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5 Ingredient No Bake Nut Butter Bars

YOU GUYSSSSSS. These no bake nut butter bars SAVE me on mornings I don’t have my act together.

Which is basically every morning right now, since pregnancy insomnia has been keeping me up from about 2:30 to 5:30 am. It’s the weirdest thing. It doesn’t matter what time I go to bed. I routinely just wake up around 2:30 or 3 and then am WIDE AWAKE for 2 to 3 hours. It’s not my favorite.

So having breakfast for my son already made is a HUGE help on zombie mornings. One of my favorite tricks for keeping healthy breakfast and snack options on hand is to make things in big batches and then freeze them. It’s just as easy to reach into the freezer as it is to pull a package of something out of the pantry.

I first started making no-bake peanut butter bars for my toddler when I was busy with school and had to pack his breakfast to go to daycare in the morning. But, the recipe I started out using had a TON of ingredients in it. I decided to simplify things a bit with my own 5 ingredient version.

No Bake Nut Butter Bars | mamaknowsnutrition.com

They keep best in the freezer, and are ready to eat after a quick 10-15 seconds in the microwave, or by sitting out on the counter for a few minutes. They just need to soften up a little bit from frozen so you can easily bite into them.

You can slice the bars whatever size you like. Typically, I make some that are slightly bigger, for breakfasts, and then do some that are about half the size for snacks. I keep them in a big bag in the freezer with a little parchment paper, but they usually don’t stick together at all.

And, you can make these with whatever nut butter you have on hand. I have used peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, and cashew butter. They’re all delicious!

I use some Grape Nuts because they are low in sugar, high in fiber, and very crunchy. Rice Krispies are also low in sugar and add to the crispy crunchy texture. If you don’t have Grape Nuts or don’t want to buy them, just replace them in the recipe with an equal amount of oats or Rice Krispies.

These bars are pretty energy and calorie dense, so a small bar goes a long way. I love that for busy little kids who rather be playing than sitting down for a big meal. A couple bites and you know they are getting enough to eat!

5 Ingredient No Bake Nut Butter Bars | mamaknowsnutrition.com

5 Ingredient No Bake Nut Butter Bars

Kacie Barnes, MCN, RDN, LD
5 ingredient no bake bars perfect for kids and snacking on-the-go. More protein and fiber than packaged granola bars to help keep your kids full!
5 from 6 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Refrigeration 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Snack
Servings 16
Calories 174 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup natural nut butter, any kind (256 g)
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1.5 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup rice krispies cereal
  • 1/2 cup grape nuts cereal

Instructions
 

  • Line 9x9 pan with parchment paper or spray well with nonstick spray.
  • Add nut butter and honey to microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1-2 minutes or until melted. Stir well.
  • Dump in all dry ingredients and stir well.
  • Pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate 1-2 hours or until set. Remove and slice bars. Store in ziploc freezer bag in the freezer.
  • To serve from freezer- set bar out at room temperature for 15 minutes, or microwave for 10-20 seconds to soften.

Notes

Nutrition facts calculated using unsalted peanut butter. This recipe contains 8.7g added sugar from honey.

Nutrition

Calories: 174kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 5.5gFat: 8.5gFiber: 2.5gSugar: 10g
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

9 Comments

Heather Speers · September 5, 2023 at 8:27 pm

If I make these and freeze them and then take them out of the freezer and put them in my kids lunch box for school will they be ok? Just wondering how long is too long before they might get too soft/mushy/messy? Thank u!

Karen Seale, RD · March 25, 2023 at 9:32 am

Hi Kacie – What is the serving size for the nutritional profile you have listed? Is there a weight in grams or measured size?

Stephanie · February 6, 2023 at 7:16 am

is there a GF option for grape nuts??

Linda Owens · December 4, 2022 at 1:54 pm

Thank you for sharing your no sugar/low sugar bars recipes. I’m going to make them for me as I am Diabetic 2 and I have a sweet tooth.

Sarah · August 11, 2021 at 1:24 pm

These look good. My father is trying to eat less sugar and I’m joining him to help. I notice there is honey in the recipe; honey tends to be a little high in sugar.

Is there anything I could replace the honey with to accommodate him?

    Mama Knows Nutrition · August 12, 2021 at 1:34 pm

    Hi Sarah! The honey really helps stick these together. You might be interested in my recipe ebook No Sugar, Still Sweet, which uses only fruit as a sweetener, no honey, no maple syrup, no added sugar in the recipes! It’s on my shop page 🙂

      Sarah · August 12, 2021 at 2:27 pm

      Thank you for the response!

Matty Word · June 2, 2021 at 1:48 pm

These were amazing!! Thank you for sharing!

S. Faber Galbraith · September 8, 2017 at 8:14 pm

This can help Chris with the family he feeds. Sounds so easy!

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Kacie Barnes holding an apple
Hi, I’m Kacie!

I’m a mom of two and a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. I offer e-guides and e-books (go to my Shop page), workshops, brand partnerships, and nutrition counseling. Check out my blog for nutrition and feeding tips for your little ones.

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This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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