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These homemade cereal bars are crispy and perfect for a no-bake treat! A combination of favorite cereals are mixed with creamy sunflower seed butter and honey, then topped with melted white chocolate.
These crispy cereal bars are easy to make with kids, don’t require an oven, and are great for a summer snack or dessert.
Homemade cereal bars are so much better than store-bought because you can control the ingredients – and there are only five ingredients needed. And if you love healthy and easy no bake recipes, don’t hesitate to try these no bake cake pops too.
Table of Contents
What is a Cereal Bar?
A cereal bar is a mixture of breakfast cereal and a sweet and sticky mixture that holds all the cereal together. This is then pressed into a pan, chilled, and cut into bars to create a quick grab and go snack that’s perfect for school events.
Why Make Cereal Bars at Home?
These homemade cereal bars came out of my desire to create a healthy version of a rice crispies treat but I had a lot of leftover Chex and Cheerios from the homemade party mix recipe from my cookbook!
Combined with honey and maple syrup, which naturally sweetens the bars and also helps them hold together, it’s such a good flavor of salty and sweet. Best of all, these are nut free, so they’re great for school lunches and functions where there are limitations.
You’ll love these bars because:
- Easy – They’re simple to make and even kids can join in on the fun.
- Pantry Ingredients – Only five ingredients are needed for this recipe (salt is a gimme!).
- Allergy-Friendly – This recipe is nut-free, dairy-free optional, and gluten free using these types of cereal.
- Meal Prep – Make these ahead and freeze to have on hand for a quick boost!
What Type of Cereal is Best?
Any type of crispy, crunchy cereal will work for this recipe, but I recommend one with a mild flavor that will pair well with sunflower seed butter – for example, not fruit loops.
A few of my favorites include Chex, Cheerios, corn flakes, and puffed rice.
Ingredients
Can you believe that just a few ingredients are needed to make these homemade cereal bars?!
- Cereal – I used a combination of unflavored Cheerios, rice and corn Chex. But you can use all of one or another, whatever you have on hand. Just be sure it totals 3 cups.
- Sunflower seed butter – Nuts are one of my migraine triggers, so I love to use an unsweetened sunflower seed spread here like Sunbutter or Trader Joe’s brand. This could be substituted for pumpkin seed butter, or if you’re not following a migraine elimination diet, peanut butter would work as well!
- Honey
- Maple Syrup – both honey and maple syrup are needed! That way the strong flavor of either doesn’t overpower the bars.
- White Chocolate – I recommend a good quality brand like Ghriradelli or Divine, which can be gently melted to coat the top of the bars. For dairy-free, look for Enjoy Life!
Finally, a pinch of salt is optional, but I find it balances the sweetness.
How to Make Homemade Cereal Bars
Step 1: Warm honey and maple syrup. Line a pan with parchment to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom. Bring honey and maple syrup to a low simmer over medium heat about 1-2 minutes. The simmer is what will help them thicken the mixture when it cools.
Step 2: Stir in the ingredients. Turn down the heat! This is very important otherwise the sunflower seed butter can become grainy. Mix it into the honey and maple syrup mixture till just combined. Stir in the cereal.
Step 3: Add the white chocolate. Spoon the cereal mixture into the 8×8 dish covered with parchment. Press down on the top so that it becomes compact in the pan. Microwave the white chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring frequently till fully melted. Spoon that over the top of the cereal, spreading it out evenly.
Step 4: Chill. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight for everything to firm up before slicing into bars.
Storage Information
Cereal bars will store in the refrigerator up to 1 week, or in the freezer up to 4 months.
To store in the freezer – I recommend cutting the bars into squares and putting wax or parchment paper in between each square, then placing those in a freezer-safe bag. This way they don’t stick together.
Tips for Making Crispy Cereal Bars
- To make sure these homemade cereal bars are extra crispy, use fresh cereal (not stale).
- Bring the honey and maple syrup to a low simmer (not a boil). This means small bubbles should be forming around the outside.
- It does need to bubble! If you just warm the honey but it doesn’t come to a simmer, the bars will not thicken and hold together well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pretty much! But I do like to use a combination of Cheerios and Chex for the best results. Any rice cereal should work well in this recipe. I would recommend to stay away from cereals with added sugar, as the bars are sweet enough without.
The cereals used are gluten free certified, but just double check the labels of whatever you’re using. For dairy free, use a dairy free white chocolate like Enjoy Life.
The two most important factors to getting these homemade cereal bars to firm up is 1. heating the honey and maple syrup mixture enough and 2. chilling the full amount of time. The bars will definitely firm up as they cool. Cut them with a sharp knife after they have fully chilled at least 2 hours or more.
Healthy No Bake Snacks
For more great recipes like these nut-free homemade cereal bars, see these reader favorites! You’ll also love these no bake cake pops!
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Homemade Cereal Bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups cereal of your choice like rice or corn chex, cheerios, etc. slightly crushed (I used 2 cups of chex and 1 cup of cheerios)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
- 1 cup white chocolate
- Optional: Pinch of salt and 1 tsp of cinnamon sprinkled on top
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper (up the sides). In a medium pot, add honey and maple syrup. Bring to a low simmer (small bubbles) over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Lower heat and add sunflower seed butter until combined and creamy. Add a pinch of salt if your sunbutter isn't salted. Off the heat, add your cereal and stir to fully coat.
- Spoon the cereal mixture into your 8×8 inch pan and press down slightly to set everything together. Place your white chocolate in a bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until fully melted. Spread the white chocolate evenly on top. If you'd like, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of cinnamon on top of the white chocolate.
- Refrigerate up to 2 hours or overnight for best results. To cut, lift the bars from the square pan by holding the parchment paper. With a large knife, slice large sections, then go back to slice smaller squares. Store and serve chilled.
Video
Notes
- For gluten free, choose certified gluten free cereals.
- For dairy free, use Enjoy Life white chocolate.
- This makes a very thin white chocolate crust. For a thicker coating, melt more white chocolate (1 1/2-2 cups).
- Be sure to not overcook the white chocolate in the microwave, which will cause the chocolate to “seize up”. Stopping often to stir frequently until JUST melted will produce smooth results.
- If bars do not stay together the honey/maple mixture was not simmered long enough or they need more time to cool.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these for the first time today. They are so delicious. Thank you for giving us great sweet options. I will be making these on a regular basis.
Thank you, Cindy! I love them too!