These No-Bake Rice Krispies Granola Bars are a perfect bite for breakfast on the go. Soft, crunchy, and slightly sweet, they’re made with Rice Krispies cereal, Simple Truth Orange Blossom Honey, Simple Truth Organic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, oats, peanut butter, and coconut. Grab one of these homemade granola bars as you’re heading out to work, pack it into your kids’ lunch boxes, or enjoy one as a mid-morning snack or in the afternoon!
I have to admit that I’m a lover of all things breakfast, and homemade granola bars are no exception. Now that I’m older and more mindful of what I eat, I prefer this easy granola bar recipe over store-bought granola bars. These are easy to make with simple ingredients, and they still satisfy my sweet tooth just like these Chocolate Peanut Butter Chex Bars!
SAVE THESE NO-BAKE RICE KRISPIES GRANOLA BARS TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
Tips for Making These No-Bake Rice Krispies Granola Bars
I’ve got some tried and true tricks to help make sure your granola bars turn out perfectly every time!
- When measuring the honey and the peanut butter, be sure to spray your measuring cups with some cooking spray FIRST. That way you’ll have more of those ingredients in the final product instead of left in the utensils. Makes for an easy clean up, too!
- Measure out the chocolate chips first and place them in the freezer. This will help them to not entirely melt when added to the warm cereal mixture.
- When mixing the warmed honey and brown sugar into the Rice Krispies and oats, I strongly recommend that you use a wooden spoon or other sturdy utensil sprayed lightly with cooking spray. I began with a soft spatula and quickly exchanged it for a wooden spoon.
- I’ve found that it’s best to refrigerate any leftover bars. It keeps them cool and prevents the chocolate from melting, especially if you’re working in hot summer temps!
Ingredients for Homemade Granola Bars
You only need a handful of ingredients for these delicious bars. Here’s what you need:
- 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup Simple Truth Orange Blossom Honey
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Kroger Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- ½ cup Simple Truth Organic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, chilled
How to make No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars
You can make this easy recipe quickly in just a few simple steps!
- First, spray an 8×8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the Rice Krispies and oats.
- In a small saucepan, stir together the brown sugar and ½ cup honey, then heat over medium heat until just boiling.
- Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until well combined.
- Pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until well coated.
- Mix in the coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and press into the pan with a silicone spatula until it is evenly distributed.
- Use a sharp knife to slice your granola bars into the desired size and place the pan in the refrigerator to chill until firm. Then you can remove it from the fridge and serve as desired!
How to store Leftover No-Bake Rice Krispies Granola Bars
Wrap leftover granola bars individually in plastic wrap, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Then you can grab one for the road, for your lunch, or just for a perfect snack when you’re going about your day. They will keep in the fridge for 2-3 weeks!
Additions and Substitutions
I like this combination of flavors in my homemade granola bars, but don’t be afraid to mix it up! Here are some ideas of things you can do to make these granola bars fit your personal tastes:
- Substitute agave nectar or maple syrup for the honey
- Add toasted nuts or dried fruits for more flavor and texture
- Throw in some sunflower seeds, chia seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
- Use chunky peanut butter instead of the creamy variety. You can also use natural peanut butter.
- Try almond butter instead of peanut butter for a different flavor.
- Try peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips instead of semisweet.
Can you use old-fashioned oats instead of quick oats?
Old-fashioned oats are larger and firmer, requiring more cooking time to break down. That’s why quick oats are better for this no-bake recipe. If you only have old-fashioned oats and don’t want to make a run to the grocery store, try pulsing them in a food processor first and they should work just fine!
More Grab-and-Go Breakfast Ideas
I love having breakfast items on hand that I can make on my way out the door.
Scones are perfect for a quick breakfast! Make a batch of Blueberry Cream Cheese Scones or these Cranberry Macadamia Scones so you can just heat one up when you need it. These Peach Scones might be my favorite!
Another quick option is muffins. Strawberry Cream Muffins are delightful, as are these Cinnamon Streusel Muffins. These Dairy Free Pumpkin Muffins are perfect for fall, just like these Apple Streusel Muffins.
If baked goods aren’t your thing for mornings, try a quick smoothie! Whip up a Berry Blast Green Smoothie, a Pineapple Mango Smoothie, or my favorite, this Orange Vanilla Smoothie.
