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 2796 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

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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 ingredients of a crunch bar? ›

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

Why was Nestle Crunch discontinued? ›

Ferrero folded the acquired brands into the operations of the Ferrara Candy Company. The sale was rumoured to be because of low growth in the mainstream chocolate market due to newer competitors such as Kinder and the increased variety of snacks, making it challenging for mainstream candy bars like Crunch.

What kind of rice is in a crunch bar? ›

Rice Krispies – Rice Krispies or generic crisped rice is used to get that classic texture and crunch in the chocolate bar.

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.

What is a crispy crunch bar? ›

Crispy Crunch is a hard chocolate bar with a crispy peanut butter flake inside that is made by Cadbury in Canada. Harold Oswin, an employee of William Neilson, developed "Crispy Crunch" in 1930.

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.

Why do Crunch bars turn white? ›

It's actually just a scientific process called “chocolate bloom”. There are two types of this bloom: sugar bloom and fat bloom. Sugar bloom happens when moisture comes in contact with the chocolate - it dissolves the sugar crystals on the chocolate's surface, leaving a white, powdery look.

Who makes the 100 grand bar? ›

The candy bar was created in 1964 by Nestlé. It weighs 1.5 ounces (43 g) and includes chocolate, caramel and crisped rice.

What is the Hershey version of Nestle Crunch? ›

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.

Is Hershey owned by Nestle? ›

The Hershey Trust has interests in both companies and there is some overlap when it comes to the Board of Directors in both companies . Still, they are essentially independent of each other. Hershey's Chocolate World which is adjacent to the amusement park is owned by The Hershey Company.

Who invented the Crunch Bar? ›

Who invented the Crunch Bar? According to What's Cooking America, the Michaud family of Switzerland helped develop milk chocolate, and were active in a company that would eventually merge with Nestlé. Per Jim Farfaglia's book "Nestlé in Fulton, New York," Maurice Michaud helped create the Nestlé Crunch bar, too.

What's in baby Ruth candy? ›

Baby Ruth is an American candy bar made of peanuts, caramel, and milk chocolate-flavored nougat, covered in compound chocolate. Created in 1920, and named after the deceased U.S. presidential daughter, Ruth Cleveland, it is distributed by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero.

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.

Do Crunch bars have dairy? ›

DAIRY PRODUCT SOLIDS, SKIM MILK, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, COCONUT OIL, PALM OIL, CREAM, RICE FLOUR, COCOA, MALTODEXTRIN, REDUCED MINERALS WHEY, PROPYLENE GLYCOL MONOSTEARATE, SALT, CELLULOSE GEL, GUAR GUM, CALCIUM CARBONATE, MONOGLYCERIDES, MILK, CHOCOLATE, CAROB BEAN GUM, CELLULOSE GUM, NATURAL FLAVOR, SOY LECITHIN.

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