Strawberry Peanut Butter Cheerios Bars

Enjoy a nostalgic, family-approved treat with these No-Bake Strawberry Peanut Butter Cheerios Bars! Make-ahead friendly, these crunchy bars take just 5 ingredients and taste like PB&J thanks to the freeze-dried fruit mixed right in!

What are the ingredients in these Strawberry Peanut Butter Cheerios Bars?

You only five ingredients to make these incredible crunchy Cheerios bars. These ingredients should be easy to find, with the exception of the freeze-dried strawberries. More on that below!

Here’s a list of everything I used in this recipe and some tips for each one:

• creamy natural peanut butter – Look for PB with peanuts and salt as the only two ingredients. You could use a sweetened PB like JIF but the bars will be a bit sweeter than intended. I prefer Costco brand Natural PB.
• honey – Any kind of honey you like should work for this recipe. Do not swap with maple syrup; the bars will go soggy.
• vanilla extract – Adding a bit of vanilla brings some additional flavor to the bars, but honestly, you could leave this out if you don’t have any.
• Cheerios – I used plain Cheerios for this recipe, but there’s no reason you couldn’t use Honey Nut! Look for the 8.9 ounce size box. This is the exact amount you need with zero leftovers and no measuring out cups of cereal.
• freeze-dried strawberries – You can find the 1.2 ounce bags of freeze-dried fruit at Trader Joe’s, which is what I used. Any kind of freeze-dried fruit you would normally use as a jam (like blueberry or raspberries) would also work really well.

Equipment you’ll need to make this recipe:

For this recipe, I have a few recommended items that will help make these bars come together easily.

• 9×13 size casserole dish – The exact brand doesn’t really matter, and we aren’t baking in it, so definitely use whatever you already have on hand!
• large mixing bowl – Again, the brand doesn’t matter, but you do need a relatively large mixing bowl, probably the largest one you have. I have this 8-Piece Pyrex Sculptured Mixing Bowl Set (affiliate link!) and the largest one is pictured in this post.
• something hard to press bars – If you don’t just want to use your palms, I recommend a metal water bottle or something with a flat bottom that you can use to press the bars down.

How do you make these Strawberry Peanut Butter Cheerios Bars?

These Strawberry Peanut Butter Cheerios Bars are easy to make as long as you’re able to put in a little bit of arm strength to press them together. Honestly, it’s kinda fun!!

Start by combining the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, honey and vanilla extract until completely smooth. If your honey or PB is particularly thick, feel free to combine them in a small saucepan and heat over medium low. Stir constantly until warmed and combined.

Once the wet ingredients are smooth, add the Cheerios to the bowl. Next, take the bag of freeze-dried strawberries and crush the bottom half of the bag. You want to create some crumbs while leaving some of the pieces larger. I’ve found that freeze-dried fruit can be like garlic: smaller pieces = more flavor added.

Open the bag and reserve about 1/4 cup of whole pieces for the top, then dump the rest of the freeze-dried strawberries into the bowl. Use a large spoon to mix everything together until all the Cheerios and strawberries are coated in the PB honey mixture.

Next, line a 9×13 casserole dish with parchment paper, using chip clips on the sides of the dish to secure the paper. You can see how I’ve clipped the paper in the photo above! Pour the coated cereal mixture into the dish and spread it out into an even layer.

Take another piece of parchment paper, place it over the top of the cereal and use your hands or another hard flat surface to press the mixture firmly into the pan. You want to hear the Cheerios crunching! This process can take a couple minutes, so be patient. You want a nice flat layer.

Take a break from pressing and place the reserved freeze-dried strawberries on top, then continue to press everything down. Pay special attention to the sides and press them down with your fingertips.

After the mixture if firmly pressed into the pan, leave the top parchment paper on as a cover and put the pan in the fridge so the bars can chill for at least 1 hour before cutting. This will harden them a bit and help them stick together. Once chilled, transfer the whole thing from the dish to a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut into 15 bars.

Best tips for making these Cheerios Bars:

Here are my best tips for making these Cheerios bars in your own kitchen:

• Press the bars as hard as you can! You want to hear some crunching. This helps them stay completely together when you cut them and eat them.
• Let the bars chill before cutting. This helps them firm up and stay together when you cut them.
• Use the biggest bowl you have for mixing. Sounds like a dumb tip, but it will help you mix everything up really well if you have a large bowl. And it all needs to be well mixed in order to stick together.

Ways to customize these Strawberry Peanut Butter Cheerios Bars:

Here are a couple of ways to customize these Strawberry Peanut Butter Cheerios Bars and make them your own:

• Swap the dried fruit. Trader Joe’s sells a few different freeze-dried fruits, and I think most of them would work well in this recipe (blueberries and raspberries sound good too!)
• Use a different nut butter. I haven’t tested it, but I do think these bars would be delicious with almond butter or cashew butter as well.
• Try a different kind of Cheerios. They make all different kinds these days, and you don’t have to stick to plain if you don’t want to. I bet this would be delicious with the strawberry banana Cheerios!

Ways to meal prep this recipe:

To prep ahead, simply make the recipe as directed and store in an airtight container with lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Refrigeration is not required, but it helps keep the bars solid. You can also wrap each tightly and store in the freezer for up to 3 months for best quality.

How to store Strawberry Peanut Butter Cheerios Bars:

Store leftover bars covered in the fridge for up to 5 days for best quality. They don’t need to be refrigerated but they will hold together better if chilled.

How to freeze Strawberry Peanut Butter Cheerios Bars:

To freeze, wrap each bar tightly in plastic wrap or a combination or parchment paper and foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months for best quality.