Cereal Bars
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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.
It’s no secret that I love making my family homemade snacks, especially because I know what goes into 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. I’ve been making them for over 10 years, and they still remain a firm favorite.
Because I’m only using 3 ingredients, getting the ratio of liquid sweetener (maple syrup) to not butter just right is essential. When I first tested this recipe, the bars either became too soft at room temperature or crumbled when sliced. After a few rounds of tweaking, I found the sweet spot: bars that hold together beautifully yet remain chewy, crispy, and easy to bite into.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Just 3 ingredients. Cereal, a sticky sweetener, and nut butter are all you’ll need.
- Ready in 5 minutes. Just mix everything together, transfer it to a pan, and let it set.
- Easy to customize. Change up the cereal, add flavor extracts, or swap for your favorite nut or seed butter.
★★★★★ 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 made with whole grains and with added vitamins and fiber.
- Maple syrup. Binds everything together and adds a touch of sweetness. I tested honey and brown rice syrup as well, but both produced denser bars and required extra cereal to balance the texture.
- Almond butter. Smooth almond butter with no added sugar or salt. If your almond butter is very thick, warm it slightly before mixing so it coats the cereal evenly.
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.
- 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.
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 to 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, fresh cereal. This may sound obvious, but stale cereal makes stale cereal bars. I always use freshly opened cereal for the best crunch and texture.
- Avoid overmixing. Once the maple syrup and almond butter are combined, fold in the cereal until just coated. Overmixing can crush the cereal and make the bars denser.
- Press the mixture firmly into the pan. This is the key to holding the bars together. I use the back of a measuring cup or even an overnight oats jar to compact everything into an even layer.
- 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.
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
The most common reason is not pressing the mixture firmly enough into the pan. I like to use the back of a cup of jar to push everything into an even layer. The bars also need enough time to chill and firm up before slicing.
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 almond butter and maple syrup and mix until combined. Slowly add in the cereal and mix until just 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
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!
how many calories ?
Hi! Check out myfitnesspal it will provide a full breakdown for you 🙂
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 🙂
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 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!
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.
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 🙂
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 😀
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 🙂
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.
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!