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My homemade cereal bars need just 3 wholesome ingredients to make and taste better than anything store-bought! They make a healthy and delicious snack.
Love easy snack recipes? Try my fruit leather, peanut butter oatmeal balls, veggie chips, and kettle corn next.
It’s no secret that I love to make my family homemade snacks, especially because I know what goes in them and honestly, they are cheaper too (hello, cost of living crisis!).
My homemade cereal bars are one of our weekly staples, and they taste exactly like a packaged cereal bar, minus the laundry list of ingredients, excess calories, excess sugars (yes, plural!), and butter.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Just 3 ingredients. Cereal, a sticky sweetener, and nut butter are all you’ll need.
- Diet friendly. My recipe is naturally vegan and gluten-free, and can easily be made dairy-free, too.
- It’s ready in 5 minutes. All you do is mix it up, transfer it to a pan, and wait for it to set.
- It’s easy to customize. You can change up the cereal, add flavor extracts, and use other nuts or seed butter—the possibilities are endless!
★★★★★ REVIEW
“I made these bars with Cheerios, American Dream Peanut Butter Cheesecake, peanut butter, and Maple Syrup. Simple and Delicious” – Molly
Ingredients needed
- Cereal. Any crispy cereal works, including Cheerios, special K cereal, or even rice krispies. I like to look for ones that are made with whole grains and have added vitamins and fiber to them.
- Maple syrup. Binds everything together and adds some sweetness. You can also use honey or brown rice syrup, but you’ll likely need to add a little extra cereal to prevent them from becoming soggy.
- Almond butter. Smooth almond butter with no added sugar or salt.
How to make cereal bars
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the bars. Add all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir until fully combined.
Step 2- Set and slice. Transfer the cereal bar mixture to a lined pan and refrigerate it for 30 minutes or until it has firmed up. Once firm, slice them into bars.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use a crispy cereal. No one wants soggy or soft cereal bars, so make sure you start with fresh and crisp cereal. Check the expiration date and discard any crushed pieces.
- Avoid overmixing. Similar to the earlier point about crispy cereal, another reason why the cereal could soften is due to overmixing. Prevent this by mixing everything together slowly and just until the cereal is mixed in.
- Always use a sharp knife when cutting these into bars to prevent them from crumbling or falling apart.
- Line the pan. Even for non-stick pans, I always line them with parchment paper. It makes cleanup a breeze and keeps everything in place.
- If you want some extra protein, make my protein cereal bars instead.
Variations
The beauty of this cereal bar recipe is just how easy it is to customize it with other ingredients or even add some fun ones to it. Here is what we’ve tried:
- Make it almond-free. If you can’t tolerate almonds or are allergic, switch it out for peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini.
- Lower the sugar. Swap out the maple syrup for sugar free maple syrup or sugar free honey.
- Keep it gluten-free. Use a celiac-friendly cereal like Gluten Free Cheerios.
- Add mix-ins. Chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanuts, raisins, cranberries, freeze-dried strawberries, and toasted coconut flakes are all great additions.
- Drizzle with some melted chocolate for that extra dose of deliciousness.
Storage instructions
To store: Avoid keeping these bars stored at room temperature as they are prone to becoming soggy. Instead, place them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge. They will keep well for up to two weeks.
To freeze: Place the bars in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
Homemade cereal bars are much healthier than store-bought or packaged bars. They contain considerably less sugar, less fat, and fewer ingredients. They are also more cost-effective, too.
More healthy snack bars
3-Ingredient Cereal Bars
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups cereal cheerios or any crispy cereal of choice
- 6 tablespoons almond butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey or brown rice syrup * see notes
Instructions
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your cereal, almond butter, and maple syrup and mix until combined.
- Transfer the mixture to the lined pan and press firmly into place. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up. Once firm, slice into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally updated November 2022, updated and republished July 2024
I am going to try this recipe to use up some toasted O’s cereal I have, but after that I am not going to purchase this cereal anymore because I recently read that calcium carbonate (which is listed in cereal ingredients) is sometimes contaminated with lead–no one should consume lead, thank you.
So let me understand your comment. You do not wish to ‘purchase’ the cereal anymore as it contains harmful contaminants… however, you don’t want to waste what you currently have on hand, so you will eat it anyway??? Does this make any sense to you?
Obsessed with these!
i love it it was tasty
I made these bars with Cheerios, American Dream Peanut Butter Cheesecake peanut butter and Maple Syrup. Simple and Delicious
I used stale cheerios and they’re delicious!
What a great use of it!
Could I use honey instead of syrup?
You sure can 🙂 Same amounts
A super simple recipe with a delicious turnout! I will definitely be making these again! Love this!
Hi Arman,
Would it be possible for me to replace the syrup with honey by any chance?
Absolutely 🙂
These cant be vegan.. cheerio’s are not vegan
This doesn’t use cheerios.
These are such delicious homemade cereal bars!!
Hi there!
Do you know if these would work without the peanut butter? I work in a school and everything has to be nut free, but it seems like a great snack to make with the students!
Hi there! YES 🙂 Sunflower seed butter works beautifully!
Hi I was wondering if you have any recipes for this without using a nut based butter? My daughter is allergic to all nuts and has celiac.
Thanks
Sunflower seed butter works!