Homemade Crunch Bars (Award Winning Recipe!) (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.

The BEST homemade crunch bars recipe that tastes BETTER than the actual candy bar! 5 ingredients, 5 minutes and perfectly crispy, crunchy, sweet copycat crunch bars- Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-free.

Homemade Crunch Bars (Award Winning Recipe!) (1)

Nestle announced back in 2018 that Crunch bars have been discontinued but do not fret- We have a homemade and even BETTER version here, and is relatively healthier than the traditional version!

You may come across other homemade crunch bar recipes, but those are quite frankly sub bar. Most of them call for 2 or 3 ingredients, mostly melted chocolate with crispy rice cereal.

Is that a crunch bar? Technically, yes. But taste-wise, it is very, VERY average.

Instead, I’m here to share with you my homemade version which tastes amazing and one recipe that thousands of my readers have continually made over and over again!

WHY THESE ARE THE BEST HOMEMADE CRUNCH BARS

Crunchy, crispy, smooth, and creamy and all words to describe these no bake chocolate peanut butter crunch bars.

You bite into it and are met with of these, which are a texture lovers’ dream!

Traditional crunch bars use butter, sugar, margarine and several kinds of oil to produce a delicious end product.

My version uses just FIVE ingredients, and takes less than 2 minutes to whip up!

Not only are these beauties completely vegan, gluten-free and dairy free, but it also has the option to be made completely sugar-free, so take note below!

Homemade Crunch Bars (Award Winning Recipe!) (2)

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CRUNCH BARS

Start by pouring your cereal in a large mixing bowl, and setting it aside. To also save time, prepare your baking dish by adding parchment paper to it.

In a microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan, add all your ingredients, except for the cereal. Heat the mixture until the chocolate chip has melted. Whisk very well together, until you have silky, thick, and smooth chocolate.

Finally, pour the melted chocolate mixture over the crispy cereal, and mix very well, until all the cereal is coated in the chocolate. Transfer to the lined baking dish and refrigerate until firm.

THE INGREDIENTS (and substitution tips!)

  • Crispy Rice Cereal
  • Peanut Butter
  • Chocolate Chips
  • Maple Syrup
  • Coconut oil

The ‘crunch’ factor can come in two folds. The first and most dominant one is in the cereal used. The original recipe from the cookbook used cornflakes, but my preference lies in rice crispy treats, so I used gluten-free crispy rice cereal. It’s my favorite to use in these no bake bars and these no bake rice crispy cups. If you don’t have a gluten intolerance, any crispy rice cereal will work fine.

The second part comes with using crunchy peanut butter. You are welcome to use smooth peanut butter if that is all you have on hand, but I love the added texture of the little pieces of peanuts throughout!

Speaking of peanut butter, for those with peanut allergies, I’d recommend you use crunchy sunflower seed butter or soynut butter. You can also substitute the peanut butter for another nut butter, like almond or cashew.

As these crunch bars are based around chocolate, PLEASE make sure you choose a high-quality chocolate bar (baking style or standard) or chocolate chips. I used my favorite dairy free chunks, which I regularly eat on its own.

For those who want to keep this completely sugar-free, use your favorite sugar free BAKING bar or chips. Simply melting a generic sugar-free candy bar won’t yield the results you are after.

Also, for the maple syrup, swap it for this sugar-free alternative. While not as good as the original, it’s the best sugar-free syrup when used IN recipes.

Coconut oil is my preference, but butter or vegan butter works well too.

Homemade Crunch Bars (Award Winning Recipe!) (3)

STORING CRUNCH BARS

Like any candy or chocolate bar, crunch bars can be stored at room temperature, in a sealable container. They will keep fresh for up to 2 weeks, but I promise you, they will NEVER last that long!

They are also freezer friendly, so wrap up a few and store away to enjoy when the chocolate cravings strike! Wrap individual bars in parchment paper and place them in ziplock bags. They will freeze well for up to 6 months.

CAN I MAKE CRUNCH BARS KETO AND PALEO?

Yes! I have made a keto and paleo option for this recipe. It uses nuts and seeds instead of the cereal, and also keto-approved chocolate and syrup.

Homemade Crunch Bars (Award Winning Recipe!) (4)

MORE HOMEMADE CANDY BAR RECIPES

  • Homemade Twix Bars
  • Snickers Bars
  • Mars Bars
  • Kit Kat Bars
  • Bounty Bars

Watch the step-by-step video below!

Homemade Crunch Bars (Award Winning Recipe!) (5)

The BEST Homemade Crunch Bars

4.99 from 2806 votes

No Bake homemace crunch bars using just one bowl, 5 ingredients and less than 2 minutes! This quick and easy snack or dessert is naturally gluten free, vegan, dairy free and can be made sugar free!

Servings: 20 bars

Prep: 2 minutes mins

Cook: 1 minute min

Total: 3 minutes mins

Rate This Recipe

Print

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish or deep baking tray of choice with parchment paper and set aside.

  • Add crispy rice cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a microwave safe bowl or stovetop, combine all your other ingredients and heat until melted. Remove from microwave/off stove and whisk until completely incorporated.

