No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Updated March 26, 2019
No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are easy to make at home and taste MUCH better than store bought granola bars. They are a great back to school or anytime snack!
How is it already back to school time? The summer went way too fast. I know I don’t’ have to go back to school and Caleb is still too young, but still. I am not ready for fall just yet. I still want to enjoy the summer sun and pretend I am on summer break.
To help make the back to school transition a little easier I have a fun and easy recipe for you today, No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Granola Bars. This easy granola bar recipe is a great back to school recipe. You can pack the granola bars in lunch boxes or save them for an easy after school snack.
I’ve always been a granola bar fan, but they are expensive to buy at the store and some ingredient lists can be long and scary. I prefer to make my own to save money and so I know exactly what is going in them.
I love these No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Granola bars because they are beyond easy to make and they are SO good. They are chewy with a little crunch from the pretzels and crispy cereal. I love the peanut butter, pretzel, and chocolate combo too. You can’t go wrong with sweet and salty if you ask me!
I chill the bars for about 30 minutes before cutting them. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. They might last longer, but they have never lasted longer than a week in our house.
You are going to want to have these No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Granola Bars on hand all school year long. They are the best snack ever! Your kids are going to thank you when they find a granola bar waiting for them in their lunchbox or on the counter when they come home from school.
Adults and parents-I won’t tell if you make a batch just for yourself. I know you are going to want to hide some granola bars from the kids so you can have a tasty snack too! They are great to take on road trips, picnics, or for an easy on the go breakfast or snack!
Start the school year off right by making these easy homemade granola bars. They are better and healthier than store bought granola bars!
You might also enjoy my other easy granola bar recipes:
- No-Bake Sunflower Butter Granola Bars
- No-Bake Almond Granola Bars
- No-Bake Biscoff Granola Bars
- Blueberry Coconut Granola Bars
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups quick oats
- 1/2 cup crispy rice cereal
- 3/4 cup chopped pretzels
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cut out an 8 x 8 inch square of parchment paper. Place the parchment paper in the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch baking pan.
- In a large sauce pan, add butter, brown sugar, honey and peanut butter. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture starts to bubble. Once bubbling, cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Stir in the oats, crispy cereal, and pretzels. Stir until well coated. Pour into the prepared pan. Press the mixture evenly into the pan. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the top and gently press into the granola bars with your hands.
- Place the bars in the refrigerator and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Cut into bars and serve.
- Note-I store the bars in the refrigerator. I've kept them in the fridge for up to a week and they are still tasty! For gluten-free, use gf oats and pretzels.
Have you tried this recipe?
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Wow, they look really good. I did not know it was that easy to make granola bars…..I think I’ll give it a shot and try it with like nuts or dried fruit…..could work 🙂
thanks you sharing the recipe, it looks amazing!
I should make this for my excursion.
no bake is just what I need right now with the heat. Love the pretzel and chocolate combo. Can never get enough of the sweet and salty flavors.
Mmm so easy and tasty looking!
These look addicting for snacking!
Do you have any suggestions on what I could use in place of peanut butter. It is hard to find peanut free granola bars for my son with a peanut allergy.
You could use almond butter or sunflower seed butter?
Sounds wonderful! Is it a half cup of rice cereal? I can’t wait to make these for the kid’s lunches!
Yes! Fixed that! Thanks!
Lovely snacks especially when need to go out. Thanks a lot for sharing.
What a great granola bar! Nothing like salty pretzels and chocolate! Yum!!!!!!!!!!
So much deliciousness in one bar! And I love that they’re no-bake.
Mmm…I love granola bars! I’ll have to give these a try!
These are a great granola bar combination! I could definitely snack on these throughout the day!
LOVE the salty sweet combo in these granola bars! So much healthier than the pacakaged stuff too!
Why have I never thought of adding pretzels to my granola!! Great idea. These look awesome!
Girl, I am SOOOOO ready for Fall. Partly because I have a bored almost-8-year-old on my hands and partly because it’s been 110 here and I’m 6 months pregnant. Bring on cooler temps and school, I say!!
These granola bars sound like the best granola bars of all time. Seriously.
Fun idea to add pretzels. Perfect for after school snacks.
Love that these are no-bake! Perfect for back to school 🙂 I am with you ~ I want the summer to last another few months 🙂
I love making granola bars for my daughter. These look great and I will definitely be trying them soon. She LOVES pretzels!
Mmmm. No-bake and PB and chocolate are involved – great thinking 🙂
I love trying new granola bar recipes! I really like the idea of pretzels in there 🙂
These sound fantastic, especially the no-bake part…especially when chocolate is involved.
ok, I need to make these for ME!! and I know Allison would love them too.
