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The BEST homemade crunch bars recipe that tastes BETTER than the actual candy bar! 5 ingredients, 5 minutes and perfectly crispy, crunchy, sweet copycat crunch bars- Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-free.
Nestle announced back in 2018 that Crunch bars have been discontinued but do not fret- We have a homemade and even BETTER version here, and is relatively healthier than the traditional version!
You may come across other homemade crunch bar recipes, but those are quite frankly sub bar. Most of them call for 2 or 3 ingredients, mostly melted chocolate with crispy rice cereal.
Is that a crunch bar? Technically, yes. But taste-wise, it is very, VERY average.
Instead, I’m here to share with you my homemade version which tastes amazing and one recipe that thousands of my readers have continually made over and over again!
WHY THESE ARE THE BEST HOMEMADE CRUNCH BARS
Crunchy, crispy, smooth, and creamy and all words to describe these no bake chocolate peanut butter crunch bars.
You bite into it and are met with of these, which are a texture lovers’ dream!
Traditional crunch bars use butter, sugar, margarine and several kinds of oil to produce a delicious end product.
My version uses just FIVE ingredients, and takes less than 2 minutes to whip up!
Not only are these beauties completely vegan, gluten-free and dairy free, but it also has the option to be made completely sugar-free, so take note below!
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CRUNCH BARS
Start by pouring your cereal in a large mixing bowl, and setting it aside. To also save time, prepare your baking dish by adding parchment paper to it.
In a microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan, add all your ingredients, except for the cereal. Heat the mixture until the chocolate chip has melted. Whisk very well together, until you have silky, thick, and smooth chocolate.
Finally, pour the melted chocolate mixture over the crispy cereal, and mix very well, until all the cereal is coated in the chocolate. Transfer to the lined baking dish and refrigerate until firm.
THE INGREDIENTS (and substitution tips!)
- Crispy Rice Cereal
- Peanut Butter
- Chocolate Chips
- Maple Syrup
- Coconut oil
The ‘crunch’ factor can come in two folds. The first and most dominant one is in the cereal used. The original recipe from the cookbook used cornflakes, but my preference lies in rice crispy treats, so I used gluten-free crispy rice cereal. It’s my favorite to use in these no bake bars and these no bake rice crispy cups. If you don’t have a gluten intolerance, any crispy rice cereal will work fine.
The second part comes with using crunchy peanut butter. You are welcome to use smooth peanut butter if that is all you have on hand, but I love the added texture of the little pieces of peanuts throughout!
Speaking of peanut butter, for those with peanut allergies, I’d recommend you use crunchy sunflower seed butter or soynut butter. You can also substitute the peanut butter for another nut butter, like almond or cashew.
As these crunch bars are based around chocolate, PLEASE make sure you choose a high-quality chocolate bar (baking style or standard) or chocolate chips. I used my favorite dairy free chunks, which I regularly eat on its own.
For those who want to keep this completely sugar-free, use your favorite sugar free BAKING bar or chips. Simply melting a generic sugar-free candy bar won’t yield the results you are after.
Also, for the maple syrup, swap it for this sugar-free alternative. While not as good as the original, it’s the best sugar-free syrup when used IN recipes.
Coconut oil is my preference, but butter or vegan butter works well too.
STORING CRUNCH BARS
Like any candy or chocolate bar, crunch bars can be stored at room temperature, in a sealable container. They will keep fresh for up to 2 weeks, but I promise you, they will NEVER last that long!
They are also freezer friendly, so wrap up a few and store away to enjoy when the chocolate cravings strike! Wrap individual bars in parchment paper and place them in ziplock bags. They will freeze well for up to 6 months.
CAN I MAKE CRUNCH BARS KETO AND PALEO?
Yes! I have made a keto and paleo option for this recipe. It uses nuts and seeds instead of the cereal, and also keto-approved chocolate and syrup.
MORE HOMEMADE CANDY BAR RECIPES
Watch the step-by-step video below!
The BEST Homemade Crunch Bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups crispy rice cereal
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup peanut butter can substitute any nut or seed butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil can sub for grass fed butter
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish or deep baking tray of choice with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add crispy rice cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a microwave safe bowl or stovetop, combine all your other ingredients and heat until melted. Remove from microwave/off stove and whisk until completely incorporated.
- Pour the chocolate/peanut butter mixture over the crispy rice cereal and mix until combined. Pour into the lined baking dish and refrigerate until firm (at least an hour).
- Remove and cut into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
We thought these were really yummy, but I wonder if your amount of rice cereal is right? I made these recently following the recipe as is, except I added an extra 30g of crispy rice cereal, as the ratio of rice to melted mixture seemed too wet. I have just made it again, using gf rice cereal and for some reason needed to add an extra 95g before it looked a good ratio. Your picture shows the bar packed full of rice, which is how I would want it. We also prefer it from the fridge as it all seemed too soft when left out.
I looked at some of your recipes and they are tempting for this household. Thankyou M
Oh my gosh Arman! I just discovered your website yesterday and am sooo happy I did 🤗. I just made your crunch bars and they are delicious!!!
I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes 🥰 Thank you for sharing 😘 Chris in Texas
Can I make these in the morning and refrigerate all day before removing and cutting?
Absolutely, I do overnight all the time.
Hi, is there a way to substitute the PB for PB2 powder?
Not that I’ve tried 🙂
I have question, how come in our knowledge of originator never made dark or bittersweet variety crunch bar?
I believe because it wasn’t cheap. Milk was cheap to make.
Maybe you should think outside the box and consider your options instead of making a cheat bar. Make into a nutritious crunch bar?
I like idea but I think you throw football farther.
No nuts, to variety that tastes good in your mouth in harmony with crispy rice.
Hi!
Big fan! My family have really enjoy all your recipes. Question, Is the nutrition facts for the original recipe or is that for the keto recipe?
Original recipe.
Hi Arman. Thank you for the delicious recipe! I was diagnosed with Celiac in 2019 and these bars are a delightful gluten free treat. I am about to make them for the third time. I am looking forward to trying your other recipes.
Keep up the good work!
Jackie (Ontario, Canada)
I loved this idea and recipe so I changed the flavor profile using the same concept and measurements. Instead of chocolate chips, I substitute butterscotch chips, instead of peanut butter I used cashew butter and chopped up salted cashews for a slight sweet n salty edge, and I used chocolate rice krispies in place of plain. It made up for some of the sweetness lost not using pb. The results are amazing! With so many chocolate everything recipes out there, wonderful change!
I’ve tried your homemade crunch bars, which were fantastic! Trying these next! So excited! I’m making a big batch for Easter, wondering if I doubled the recipe if I could use a 9×13 pan? Thanks!!
Sure can!
Could I sub avocado oil ? I can’t stand coconut lol
I haven’t tried, but butter works 😀
Can I sub corn syrup?? instead of maple syrup
Yes!
What if yo don’t want maple syrup? Can I sub corn syrup??
Yes!
Great ingredients. However, these made my fresh new box of krispies kind of soft. No krispie krackel. Perhaps they absorbed too much coconut oil? The coconut oil taste came through strong, and they were pretty soft at room temp. I think I’ll use less oil next time.
Thanks
This recipe is 100/10
So good!!!!