Healthy 3 Ingredient No Bake Cereal Bars
These healthy 3 Ingredient no bake cereal bars are chewy and the perfect snack between meals or for a healthy dessert! Unlike traditional cereal bars, these contain NO butter, oil, marshmallows or white flour. They take less than 5 minutes and are naturally gluten free, vegan, oil-free and dairy free!
PS- Before we get into today’s post, congrats to the winner’s of the monthly Protein Powder and recipe giveaway- You’ve been emailed and your goodies will be coming soon- Stay tuned for the one for March! Also, you’d kinda want to be signed up for my newsletter- Let’s just say besides an epic recipe, TWO of you will win a KitchenAid mixer 😉
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Confession- I hoard leftover bits of cereal.
Although I don’t really enjoy cereal for ‘meals’ in itself, I do enjoy a bowlful as a snack before bed or when I want some texture, add it to Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or even ice cream.
Yes, ice cream.
For some reason, I don’t really like the final handful in each bag. It’s usually made up of broken pieces of cereal, cereal dust and more cereal dust. Saying that, I also despise wasting food so these all just pile up. A quick glance in my pantry would see close to seven cereal packets, all with barely a handful in each. However, in my grocery bag, I had a new box of crispy rice cereal. The reason for this new box of cereal was to make a weekly staple in this neck of the woods- Healthy 3 Ingredient No Bake Rice Crispy Treats.
Before I ripped open the new box of cereal to get some bar treatment, I thought for a second. Why not combine all the leftover bits and bobs of cereal and replace the crispy rice, cup for cup, and use said cereal instead. The majority of my leftover cereal were these Whole O’s by Nature’s Path (a vegan and gluten free version of Cheerios) and some peanut butter puffins. I threw the muffins on some vanilla yogurt and combined all the remnants of Whole O’s to make a delicious, quick and easy 3 Ingredient no bake snack bar.
Winning.
Saving money.
NO wasting.
BOOM.
Before we get into the super simple recipe, it’s also Wednesday which means you get to see what I spent money on eating out ate….Although with a twist.
Seeing as I’ll be heading back to Australia soon, I’ve been making some snacks to send to some friends around (including the most amazing granola with the rudest name…oops). I’ve also been making these cookie dough stuffed eggs for the two winners of the monthly Protein Powder giveaway– I obviously ate some leftover dough…. Oops. Throw in the fact that it was a photoshoot day, I pretty much snacked on and ate ALL blog recipes for meals!
Enjoy!
BREAKFAST- An ugly but delicious corner slab of this Healthy Flourless Lemon Poppy Seed Breakfast Cake. Snack(s)- The cookie dough centre from these eggs, part of this cookie and today’s recipe. Because of my snacks, I skipped lunch and later in the day had a coke. Dinner was the morning’s shot, two of these low carb Mexican chicken wraps with the leftover chicken on the side.
Anyway, recipe time!
As mentioned earlier, this recipe was literally made to use up said cereal scraps and they turned out delicious- In fact, they sparked an idea for a similar recipe coming soon!
These healthy 3 Ingredient No Bake Cereal bars literally take five minutes to prep and the hard part is waiting for them to firm up…although eating the ‘batter’ is totally acceptable. This recipe is not impressive (and easy!) because they use three ingredients- Unlike store bought packaged cereal bar, they contain to white sugar, no butter, no oil and no margarine to form! They are also pretty friendly to most dietary lifestyles- Because I used this cereal, they are naturally vegan, gluten free and dairy free!
HACK! I used this almond butter in one batch and this generic peanut butter in another. To be honest, I LOVED the latter (with all the added ingredients in it) and found it to have a much more delicious texture. If that doesn’t phase go, go for option two!
Make these healthy 3 Ingredient No Bake Cereal Bars and leftover cereal dust be gone…
…and turned into snack bars.