I’m so ready for this horribly hot and dry summer to be over – bring on fall! lol
Yummy!! This time of year is so bittersweet. I can’ believe my little guy is starting kindergarten this year. I’m ready for fall but sad to see summer go too! These bars look so good and I love that they’re no bake- even better!
these granola bars look so good! i’m wondering if they can be stored in the freezer for a longer period? (since i like to make things in HUGE batches.)
These are absolutely perfect for getting back to school. You totally inspired me to get into the mode!
Nothing better than homemade granola bars! Yum!
They look yummy *and* healthy!
I want three of these, Maria! I love that you added pretzels…genius!
so yeah, nate loves the store-bought version of these SO much! i’m so stoked to have this recipe now…i like knowing what goes into my guys’ bodies!
Totally going to make these for Brandon. We love granola bars for on the go breakfasts!
Pretzel, peanut butter and chocolate is one of my all time fav flavor combos! This is a must try!!
I was literally just thinking of busting out a granola bar recipe to get moving on school starting next week. I think I’ll pin yours and try it after I finish up mine today. Although, I’ve got so much going on I probably wont even post for another month. Yeash! How’d I get so behind on recipes?!
love the salty/sweet in these granola bars! and yes, store bought ingredient lists are definitely scary. i’ll skip the corn syrup solids and modified potato starch, thankyouverymuch.
This is the perfect combination for a granola bar! My kids will love these 🙂
I need all the lunch box snack recipe I can, since my son is starting Kindergarten on Wednesday. I know he’d love these!
I love recipes where I have all the ingredients…they are the best 🙂
I am definitely going to have to try these. I have been trying to make more of the kids’ snacks rather than buy them and I know they would approve of these.
I just love everything about these! I cannot believe it never crossed my mind to make my own granola bars! I am pinning this one so I remember to make it… not for the kids since I dont have any… All for me! Really great idea 😀
I’ve been meaning to put pretzels in homemade granola bars! These sound perfect!
Reminds me of my favorite salty/sweet packaged granola bar…but so much better! We made granola bars not that long ago too, but can’t wait to try yours!
Um, yes please!!! I’ll take 2 of those right about now, Maria. Looks fabulous darling. Hope all is well with you three. Miss you tons and sending hugs from the East Coast.
xoxo
AGREE! The ingredient list on granola bars at the store can be totally frightening. Homemade are best and these look fantastic
The pretzel addition makes me crave these a lot!
I WANT TO MAKE THESE RIGHT NOW!
I think I have everything in the pantry… would “old fashioned” oats work too??
All of my favorite things in one bar – chocolate, peanut butter, and pretzels!!!
Do you think i’d be ok with “old fashioned” oats? If so, I already have everything I need to make these when I get home!
I haven’t tried old fashioned oats but I am sure they would work.
I adore homemade granola bars and have been meaning to make some for a while now, but haven’t found the right recipe. Problem solved!
AMAZING! They are like the Chewy bars from my childhood!
He’s allergic to peanut butter? I’m officially praying for him, because that is a tragedy! I love the addition of pretzels to these bars, great idea!
I love the thought of the pretzels in it for crunch and I will have to try it with the sunflower seed butter too. It is so hard to find tasty–PEANUT FREE–lunch kit items. PB was a staple for me growing up, it’s hard to remember what you can and can’t take to school anymore.
can’t wait to make these!
I wanted to make these so badly today but didn’t have oatmeal OR rice cereal (I know – how does that happen??). I ended up substituting cheerios & called them cereal bars. YUM!! I will definitely be getting oatmeal and rice cereal so I can try them the right way, though. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
Glad they turned out with Cheerios!
i love no bake bars! and this salty/sweet combination is awesome!
These look amazing but our school requires all snacks to be nut free. Any suggestions?
You can use sunflower butter.
I’m thinking these would make a great after-work snack as well! Love this blend of sweet and salty.
I recently started making my own granola bars, since it was getting way too pricey to keep buying packs of 5 from the grocery store! The recipe I’ve been using is super basic, and this would be the perfect recipe to really push myself! It looks fantastic!! Thanks for sharing it, excited to expand my granola bar making!
Maria, you are amazing.
i really mean that. this is a perfect combo & omgosh, a no bake bar? really. you ARE awesomesauce!
xo
kellie
OH I just LOVE that these have pretzels in them!!! YUMMY 🙂
Sounds delicious! 😀
wow yummy!
I’ve been stockpiling no-bake recipes all summer because my un-airconditioned apartment just gets too dang hot to bake otherwise. These are definitely being added to the list. Thanks!
