Healthier Monster Cereal Bars (No-Bake!)
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These Monster Cereal Bars are a Healthier Halloween treat that are easy to make, gluten-free, vegan, and require no baking!
I love making healthier treats for my kids on Halloween to help make Halloween fun, but also be more mindful of their sugar intake. These Monster Cheerio Bars are always a hit!
We also love making Healthier Halloween Spider Cookies and Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats (we put candied eyeballs and sprinkles on them for Halloween!).
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these Homemade Cereal Bars:
Ingredient Notes
- Cereal: You can use regular Cheerios or the brand I used, Nature’s Path Organic. Totally up to you!
- Maple Syrup: I opt for 100% pure maple syrup.
- Dried Apricots: I used dried apricots to act as mouths as a healthier option. You can also use mini marshmallows, icing, candy corn, slivered almonds, or sprinkles!
Substitutions
- Coconut Oil: You can replace the coconut oil with melted butter or avocado oil.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: Feel free to use regular chocolate chips or Cacao Wafers.
- Almond Butter: You can use any nut butter or sunflower seed butter if you need to keep the recipe nut-free.
Tools For This Recipe
- Mixing bowl
- 8×8 baking dish or glass container
How to Make Monster Cereal Bars: Step-by-Step
For the full recipe with the exact ingredients, scroll down to the printable recipe card below!
Step 1: In a large microwave-safe bowl, add coconut oil and chocolate chips and microwave for about 1-1.5 minutes until the chocolate chips are melted. Stir with a spoon to help all the chocolate chips melt.
Step 2: Add maple syrup, almond butter, cacao powder, and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Then add the cereal and mix until all of the cereal is coated in the chocolate mixture.
Step 3: Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper or spray it with avocado oil. Pour chocolate cereal into the baking dish and use a spoon to flatten all of the cereal down.
Step 4: Place cereal bars in the fridge for at least one hour. Then cut them into squares or rectangles depending on how large you’d like your bars. Add candied eyeballs and dried apricot mouths (or whatever toppings you’d like!) and serve!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Keep bars cold: Eat the bars immediately after taking them out of the fridge so they are still cold. This will help them stick together better. Be sure to put leftovers back in the fridge as soon as possible so that the bars hold their shape.
- Cut the bars into smaller squares: This will make 16 bars, and they’ll be easier to hold, as the bars are a little delicate!
Storage & Reheating
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
I opted for this gluten-free cereal, but Cheerios work just fine!
Absolutely! You can use any nut butter, or sunflower seed butter (if you need it to be nut-free). Using a different nut butter will just change the flavor to some degree.
I used dark chocolate chips for this recipe. You can use regular chocolate chips if you’d like. It will make the recipe sweeter. I also really love Navitas Semi-Sweet Cacao Wafers as a better for you chocolate chip that would be great in this recipe.
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Healthier Monster Cereal Bars
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup
- 1 cup almond butter
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups gluten-free Cheerios or Whole O’s
- Candy eyeballs
- Dried apricots, for teeth
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, add coconut oil and chocolate chips and microwave for about 1-1.5 minutes until the chocolate chips are melted. Stir with a spoon to help all the chocolate chips melt.
- Add maple syrup, almond butter, cacao powder, and vanilla extract to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Next, add the cereal and mix until all of the cereal is coated in the chocolate mixture.
- Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper or spray it with avocado oil. Pour chocolate cereal into the baking dish and use a spoon to flatten all of the cereal down.
- Place cereal bars in the fridge for at least one hour. Then cut them into squares or rectangles depending on how large you’d like your bars. Add candied eyeballs and dried apricot mouths (or whatever toppings you’d like!) and serve!