The best EVER 3-ingredient Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars that you can whip up in no time! Great for breakfast or snack, to enjoy with coffee, and it’s kid-approved too!
I’m currently obsessed with these melt-in-your-mouth cereal bars! They literally take just 15 minutes to make, and I make a very simple version, as I use just THREE pantry ingredients.
Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars are a sweet treat packed with crispy cereal, and creamy peanut butter that are so delicious and super simple to make.
They are a great grab and go breakfast for those busy mornings when you don’t even have time to sit down for a bowl of cereal. I don’t know about you, but we have many mornings like that around here!
For more simple, time saving breakfast ideas, check out my Sheet Pan Eggs or my Easy Peanut Butter Granola.
These are also an amazing sweet snack in the afternoon or for an after dinner treat. Just like my Lucky Charms Treats, kids love these, and you’ll love them too because they are a healthy and affordable alternative to store-bought granola bars.
Pre-packaged cereal bars are convenient, sure. But these Cheerio treats are better for you, less expensive, and tastier with the flavors of real peanut butter and honey.
Why You’ll Love The Recipe
- It’s a Cheerio Recipe – There aren’t many ways to use cheerios in anything other than a breakfast bowl. While cheerios recipes may be hard to find, this one will stay in your rotation and you’ll be making it over and over again.
- Simple Ingredients – You can make these peanut butter cheerio bars with ingredients that you already have at home. I like to make this recipe when we’ve gotten bored of eating cheerios with milk and there’s just part of a box leftover.
- Easy to Make – Everything comes together in one bowl for less mess and minimal cleanup.
- No Baking – This treat doesn’t need to be baked, and you won’t even need to turn on the stove. This recipe uses the microwave to heat up the ingredients gently which makes it a great recipe for kids to help with too.
- Gluten-Free Snack – Cheerios are now considered gluten free, as they’ve worked to remove trace amounts of wheat from their oat supply.
- Natural Sugars – Only natural honey is added to these cheerio bars. Of course, the peanut butter and cereal have sugar in them, but we aren’t adding any extra.
Ingredients in Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars
I’m betting that you already have these items in your cupboards!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Cheerios – Regular, plain cheerios are perfect for this recipe, although if you have some extra multigrain or honey nut Cheerios you could use those too. You need about 3 cups of cereal.
- Peanut Butter – Use your favorite brand of creamy peanut butter. I find that all natural peanut butters don’t work quite as well for this recipe because they won’t firm up as well. So I use a standard variety of peanut butter. If you want to use an all natural peanut butter or other nut butter, you may need to store these in the fridge to keep them firm.
- Honey – Honey adds sweetness to these bars and helps hold the cereal together.
- Vanilla Extract – This is optional, but I love the extra flavor that it gives to these peanut butter cheerio bars.
How to Make Peanut Butter No-Bake Bars
- Microwave the Coating: To a glass bowl, add the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla (if using), and microwave for 1 minute.
- Mix Together: Whisk the mixture until well combined, then mix in the cheerios and make sure that all of the cheerios are well coated with the honey peanut butter mixture.
- Press into Pan: Press the mixture into a lined 8×8 inch pan and use a spatula or your hands to press it down.
- Refrigerate: Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until set. This will make the bars easy to remove from the pan and cut cleanly.
- Cut: Remove from pan and cut into 9 tasty squares. For small kids or if you’re adding these to a dessert tray, feel free to cut them into triangles or smaller squares.
Try my Puppy Chow for another cereal-based treat that everyone will love.
Tasty Add-Ins for Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars
This Cheerio Bar recipe is a wide open canvas for adding your own flair and flavors.
Try mixing things in to add texture and flavor, such as:
- Chocolate Chips – both mini chips and regular-sized ones would be yummy here. Miniature chocolate chips will melt a bit in the coating, while the larger ones will stay whole.
- Sweetened Coconut Shreds – Coconut would add a sweet chewiness to the bars.
- Rainbow Sprinkles – I like rainbow sprinkles added to just about anything, why not these?
- Another Type of Cereal – Adding something like Rice Krispies or granola would add an interesting texture to the bars. I’d suggest replacing ½ to 1 cup of the cheerios with an alternate cereal if you go this route.
- Melted Chocolate – Top your bars with a drizzle of melted dark or even white chocolate for a sweet treat.
Healthy Add-Ins for Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars
I can’t help but think that this would be the perfect recipe to sneak some more healthy and nutritious things into.
- Nuts – Add peanuts, almonds, or any kind of nut to add healthy fats and extra protein.
- Ground Seeds – Flax, Chia, Hemp, and other seeds could be added into the mixture too!
Feel free to experiment, and come back and tell me what you made!
How to Keep Cheerio Treats from Sticking
The Cheerio/honey/peanut butter mixture can get very sticky! To save yourself a lot of hassle, keep a can of spray oil nearby. Spray your hands, your spoon, your spatula, and of course your pan with oil to avoid stickiness.
To make sure that your bars don’t stick to the pan, I suggest lining your pan with parchment paper, then spraying the parchment paper with oil. Doing it this way will mean that your peanut butter cheerio bars pop right out of the pan and are ready to cut and eat after they chill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store these cereal bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Yes! If for some reason you have any leftovers, these can be frozen for up to three months. Wrap each square individually for best results. For easy breakfast prep, make a double batch of this recipe and store in the freezer for kids or adults to grab in the morning.
Yes! Just swap the honey with maple syrup and make sure you’re using oat cheerios, but keep in mind that they hold their shape better with honey.
I hope you enjoy this yummy Cheerio Bars recipe as much as I do! Leave a comment letting me know what you thought, and don’t forget to Pin this recipe so that others can enjoy it too.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups Cheerios
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- To a glass bowl, add the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla (if using), and microwave for 1 minute.
- Whisk the mixture until well combined, then mix in the cheerios and make sure that all of the cheerios are well coated with the honey peanut butter mixture.
- Press into Pan: Press the mixture into a lined 8×8 inch pan and use a spatula or your hands to press it down.
- Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until set. This will make the bars easy to remove from the pan and cut cleanly.
- Remove from pan and cut into 9 tasty squares. For small kids or if you’re adding these to a dessert tray, feel free to cut them into triangles or smaller squares.
Notes:
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Amanda says
I found them far too sweet. the honey could be cut in half . also right out of the fridge they fell apart.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Hi Amanda, thank you so much for your feedback. The honey in the recipe does help to keep the cereal together, so reducing it would make them fall apart for sure. Sorry this recipe isn’t the one for you!
elaine says
they taste great but i’d they’re not refrigerated they just fall apart at room temp. is this a common issue or should I be keeping them in the fridge?
Diana says
Glad you liked them, Elaine! Yes, they can be a bit soft at room temp since there’s no baking involved. Storing them in the fridge helps them hold together better.
Lori says
Very easy and simple to make. And they are very good.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Lori. Thank you!