- 2 cups dry cereal (I used Whole O's- Cheerios would work if not strictly gluten free)
- 1/3 cup + 1 T peanut butter (can sub for almond/cashew)
- 1/3 cup + 1 T sweetener of choice (I used brown rice syrup and maple syrup)
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your dry cereal and set aside.
- Stovetop or in the microwave, melt your nut butter with your sticky sweetener and then pour the mixture into the crispy rice cereal and mix well.
- Pour mixture into the lined baking tray and press firmly into place. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
- Cereal bars are fine at room temperature but best to kept in the freezer or fridge for best texture.
Are you one to waste food?
What is your most creative use for cereal?
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LOVE simple recipes like these! Well done mate!
I love that you say ‘mate’. Please come to Australia!
Hey! I really want to make a batch for my dad but we live in a super humid and hot area. Do these get super gooey and sticky? Or are they pretty sturdy like a granola bar?
Hi they should be fine refrigerated! 🙂
Easy recipes are the best! I start wondering how to recreate it with my favorite Cinnamon Squares 😀
🙂 Stay tuned 🙂
If my kids saw these they would surely beg to adopt you, lol, they are bottom of the bag hoarders as well 🙂
PLEASE. Seriously, next time I’m in NYC I’m ‘accidentally’ popping over.
Yup yup yup simplicity at its finest. These would be perfect stored in the freezer. Then I may combine the new use of the cheerios into your marble rice crispy bars from a while back.
Please do- I regret sending Alexis a huge batch of those, now I want one!
Wasting food droves me crazy – I definitely try to find ways to use the very last of everything to the best use
Right? My mother taught me well! 🙂
These remind me of rice Krispy treats. I used to be obsessed with them!
YES! I based it off my rice crispy recipe! 🙂
Oh mannn. I used to love buying cereal bars (with alllll the ingredients and sugar), and now look at you, making it so simple and healthy. You da man, Arman. YUM
🙂 Thank you, Sarah!
Yuuummm. I don’t do creative things with cereal. I just eat it in a bowl. I think I could manage these, though 😉
I think you underestimate yourself, m’dear!
Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids. Oh wait. You didn’t use Trix. Ok then, maybe you aren’t so silly, mate. In fact, maybe you’re a genius! I love me a good cereal bar in the morning. Quick, easy and portable…what’s not to love there?? Can I top mine with colored sparkling sugar, though? 🙂
Wait, I just googled TRIX.
Also, what is with you guys having cereals with marshmallows in them? Lucky Charms! I would pluck them out.
I definitely don’t like to waste food! I love cereal. I add it to cookies for a little extra crunch, or add it to a mixture of nuts and dried fruit for some trail mix snack.
Oh that’s a great idea! 🙂
What a neat recipe—these would be fun to bring to a party or something. I may or may not take it one step into the “are you f—ing kidding me” zone and make this with Cinnamon Toast Crunch…
Stay tuned 😀 I’ve got something in the works called the Sl*tty cinnamon toast crunch bar.
These would be great for party when I am in a hurry. And probably my picky niece too! I never have cereal as a meal b/c I find it so un-satisfying, but I love it as a snack!
Right? 4 bowls later and I’m still not satisfied!
Omg I love putting cereal on my ice cream. There is just something about that combo of sweet, creamy and crunchy! Imagine if I put these crumbled cereal bars on my ice cream, now that’s what Im talking about!
omg. How about ice cream sandwiched between two of them?!
I HATE wasting food and I usually don’t. Probably because I’m Italian so I love to eat…and I’m that friend who always brings extra food to classes/rehearsals to make sure her friends are fed! LOL
Oh I love Italian people, especially their Nonna’s cooking 😉
These sound amazing! I love how quick and simple they are to make. Plus they uses GF cheerios, which is basically like my favorite cereal, simply because it goes with any flavor and any food!
Oh no! I didn’t use gluten free cheerios because of the shenanigans surrounding them- I used Nature’s Path Power O’s 🙂
I use cornflakes to make cereal bars because the have the texture of a butterfinger when you mix them with peanut butter and maple syrup. I don’t eat that much cereal really, but if I have a handful left I usually just mix it into my oatmeal or something. Great easy recipe Arman!
