Cereal never had it so good in the form of these grain-free no-bake cereal bars! I love cereal, and I love sweet snacking bars… so these no-bake cereal bars were just meant to be! Whether you want to enjoy one as a high protein, energy rich snack or a quick breakfast option, or even as dessert, these bars can be enjoyed at any time of the day because they are made with healthy ingredients. They are guaranteed to be loved by modern pioneers of all ages!
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Modern Pioneer Recipe
I consider these grain-free no-bake cereal bars a modern pioneer recipe. For the early pioneers, boxed cereal was not a staple in the chuckwagon, thus they would not have been able to make no-bake cereal bars. But as modern pioneers, this recipe is the perfect quick treat to whip up using wholesome ingredients!
I’m always on the lookout for delicious, easy to make, but somewhat healthy snack ideas. One of my favorite desserts, called moose bars, is basically a cereal bar made with lots of sugar (yum!), held together with peanut butter, and topped with chocolate. Inspired by those sweet dessert bars, I wanted to come up with something similar that I could snack on.
Meet the no-bake cereal bar! No-bake cereal bars are perfect because they require no baking (save on energy and won’t heat up the kitchen), use minimal ingredients, and are made with natural ingredients! Traditional cereal bars sometimes get a bad rap because of the sugar they contain, but these grain-free cereal bars are the perfect ‘healthier’ substitute!
Made with grain-free cereal and naturally sweetened with raw honey, I dare say these no-bake bars are nutritious for you! Plus, they are allergy-friendly. These no-bake cereal bars are….
- grain-free
- gluten-free
- dairy-free option
- nut free
- corn free
- naturally sweetened
- egg free
- soy free
- rice free
Grain-free Cereal Guide
When it comes to making healthy cereal bars, you have to make the right choice when choosing a grain-free cereal. If the cereal is not healthy, the cereal bars won’t be healthy. I love trying new brands of grain-free cereal and have come across some healthy brands that work perfectly in these cereal bars!
Kashi
Kashi makes a grain-free cereal using lentils and chickpeas. They also don’t use cane sugar in their cereal, and instead they use monk fruit extract as a sweetener for their cereal. While their grain-free cereal is not certified gluten-free, it is NON-GMO project verified.
Make note that Kashi currently only has two flavors of grain-free cereal: cinnamon vanilla and dark cocoa. I like to use the cinnamon vanilla flavor in my cereal bars, but the cocoa would be good too!
3 Wishes
3 Wishes is a grain-free cereal brand that offers a wide range of different grain-free cereal flavors! I love all the different flavors that 3 Wishes has to offer! Their grain-free cereal is organic and certified gluten-free. Plus, it is rice free, soy free, dairy-free, peanut free, oat free, corn free, and wheat free.
So, what’s it made of? 3 Wished cereal is made using chickpeas, tapioca, and pea protein. While their cereal does contain cane sugar, they also use monk fruit extract as a sweetener.
3 Wishes has many different flavor options, including fruity, cinnamon, chocolate, unsweetened, honey, and frosted. The unsweetened flavor is a good sugar-free cereal option!
Seven Sundays
Seven Sundays makes several grain-free cereal options. They sell a grain-free sunflower cereal (the cereal is in the shape of small flowers) and a grain-free muesli cereal. I like the sunflower cereal the best!
Seven Sundays makes their sunflower cereal using cassava flour and sunflower seed protein. Their cereal is also refined sugar free and sweetened with dates and maple sugar. Seven Sundays grain-free sunflower cereal is dairy-free and certified gluten-free. I love all the clean ingredients they use in their cereal!
For flavor options, they offer maple sea salt, cocoa, cinnamon, and berry. I like using the cocoa cereal for these cereal bars!
Forager
Forager Project make a grain-free cereal using cassava flour and navy beans. Their cereal is certified organic and gluten-free. It is also dairy-free, low sugar, and soy free. However, they do use cane sugar as the sweetener in their cereal, but it is definitely lower in sugar than any traditional cereal.
Forager offers three flavors of grain-free cereal: chocolate, cinnamon, and strawberry. My favorite flavor is the cinnamon cereal O’s!
Love Grown
Lastly, I have also tried a grain-free cereal made by Love Grown. They make their grain-free cereal using pea protein, cassava flour, tapioca and potato starch, and almond flour. Their grain-free cereal is naturally sweetened with honey and coconut sugar.
Love Grown grain-free cereal is certified gluten-free and non-GMO project verified. It is dairy-free and contains no refined sugar. We don’t use Love Grown grain-free cereal because it contains tree nuts (almond flour).
Love Grown also makes a plant-based kid’s cereal, called Truly Fruity Sea Stars. The sea stars cereal is made using a bean flour blend and brown rice flour. It also contains cane sugar but is not as high in sugar as traditional cereals. I like to enjoy a bowl of the fruity sea stars on occasion!
