These easy keto peanut butter bars are the ultimate low carb treat! They are completely sugar free and grain free, and my kids swear they taste like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Trigger warning! If peanut butter is your kryptonite, you may just want to look away for a while. Because these keto peanut butter bars are bound to make you weak in the knees. They are no bake bars, and so easy to make, even your kids could do it on their own.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that peanut butter is my jam. I have so many delicious keto peanut butter recipes, and about a zillion ideas in my brain for more. I’m never ever going to stop making delicious sugar free treats with peanut butter. Never ever. Don’t even TRY to convince me otherwise.
Some of my most popular keto peanut butter desserts include: Keto Peanut Butter Brownies, Keto Peanut Butter Dirt Cake, and the brand new but insanely popular Keto Peanut Butter Pie.
My recipe for these no bake peanut butter bars has been around forever, almost from the moment I started blogging. It used to be part of a very old collaborative low carb cookbook, but I decided to share it on the blog back in January of 2016. And today, I decided to update it with a new new video.
So now I can show you just how insanely easy these are to make.
Is peanut butter keto?
This is a question I get from readers frequently. And it stems from a misunderstanding about what the keto diet really is.
The most basic definition is as follows: a keto diet is any diet that keeps you in ketosis. The food itself is not “keto” because anything in tiny quantities will not kick most people out of ketosis. This means that even a small bite of banana or potato could be part of a keto diet, if you really wanted to work it into your macros.
This is not something I really recommend, since tiny amounts of old high carb favorites are not very satisfying. They may also trigger cravings and you could easily find yourself overeating.
So why do some people say peanut butter is not keto? Because there are many specific keto “programs” and keto “coaches” that have approved and not approved food lists. And because peanuts are technically legumes similar to beans, some programs have put them on the naughty list.
There is nothing about the lowly peanut that makes it keto or not keto. It’s actually quite a low carb food choice. So if you are like me, and simply do keto your own way (which is whatever way that keeps you in ketosis), then peanuts and peanut butter can be part of your healthy diet.
I don’t recommend eating it by the spoonful or even eating it every day. But the occasional keto peanut butter treat is usually not a problem for most keto dieters.
How to make easy keto peanut butter bars
Did I mention how easy these no bake bars are to make? Yes? Well let me say it again: they are ridiculously easy. They take only 6 basic ingredients, and come to together in about 15 minutes.
My recipe for keto peanut butter bars takes peanut flour, and I get a number of questions about what that is and whether you can use other keto flours instead. Here’s what I can tell you:
- Peanut flour is a good choice for a number of reasons. Peanut flour is basically peanuts that have been roasted and ground to a fine powder, so it helps intensify the peanut butter flavor of the bars.
- The powdery consistency is what gives these bars their unique texture. The dough becomes like cookie dough and is soft enough to be pressed into a pan but firm enough that the bars are solid at room temperature.
- Peanut butter powder and PBFit are essentially the same thing and work just as well. Just make sure that whatever you choose, it does not contain any added sugars. The original PBFit has sugar, but there is also a sugar-free version made with monk fruit. This will make your bars sweeter so you may want to cut back on the powdered sweetener.
- You can use almond flour but it has a higher fat content than peanut flour, so you will need more of it to achieve the same dough-like texture. I actually recommend a combination of almond and coconut flour to get the right consistency: about 2 cups almond flour and ¼ cup coconut flour.
- You will know you have the right consistency, no matter what flour you use, when the dough holds together and really feels like cookie dough. Actually, the consistency is more like play dough. A big edible ball of low carb play dough!
How to store Keto Peanut Butter Bars
The great news is that because these bars have nothing in them that spoils easily, they can be made well in advance.
I recommend storing them in the fridge in a covered container, so that they don’t get overly soft. They do stay firm at room temperature for a few hours, if you don’t live in a hot climate. The chocolate topping could get mighty soft and melty in the summer!
They can last up to 3 weeks, if properly stored and refrigerated. To freeze, I would wrap up the bars tightly in plastic wrap, to avoid freezer burn. They can be frozen for several months.
Ready to make these delicious and easy No Bake Peanut Butter Bars?
More keto recipes that use peanut flour
- Keto Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Keto Peanut Butter Cookies for Two
- Keto Peanut Butter Eggs
- Peanut Flour Cake
- Keto Peanut Butter Scones
Keto Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Bars:
- ¾ cup butter melted
- ¾ cup peanut butter melted
- ½ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener (more if you like it sweeter)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups peanut flour the roasted, defatted variety
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Glaze:
- 3 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate chopped
- 2 tablespoon butter
Instructions
Peanut Butter Bars:
- Line an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with wax paper or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine melted butter, melted peanut butter, sweetener, vanilla, and salt. Stir in peanut flour until dough comes together (it will be like a dough, not like a batter).