What are you making for breakfast?
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No Bake Rice Krispies Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup Simple Truth Orange Blossom Honey
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Kroger Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- ½ cup Simple Truth Organic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips chilled
Instructions
- Spray an 8”x8” baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the Rice Krispies and oats.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the brown sugar and honey until just boiling.
- Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until well combined.
- Pour over the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until combined.
- Mix in the coconut flakes and chilled chocolate chips.
- Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and with a silicone spatula, press until it is evenly distributed.
- Slice bars into the desired size and place into the refrigerator to chill until firm.
- Serve and refrigerate any leftovers.
Nutrition
This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Kroger and DiMe Media. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
It was originally published April 16, 2018. It has been updated in format and with pictures on April 12, 2024.
Comments & Reviews
2pots2cook says
Made for me and my son ! Thank you !
men's eyeglasses says
Good post, love this sharing so much, thank you!
dannie says
Amazing..recipe.
Amy says
Just made these babies! Perfect mix of honey, peanut butter and chocolate. Can definitely taste all 3 but not overwhelmed by any one. Melting the brown sugar with the honey… Great idea! Thank you!
Lynne says
So glad you liked them, Amy! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Jennifer says
Can you substitute for coconut or leave out all together?
Jessica says
Any way to tone down the sweetness? Other than that, I love this recipe!
Jana says
I try to do low sugar and so omitted the sugar and added a bit more honey but they didn’t set very well. They were tasty so I rolled them into balls to be able to eat them without crumbling everywhere. Not sure the solution but I will be playing around to see if I can figure out how to keep the sugar low but have them set.
Jackie says
Great recipe! My student athlete will love these! I added slightly more coconut. Absolutely delicious!
Lynne says
Thank you, Jackie! I hope they like them!
Victoria says
I want to make these as an alternative for my daughters school snack but due to peanut allergies they are not allowed any peanut items. What could be used to replace the peanut butter?
Lynne says
Victoria, I would try some other butters. How about sunflower butter or you almond butter would be delicious, but only if there isn’t an allergy to tree nuts. You can do a Google search as well.
Debbie says
The taste is fabulous but for some reason mine didn’t stick together. So it’s coming out more as granola than a bar. I did cut back a little on the honey because I didn’t want it to be as sweet could that have been the difference of why it’s not sticking together. I would love some help for next time.
Joan says
Really good. I also added a half scoop of protein powder to the dry ingredients prior to adding the wet. For those who had problems with it not sticking together…. use a spatula, get it wet and press down. This will make it really compressed and help it hold together. My son approved… these will go in to his grab and go breakfast on his way out the door to school come September- he can eat it on the way to the bus. Also…he has braces and had no difficulty. Thank you!
Simona says
Great recipe and very easy to make! I did it in a loaf pan and it was easy to cut
Beth S says
Doesn’t say how many the recipe SHOULD make for the 313 calories.
Lynne says
Beth, next to the description in the recipe card there is the number 9 with a plus and minus button so you can adjust the servings if you’d like.
So, this recipe makes 9 granola bars.
Bear says
Does this have to be made with butter? I don’t like any kind of butter!
Lynne says
Bear, you could use margarine if you’d like.
Joanna says
I would try using a neutral tasting oil🙂
Karen Campbell says
Can you use jungle oats?
Lynne says
Karen, I had to Google Jungle Oats because I had never heard of them. I would highly suggest using the Jungle Instant Oats as opposed to the Jungle Oats as the instant would be softer in texture and work better in this recipe than a thicker rolled oat. If you try them using the Jungle Oats, I’d love for you to report back and let us know how they turned out so that others may do the same if they’re interested. Enjoy them!
Candy says
Does it need to be stored in the refrigerator as the directions indicate? After a few hours in the refrigerator, it was like trying to bite through cement. There don’t appear to be any ingredients requiring refrigeration.
Lynne says
Candy, they should be good for a couple days without any refrigeration. Or they could be stored in the fridge and then left to sit at room temperature ovenight or even a few hours before eating.
Debbi says
This recipe is the only 1 I use for granola bars. I switch up the add-ins and don’t use the name brands listed. I’ve also used almond butter which makes it a little different but nice flavor. I love the crunch that the rice krispies give. Great recipe.