Easy, No-Bake Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cereal Bars

Have you been trying to find some easy recipes for homemade cereal bars? Made with wholesome and simple ingredients, these no-bake cereal bars are so easy to make, you’ll never buy store bought cereal bars again. These are a perfect on the go snack idea. For other snack ideas, be sure to check out my Fruit Dip and Zucchini Muffin recipes.

I am completely obsessed with this cereal bar recipe and so are my kids. I actually created this recipe for my oldest child. He is allergic to oats and has never been able to enjoy granola bars. I wanted to make them extra yummy and special for him. Luckily, I hit it out of the park. He loves them, my other kiddo loves them, and my husband loves them. There are a couple tricks for making the best cereal bars and I’ll share those with you.

How to Make Cereal Bars

There is a huge difference in the texture of the cereal bars if you skip the step of melting the peanut butter and honey.

Without melting the peanut butter and honey, the cereal bars have a loose texture and crumble when eaten. Not the best experience.

However, if you melt the peanut butter and honey and then refrigerate the cereal bars, they have a nice sturdy structure that can be held and eaten more easily.

When you melt the peanut butter first, you’re also able to easily mix in the vanilla and sea salt.

These cereal bars can be prepped in less than 5 minutes and ready within an hour. Yes, these are such a fast snack you can have ready in no time.

You’ll need a large microwave safe bowl to melt the peanut butter and honey. After those are melted and warm, you’ll add in your vanilla and sea salt. Mix until combined. Add in your rice cereal, chocolate chips and raisins (optional). It’s okay if the chocolate melts some.

After you have thoroughly mixed your ingredients, line a 9″x9″ baking dish or 8″x8″ with a large sheet of parchment paper, double the size of the dish.

Press the mixture down firmly. I like to fold the parchment over the mix at this point and use my fist to push the mix to all the edges evenly.

After you have the mixture pressed down, fold over the parchment paper. Remove the cereal bar block wrapped in parchment paper and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

After the cereal bars have chilled, you can remove them and slice them to your preference. This recipe will make 12 regular sized bars. If you’re crew has bigger appetites, feel free to cut large bars.

See? These cereal bars are so easy to make! I hope you’ll try them and let me know what you think.

I am always looking for quick on-the-go snack ideas for my kids. I try my best to not purchase overly processed snacks. With these cereal bars, I know the ingredients are wholesome and simple. I feel good about making these for my family.

In addition, this recipe is fairly low-cost. Honey, Sea Salt and Vanilla are always in stock in my kitchen. I appreciate being able to use ingredients I have on hand. It makes recipes easy and more affordable.

Get my kitchen stock list to save time and money!

Storing Cereal Bars

Making Ahead: These granola bars will keep in the freezer for 3 months or the fridge for 2-3 weeks! If you wish to store them in the fridge, you can put them in a large ziplock bag or in an airtight container. If you wish to store them in the freezer, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer safe plastic bag. Move the cereal bar to the fridge the day before eating to thaw.

Give this recipe a try and share it with your friends! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Print Recipe

Easy, No Bake Cereal Bars

These easy, no-bake peanut butter and chocolate cereal bars are the perfect combination of salty sweet. They make a great on the go snack for busy families.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Chill Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course: Snack

Servings: 12

Author: Julia Head

Ingredients

• ½ cup Peanut Butter
• ¼ cup Honey
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• ¼ tsp Sea Salt
• 2.5 cups Rice Cereal
• ½ cup Mini Chocolate Chips
• ½ cup Raisins Optional

Instructions

• In a large microwave safe bowl, add peanut butter and honey. Microwave for 20-30 seconds until peanut butter has softened and can easily be stirred.
• Remove bowl from microwave and mix in 1 tsp of vanilla and ½ tsp of sea salt. Add in rice cereal.
• Add in chocolate chips and raisins (optional).
• Line a 9″x9″ (or 8″x8″) baking dish with a large sheet of parchment paper. The paper should be twice the length of the pan.
• Add mixture to parchment paper and press down firmly.
• Fold the parchment paper over the cereal bar block, remove and place in the fridge to chill for at least one hour.
• Slice cereal bars to desired size.

Notes

Making Ahead: These granola bars will keep in the freezer for 3 months or the fridge for 2-3 weeks! If you wish to store them in the fridge, you can put them in a large ziplock bag or in an airtight container. If you wish to store them in the freezer, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer safe plastic bag. Move to the fridge the day before eating to thaw.

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Julia Head

Hi, Friends! Welcome! I’m Julia, the creator of Sweet Tea Meals. I’m a stay-at-home mom of two and a self-taught home cook. I’m on a mission to bring joy back to your kitchen with simple, low-cost and well-organized recipes. I’m so glad you’re here.