Recipe Questions
What are the best cereal flavors for these cereal bars?
Not only do you have to choose a grain-free cereal to use in these bars, but you also have to pick a flavor! My favorite cereal flavors to use in my no-bake bars are chocolate cereals or vanilla cereals. Both of those flavors pair well with the peanut butter used in the recipe and the chocolate topping.
But you can feel free to get creative and try any flavor of grain-free cereal you have on hand! Seven Sundays maple sea salt would be delicious, or Forager O’s strawberry might add a fruity twist to your no-bake bars!
Can I use a substitute for peanut butter?
Yes! Most any nut or seed butter can be used in place of the peanut butter. Two popular substitutes include almond butter and sunflower seed butter. Just note that using a different nut or seed butter will result in a different flavor of bar.
I have not tried making these bars with coconut butter, and I would be hesitant that the coconut flavor would be too overwhelming.
Psst, love peanut butter like I do? Then make sure you check out these no-bake peanut butter protein bars! They are amazing!
Can these cereal bars be made dairy-free?
Yes! Just use coconut oil or any dairy-free butter substitute instead of the butter. Don’t use any cooking or baking oils, like olive oil or avocado oil.
What can I use as an allergy-friendly, low sugar chocolate topping option?
My favorite allergy-friendly and sugar free chocolate chip option are Lily’s sugar free chocolate chips! Lily’s uses stevia to sweeten their chocolate chips, which makes them the perfect low sugar chocolate topping for these healthy cereal bars!
I like to use Lily’s semi-sweet chocolate chips for the chocolate topping on my no-bake bars. You are simply looking for an allergy-friendly chocolate chip option, Enjoy Life chocolate chips are a good way to go.
Can I use different sweeteners in these bars?
I use raw honey in these no-bake bars because it is a nutrient-dense sweetener that is all-natural and not refined. Other natural sweeteners include maple syrup, unrefined coconut sugar, maple sugar, or monk fruit sweetener. I have not tested this recipe with any other sweetener other than honey.
Maple syrup might work, but it might make the bars a little softer than if you used honey. I would not recommend using any granulated sugars in these bars because the liquid sweetener is what helps hold the bars together along with the peanut butter.
A Note About Cereal Size:
Before we get onto the good stuff (aka the recipe), I do want to make a note about cereal size. The size of the cereal you use in these bars may affect the looks of the bars. For example, Forager O’s cereal will be bigger in size than Kashi grain-free cereal. While any size of cereal will work in these bars, you may consider slightly crushing bigger cereal to make the bars pat down smoother in the pan.
Need another easy, no-bake snack option? Check out these simple pb&j energy balls, which are made using homemade berry jelly!
These grain-free no-bake cereal bars are made using wholesome, nutritious ingredients that will provide you with energy and satisfy your sweet tooth at the same time! I love snacking on these sweet and healthy cereal bars!
Grain-free No-Bake Cereal Bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups grain-free, gluten-free cereal
- 1 cup organic, sugar-free peanut butter
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 2 T. organic, grass-fed butter or coconut oil
- 1 cup Lily's sugar free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a glass 8×8" baking pan with unbleached parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan, heat the peanut butter, honey, and butter over low heat until the butter has just melted. You don't want to boil the honey because that will decrease its nutritional properties.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the cereal. Stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated in the peanut butter mixture.
- Pat the cereal mixture into the 8×8" pan. Make sure it pats down flat and into all the corners of the pan.
- Over low heat, melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan. Stir the chips as they are melting to prevent them from burning.
- Once melted, spread the chocolate over the cereal bars. Let the chocolate harden at room temperature or in the fridge.
- Slice and dig in!
Notes
Where to Find the Ingredients
- Seven Sundays sunflower cereal
- Forager Project grain-free O’s
- 3 Wishes grain-free cereal
- Santa Cruz organic peanut butter
- Raw honey
- Lily’s sugar-free chocolate chips
- Enjoy Life chocolate chips
- Supplies: 8×8″ glass baking pan, unbleached parchment paper
I have found my local Target to be a source for grain-free cereal brands such as Kashi Go and Seven Sundays. Whole Foods Market also carries a variety of grain-free cereal brands.
Grain-free no-bake cereal bars are super easy to make, require minimal ingredients, and the ingredients they do use are wholesome and nutritious! Choose a gluten-free and refined sugar free cereal brand to make these bars the healthiest they can be. Packed with protein and sweetened naturally, these bars are the perfect healthy snack for starting the day off right or enjoyed as a mid-afternoon energy boost. Their sweet flavor and crunchy texture will be a hit with modern pioneers of all ages!
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by Alexa
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