQ.jpg
They look perfect! So cool! Thanks for sharing how they turned out with vegan butter. :)
These look fabulous!! I wonder, would the recipe work with sunflower butter?
As long as it’s a nut or seed butter that is solid when refrigerated (not soft or runny), it should work fine. :)
Made these tonight! Yummy, easy and didn’t make too much of a mess. They’re so good we wanted to eat them all in one sitting. Gonna be thinking about how to make them a bit healthier and would love suggestions!
These. Are. Amazing!!! The taste and texture is so similar to a Reese’s cup, but better with the salty pretzel! I followed the recipe pretty much as written, except used regular kraft peanut butter and unsalted butter since that’s what I had. I did notice that even after 2+ hours in the fridge the peanut butter layer was still a biiit soft, so stuck in the freezer for half an hour. It doesn’t bother me since they’ll be eaten within the next 2 days lol, but I might try making them in individual muffin wrappers next time just to make them a little tidier to eat. It could have been that my ingredient ratios were just a bit off the mark though, or the different PB. In any case, highly highly recommend!!
Hello, I’m so excited to try this recipe this weekend. If I prepare it the night before and store it in the fridge overnight, would the pretzels lose their crunch? Should I wait until I serve them to add the pretzels? Thanks for all your amazingly delicious recipes.
I find that the pretzels stay fairly crunchy. Definitely cover them so that humidity from the refrigerator doesn’t absorb into the pretzel. Unfortunately, ou wouldn’t be able to add the pretzels just before serving because the chocolate will be hard.
Mine have been in a Tupperware in the fridge for a week and the pretzels are still crunchy. 😊
Seems simple and delicious, definitely have to try these for my family… thanks Beth
These were ok. Next time I’ll add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup powder sugar as they just weren’t sweet enough to our tastes.
These are an easy treat to throw together. My five year old helped crush Graham crackers, mix, and place pretzels. To me the flavor is a little lacking. I used regular store brand creamy peanut butter because it’s what I had. I also used a combo of chocolate chips and white chocolate chips since that’s what I had. I bet good dark chocolate would be super good. Also, my pretzels didn’t quite fit five across… I used the Aldi brand pretzel twists. It’s fine, they still taste good. And several squares still look really cute. Thanks for the easy recipe!
Okay, I need to update my review. These things are DELICIOUS AND AMAZING! I think the flavors needed more time to come together or something? Or maybe they’re just better really cold? I don’t know. But they’re delicious. I’m doing noom and was worried about these killing me but they are so good and so easy to portion that it’s definitely doable on my calorie budget!! Last night I ate two instead of just one. It was honestly a little more than I wanted to eat but they’re so good I finished it anyway. So I’d say the portion size is 👌 PERFECT! Enough to satisfy the sweet tooth and small enough it keeps you wanting more. I know Beth has comeback sauce. Now she has comeback candy!
Hahahah “comeback candy” I love it! So true. :)
If I wanted to add a scoop or two.of protein powder, do you think that would change anything?
I’m not experienced with using protein powder in recipes, but I would assume it would change the texture some.
Hello they look tasty but just wondering how much sugar is in each square
Unfortunately, I don’t have that information. Our nutrition data is an estimate only and we only have calories, carbs, fat, protein, sodium, and fiber. You can find the nutrition info at the bottom of the recipe, along with a link to a more detailed explanation of how we calculate the nutrition data.