In about 10 minutes and 3 ingredients, you can make seriously delicious Cereal Bars. They’re crispy, flavorful, and a perfect snack for kids.
These Cereal Bars are a fast iron-rich food for kids that also stay crispy during storage—so you can have a homemade toddler snack on hand all week!
Quick Look: Cereal Bars
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Serving: 16
- Flavor Profile: crispy cereal bars with naturally sweet peanut butter flavor
- Difficulty: Easy, perfect for everyday kids snacks
- Why to Make: It’s a quick no-bake snack bar that’s high iron and protein
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Table of Contents
I recently had a box of cereal that my kids completely lost interest in, and in an effort to avoid wasting food, I turned it into these delicious bars. I love making no-bake snacks like this one from pantry staples.
Why This Recipe Works
Peanut butter and honey (or brown rice syrup) work to hold dry cereal together and allow you to easily form a homemade snack bar that’s high in protein and easy to store.
This is a nutritious kids snack that can double as a healthy breakfast bar, too. Serve this toddler snack on its own, or pair with Vanilla Milk, a toddler smoothie, or Blueberry Yogurt.
Ingredients You Need
To make this cereal bar recipe you’ll need the following ingredients on hand and ready to go.
- O cereal: You can use Cheerios or a store-brand O cereal). (Alternatively, you can use Rice Krispies or Kix, all of which are also low in added sugars.)
- Honey: This is sticky and works with the peanut butter to hold the cereal together. Alternatively, you can use brown rice syrup, which is a little less sweet but similarly sticky.
- Peanut butter: I used smooth natural style. Any creamy style of nut or seed butter should work similarly as long as it’s not too runny.
TIP: You can make this nut-free with sunflower seed butter. You can also add a little vanilla extract for additional flavor if you like.
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“As with essentially all Yummy Toddler Food recipes we’ve tried, this one is yummy, has accessible ingredients, is not fussy, and is friendly to child participation! Whenever my kids ask to make a recipe, I take a quick inventory of ingredients and head to your website, and we are never disappointed. Thank you!” —Annika
How to Make Cereal Bars
Here’s a look at how to make this cereal bar recipe so you know what to expect. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full recipe, including the amounts and timing.
Step 1. Stir the peanut butter and honey together in a big bowl.
Step 2. Add the cereal. Mix thoroughly, but gently, with a spatula or big spoon.
Step 3. Add to a parchment-lined baking pan. Press down so the batter goes to the edges of the pan and is an even thickness.
Step 4. Chill in the fridge—this is key for helping the bars hold together! Cut and serve.
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Cereal Bar FAQs
I’ve made these with both Cheerios and Trader Joe’s Joe’s O’s. The Cheerios hold up longer (they stay crisper), but both work. You can explore other options, too, including your kids favorite cereal.
These will store for up to 5-7 days in the fridge if wrapped well. They hold up best when stored in the fridge and served cold. They soften at room temperature a little, though the cereals stay crisp, so I recommend serving them cold if possible. You can also freeze them.
You can make them with almond butter or sunflower seed butter. They should work exactly the same with a gluten-free O cereal, though there may be some variation in how long they stay crispy. But the simple ingredients work well either way.
Tips for Bars that Hold Together
When you store them in the fridge and serve them cold, they hold together even better. If taking them out of the house or as a lunch snack, tuck in an ice pack. They hold together better with brown rice syrup than honey, but both can work if they are kept cold.
How to Store
I like to wrap each cereal bar in plastic wrap, then store in a storage bag or airtight container in the refrigerator. You can skip the plastic wrap and you can also wrap and store in the freezer.
Best Tips for Success
- You can add a little vanilla extract for additional flavor.
- Trade in brown rice syrup for the honey—which is a little stickier than honey, so the bars hold together a little better, and less sweet tasting. (I don’t recommend maple syrup.)
- Slice, using a sharp knife, into squares or rectangular bars according to your preference and the baking dish you used.
- Pair with a simple Peach Smoothie, Chocolate Protein Shake, or a toddler smoothie.