That’s a great idea! Thanks Ellie!
OOH, I love cereal bars. I would love to make these. I love to use up ingredients. Using God’s resources is wonderful!
🙂 Thanks Emily!
Hello new lunchbox staple! I can’t get over how quick these are to make, I am constantly craving rice krispy treats but it’s so hard to find ones not made with beef gelatine. Thanks for another awesome recipe and WIAW Arman. I hate wasting food, I won’t throw anything away unless it is mouldy. In all honesty, I tend to eat more cereal dry out of the box than in any other medium (including the dust at the bottom), I do use it as an ice cream and yogurt topping occasionally though.
OH wow- Aubrey, try this recipe out- I make it twice a week to snack on, SO good! http://thebigmansworld.com/2015/09/23/healthy-3-ingredient-rice-crispy-treats/
If you want a protein packed option, here is one- http://thebigmansworld.com/2015/12/03/healthy-4-ingredient-cake-batter-rice-crispy-treats/
Ha, I actually just bought a box of cereal (paleo granola – you’d approve!) purely to put on top of my yoghurts, protein puddings etc. I love the texture!
Oh geebuz. Please tell me it didn’t taste like cardboard!
Definitely not! I’ve bought it four or five times and it’s great, although a little expensive. This is the one: http://www.musclefood.com/high-protein-snacks-1/breakfast-cereals/cocoa-hazelnut-paleo-granola.html You should recreate it for me!
I’m actually creating one for my book! 🙂
Mmmmm nothing better than some pb cereal bars! Love how simple and easy the ingredients are!
Thank you, Kerri!
I HATE wasting food, which is why I’m devastated when I see that something in my fridge is expired! 🙁 BUT, I never waste cereal. I tried your bars and I thought they were awesome! So delicious and sweet–I’m totally reminiscing the Froot Loops and Cinnamon Toast Crunch bars now!
You, my friend, can make one massive sweet potato and stuff it with everything! 😀
Oh my! Here’s to hoping I win the mixer! A few years ago I have my kitchen aide away to someone who had a dream to start baking cupcakes out of her home for a business but didn’t have a mixer. I gave her mine and didn’t think I’d miss mine bc I have a hand mixer. Boy was I wrong! I really miss mine and they are way too expensive to buy a new one! ?
Great! Thanks Emili, good luck!
Neil will save all his cereal bits and then mix them in a bowl with PB and whatever other nonsense he finds. It’s actually pretty delicious….as I’m sure these are!
Neil is actually a certified legend.
Such a simple recipe and much healthier than any store bought version! I can’t wait to try these!
Right? Thank you!
Turn the cereal dust into cereal milk it the most amazing malty flavoured milk in the world don’t not do it grammar is my forte btw
Oh yes! Mohina, I’ve got a fun recipe to share soon!
What a terrific recipe – I was just looking at 5-ingredient ones on TV and this tops those!
Cheers, thanks Lynn!
does the T stand for Table Spoon or Teaspoon or What ?
Hi there, it stands for tablespoon 🙂
I eat cereal as dessert too. Theres been a couple times recently I had it as breakfast…and that’s because I was super lazy.
WHAT?! Poor eggs!
These are a tasty snack and love the short ingredient list, too! 🙂
🙂 Thank you, Joanne! We can enjoy our coconut flour on the side!
Can’t wait to try these. In the recipe you say line a baking tray? What size baking tray do you suggest? 8X8 ?
Hi Sally! I sometimes use 8 x 8 or even bigger- Depends on how thick and chewy you want the bars 🙂
I love how simple this recipe is! I hate food waste. I used to save veggie scraps to make homemade veggie broth, but it ended up just being too much work. This looks like such an easy way to deal with leftovers.
🙂 Thank you, Elaine!
I don’t eat cereal as often as I want to..it was a nightly routine for me growing up, but then I decided to save my sugar calories for ice cream. Woof.
