I remember having a pb&j sliced diagonally of course, for lunch all through elementary. I mean who doesn’t love pb&j’s? Sticky peanut butter, slathered with sweet gooey jam, and pressed between two slices of bread. On one hand, you can make the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich of your life with this homemade vegan chia jam or you can make these vegan pb&j bars. These pb&j bars take adulting to a whole new level!
Sometimes, I think growing up is overrated. Grown-ups are stressed, anxious, and worried most of the time. We have way more responsibilities and there seems to never be enough hours in the day. Gone with the days where we could play all day long. And gosh darn it, I wish someone would still cut my sandwich diagonally for me!
Fortunately, there are perks to this whole adult life. Like being able to safely use the oven and bake cookies without setting the house on fire (I wouldn’t know anything about that) Actually, that’s how this recipe came to be. After nearly burning our house down, my stepfather put a no oven ban in order. So, I had to get creative. Now, I have to be honest… this isn’t the OG recipe created by 8-year-old me. It’s been tweaked, veganized, and made a whole lot healthier! But, it’s still nostalgic and a dessert perfect for the inner kid in all of us.
How to make vegan pb&j bars
First things first, we have to build a cookie base to support all that pb&j goodness. This base is built out of almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and just a pinch of salt. It’s gluten-free and delicious. Just combine the ingredients and press it down firmly into the pan.
Next, slather on your peanut butter, or nut butter of your choice and a layer of homemade vegan chia jam. Of course, you can use any jam you like, but I’m biased when I say that homemade jam is better!
Combine the ingredients together for the crumble topping and sprinkle on top. Last, drizzle the peanut butter sauce over the top and pop it in the freezer. Yeah, that’s it! I know… too easy, right?
Can you make pb&j bars grain free?
Absolutely! Just omit the oats in the crumble topping and add more almond flour instead. Or you could use coconut flakes, if that’s more your style!
How to store vegan pb&j bars?
This part is important, these bars are best kept in the freezer! Since they aren’t baked they stay pretty soft and gooey. By freezing them, they stay together and taste like a pb&j ice cream bar. We like to eat them straight out of the freezer. But, you could allow them to thaw for 5-10 minutes before enjoying as well. Just note that they will become a soft and gooey bar of peanut butter and jelly heaven. Which, isn’t all that bad either.
What about using out a different nut butter?
You do what your heart desires! If you’d rather use almond butter, tahini, or cashew butter be my guest. These vegan pb&j bars can become an ab&j or a cb&j just like that, and will still be totally irresitiable!
More no-bake recipes:
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Vegan PB&J Bars
- Prep Time: 35
- Total Time: 35
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: no bake
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Gooey and chewy vegan pb&j bars layered with thick nutty peanut butter and sweet chia jam. These bars are a healthy no-bake recipe your inner child will love!
Ingredients
Cookie Base:
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Peanut Butter and Jelly Filling:
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup homemade vegan chia jam
Topping Crumble:
- 3 Tbsp. almond flour
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp. coconut sugar
- 3 Tbsp. gluten-free old fashion oats
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 10 dates, pitted
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
Peanut Butter Drizzle:
- 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp. maple
- 3 Tbsp. water
Instructions
Build the cookie base:
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper
- Melt coconut oil and combine ingredients for the cookie base in a medium bowl and stir until a tacky dough forms.
- Press the cookie dough base into the pan using your hands and level out evenly.
Filling:
- Spread the peanut butter evenly over the cookie base.
- Pop into the freezer for 10 minutes while you make the crumble topping and peanut butter drizzle.
Crumble Topping:
- Melt coconut oil and combine almond flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and oats in a small bowl.
- Using a food processor or blender, blend dates and almonds until a tacky nut mixture is formed.
- Combine the date mixture with the almond flour mixture and mix it with your hands.
- Make the peanut butter drizzle next
Peanut Butter Drizzle:
- Stir peanut butter, maple, and water together to make a liquid.
Layering:
- Take the pan out of the freezer and add an even layer of jam over the semi-solid peanut butter and cookie base.
- Crumble the topping over the top and lightly press it down.
- Drizzle the peanut butter mixture over the top.
- Place the bars in the freezer for 2 hours or until solid.
- Remove the bars from the freezer and from the pan.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use any nut butter you like in place of peanut butter.
- Make it grain free by omitting the oats and replacing it with more almond flour or shredded coconut.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 350
- Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Protein: 6
Keywords: peanut butter, jelly, no bake, kid friendly
This is by far one of my favorite grab and go snacks for a hike that I have made from this blog! Thank you so much for the recipe and highly recommend anyone to make this!
★★★★★
I’m glad you liked them and I’m glad you took them on an adventure! You should try out my granola if you like easy snacks for hiking!
I love to make these for my granddaughter. She loves ? them!
★★★★★