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

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!

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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.

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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.

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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 2787 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

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!

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

FAQs

What are the main ingredients in a 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.)

What are the ingredients in crispy crunch? ›

INGREDIENTS: Sugars (sugar, glucose syrup, blackstrap and fancy molasses), Peanuts, Modified palm oil, Modified milk ingredients, Modified vegetable oil, Cocoa, Unsweetened chocolate, Salt, Wheat flour, Mono- and di-glycerides, Soy lecithin, Natural flavour. Contains: Peanut, Milk, Wheat, Soy.

Why is my Crunch Bar white? ›

When the bar cools again, the fat on the surface may appear as a whitish powder. This is known as “fat bloom”.

What candy is gf? ›

Nestlé
  • Bit-O-Honey.
  • Butterfinger Bar (original flavor only, NOT Crisp, Giant Bars)
  • Milk Chocolate.
  • Goobers.
  • Nips (including both regular and sugar-free)
  • Oh Henry!
  • Raisinets (including Cranberry and Dark Chocolate flavors)
  • Sno-Caps.

What is in the middle of a crunchy bar? ›

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. It is made by Cadbury but was originally launched in the UK by J. S.

What did crunch bars used to be called? ›

Nestlé Crunch was invented in Fulton, New York, in 1938, and originally sold for five cents as “Nestlé's Crunch” milk chocolate bar with crisped rice.

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.

Who makes Crunch bars today? ›

Ferrero acquired Crunch from Nestlé in 2018.

Ferrero USA has introduced a new logo and new packaging for its Crunch products. The chocolate bar's signature blue and red wrapper remains the same, but the graphics have been modernized.

What is the oldest chocolate bar? ›

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 candy bar is similar to the Crunch? ›

1938: Crunch

One of the original crisped rice milk chocolate bars, the Crunch's direct competitor is the Krackel, introduced by Hershey that same year.

What is inside a Crispy Crunch? ›

Loved since its sweet debut in 1912, this Canadian chocolate bar consists of a flaky, peanut butter center, sandwiched in between two layers of rippled milk chocolate. It does indeed make for a "crispy crunch" in every bite! It's always crunch time with Crispy Crunch!

What is crunchy bar made of? ›

Ingredients. Sugar, glucose syrup, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, skimmed MILK powder, whey permeate powder (from MILK), palm oil, MILK fat, emulsifier (E442), flavourings, coconut oil.

What are the ingredients in Crispy Crunch ice bar? ›

Ingredients: water, biscuit (wheat flour, white sugar, palm oil, sugar syrup, cocoa powder), chocolate (sugar, cocoa, lactose, cocoa powder), white sugar, oligosaccharide, vegetable oil, strawberry syrup, butter, refined palm oil, sugar, guar gum E412 (stabilizer), locust bean gum E410 (emulsifier) Carrageenan E407 ( ...

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