Yum!!! I am obsessed with the peanut butter, pretzel, and chocolate combo!! These look SO good!! 🙂
These granola bars are cah-razy!! Yum!
They look delicious! Will have to add them to my never ending list of things to try. Yum!
Love making granola bars, but never thought to add in pretzels, so smart!
Maybe this is the year I finally get around to making homemade granola bars! I’ve had them on my to do list for over a year now lol.
These bars sound great, I buy so many bars from TJ’s and the like but I should just make a batch on a Sunday for the week!
I adore all of your peanut butter and chocolate recipes (and all the other ones too!) You have such creative ideas and the pb & chocolate combo wins me over every time!
made these for the kids’ after school snack. they are loving them! both are asking for more at the moment. i really like them too! my mixture was a little too warm to press the chocolate chips in–they were just melting. az heat! 🙂 they are just fantastic and were super easy! thanks for the recipe!
I can’t wait to try these. My kids are allergic to peanut butter, like Josh, so I plan to make them using our staple, Sunbutter (nut-free). It’s made from sunflower seeds, and once you get used to the fact that it’s not peanut butter, it’s fantastic. My kids will love this recipe! Thanks. It will be great to pack for lunches and trips to the park.
These look amazing! And so easy! I’m going to have to try out this recipe this weekend!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m always looking for healthy snacks for work. I should try these.
While making these yesterday I was disappointed to find I was out of chocolate chips but made them anyway. They are THE BEST granola bars I’ve ever had. I love the texture and taste. I used raw honey, which I think adds to the incredible flavor. I’m so glad I didn’t have chocolate chips because I wouldn’t have tasted their true flavor. Thanks, I’m sharing with all my friends!
Such a fun and easy recipe!
So…..I just made these about an hour ago, and I’m already afraid that the whole entire pan will be gone by tonight. And without any help from my husband, since he doesn’t like chocolate. Wow, are these good.
I made these yesterday and they are delish! I made them for my son, but my husband keeps eating them! The only thing I would add would be to let them cool for a few minutes before putting the chocolate chips on. I did it too soon and they all melted…not as pretty as your picture, but still great tasting!
Is there something else you could use besides honey? or could it be skipped all together? Can’t wait to give these a try!
I printed this off. With 2 kids taking lunch this year, I need some fun new options!
Hmmm- I have all these ingredients- I think I will be making these today. Thanks!
These are DELICIOUS! I substituted soy-nut butter for the peanut butter and added a little coconut. I absolutely love them. Thanks so much for the idea and recipe!
Yummmm!! I love no-bake bars, especially when you combine peanut butter and chocolate… you did one better with the pretzels! I can’t wait to make these!
Just made these, absolutely delicious! Thank you!!
These were great! I’m taking them to a football game tonight for the family to snack on while we cheer on my little brother in his first varsity game! I will definitely be making these again!
Made these yesterday afternoon … couldn’t believe how easy it was and how amazing they taste! I will make these for the rest of my life! Thanks!
I love your blog and have made several recipes, but I think this one is my absolute favorite! It is the perfect combo of ingredients, and super easy too! My 2-year old loves them as much as I do. I’m making them again tonight!
I just made these and they are sooo yummy!!! I only had large rolled oats so next time I will blend them a little first so the bars stay together better!
Thanks for a delicious snack idea
Thank you for these! yum!
These sounded so good that I knew that I wanted to make them ASAP. Thankfully, finding all of the necessary ingredients in my pantry meant that ASAP came immediately. Guess what’s going in my daughter’s lunchbox tomorrow (if they make it through the night, that is)? Thanks for another yummy recipe!! 🙂
Just made these, my daughter starts Kindy tomorrow and I’m an emotional mess! A healthy homemade snack is just what I wanted to send with her. I’m not the best cook so these being no-bake made them a winner. Can wait to try them, longest 30 minutes ever!
Just made these this evening, very easy and smell delicious(in the fridge cooling) but like some of the other comments,the mini chips melted before or as I was trying to press them in:(. Any suggestions other than waiting till the mixture cools a little? Thanks love your website and recipes,made your zuccini,choc. chip and dried cranberry cookies, yummy.
I just made these. I totally made changes based on what I had in the house and they were awesome. I will definitely add this to my keeper recipe file. Thanks!
These WERE so good. AND so easy. Its like a no bake cookie meets a Take Five candy bar. They didnt last long in our home. Do you have a recipe without peanut butter for the allergic or just to be able to jack up the flavors with things that dont go with pb? Like my favorite, coconut. Heather
My 2 year old son and I just made these and they are crazy delish! I am so sad that I have been buying granola bars for years and I could of been making these instead. The taste and texture are perfect…I had no idea granola bars could taste like this. Thank you!!!
