Cheerio Bars

Simplify your breakfast routine or after school snack time with these dangerously yummy cheerio bars. Made with new Cheerios, peanut butter, honey and chocolate drizzle, these no bake cereal bars are super easy to make.

Cheerio Bars Recipe

Being a parent pretty much means that all meal times are going to be a little chaotic. But as my oldest son has gotten to school age, I've noticed that mornings are particularly busy.

No matter what time we need to leave the house in the morning, it just seems like we're always rushing to get out of the door.

For those hectic mornings I heavily rely on breakfast that I can make ahead of time, as I'm sure other moms of little ones do as well!

This cereal bars recipe is perfect for a quick on the go breakfast that simplifies our morning routine. They're the perfect after school snack too!

I've made no bake peanut butter cheerio bars before, but this time around really wanted something hearty and wholesome that I could feel good about the whole family eating. In our house we try to keep the sugar intake to a minimum, which is why we love sugar-free muffins too!

So for these cereal treats, I didn't want to use marshmallows, which a lot of no bake bar recipes use. Instead I wanted to more natural ingredients like honey and peanut butter to in order to hold the bars together.

The chocolate drizzle on top was a total last minute decision that I totally recommend, but it's not necessary if you don't want the extra sugar.

Easy cheerio bars are such a great family friendly healthy snack and they're so incredibly tasty too!

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• You can make this recipe virtually sugar free by using plain cheerios, unsweetened peanut butter, honey, and sugar free chocolate chips. Plain cheerios only contain a very small amount of sugar.
• No bake bar recipes like this one keep your oven open for other delicious creations and often make clean-up really easy!
• Peanut butter is a great source of protein, making them the perfect snack to settle those grumbly tummies.

Ingredients

Here's is everything you need to buy from the grocery store to make this simple recipe:

• peanut butter
• honey
• Cheerios
• chocolate chips

Substitutions and Variations

You can also use plain cheerios, honey nut cheerios or even apple cinnamon cheerios. Banana nut cheerios are one of the lesser known flavors of Cheerios, but they'd be great too. Peanut butter and banana is perfect combination of flavors.

The first time around I made these with maple syrup, and they did not work very well. I don't recommend subbing it for the honey. Other no bake cheerio bars have used brown rice syrup which may work well. But, I highly recommend sticking to honey, since it binds well with the peanut butter.

Cheerio treats call for creamy peanut butter. However, if you're allergic to peanuts, substitute almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or your favorite nut butter. You could also use crunchy peanut butter to add some crunchy texture to the bars.

I use semi sweet chocolate chips in this recipe, but you can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate if you prefer. You can even do a peanut butter drizzle by melting peanut butter chips.

This cereal bar recipe can be adapted for other types of cereal! Cocoa puffs, rice krispies, and even corn flakes can take the place of cheerios.

How to Make Cheerio Bars

Here's how to make this easy Cheerio bar recipe:

1. Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper and set it aside.
2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the peanut butter and honey. Since these both have a sticky consistency, pop it in the microwave in 10 second intervals until the honey can mix into the peanut butter.
3. Pour your cheerios into a separate bowl, and then drizzle the peanut butter mixture over the top.
4. Using a silicone spatula, mix the peanut butter and cheerio mixture until thoroughly incorporated.
5. Pour the cereal mixture into the square pan previously lined with parchment paper. Gently press the peanut butter bars down so that it is one even layer in the baking dish.
6. Place your no bake bars into the refrigerator to let them set for about 30 minutes.
7. Then, add chocolate chips to another large microwaveable bowl. Microwave the chocolate in 30 second increments until smooth and creamy.
8. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the bars and then allow it to set.
9. Once set, slice into individual servings and enjoy!

How to Store Leftover Cheerio Bars

Place leftover chocolate peanut butter cheerio bars in an airtight container or plastic storage bag and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can wrap the baking pan in plastic wrap too, or wrap each individual bar! To extend the life of this no bake treat, store them in the fridge for up to a week.

You can also store the bars in the freezer for up to a month. Wrap them in plastic wrap, or place them in an airtight container. Take out the servings you need and let them thaw before eating!

Tips for Success

• Be sure to give these bars enough time to chill so that they don't crumble when you try to cut into them. It will also help them be less messy to eat, a must if you're eating these on the go or with kids.
• If you use a natural peanut butter and it's not mixing well, mix a dollop of coconut oil into the peanut butter and honey mixture. This will help incorporate the two ingredients and thin it out a bit.
• Don't have parchment paper? Be sure to grease a baking dish very well with non-stick cooking spray. This great recipe is super sticky and you'll want to set yourself up for success.

FAQ

More No Bake Recipes

• No Bake Buckeye Bars
• Stained Glass Cookies with Marshmallows
• No-Bake Strawberry Cream Pie
• No Bake Cookies

Cheerio Bars

Peanut butter cheerio bars are such an easy no bake treat. Make them for an on-the-go breakfast or a tasty snack!

5 from 52 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 bars

Author: Madison Wetherill

Equipment

• Riccle Disposable Piping Bags, 12 Inch
• Comfylife Pre-cut Parchment Paper Sheets
• Kitchen Aid Mixing Bowl Set 

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup + 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• ⅔ cup + 2 tablespoons honey
• 4 cups Cheerios cereal
• ¼ cup chocolate chips melted, optional

Instructions

• Mix together honey and peanut butter in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup. Microwave peanut butter and honey for 30 seconds if it is too firm to mix with honey.
• Measure 4 cups of Cheerios into a large bowl.
• Pour the peanut butter honey mixture over Cheerios and stir to coat completely.
• Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. Pour Cheerios mixture into pan and smooth top of bars as much as possible.
• Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Then remove from fridge, take bars out of dish using parchment paper.
• Melt chocolate chips in microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each time to keep chocolate from burning.
• Drizzle chocolate over cereal bars.
• Cut cereal bars into rectangles or squares about two inches wide.
• Enjoy right away or store in fridge to firm bars more and keep fresh!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 72mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g