Cheerio Peanut Butter Bars

These Cheerio Peanut Butter Bars are unbelievably easy – just 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep, then chill them in the fridge until the bars are set! A great snack, quick breakfast, simple dessert or lunchbox treat.

Trust me when I tell you this: Eat something before you make these bars. Because otherwise… You’ll spoon all of the mix right into your mouth instead of a square pan.

This recipe is so easy, yet so incredibly delicious. My “secret” is a tablespoon of butter melted with the peanut butter and honey… You can leave it out if you prefer, but I love how it makes the bars taste even richer.

Ingredients you’ll need

This is just an overview of the ingredients needed – scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for exact quantities and instructions.

Ingredient notes

• Peanut butter: I used a regular peanut butter, but I know people make these successfully with natural peanut butter. So if that’s what you have, it’s worth giving the recipe a try with the natural peanut butter!
• Butter: Stick margarine can be used in place of the butter, but you can leave it out completely if you prefer.
• Honey: I recommend a clear or light-colored, liquid honey for this recipe.

Step by step photos

This is a terribly simple recipe. The most important tip to follow is to really use a large pot. Otherwise, it’s a chore to stir the entire mixture.

Start off by melting the peanut butter, honey and butter in your large pot. Use medium-low heat and keep stirring until you have a smooth paste.

Then take the pot off the heat and stir in 3 heaping cups of Cheerio cereal. Make sure you don’t smash the cereal as you stir, and stir until all cereal is completely coated with peanut butter mix.

Finally, press this mix into a lined and sprayed 8×8 inch pan. Leave an overhang when you line the pan with foil, so you can easily lift out the bars for slicing later!

You’ll also want to really press in the mix to make sure the bars don’t crumble later. Use a wooden spoon, or slightly dampen your fingers to press the cereal mix into the pan. Then, chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Finally, you can remove the bars from the fridge, lift them out of the pan and slice them into 9 bars! Store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe tips

• Do not boil the peanut butter mix – use medium-low heat and watch it carefully. You don’t want to burn and possibly split the mixture!
• Fold in the cheerios as soon as you take the peanut butter mix off the heat, this way the peanut butter is still very runny and you can easily stir in the cereal. It does thicken quickly, so I recommend working fast.
• Press the cereal mixture well into the pan to make sure the bars are firm and hold together. A wooden spoon or lightly dampened hands make this easier.
• I recommend slicing the bars after chilling them in the refrigerator for no more than 1-2 hours. They tend to break more for me if they’re very chilled, and I find them easier to slice when they’re still a little softer.
• Keep leftover bars in a closed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to add a review by tapping the stars in the recipe card below!