So glad you liked the granola bars. You will never have to buy them again!
I love love love these!!! Thanks for a great recipe. I am sharing them on my blog but linking here!!
Thanks again
Katie
These were so easy to put together and tasty – thanks!
I love this recipe! I had a dream last night about making homemade granola bars (not sure why; I’ve never made granola before), so of course this morning the first thing I did was run a Google search to find a recipe. I found about 10, but this one caught my eye. The fact that you mix pretzels into the bars is outstanding. How can you go wrong with pretzels, peanut butter, and chocolate chips? 🙂 My family is healthy, but not to the extreme, so I think this recipe just might work. Thanks for the post!
These disappeared in a flash in my house. I didn’t have mini chips so I just chopped up some regular ones. So much healthy than packaged, and my guys thought they tasted better too. Thank you!
Have made these a couple of times and they are deliciously easy! I added some dried cranberries and some ground flaxseed meal (shh!). They are so popular, I have to send extras with my daughter to school because her friends love her snack so!
Anybody substituting anything for honey? I just made these with a combo of honey (only had about a quarter of a cup), corn syrup, and maple syrup (I doubled the recipe). I’m worried they won’t stick together. Of course they’re cooling now, patience is a virtue… I used old fashioned rather than quick oats too – we’ll see… The recipe sounds perfect certainly – I’m hoping I didn’t screw it up 🙂
🙁 totally falling apart; it’s been at least 1 hour in the fridge… Now, was it the liquid sweetener mixture or whole oats rather than quick??? I’d love some advice – thanks! Oh, they taste INCREDIBLE! Added coconut and chopped almonds, too…
i just made these, and they are easy and delicious. i made them for my kids but i’m pretty sure i am going to eat most of them!
Lovely taste and texture. I didn’t have rice cereal but I added ground walnuts and flax seed for added nutrition.
Been trying to come up with other things to bring to work than fruit, and stumbled upon this! Had everything on hand so a batch is cooling as we speak. I can wait to try them, what a fantastic recipe, THANKS!!! I omited the rice, added craisens and used white choc chips instead of regualr as Im not a huge fan of chocolate. I cant wait to try a few other combos as well!! 🙂
LOVE! I made a batch last week for my family and they went so quickly that I decided to double the recipe and make again. I just put my 13 x 9 dish into the fridge. :). Thanks for this delicious and easy recipe!
Love the addition of pretzels! Could I substitute something else for the honey…such as maple syrup? Kiddos aren’t so fond of a strong honey taste in the bars. Definitely going to give them a try, though!
Agave would work. Are they ok with that? I haven’t tried maple syrup. Let me know if you try it!
I made these today and let me tell you, they are so very very good!!!!
I made these yesterday and my husband asked if I could do another batch today! So good! Thanks!!
Awesome! Easy to make – I improvised with a cereal I had on-hand. everyone loves them! I will be experimenting with different ingredients..Thanks!
I am not a mother but wanted a good recipe for a granola bar to take to work. These are amazing!! I didn’t add the pretzels because I’m not a big fan but they turned out beautifully! This will be my go to recipe!!
These are dElicious! I love the addition of pretzels and the salty flavor and crunch! I didn’t have honey and used corn syrup, and Cheerios instead of rice krispies. Thank you for your granola bar recipes. I have been freezing them and sending them with my husband to work. Last week I made the pumpkin chocolate chip ones!
I made these last night and they are delicious! My only complaint is mine were pretty crumbly..any ideas to make them firmer? I used old fashioned oats instead of quick ones but I don’t think that would have been the issue. Thanks!!
I started a 30 day food challenge (I stuck with it and now am close to 80 days in) to use up leftovers, buy less impulse items, use up what I have at home. I had about a cup of cocoa crispies and a cup and a half of quick oats and set to work on your recipe. I can’t tell you thank you enough! They were great. I was short 1/2 cup of oats, but had an extra 1/2 cup of cereal so I tried that. I also did 1/3 of the pan with butterscotch chips, 1/3 with lemon, and 1/3 with cinnamon chips. Yum! My family enjoyed them so much that I put your site into my blog (http://creativesaver.blogspot.com/). Thanks again!
This is my second try making my own granola bars. I’ve done bake and no-bake. They taste great but they won’t stick together, they keep falling into crumbles. Not sure why.
These are great! I had no pretzels so I substituted corn flakes and they were delicious. So many possibilities with a great base recipe.
I just made these after a search for a granola bar recipe. Wow! Who knew it was possible to overeat granola bars? These are so, so good. Thanks!