More Easy Kids Snacks
Breakfast
Easy Homemade Granola Bars
Breakfast
Healthy Breakfast Bars (with Jam)
Snacks
Easy Granola Bites
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it, so please comment below to share!
3-Ingredient Cereal Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup smooth natural peanut butter (like Smucker's Natural)
- ½ cup honey (or brown rice syrup)
- 3½ cups O cereal (like Cheerios)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
- Line an 8×8-inch baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides (which will make it easy to lift the bars out when it's time to slice them).
- Add the peanut butter and honey to a large heat-safe bowl. Warm in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, or until easy to stir. (This may not be necessary if you keep your peanut butter and honey at room temperature.) Stir together to combine.
- Add the cereal and vanilla, if using, to the bowl. Stir gently, but thoroughly, using a wooden spoon or spatula. It may take a minute or so to get the mixture evenly coated.
- Press mixture into the prepared baking pan, gently pressing evenly and into the corners.
- Chill for at least 20 minutes. Remove from the fridge, lift out using the parchment paper, and slice on a cutting board.
- Wrap each bar in plastic wrap (optional) and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Serve cold.
Equipment
Video
Notes
- I like to wrap each bar, then store in a storage bag or airtight container in the fridge. You can skip the plastic wrap, but do store them in an airtight container.
- Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. (Ones made with Cheerios are likely going to be fine in the fridge if tightly wrapped for up to a month. Other brands may start to taste stale after 1-2 weeks.) You can also wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Nut-free: Use sunflower seed butter.
- You can add a little vanilla extract for additional flavor.
- These hold their shape best when stored in the fridge and served cold. They soften a little at room temperature.
- Brown rice syrup is an alternative to honey that is a little less sweet tasting and stickier, so it helps the bars hold together a little better. You should still plan to serve them cold for best results.
Nutrition
This post was first published June 2021.
SO easy and delicious!! I’ve made these over and over
Can I use the natural peanut butter with honey in it already? Or should I add more honey?
Thanks Tera
The honey is there to both sweeten and also to help the bars hold together, so don’t omit it. You might be able to lower the amount a smidge though.
We LOVED these. I did half honey,half rice syrup and they were delicious!
I’m so glad!
The best thing about this recipe is how easy to make it is. My 2 and 4 year old helped mix. Neither one was a fan of the stickiness, but I didn’t mind. These are a fun, tasty treat. I’d make it again and maybe try a drizzle of chocolate on top.
Do you think freezing them might help them hold up best in a lunchbox? They would also have an icepack.
Thanks!
It might if they stayed cold!
Scooped and pressed them into a mini muffin tin. No cutting required and perfect size for toddlers.
Did they stick to the muffin tin? Did you need to coat it with anything first?
If you take them out from the fridge, I bet they’d pop out and not stick, but you could very very lightly spray with nonstick spray if you wanted to.
These taste great but are really sticky. I followed the recipe as written but am not sure why they ended up so sticky. Kids ate them with a fork in the end. ha!
Yes, they are sticky and do best when chilled.
Bought a family size box of kix cereal…do you think those could work?
I haven’t tried it with them but I think it should work similarly!
Absolutely a hit – thank you!!! All our favorite ingredients in one place!!!
Do you think you’d need to make any adjustments if I added in some raisins or chopped almonds? More of the binder?
That or reduce the cereal a little
Hey! Could these be made with rice crisps cereal?
Yes, though I think you’d likely need to use a little bit more cereal
Is there anything I could coat these in to make them less sticky to pick up and hold?
You could try crushing up some additional cereal and lightly pressing each bar into those crumbs. That might help!
Can you sub anything lower sugar for the honey?
You can use brown rice syrup, which has the same sticky consistency but is less sweet.
i always love your recipes and these taste delicious but they fell a part after 20 mins in the fridge when i tried cutting them and they were a sticky mess! i don’t get how you get the top to be flat in your photo either, mines a huge pile of mess.
I’m really not sure why that happened and I’m sorry to hear it did. Did you change anything?
Will these freeze well?
I haven’t frozen them, but ones made with Cheerios will last for up to a month in the fridge if wrapped tightly.