HI, can i use honey instead of maple or agave, thanks
Hi Meryem- You sure can, you may need to increase just a little bit, honey tends to need a little bit more for no bake recipes 🙂
hello this is my new go to recipe for morning tea – bring a plate – WHATEVER !! added coconut flakes one time and another used gluten free weetbix – just awesome – thanks so much
Vicki! 🙂 Thank you so much for your feedback- You’ve got me craving weetbix now 😀
Keeper! Delicious. Just made these using gf cheerios, peanut butter and organic brown rice syrup. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
Oh yay! Thanks so much for the feedback, Lola 🙂
Do you know if you can substitute PB2 for the peanut butter?
Hi Diane! I’ve never tried it with PB2, sorry- I don’t see it working well, as the texture of PB2 is a little different.
So I definitely add protein powder to these so that they hold my husband over a bit better and they are delicious! Thanks for this!
Oh, fantastic- Thanks so much for the feedback, Angela!
Hey, Arman ~ I tried this one today and changed it up a bit. We had Peanut Butter Puffins that were sitting around, and since I hat to waste food, I thought I’d just make them into cereal bars. I added some chocolate to the bottom of the pan first. I chopped up the Puffins into smaller pieces, along with natural peanut butter and organic agave as my sweetener. I also added some mini chocolate chips from Enjoy Life. they look de-lish…I’ll let you know how my kids like them. I might also try this recipe with chopped nuts, rather than the cereal.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Dorina! I’ve made this before using all chopped nuts and it was really delicious, and only a small piece needed to satisfy- I let it cool and crystallise, and broke it like a toffee 🙂
Ok, great, Arman. I have been trying to duplicate the Luna Bar flavor Nutz Over Chocolate. I have been delving into my own personal gut health, an, as such, I’ve been very, very label conscious. I am not a fan of soy and am disenchanted to see so many brands including soy in their recipes. My goal here would be to make this recipe without soy, so that my daughter can have a healthier snack. Thank you so much for inspiring me, in more ways than one. I might just launch my own little blog about good gut health. I have a site called Shine the Light Project, http://www.shinethelightproject.com…it‘s all about shining the light on human trafficking, labor exploitation, and helping people find simple ways to end slavery in their own lives. i am a big fan of the Fair Trade movement, for example, and am all about using non-GMO, high quality organic ingredients in my recipes. Feel free to stop on by my page…perhaps there’s a way for us to collaborate? You never know. Thanks, Arman
So I just made these (at 10pm!).
I made these as a special treat for my daughter’s lunch for preschool tomorrow.
She does not get a lot of sweets in her lunchbox– mainly because naptime happens right after lunch time and this mama (and her teachers) needs her to take a nap!( ha ha). I personally can’t stand honey, but I know it’s a great way to sweeten without adding sugar (for the reason I mentioned before)
I can’t wait to see what she thinks.
**Note: I only had honey on hand as a sweetener and I had regular peanut butter, so that’s what I used, along with Honey Nut Cheerios. Oh, and even though I DON’T give her a lot of sugar, I DID add a FEW chocolate chips to make it even more special!!**
Thanks for the great recipe and I can’t wait to try it with other cereals!
Hahahaha thank you so much for sharing that- What an awesome mama you are 🙂
how many calories ?
Hi! Check out myfitnesspal it will provide a full breakdown for you 🙂
I’m not sure how long ago this was posted but I read the ‘cheerios if not strictly gluten free’ for being an option. Is this a mis-type? cheerios are gluten free. The whole grain ones are not and I think there is 1 other of their USA line that aren’t but all the rest should be gluten free. I bookmarked this recipe and look forward to making it when I make my next order of cheerios from my favorite USA brand site. Thank you!
Thanks for the feedback, Jami- This was posted around the time there was the media issues with Cheerios being under fire for not being handles correctly, thanks for the update!
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!
These cant be vegan.. cheerio’s are not vegan
This doesn’t use cheerios.