Move over, store-bought snacks – these Homemade Cereal Bars are crunchy, chewy, and deliciously sweet! Grab one for an on-the-go breakfast treat or a mid-day delight.
Homemade Cereal Bars Recipe
There are so many bars at the grocery stores lately. I feel like every cereal brand has its own bars to accompany the boxes! As tasty as those bars can surely be, believe me when I say that these homemade bars are even better.
First off, these homemade cereal bars don’t have all the artificial flavors and preservatives that the store-bought ones are full of! Only natural ingredients are needed to make these delicious sweet treats. Trust me, you can taste the difference!
This is the type of dessert that kids can’t keep their hands off of. Whenever I make these cereal bars and try to keep them on the kitchen counter, they disappear in no time! My little one isn’t entirely to blame, though… We all can’t get enough of these sweet, chewy Cheerios bars!
Why You’ll Love this Cheerios Bar Recipe:
- Cereal: Who doesn’t love cereal? Cereal (especially Honey Nut Cheerios) is one of those snacks that’s loved universally. If you’re a cereal fanatic, rejoice! This is the perfect recipe for you.
- Versatile: If Honey Nut Cheerios aren’t your favorite, that’s okay! You can make this recipe with pretty much any type of sugary breakfast cereal. Your inner child will be so happy!
- Easy: This is an easy no-bake recipe that comes together in just under an hour.
Trademark Note: In the spirit of transparency, I want to note that Honey Nut Cheerios is a trademarked product. General Mills is a proprietary brand that I want to acknowledge and give credit to.
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How to Make Cereal Bars
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Melt the butter in a warm skillet.
- Stir in the almond butter, agave nectar, and salt.
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract.
- Place the cereal in a large bowl.
- Coat the cereal in the syrup mixture.
- Press the cereal into a prepared pan.
- Cool in the refrigerator before serving.
You can dress up these cereal bars any way you’d like. The easiest way to change things would be to switch up the cereal you’re using, but there are other ways, too! If you’re making these bars around Halloween, consider drizzling them with black and orange melted chocolate. Serving these at a birthday party? Sprinkle some rainbow sprinkles on top!
This is really up to preference. If you want the chocolate chips to maintain their shape, then stir them into the mixture once it’s cooled down significantly. If you want the chocolate to melt and mix throughout the bars, then pour them in right away and allow them to get gooey and melted. And if you want to skip the chocolate chips altogether, that’s fine too! I like these simple bars just the way they are.
In an airtight container at room temperature, these cereal bars will stay fresh for up to 4 days. I love reaching for one in the middle of a crazy busy day as a pick-me-up! They also make for a great breakfast treat.
Looking for more cereal treats? You’ll love these Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars or these Fruity Pebbles Treats!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Make sure to cook the almond butter mixture long enough! If you try to hurry up this process and it doesn’t cook long enough, the bars won’t set properly and will fall apart instead of holding their intended shape.
- While you can use unsalted butter instead of salted, I prefer the touch of saltiness in the middle of these sweet bars that salted butter provides.
- Don’t try cutting into them too early. They need at least 45 minutes in the fridge to really harden enough to get the proper shape when cut.
This homemade cereal bars recipe is so easy to make and is always a huge hit!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Homemade Cereal Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 2½ tablespoons salted butter 35 grams
- ½ cup almond butter 135 grams
- ⅔ cup agave nectar 208 grams
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice 14 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 grams
- 4 cups honey nut cheerios 148 grams
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips 44 grams, optional (see note)
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 8×8 Baking Pan
Instructions
- Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a skillet set over medium-high heat, melt the salted butter.2½ tablespoons salted butter
- Add in the almond butter, agave nectar, and salt. Heat the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring continuously over medium-high heat.½ cup almond butter, ⅔ cup agave nectar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract.1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Place the cereal in a large bowl and pour the syrup mixture over the cereal. If adding mini chocolate chips, let the mixture cool for 10 minutes before adding in the mini chocolate chips (optional) and stir until well combined.4 cups honey nut cheerios, ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
- Pour and press the cereal into the parchment-lined pan. Place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes to let cool before serving.
Notes
- Chocolate Chips: The mini chocolate chips can be added in 1 of 2 ways. If you would like the chips to be distinct and whole, wait until the mixture has cooled down significantly before adding them. If you want to mix them in when the mixture is still hot, it will melt and combine with the mixture and darken the whole recipe. It’s your preference.
- If you haven’t cooked your almond butter mixture enough, the bars won’t set and will fall apart. You want the syrup to be thick enough that it sticks to the cereal instead of running straight through to the bottom of the pan. I have found that when this happens to me, it helps to add the cereal mixture to a pan over medium-high heat and cook it for an additional 4-5 minutes or until the syrup sticks to the cereal.
- Make sure to gently stir the cereal so as to not break the individual cereal pieces.
- While you can use unsalted butter instead of salted, I prefer the touch of saltiness in the middle of these sweet bars that salted butter provides.
- Don’t try cutting into them too early. They need at least 45 minutes in the fridge to really harden enough to get the proper shape when cut.
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