- Press dough firmly and evenly into prepared baking pan. To really get it even, cover it with more wax paper or parchment paper and use a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup to press).
Chocolate Glaze:
- Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, and add the chopped chocolate and butter. Stir until melted and smooth.
- Pour over bars and use a knife or offset spatula to spread to the edges. Refrigerate 1 hour until set.
Sara says
These are a new staple in our home! Thank you, we love them!
Cheryl says
I noticed that there was know sweetener in the chocolate topping, wouldn’t this make it to bitter?
Carolyn says
No, because it’s not unsweetened chocolate. It’s Lily’s dark chocolate or something similar, which is already sweetened with stevia and erythritol.
Kristin says
These were so amazingly delicious! What a huge lifesaver for us low carbers!!!
Allison says
Just a experience of pure heaven. I made these today and OMG a party in my mouth. I love the texture. Yes they are just like the PB cups but even better!
Anna says
Thank you so much for your receipes and hard work and for the videos. The instructional videos are great and make everything so much easier for me 🙂
Linda says
Well Carolyn, your kids were right. I poured the batter into peanut butter cup molds, then topped some with melted Lily’s dark sf chocolate chips – for my hubby, and others with sugar free milk chocolate ganache (from Maria E’s Turtle Cheesecake) – for me. Yes, exactly like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups…. and just in time to combat those creamy homemade peanut butter eggs that are suddenly appearing everywhere! Thank you for all you do to keep our gluten-free sugar-free lives blissful!
Linda in PA
Donna says
Dear Carolyn,
Do you have any more recipes using peanut flour?
Is this the first video you have made?
Thanks,
Donna in AZ
rose says
These look great but peanut flour is expensive. I figure it would be over a $1.00a bar. I guess I’ll wait for a special occasion to make.
Linda says
Rose, I always buy from this company, http://www.southerngracefarms.com/peanutflour.html , and if you don’t mind using expired products (I do it all the time from here & no problem) they have really great deals right now. As soon as the flour arrives, just pop it in the freezer… saving one bag to keep in the fridge for goodies like these! If you search Carolyn’s blog, you will find other great recipes using peanut flour too! It’s awesome stuff.
Allison says
7 bucks for a pound of peanut Flour? I think you might not be doing the math right here
Rose says
I was taking into account all ingredients and the link to Amazon that sells 16 oz of peanut flour for 10.00 bucks. I do bake low carb very often and purchase many types of fours, fortunately for me some sent me a link to a company that sell peanut flour at reasonable prices.
Carolyn says
I link to them to show people what it is I am using. I buy mine on Amazon most of the time, though.
Angelina says
I made this a few days ago and fell in love. So easy to put together and the end result was pure fudgy, creamy peanutty heaven.
Deborah says
These were delicious, and finally gave me a reason to use the peanut flour I bought months ago that had been languishing in my larder! And then over the weekend I had a brainwave… I made the peanut butter part again, half quantity. When it was firm, I cut it into little cubes… and I mixed it into chocolate mousse that I’d made! Was a huge hit, particularly with my husband who loves anything peanut… (I make my mousse using just 85% chocolate, eggs, and sweetener…)
Carolyn says
Sounds delicious!
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
Love the video and the recipe!! Great job!
J @ Bless Her Heart Y'all says
I love no bake bars and these look amazing! I am almost drooling!
Emily says
I made these using homemade peanut butter (just ground peanuts in my Vitamix to a peanut butter consistency) and boy oh boy are they good! Thanks for the recipe.
Dita MacDonald says
Thanks. These look wonderful. Please continue with videos. It really showed how easy this was to make.
Philis says
Would be nice to see YOU in some of the video. You work too hard. But we are glad recipients.
Carolyn says
I may work up to that. But these little short ones are easier than having me chat at the camera. I am not camera-shy by any means!
brenda says
I know you said Almond flour wouldn’t work.. what about coconut flour?
Carolyn says
Almond flour WILL work here, it will just make a softer bar that might require more refrigeration. Coconut flour won’t work here.
Angie says
I can’t wait to try these!! They look so good! What is your favorite peanut butter to use in your recipes?
Carolyn says
We actually use Skippy Natural, because it’s the only brand my kids really like. It has a little sugar in it but still ends up being quite low carb. But really, any brand of smooth peanut butter would work here.
Angie says
Thank you!
Tarryn says
I have a batch in my refrigerator firming up as I type. I snuck little tastes and I can already tell it’s going to be delicious 🙂
LK Brown says
HIde them from the kids good! Made these tonight. Using peanut flour in this recipe is genius.
Carolyn says
Thanks!
Liz says
I’m watching my carbs again, so this is the PERFECT way for me to have a little something sweet. Your bars are picture perfect, Carolyn!!