Easiest 4 Ingredient Cereal Bars

This is ideal busy family food my friends. 

And you can customize it to your hearts content!  KASHI BARS, RAISIN BRAN, VECTOR, GRANOLA CEREALS. They are so versatile! And we haven’t had one yet we didn’t like. Though we are still discovering new favorites. 

I always start off by pointing out that if you do the math, the sugar content of these bars (depending on the cereal of course!) is no higher than the average granola bar.  Some cereals may as well be dessert, so consider the sugar content on your cereal of choice.

I start off addressing the sugar because this recipe uses mini marshmallows for the binding.  Don’t be afraid to take the marshmallow shortcut!  Traditional recipes will have you make a syrup with either sugar, honey, or another substitute but in the end the sugar content doesn’t change much.  Sometimes it could be even greater and just takes more of your precious time and money to throw all the ingredients together.  

You can choose a good low sugar cereal, and the marshmallows add the PERFECT amount of sweetness to make great bars. 

Here’s a great article by Consumer Reports: The Truth About Sugar Vs. Artificial Sweeteners. 

Some feel more strongly about natural forms of sugar versus processed sugars. I know I did for some time.  For our family now, I find a reasonable amount of good old white sugar is just fine. We miss out on a lot of foods due to some allergies and intolerances, so a little sugar can go a long way and bring a lot of joy.   

As for tooth decay, I have found diet is huge but not just sugar. My dairy intolerant children have had a lot more issues with their teeth than their siblings. This is just life experience, I am not a physician.  But, I don’t believe that discredits evidence. Since we nailed my sons diet his teeth have looked great! 

Family Favorites

So far Vector and  Bran Flakes were competing for first place, but then I was surprised that everyone said they like the Kashi cereal the best so far!  Which is great because it’s a very healthy choice. My personal favorite is the Bran Flakes.   

You can also make incredibly delicious, simple granola bars using the same basic recipe! And if you can enjoy nuts in your home this is an awesome simple granola bar recipe for you. 

4 Ingredient, Healthy, Dairy-Free Granola Bars

No waste cutting! 

These bars hold together so nicely so you’ll appreciate the easy cutting and little clean-up. 

They will be ready as fast as 10 minutes after you put them in the fridge, but for firmer bars you can wait another 10-15 minutes before cutting. 

And stop wasting your parchment paper and saranwrap.  If you have a silicone mat the easiest way to make these bars is to utilize that!   

Just place your silicone mat in a 9X13″ pan so the sides flap over the 13″ sides of the pan, it should fit in nicely. Then when your pour in your warm bar mixture all you have to do is fold the end of the mat over the mixture and firmly press down with both hands.

Prepare a 9×13″ pan with a silicone mat…

Pour in the hot bar mix, fold the sides of the silicone mat over the mix and press!

I place a margarine container on top to hold the flaps down. A plate would work great too.  Then refrigerate the bars for 5-10 minutes and they are ready to cut!   

You also don’t need to waste plastic wrap and individually cover every bar. Once you cut them, just store them in a large container and use as needed. My sister gifted me some beautiful beeswax wraps that work wonderfully for wrapping small amounts of goodies. 

You can get your own here! I might receive a small commission if you purchase from this link and that would be greatly appreciated. It will help me maintain this blog! 

You have to give these awesome bars a try. 

Easiest 4 Ingredient Cereal Bars

These are the easiest snack food for you and your busy family. And ridiculously versatile! Use almost any cereal you want.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 20

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups Kashi Cereal or cereal of choice So many cereals work wonderfully!
• 3 cups Rice Krispie cereal
• 4 cups Mini Marshmallow
• 1/3 cups Vegan Margarine or butter Regular Dairy butter would work just fine.

Instructions

 

• Take a 9"x13" baking pan and place a silicone mat across the pan so the ends of the silicone mat hang over the 13" edges of the baking pan. Alternatively, you can use parchment paper.
• Combine all the cereal into a large bowl.
• Add mini marshmallows and vegan margarine to a large pot and warm over medium-low heat until completely melted and well combined.
• Pour all the cereal into the melted marshmallow mixture and stir to combine well.
• Quickly pour the granola bar mixture onto the silicone mat in the baking pan.
• Fold the sides of the silicone mat over the mixture and use both hands to press down firmly on the bars.
• Find something not too heavy like a plate, to put on top of the bars to keep the silicone mat flaps from opening and refrigerate the bars for 5-10 minutes.
• Cut the bars into 20 pieces or as desired and transfer the bars to a container.

Notes

 

I ended up being able to cut 20 nice 3.5" by 1" bars with this recipe. 

They keep very well in a container all week long.