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    Home » Breakfast

    No Bake Homemade Cereal Bars (5 Ingredients!)

    April 18, 2020 by Kathryn 10 Comments

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    These no-bake, homemade cereal bars are perfect for toddlers and are an easy breakfast or snack to make together. They only require 5 ingredients!

    Since when did cereal bars (or breakfast bars...what do you call them?) get so expensive and terrible tasting? They're chock full of refined sugar and processed ingredients, and it's just all so unnecessary.

    These homemade cereal bars are a much healthier version without all the refined sugar. These aren't refined sugar free (because they have mini chocolate chips), but the chocolate chips are optional. These bars are largely naturally sweetened by honey. The peanut butter gets melted with the honey to make the most deliciously sweet glue to hold the cereal together.

    homemade cereal bars stacked on one another with honey in the background

    My kids love these cereal bars -- and the best part is that they can practically make them themselves, minus the whole stove top thing.

    And did you know there's so many cool things to learn about Cheerios, too?! They have a fascinating history. I digress.

    Ingredients You'll Need

    • oat-based "O's" cereal (like Cheerios)
    • puffed rice cereal (like rice krispies)
    • peanut butter (creamy)
    • honey
    • mini chocolate chips
    aerial shot of 5 ingredients in bowls you need to make homemade cereal bars

    How to Make These Homemade Cereal Bars

    In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt your peanut butter and honey together until well combined (#1). Pour peanut butter mixture into a larger bowl that has your oat-based and puffed rice cereals (#2). Mix until combined.

    two picture collage showing melted peanut butter and honey in a pot and the peanut butter mixture poured over cereals in a bowl.

    Then gently fold in mini chocolate chips (#3). Spread into a 9" square pan that's lined with parchment paper. Use a measuring cup to flatten the mixture out (#4). Don't forget the corners!

    two collage picture shoring mini chocolate chips being added and the mixture being put into a 9" square pan

    Stick the entire pan in the freezer for about 20 minutes then take them out to cut them into rectangles or squares.

    Homemade Cereal Bars Without Sugar

    Take out the mini chocolate chips! They're totally delicious, but these are already sweet thanks to the honey so they aren't a "necessary" ingredient.

    horizontal picture of homemade cereal bars on wooden cutting board with jar of honey and one bar turned on its side.

    Gluten Free Cereal Bars

    Want to make these gluten free? Use all Cheerios instead of the puffed rice cereal if you want to make these gluten free or be sure to buy gluten free rice cereal.

    Tips to Keep in Mind

    Here are some random tips that are important when making these:

    • Mini chocolate chips work best because they're smaller and stick better to the cereals.
    • Stick them in the freezer before cutting them. That makes them much easier to cut in whatever shape you want. Speaking of that -- these would be adorable using whatever cut cookie cutters you have at home.
    up close shot of cereal bar at the top of a stack looking down.

    Can you freeze homemade cereal bars?

    Absolutely. I prefer these cereal bars be kept in the freezer actually. They keep their shape and don't get as sticky as when they're stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. You can also eat them out of the freezer after 3 minutes -- they don't need a lot of "defrost" time.

    How long do these cereal bars last?

    In the freezer, these bars will be good for 2-3 months, so it's a great idea to double or even triple the recipe to keep a large amount in the freezer ready to go.

    cut up cereal bar squares with jar of honey and bowl of cheerios on white background

    Other No Bake Treats for Kids

    • My favorite no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. These bring me right back to my childhood.
    • Chocolate Raspberry Tart (GF, dairy free, refined sugar free)
    • Chocolate Pomegranate Tart (also GF, dairy free, refined sugar free)

    xox,

    kathryn

    As always, if you make anything from the blog, be sure to let me know! I love hearing from you in the comments on this post below or find Worn Slap Out on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

    5 Ingredient Homemade Cereal Bars

    These no-bake, homemade cereal bars are perfect for toddlers and are an easy breakfast or snack to make together. They only require 5 ingredients!
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: breakfast bars, breakfast ideas, cereal bars
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Freeze Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 9 squares

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups oat-based cereal (like Cheerios)
    • 1 cup puffed rice cereal
    • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
    • ½ cup honey
    • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

    Instructions

    • Line 9" square pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
    • In a small sauce pan, melt peanut butter and honey. Add to large bowl with Cheerios and puffed rice cereals and stir until combined. Add chocolate chips (if desired) and gently stir one more time.
    • Spread cereal mixture evenly into pan, pressing down slightly to make bars flat and even on top. Don't forget about the corner. Stick in the freezer for 20 minutes before cutting.

    Notes

    Storage: You can store these at room temperature, but the texture gets a bit sticky, so I prefer storing these in the refrigerator or freezer when not eating.  They only require sitting out for a few minutes from the freezer before eating. 

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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    1. Pavani

      July 05, 2020 at 10:08 am

      5 stars
      100% agree that the store bought cereal bars are not worth the money. Your version sounds easy enough to make at home with pantry ingredient. Will definitely try it for my family.

      Reply
      • Kathryn

        July 05, 2020 at 1:05 pm

        Yeah...they're pretty gross, especially after looking at the ingredients list!

        Reply
    2. Jack

      July 05, 2020 at 10:17 am

      5 stars
      Great recipe to make with the kids! Everyone loved them 🙂

      Reply
      • Kathryn

        July 05, 2020 at 1:05 pm

        So glad. Thanks, Jack!

        Reply
    3. Dannii

      July 05, 2020 at 11:02 am

      5 stars
      Oh these look delicious, and so many ways that you could adapt them too.

      Reply
      • Kathryn

        July 05, 2020 at 1:04 pm

        Yes, they're great for adding whatever you/your kids love!

        Reply
    4. Marlynn

      July 05, 2020 at 12:12 pm

      5 stars
      YUM!! These are so great to make with the kids, and I love that we can make this ahead of time and grab-and-go when we've got busy mornings.

      Reply
      • Kathryn

        July 05, 2020 at 1:04 pm

        Perfect! Love that you love them.

        Reply
    5. Saif

      July 05, 2020 at 9:40 pm

      5 stars
      I love cereal bar. They are healthy and delicious. Homemade bar is much better than buying in a store.

      Reply
      • Kathryn

        July 06, 2020 at 5:10 pm

        Agreed!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kathryn! Welcome to Worn Slap Out, a Southern-inspired recipe corner for busy people on the go. As a mom of two littles who also loves food, I need meals on the table ASAP but I also want to eat well. Here, you'll find quick, easy, and reasonably healthy meals you can make in a flash. Other loves include Georgia football, cake of all kinds, and elastic waistbands.

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