5-Ingredient Healthy No Bake Cereal Bars are simple to make, requiring just 10 minutes prep. Whole-grains, protein and plenty of fiber make them the perfect grab n' go breakfast option for busy mornings.
Yum! All four of my kids loved this. However, I think I loved it the most. Quick, easy and yummy. A great little snack!
- Jenna
Its true, these No Bake Cereal Bars are just as fabulous as they sound. Whole grain cereal combines with a melty peanut butter/honey situation and comes together to create a fuss-free breakfast bar that’s actually healthy and kid approved.
This recipe is perfect for picky eaters as it only uses 5 ingredients, is VERY customizable (its amazing how far the addition of a few mini-marshmallows or chocolate chips goes when convincing kids to try new foods) AND best part ... comes together with just 10 minutes prep time. Whip up a double batch and rest easy knowing that breakfast is hanging out in the freezer ready to be grabbed on the way out the door.
These Healthy No Bake Cereal Bars pair well with our 4-ingredient Freezer Breakfast Burritos. Grab one of each, and you've got a fancy + mobile breakfast situation that we guarantee everyone is going to love!
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Ingredients
- puffed rice
- Cheerios
- honey
- peanut butter
- salt
** See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Line a 9" square baking dish with parchment paper. Use should use 2 pieces, one going each direction. It is best to avoid using a dish with rounded corners.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, combined puffed rice and Cheerios. Mix to combine.
Step 3: In a small pot over medium heat, combine honey and peanut butter. Stir continuously until smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour mixture over the cereal.
Step 4: Transfer mixture into the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula to spread into an even layer. Press firmly to ensure bars stick together. Freeze 20 minutes and serve.
Hint: You must use Natural Peanut Butter (with oil on top). Regular peanut butter is too dry and the bars will crumble. A fresh newly mixed jar works best as the bottom of a jar of natural peanut butter can be dry due to lack of oil.
Substitutions
Peanut Butter - peanut butter can be subbed out for sunflower seed butter. As with the peanut butter, a fresh jar works best.
Cheerios - feel free to use your favorite combination of breakfast cereal for this recipe. Large bulky cereals do not work well.
Honey - can be switched for maple syrup, but the flavor of the bars will change.
Variations
Get creative with these bars! Mix-ins like dried fruit, chocolate chips or even nuts would be delicious. You can also play with what type of cereal you use as the base. Keep in mind that the ratio/liquid ratio needs to remain the same, so if using add-ins you will use a reduced amount of cereal.
Storage
Healthy No Bake Cereal Bars need to be stored in the freezer. They become soggy when left at room temperature or refrigerated. I like to allow them to slice them and place each one in an airtight bag. To serve, remove frozen bar from bag and allow it to come to room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
Top Tip
Some people have reported issues of these bars being crumbly. I have not had this result. If you use freshly opened and mixed natural peanut butter, warm your peanut butter honey mixture until completely smooth and press the bars firmly into the pan you should not have any issues.
Video: Healthy No Bake Cereal Bars
📖 Recipe
Healthy No-Bake Cereal Bars for Kids
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: Breakfast Bars
Description
5-Ingredient Healthy No Bake Cereal Bars are simple to make, requiring just 10 minutes prep. Whole-grains, protein and plenty of fiber make them the perfect grab n' go breakfast option for busy mornings.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups puffed rice cereal
- 1 ½ cups whole grain O's cereal
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup peanut butter
- big pinch of course sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Line a 9" square cake pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper (one going each way).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine puffed rice and Cheerios. Toss to combine.
- In a small pot over medium heat, combine honey and peanut butter. Stir continuously until mixture is completely smooth.
- Pour honey/peanut butter over the mixed cereal. Stir. Make sure that all cereal is coated or the bars will not stick together well.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan, using a wet rubber spatula to spread it out into an even layer. Lightly wet your hands and press down on the mixture to even it out. Use the wet rubber spatula to press the mixture firmly into the pan. Pay particular attention to the edges and corners.
- Place the pan in the freezer for about 20 minutes or until firm.
- Lift the bars from the pan, using the parchment paper and place them on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, slice the bars into your desired size and shape.
- Wrap the bars individually in plastic wrap or baggies. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 1-month. To serve, remove frozen bar from plastic wrap or bag and allow it to come to room temperature on the counter for 5-10 minutes.
Notes
- You must use FRESH natural peanut butter (with oil on top) for this recipe to turn out successfully. Peanut butter with added ingredients (anything other than peanuts + salt) will be too dry and will result in crumbly bars.
Keywords: Cereal Bars, Cereal Bar Recipe, Cereal Bars for Kids
FAQ's: Healthy No Bake Cereal Bars
It depends. This recipe only has 5 ingredients so quality is really important. Using cereal and/or peanut butter that contain lots of sugar reduce the health benefits greatly.
We recommend using Natural Peanut butter that is newly opened and freshly mixed.
Almost any type of cereal will work with the recipe as long as it is not too large. From a "healthy" standpoint I've listed my 2 favorite varieties below.
Puffed Rice Cereal: We use Arrowhead Mills Puffed Rice cereal purchased at Whole Foods. That said, there are many great options. Look for a brand that only contains 1-ingredient, puffed whole-grain brown rice.
