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These no bake cereal bars are a great snack for kids of all ages! Made with my kids’ favorite cereal, Cheerios, these honey nut bars are super simple to make and are a healthier way to satisfy your sweet tooth!
How to make honey nut cereal bars
- Add the coconut oil, honey and spices to a small saucepan.
- Bring to the boil, add lemon juice and let simmer.
- Place the Cheerios and nuts in a large bowl.
- Pour the honey mixture over the cereal and nuts mixture and combine.
- Place the mixture into a parchment lined baking dish.
- Chill in the freezer until solid.
Tips for making these cereal bars
- Substitute the cashews for any combination of nuts. Cashews are a perfect fit because they have a creamy quality. Pecans, peanuts, walnuts, or hazelnuts would also be great.
- Make them sweeter by using Honey Nut Cheerios. I feel that they are sweet enough as they are with the Cheerios, but it works great with the honey nut kind as well!
- Make the bars thinner by using a 9″ x 9″ baking pan. Otherwise, the 8″ x 8″ pan works great for having bars similar thickness to granola bars
- Apply gentle pressure when packing the mixture into the pan. You want to press down so they are packed, but if you press down too hard, it will break up the mixture.
Frequently asked questions
These bars will keep well for up to a week at room temperature when stored in an airtight container. You can extend the shelf life a little by keeping them refrigerated, but take them out 10 minutes before enjoying them so that they are nice and soft.
To freeze the bars for up to two months, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag. You can defrost the bars individually at room temperature in around 30 minutes.
Yes, you can easily make these bars plant based by substituting the honey for maple syrup. They hold better together with the honey though.
More bars to try:
- Caramel Apple Granola Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- Vegan Protein Bars
- No Bake Cookie Dough Bars
- Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Easy Pumpkin Bars
These cereal bars are great for kids! Be sure to check out my other kids’ breakfast ideas!
If you’ve tried this feel good Honey Nut Cereal Bars recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
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Honey Nut Cereal Bars
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups Cheerios cereal
- ½ cup roasted unsalted cashews roughly chopped
- ½ cup roasted unsalted almonds roughly chopped
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Grease and line an 8” x 8” baking pan with 2 sheets of parchment – crossed so they cover up all side of the pan.
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine honey, coconut oil, and spices.
- Bring to a boil over med-low heat. Add lemon juice and stir to blend. Keep at a low boil for 4 minutes without stirring. Then remove from heat and allow bubbling to settle.
- Combine Cheerios and nuts in a large bowl.
- Pour over the honey mixture. Stir to combine everything so all of the Cheerios are well coated.
- Scrape mixture into prepared pan. Press down gently with the spatula to compress any air space out of the mixture. You can also place another piece of parchment on top and press down firmly to compress everything.
- Chill bars in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before cutting into 10-12 bars.
Notes
- Instead of coconut oil, you can use butter.
- Instead of honey, you can use maple syrup, but the honey adheres better.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Do you grease the pan, then line it with parchment paper? Why is this done?
It helps the paper to stick, and also coats parts of the pan that might be exposed in the corners, etc. where the paper cannot reach.
Do you use cooking spray?
I did not, but you could use it.
I tried these as well. Mine too fell apart by morning. I used raw organic honey from Costco. I froze them for about 1 1/2 hrs. Left them out over night in air tight container. I packed them pretty tight. I’ll try again but I will also go easier on the nutmeg flavor. It has a very different taste when combined with the lemon.
Thank you for the feedback! Let me know how it goes when you give it another go!
Just made these. Delicious
My daughter is allergic to cashew nuts, substitute it with mixed seeds.
Used rice grain puffs as I did not have Cheerios.
Really yummy . Going to be a constant treat in our house
Thank you so much! I’m so glad to hear you were able to make it work and enjoyed!!
Can i substitute coconut oil with anything else?
Instead of coconut oil, you can use butter!
These are really good. The lemon juice adds a little something different to these bars.
Thank you! It really does!
I made them and they’re okay but they’re gooey on the bottom. I put them in the freezer for 40 min and still gooey.
Next time, adding more cheerios may help!
These are so quick and easy!!
And the kids lived help making them too!
Not just great as a snack, but a fun activity too!!
I love that! Thank you!!
I like the flavor and textures of the bars, but mine turned out a little bit loose. The mixture didn’t seem to bind as well as yours in your pictures. Will definitely try again.
I also added raisins to my bars along with the nuts, but I don’t know how that would contribute to the mixture not setting up.
Aww bummer, did you pack them in there pretty tight? It might also be the type of honey – some can be more sticky than others. I hope you try it again though!
Your recipes are yummy!! Can’t resist the taste of every recipe I make! OMG Yumna Thanks a lot!! I’m curious about trying more and moreee recipes. 🥰🥰
Aww, so glad to hear it! Thanks so much!!
These nut cereal bars are healthy and delicious. It makes me remember when I was traveling in central, Vietnam. They also make candy bars using peanuts and molasses. It’s also very interesting.
Oh that’s great!
Kids loved it!
So glad to hear it!! 🙂