These portable, chewy cereal bars can be made from scratch in minutes and are available in various flavors.
The bars are great for a healthy afternoon snack, packed in a lunchbox, or as a breakfast on the run. No bowl or spoon is needed to enjoy these bars!
Cereal bar flavors that are homemade
Chocolate Cereal Bars: Add a fourth cup of cocoa powder and two and a half teaspoons of pure vanilla extract. Dip the bars in melted chocolate.
Nutella Snack Bars: Prepare the chocolate version above and replace the nut butter with an equal amount of Homemade Nutella.
Cookie Dough Bars: Add a half cup of mini-chocolate chips, two teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, and a tablespoon of cashew butter before mixing everything.
Strawberry Cereal Bars: Stir in a third cup of freeze-dried strawberries with the cereal. If desired, drizzle the bars with Coconut butter.
Peanut Butter Cereal Bars: Use smooth or crunchy peanut butter, and add an optional third cup of crushed peanuts or peanut butter chips.
Marshmallow Bars: Cut half a cup of mini marshmallows or vegan ones. Mix these in with the cereal.
You can also make cereal bars in other flavors, such as snickerdoodles, birthday cake batters, caramel, chocolate, peppermint, or raspberry. Or, try Oreos and cream, Vanilla Bean, Maple and Brown Sugar, Crispy Coconut, or S’mores.
You can see that the possibilities for flavoring are endless.
Best cereal bar ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this easy breakfast recipe: your choice of dry cereal, liquid sweetener (or nut butter), nut or seeds butter, optional salt, and protein powder.
This recipe works well with honey, agave, or brown rice syrup. If you serve these bars to vegans, use agave or brown sugar syrup instead of honey.
Pure maple syrup has a lower density than other sweeteners. You can make it work by adding more peanut butter.
Use your favorite nut or seed butter. Almond butter, cashews, macadamia, and sun butter are good alternatives to peanut butter.
If you want to reduce the calories, you can reduce the nut-butter amount. These bars are fine to store in the freezer but will not be as sturdy at room temperature.
What cereals do you use to make three-ingredient bars
Choose cereals with small flakes, shapes, or granules, such as Cheerios or Fruit Loops. Vegans can choose natural brands of grains such as General Mills and Kellogg’s. These cereals often contain Vitamin D3.
The bars from Cheerios or similar cereals will contain around 160 calories per bar.
I haven’t tried vegan versions of Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Fruity Pebbles.
Report back with your results if you try any other cereals not listed above or a grain-free keto cereal!
Breakfast cereal bars: How to make them
Start by lining an 8-inch pan with parchment or wax paper.
If your nut butter isn’t already soft enough to stir quickly, heat it gently in the microwave.
Mix all the ingredients for the cereal bars in a large bowl. Transfer the cereal mixture to the pan. Overlap a second parchment sheet and press the cereal mixture into the pan.
Press the mixture very hard to prevent the bars from crumbling when cut.
If you want, remove the second parchment sheet. The homemade cereal bars can be frozen or refrigerated until they are firm enough to cut into bars.
Cover leftovers and store them in the fridge or counter in a cool place. You can freeze leftover bars.
Make milk and cereal bars
Here are three easy ways to recreate the look and taste of your favorite grab-and-go milk and cereal bars.
Pour half a cup of melted white chocolate or coconut butter over the bars before cutting. To set the coating, chill.
Mix two-thirds of a cup of Greek yogurt, two tablespoons of coconut oil or butter, and three cups of powdered sugar (or powdered Erythritol) to make a healthier coating for cereal bars and milk. Spread it over the pan and let it chill.
Ingredients
Choose 3 cups of cereal
Peanut butter or other nut butter of choice, 2/3 cup
Half a cup of honey, agave syrup, or brown rice sugar
Optional 1/2 tsp of salt
Optional 3 tbsp of protein powder
Instructions
Check out the list of cereal bar flavors above! Line an 8″ pan with parchment or wax paper (or double recipe for a 9×13 inch pan). Warm the nut butter if necessary until it is easily stirrable. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour the cereal mix into the pan. Put a second parchment sheet on top and press the cereal firmly in the pan. This will prevent the bars from crumbling when you cut them. Freeze until frozen for 30 minutes or until the bars are firm enough to cut. Cover leftovers. Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer or on the counter.