Whole Grain O’s Cereal: We use Cascadian Farm Organic Purely O’s or plain Cheerios depending what is available.
To avoid crumbly bars make sure to use natural peanut butter and PRESS THE BARS FIRMLY INTO THE PAN (especially the corners). I like to wet my hands/rubber spatula to help keep the mixture from sticking as I press it into place.
Yes. We love making a batch on Sunday afternoon and using them as a grab and go breakfast throughout the week. They last for about 1 month and should be stored in the freezer so they don't get soggy.
Elizabeth Shaw says
I love all the variety and how simple these seem! What a great way to get the kids involved in their snacks too! Great recipe Bailey!
★★★★★
Bailey Sissom says
Thanks Liz!! I say the simpler the better:)
Kristen Smith says
I need to make this recipe for my little one ASAP!
Bailey Sissom says
Mine LOVE them.. hope yours do too!!!
Lauren Harris-Pincus says
I'm looking for bar recipes for my son, these sound great!!
Bailey Sissom says
I think he will love them! Let me know how it goes:)
Elizabeth says
I just made these, and they are terrific! I had to replace sun butter for peanut butter (due to peanut allergies at my child's school), and it turned out great. I added 2 tbsp chopped dried cherries and 1/8 cup toasted unsweetened coconut, and I used about 2 tbsp bittersweet chocolate chips. My daughter loves these.Thanks for such a great and thoughtful recipe!
Bailey Sissom says
Yay! I'm so glad that they turned out well for you. Sounds like you made some yummy changes too! I love the idea of cherries and chocolate:)
Barbara says
Any suggestion for replacing the peanut butter? My daughter's school is a nut-free zone.... 🙂
Bailey Sissom says
Hi Barbara! I haven't tried this, so I can't say for sure... but I think sunflower seed butter would work as well. If you try it, make sure to leave a comment and let us know how it goes!
Rachel says
Just made these and while they taste great, mine crumbled when I cut them. I even had them in the freezer and extra 5 minutes to set. Any advice? More pb or honey?
Bailey Sissom says
I'm sorry they crumbled on you, but glad they were tasty. Yes, I would try more peanut butter/honey mixture.
Mark Tenheim says
Hi! Well I followed this recipe exactly. My wife always laughs that I measure everything when following recipes, rather than approximate with a pinch here and a handful there. It came out BAD. Left them in the freezer for 30 minutes. When trying to cut they just crumbled it pieces. Something is seriously wrong with this recipe, threw the lot in the garbage.
★
Bailey Sissom says
Hi Mark. I'm so sorry to hear that the recipe didn't work out. This is one of my family favs and I make it all the time. I've never had crumbly bars. That said.. you are the second person that had this result. Do you mind if I ask what type of peanut butter you used? I am wondering if you MUST use natural (as it is more oily). I plan to retest the recipe with regular peanut butter and adjust as needed.
MMC says
Just a thought, but I think for those that are leaving it in the freezer longer that's why they're crumbling.
Bailey Sissom says
Good thought! Thanks for the tip.
SN says
I just found your page a few days ago and tried this recipe today. It's a perfect one!! Takes hardly any time at all, I added some figs, dates and white chocolate to mine and left them in the freezer for an extra 7-8mins and they cut up easily after. Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes for myself and my son!
Bailey Sissom says
I'm so glad that they turned out well! Your additions sounds yummy:)
J says
Yum! All four of my kids loved this! However, I think I loved this the most, quick easy and yummy! A great little snack!
★★★★★
Bailey Sissom says
I'm so glad that you enjoyed the recipe! It's definitely a favorite around here!
Marie says
Great recipe! Cereal bars are definitely a good way to make breakfast more exciting for kids. Plus, if you prepare them in advance, it will make the morning panic a whole lot easier. When you buy ready-made cereal bars, they don't always contain the healthiest ingredients. However, if you make them yourself, you know what you're putting into them!
Bailey Sissom says
I totally agree! Thanks for your kind words.
bev says
Great recipe!
Joe says
Loved it!
★★★★★
Smoki says
Can you use Rice Krispies for the puffed rice?
Bailey Sissom says
That would work just fine:)
Jane says
I make these all the time! They are a favourite of mine! I also add cornflakes and a handful of coconut! I have found that using natural
peanut butter when the jar is full and new works best. Once mine were a little dry and I was using the bottom of my natural peanut butter container... thought about adding a little coconut oil for when my jar is low again, what do u think?
★★★★★
Bailey Sissom says
Love the tip of using the top of the peanut butter.. I am going to add that tip to the post! I think adding a little coconut oil would work perfectly:)
LB says
Hi, new to your site and wanted to try these but looking for less sweetener. Do you think they'd hold w 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup coconut oil? My kids are used to my recipes tasting less sweet which I'd like to keep up if possible:) plus honey is expensive!! Any tips are appreciated. Thanks!!
Kas says
Do you thinking that adding a thin layer of yogurt at the bottom of the pan would work at all?
Sharon says
Has anyone substituted maple syrup for the honey?
Wildling Mother says
This looks great, thank you Bailey 🙂 My daughter doesn't like peanut or seed butter (as in flat out refuses anything with a hint of it in there), is there something I can use as alternative? Coconut oil mixed with cocoa? Mashed banana with steamed apple and cinnamon? Would those things work or mess up the texture?