I always overeat when I make these too:)
These were absolutely wonderful. Who knew I could make granola bars?? LOL! What are your thoughts on adding bananas? I was thinking about trying that but wasn’t sure where to put the bananas…with the dry or the boiled?
I haven’t tried bananas. I will have to play around and get back to you!
I screwed up and mixed my choc chips in, so they melted. The bars still tasted good, but they were very crumbly. Wish I could figure out how to make a granola bar that sticks together.
Loved these! I didn’t have pretzels and I have a kid allergic to peanuts so we did biscoff spread and broken biscoff cookies. So good!
These are delicous, my whole family LOVED them, including my husband who doesn’t care for the store bought ones, he says those are like eating tree bark, LOL! (not that he knows what that’s like…lol) Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!
These look really delicious, but does anyone know the calories on these? I want to make them, but I’ve also just lost 93lbs and counting, trying to stay on track..lol
Thanks so much! We love this recipe and my 2 yr old son loves “helping”…including smashing pretzels with my kitchen mallet. Turns out great every time and always sticks together.
Love. Peanut butter granola bars are my absolute favorite, and these look so close to what you can purchase I can’t wait to try.
I have to say these are amazing! I make my kids lunches for school and am always looking for something new to add to their lunches. These are great and I have to hide them from myself they are just a great combination. You taste a little bit of each item when you take a bite and you know what is in them and that is important to us. Thanks again. Will make again and again.
These are so amazing. My kids cannot get enough of them. They prefer these 10 folds to a store brand. Keep up the amazing work. My family loves all the recipes I have made off this site!!
These sound so good. I don’t like pretzels…do you have a suggestion on what I can substitute? Thank you.
You can leave them out and add more oats.
I am on my fourth batch of these. I have been making double batches because they disappear so quickly. Have been using half old fashioned oats and half quick oats and also half creamy peanut butter and half dark chocolate peanut butter spread. I use peanut butter chips and chocolate chips on top and they are amazing! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe! I had ran out a couple days ago and asked my fiancé what he wanted in his lunch instead (I hsd some store bought granola bars) he insisted on nothing unless it was these. I am going to try some with banana chips next. Who doesn’t love peanut butter with bananas?
So glad you like the granola bars! Banana sounds like a great addition!
We have peanut allergies. Can I skip the PB? Will it change the flavor completely?
Made these on the weekend, they are so delicious! Great recipe and they stay nice and chewy!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. They were so easy to make, and my kids loved them. I made a few changes.
http://whatthedogate.blogspot.com/2015/05/homemade-granola-bars.html
I just made these and not quite thirty minutes out, they taste great. I’m just waiting for the setting part to occur. I used what was on hand. Substituted agave for honey, used dried peanut butter with a splash of water, added a 1/2 c. more of oats instead of rice cereal, instead of pretzels, I used a combined amount of raw cashews, sliced almonds, and flax seed. Seriously, yummy!
“Note-I store the bars in the refrigerator. I’ve kept them in the fridge for up to a week and they are still tasty!”
How cute! This tiny recipe lasted a week in her home.
I remember those days.
Can I use salted butter?
Yes!
I made these granola bars yesterday for home ec with two grandsons. They are delicious, however, they mostly crumbled. Any suggestions?
Can’t send peanut butter to schools in Canada due to food allergies, I’m surprised its allowed in the US?
Those granola bars look really good and sound easy to make. Since you keep them in the refrigerator, are they hard to eat, or are they still chewy?
You can let them sit out for a few minutes if you want. They aren’t hard but will be cold and chewy:)
I love your enthusiasm, your simple ingredients and instructions,…and tug exdelicious product!
Absolutely love your recipes and site. Quick question, can I used rolled oats instead of quick oats?
Hi there,
How would I make these in a 9×13 dish, an 8×8 dish would be gone in no time around here Sounds like a great recipe, thanks
I’ve made these countless times, everyone at my house loves them!
Can old-fashioned oats be used instead of quick ones?
I like to use quick oats instead of old fashioned because the smaller oats hold the bars together better. If you have old fashioned oats you can pulse them a few times in a food processor or blender.
I have made these bars about six thousand times and they are such a hit among my kids! To the above commenter, I always use old-fashioned oats without any issue.
Because I knew these would be fantastic, I started right off with making a double batch in two separate pans, then froze half and left the other half for my husband to devour. And they ARE fantastic! I love how the bars stick together nicely, and the balance of sweet and salty is good (I used salted butter, because it’s what I have and what I enjoy). I’m looking forward to using these as hiking fuel. Thanks for the recipe.