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.
Sarah says
What brand of sugar free chocolate is best to use?
Carolyn says
I use Lily’s or ChocZero
Dawn says
Do you have to bake the flour before adding? I have always been told you have to bake flour to kill and bacteria in it.
Carolyn says
This isn’t wheat flour, so no. Big difference.
Kelly says
This may be a crazy question but if you’re only using peanut butter powder, how do you melt the peanut butter?
Carolyn says
My recipe takes both real PB and peanut flour so I am not sure what you’re asking… but you can make peanut butter out of the peanut butter powder (just add water!) and go from there, if you like…
Gillian taylor says
Oh my, these are delicious! Love the thin layer of chocolate on top. I used the option you gave with almond and coconut flour.
Christina Crise says
I have made this many times. It is my husband’s favorite.
I would like to surprise my adult daughter with this. The problem is, she now is allergic to peanuts.
I have made sunflower seed flour, as you have suggested in another blog. (Purchased Sunflower seeds in bulk to make flour.. I used my blender to make flour) I also so have a jar of sunflower butter.
I thought I read I need to add something to allow for it to not tum green, but I do not see it. Please advise, as my daughter loved Reese’s peanut butter cups.
Carolyn says
In this, it won’t turn green because there is no baking powder. It’s a reaction between the chlorophyll and the sodium bicarbonate in baking powder and baking soda. You shouldn’t have that issue here.
barbara says
These were amazing! i used unsweetened dark chocolate, a little too bitter so next time I’ll add some liquid sweetener. one question – i just looked @ your recipe for peanut butter balls, but I really like the way these taste…is there anything i would need to do to modify this recipe for ball-consistency? Thank you!
Carolyn says
They will taste about the same so just follow that recipe.
Tammy says
Can you use peanut butter powder in place of peanut flour?
Carolyn says
Yes, it’s really the same but make sure yours has no added sugar.
Kim & Pete says
We make these weekly at our house. Love them!
Bill Biggs says
If this is Keto why are you using fat free dark chocolate and defatted peanut flour?
Carolyn says
Where on EARTH did you get the idea that I was using fat free chocolate? It’s sugar free chocolate. And only defatted peanut flour has the right consistency to firm up these bars. Did you see the final nutritional analysis? Very much still keto!
Bill says
I am sorry, I misread the ingredients.
Thank you for the reply.
Sierra Dugan says
Can I use almond flour instead?
Carolyn says
Did you read the blog post?
Charlene says
Are there some other recipes for the leftover peanut flour?
Dawn says
Can I substitute Almond flour for the peanut flour?
Carolyn says
No, it’s got too much moisture so you end up having to add coconut flour to get the right dough-like consistency.
Jennifer Otten says
Can I use almond flour or coconut flour instead of peanut flour?
Carolyn says
It’s not ideal and you will need both. 2 cups of almond flour and then about 1/4 cup of coconut flour to dry out the dough. It raises the carb count this way.
Christy Scott says
These will get me through the Halloween season, with all the tempting chocolate candy! Thank you!
Cheryl says
Made these for the first time today. Wow!! So easy and delicious! Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Sue says
can you substitute PB2 for the peanut flour? thank you
Carolyn says
As long as it’s not made with any sugar (some of them are).
Vicki V says
I love these. I use a little less peanut flour since I prefer a softer texture. These really satisfy my cravings and don’t make me feel deprived.
Vicki Giacoman says
These are absolutely outstanding!! I have made them many times, year round – even when we are traveling in our RV! My non-Keto friends cannot believe how delicious they are. THANKS for this recipe!!
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Alice says
Love the Keto Peanut Butter Bars & so easy to make.
I also made the Peanut Butter Clusters, so yummy ????, thanks Carolyn
Tarama Carver says
Allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Could I substitute Sun Butter and sunflower flour?
Carolyn says
Yes but you will need to either cut back on the Sun Butter or increase the sunflower seed flour so that they aren’t too goopy. You might add a tbsp or two of coconut flour to help thicken it.
Vicki V says
The filling is superb but I had trouble with the chocolate topping. My Lily’s chocolate chips seized. So I just dolloped the chocolate on and spread it as best I could. Rich and satisfying.
Sherry says
These are the best peanut butter bars I’ve ever made. The addition of the peanut flour and butter instead of just using peanut butter makes such a difference in texture and taste. This will be my go-to recipe for peanut butter squares. Thank you!
Carolyn says
Thanks so much!