  • Pour the chocolate/peanut butter mixture over the crispy rice cereal and mix until combined. Pour into the lined baking dish and refrigerate until firm (at least an hour).

  • Remove and cut into bars.

Notes

TO STORE: Crunch bars can be stored at room temperature, in a sealable container. They will keep fresh for up to 2 weeks.

TO FREEZE: Wrap individual bars in parchment paper and place them in ziplock bags. They will freeze well for up to 6 months.

Also try- Keto Crunch Bars

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 142kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSodium: 69mgPotassium: 105mgFiber: 1gVitamin A: 30IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mgNET CARBS: 15g

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Arman Liew

Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!

Homemade Crunch Bars (Award Winning Recipe!) (6)

Homemade Crunch Bars (Award Winning Recipe!) (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients of a Crunch bar? ›

Crunch Bar

The simple joy of 100% real milk chocolate and crisped rice.

Did Crunch bars get discontinued? ›

As of 2023 Crunch is offered in the US in a variety of sizes including Classic (1.55oz.) which is now a segmented bar, Fun Size, Minis and Giant (4.4oz.).

What are the balls in crunch bars? ›

CRUNCH® is the simple joy of 100% milk chocolate and crisped rice! We have 2 Foodservice varieties: CRUNCH® Pieces and Buncha CRUNCH®. CRUNCH® Pieces are just pieces of your favorite CRUCNH® bar chopped up, whereas Buncha CRUNCH® are balls of rice crispies enrobed in real milk chocolate.

Are crunch bars healthy? ›

Are Power Crunch Bars healthy? We can't lie: Power Crunch bars are not the most nutritious protein bar option. They include some ingredients that aren't tolerable for everyone and they contain up to 8 grams of sugar per bar, while topping out at 14 grams of protein. Still, we wouldn't exactly call them unhealthy.

How long do homemade chocolate bars last? ›

But before you put chocolate in the fridge, first wrap it tightly to protect against odors and condensation, then seal it in an airtight container. When you take it out, let it come back to room temperature before unwrapping. This will keep your chocolates edible for anywhere from three to six months.

Why do crunch bars turn white? ›

If Crunch bars are stored at too high a temperature, the fat or oil ingredients can melt or soften enough to migrate to the top of the candy bar. When the bar cools again, the fat on the surface may appear as a whitish powder. This is known as “fat bloom”.

What flavor is crispy crunch? ›

A crispy, savoury peanut butter and sweet chocolatey treat.

Why is my granola bar not crunchy? ›

For really crispy bars, you can either bake them all the way to 32 or more minutes or you can take the bars out after 25 minutes, let them cool for a bit, slice them up into the bars, and then put them back in on a baking sheet to bake for 10 -15 minutes so that they get more crispy.

What is the oldest candy bar? ›

Fry & Sons and currently manufactured by Cadbury. Launched in 1866—nineteen years after Fry's created the first moulded, solid chocolate eating bar (in 1847)— Fry's Chocolate Cream is the first mass-produced chocolate bar and is the world's oldest chocolate bar brand.

What is the Hershey's version of the Crunch bar? ›

Krackel is a chocolate bar with crisped rice pieces made by The Hershey Company and first introduced on September 14, 1938. A candy bar with oven popped rice coated in milk chocolate.

What was the old name for Nestle Crunch? ›

In 1965 CRUNCH® was originally launched into the UK market by NESTLÉ® under the brand name DAIRY CRUNCH MILK, it was subsequently relaunched in 1992 as Nestlé® CRUNCH®.

What is in a 100 grand? ›

The candy bar was created in 1964 by Nestlé. It weighs 1.5 ounces (43 g) and includes chocolate, caramel and crisped rice. The bar contains 201 calories; it is low in cholesterol and sodium, but high in saturated fat and sugar.

What is the sponge in crunchy bars? ›

Crunchie is a brand of chocolate bar with a honeycomb toffee (or known as "sponge toffee" in Canada and "honeycomb" or "cinder toffee" in the UK as well as "hokey pokey" in New Zealand) centre.

What is in a Big Island Crunch bar? ›

Macadamia nut and crisp rice are covered in chocolate, making for an irresistible candy bar.

What are the allergens in crunch bar? ›

Allergens and safety warnings

Contains: milk, soy. May Contain: peanut, tree nuts, wheat.

What are strawberry crunch bars made of? ›

Vanilla ice cream swirled with crushed strawberries creates a luscious treat reminiscent of the old Strawberry Shortcake Bars. Once frozen, the ice cream is cut into bars and then given a crisp coat of pulverized butter cookies and dehydrated strawberries.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Mrs. Angelic Larkin

Last Updated:

Views: 6570

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (47 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Mrs. Angelic Larkin

Birthday: 1992-06-28

Address: Apt. 413 8275 Mueller Overpass, South Magnolia, IA 99527-6023

Phone: +6824704719725

Job: District Real-Estate Facilitator

Hobby: Letterboxing, Vacation, Poi, Homebrewing, Mountain biking, Slacklining, Cabaret

Introduction: My name is Mrs. Angelic Larkin, I am a cute, charming, funny, determined, inexpensive, joyous, cheerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.