Healthy No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free) which need just five ingredients and customizable to use any dry cereal. These quick and easy no bake bars are sugar free, dairy free and ready in under 10 minutes!
I no longer dread the leftover bits of dry cereal thanks to these cereal bars.
How many times have you ALMOST finished a box of cereal, only to have a handful left over? I have.
Whenever I make homemade crunch bars, protein cereal bars or healthy rice crispy treats, this always happens.
Now?
I have the solution to use up all those leftover portions with the addition of my two favorite ingredients- Chocolate and peanut butter.
If you love a fully loaded bar full of texture, this recipe is for you. It’s crunchy, crispy, chocolate-y, peanut butter-y and sweet all in one. You’ll be stoked to hear that it only uses five ingredients. They are also much healthier than traditional cereal bars. For all my friends who follow a sugar free and dairy free lifestyle, I have you covered too.
With school/college/university back in full swing, there is no better time to have these homemade no bake bars on hand. They are a quick, easy and fool-proof recipe which literally takes minutes to whip up. In fact, for all those who have made the first step into college dorm room living, you can too.
When I say this recipe is fool-proof and ridiculously easy, I’m not kidding. You need just one bowl which you’ll add your cereal in. The other ingredients? You’ll just melt together to hold the bars together and end in one delicious package!
Besides the cereal, you’ll need just peanut butter, a sticky sweetener, coconut oil and your chocolate of choice. You’ll either microwave it all together or melt it stovetop and pour over the cereal.
Voila. Finished.
WHAM. BAM. THANK YOU, MA’AM.
For the cereal portion, not all are created equal. Many kinds of cereal will be crunchy and crispy when eaten dry. However, once you add the liquid mixture, it will become soggy. To ensure this doesn’t happen, I used an ‘O’ type cereal, like cheerios or brown rice ‘O’s. They provide the perfect texture and also the perfect size to be evenly distributed between the bars.
While some schools have peanut-free zones, you can easily substitute the peanut butter for almond butter. To keep it completely nut-free, use sunflower seed butter or soy nut butter (often referred to as wow butter).
The next part is the sticky sweetener, and again, you have options here. I alternate between using pure maple syrup and a monk fruit sweetened maple syrup. If you’d like to keep this recipe 100% sugar-free, stick to the latter. It is the only sugar free sticky sweetener which will mimic the texture of its full sugar counterparts. You can also use agave nectar or even pure honey.
The final two components of this simple no bake bars are coconut oil and the chocolate. I’ve had readers ask if the coconut oil can be substituted. The coconut oil helps hold the bars together while providing a delicious crunch and texture. The only viable alternative is butter. For my vegan friends, I can’t vouch for how it will work with a vegan buttery spread.
I enjoy using these dairy free chocolate chips for all my recipes calling for chocolate. Even my friends who tolerate dairy prefer them over regular chocolate chips or chunks. To continue the sugar free streak, these stevia sweetened chocolate chips are my go-to. They leave no bitter aftertaste and melt beautifully.
These crispy, crunchy and seriously addictive no bake cereal bars make the perfect snack or healthy dessert. It’s taken up a notch by the pairing of chocolate and peanut butter! Set your timer to 10 minutes, because that is all the time you’ll need to whip up your new favorite treat- No more leftover dregs of dry cereal either!
Healthy No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal Bars
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Dry cereal of choice I used Cheerios
- 1 1/2 Cups Chocolate Chips
- 1 Cup Peanut Butter Can sub for almond, sunflower seed butter, wow butter etc.
- 1/2 Cup Sticky Sweetener of Choice I used a monk fruit maple syrup
- 1/4 Cup Coconut Oil Can sub for butter
Instructions
- Line a deep baking dish or baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your dry cereal of choice. In a microwave safe bowl or stove top, add all your other ingredients and melt completely.
- Pour the melted mixture over the dry cereal and mix until fully combined. Transfer to the lined baking dish/tray and press firmly in place. Refrigerate until firm. Once firm, cut into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
More delicious no bake bars? Gotcha covered!
Homemade Snickers Protein Bars
Healthy No Bake Cornflake Crunch Bars
Healthy No Bake Kit Kat Crunch Bars
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I’m assuming these are placed in a 9×13 pan? Sounds delicious!
That works too!
Whenever I have only a small amount of leftover dry cereal, I just use it as a topping for smoothies! Yum! But these cereal bars look really amazing!
I look forward to the little bits of cereal at the bottom of the box, its usually were a pile of the sugar and other toppings collects. This is a great use for it instead of my usual spooning it into my mouth.
You had me at no bake. Thanks for this!!
So welcome!