Easy Peanut Butter Cornflake Bars (Gluten-Free & Vegan)
These Easy Peanut Butter Cornflakes Bars are naturally gluten-free, vegan, and absolutely irresistible. They’re quick and simple to make, and can be made using your favorite nut or seed butter if you need a peanut-free or nut-free option.
Would you believe me if I told you these only took SIX ingredients?! Only six ingredients to make something that will make your soul so happy, and your tastebuds sing. That’s all it takes to make these epic, delightfully delicious, SUPER easy Peanut Butter Cornflake Bars! The crunch…the creaminess…it’ll bring a big smile to your peanut butter-loving face :D
Normally I’d spend a while telling you all the reasons that you should make these…but my guess is, between the ingredients, the photos, and the title, you’re probably already convinced. In case you need some extra convincing…
Why are these so great?? It’s because they’re:
- Naturally gluten-free and vegan
- Come together in less than 10 minutes
- EASY to make – let the kids do it!
- Covered in chocolate!!
- Adaptable to your tastes and preferences
- Flexible to accomodate allergies
Going off that last point – these are very customisable to make them perfect for your and your family!
Do you or your family avoid peanuts? No problem – just substitute your favorite nut butter in place of the peanuts. You can also use a seed butter to keep them nut-free!
Do you avoid corn? You can trade out the cornflakes for another favorite cereal. Crispy rice cereal works well here, or you could use something like this coconut flake paleo cereal to keep it grain-free/Paleo-friendly.
Not a chocolate person? Skip it! You can absolutely make these without the chocolate topping. Then they’ll be pure peanut butter goodness!
I love serving them cold, straight out of the fridge. They end up with a crunchy, fudgy texture when they’re cold. They’re also wonderful frozen! They can stay at cool room temperature for a little while, but they’ll get gooey quick in warmer weather, so be aware of that.
We love these Peanut Butter Cornflake Bars so much and they never last very long in our house. The first time I made these, they were gone within 24 hours. Between three people. My dad tried one and said “you should be arrested for these.” They’re DANGEROUS to have around for peanut butter chocolate lovers like us, so make sure you have friends around to share with if you don’t want to eat the whole batch yourself ;)
So grab your ingredients, enlist your kids help (if you have them, this is a super fun project to make with them), and get to no-baking!! Enjoy :D
Want more chocolate peanut butter goodness?
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola
Easy Peanut Butter Cornflake Bars (Gluten-Free & Vegan)
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Description
These Easy Peanut Butter Cornflakes Bars are naturally gluten-free, vegan, and absolutely irresistible. They’re quick and simple to make, and can be made using your favorite nut or seed butter if you need a peanut-free or nut-free option.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (384g) creamy peanut butter or your favorite nut or seed butter
- ⅓ cup (66g) coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup (84g) maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt, if your nut butter is unsalted
- 2½ cups (78g) corn flakes, crushed, see Notes
For the chocolate topping
- 4 ounces dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons (32g) creamy nut butter, use the same as you used for the filling!
Instructions
- Line an 8×8” or 9×9” pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease with coconut oil. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the peanut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt if using. Add the crushed corn flakes and stir until combined.
- Taste your delicious creation, and add a little more salt or vanilla or sweetener if you feel like it! Then press into the prepared pan in an even layer. Place in the fridge or freezer to firm up, about an hour.
- Once firm, combine the chocolate and nut butter in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave for a minute, stir and repeat in 15-second increments until melted. Pour evenly over the bars. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired, and return to the fridge or freezer to firm up!
- Once firm, cut into 16 squares. Keep stored in the fridge. Enjoy!!
Notes
I recommend seeking out naturally-sweetened cornflakes, from a brand like Barbara’s or Nature’s Path. They are both sweetened with organic fruit juice concentrate.
Made these and very tasty however took a lot longer than 30mins to set. Had to leave overnight :)
Glad you’re enjoying them, Renee!
Really lovely bars. I adore the crunch! The mixture felt a little too runny when I followed the recipe so I added more cornflakes as I wanted them to be easily holdable by little fingers and not collapse. My plan worked! Really good bars. Oh and I halved the maple syrup without any problem at all (not a sugar fan). Thanks for the recipe!
Wonderful! Thanks so much for the feedback, Hannah. So glad you’re enjoying them!
Love these! Made them for my Christmas cookie boxes and will be making them again for sure!
So thrilled they were a hit, Anna!!
Made exactly as directed and they were perfect! Threw them together before dinner and poured the chocolate mix over after, put them back in the freezer for 10 mins and served them for my husbands bday! They were great. Thank you!
Hi Danielle, so glad you’re enjoying them!! Thanks for the feedback :D
Have done them a few times already and love them (and so does one of my daughters). Such an easy to do, crunchy and swwet snack!!
So glad you and your kids are loving them, Marta!! :)
These are so simple and delicious, just make sure you really take the time to let them firm up completely before eating. I will probably reduce the amount of maple syrup a bit for the next batch, but otherwise these are amazing! I love having so many yummy dessert options while I am dairy and soy free.
Amazing!
I actually made this recipe with Natures path brown rice crispies.
Love it.
Thank you.
They’re so good with rice crispies! Thanks for the feedback, Barbara!
Really easy and quick to pull together. A perfect freezer treat to have on hand to stress eat after work. SO delicious.
So glad you’re loving them, Holly!!
Delicious! Followed the recipe exactly. A hit with adults and the kids
So glad you’re loving it, Kendra! Thanks for the feedback :D
Hi! Your recipe looks amazing! Question: Can I use butter instead of coconut oil? Going to make this afternoon.;)
Thank you!
Ann
Hi Ann, yes absolutely!! Enjoy :)
I made these to have something on hand for a long holiday weekend, and I’m so glad I did! My brother stopped by and with his first bite he exclaimed, “Oh my god!” On the second bite, “These are soooo good.” These decadent treats came together so quickly, and the flavors remind me of a peanut butter ball recipe that was a family holiday favorite, but very labor intensive and less healthy ingredients (like, a pound of powdered sugar!). I love this easier and better alternative! The next time I make these I might use a bit more chocolate to get a thicker layer.
So glad you loved them, Deanne!! Thanks so much for the feedback :D
Hello! I made these bars today and was very pleased – dangerous, yes! So delicious and easy! I found there is a big difference, however, in “2-1/2 cornflakes, crushed” and “2-1/2 cups crushed cornflakes.” The latter being a more accurate measurement of how many cornflakes you need for the consistency of the bars to be right. I probably used 6 cups cornflakes, crushed. I used natural peanut butter and measured the other ingredients precisely. Using 2-1/2 cornflakes, crushed simply did not yield enough. Thank you for another yummy bar recipe!
Hi Jean, thanks for the feedback, so glad you’re enjoying them!
I made these with natural peanut butter – and they were somewhat oily. I am thinking reg. peanut butter would be better or maybe omit the coconut oil if using natural. Rachel what do you think? Otherwise they were very good!
Hi Dee, I always use natural peanut butter and it works fine, but maybe yours was particularly oily (such as maybe not well mixed before using so the oil ratio is higher)? The oil in peanut butter will not set up the way coconut oil would, so I wouldn’t recommend getting rid of the coconut oil, because then these bars won’t hold together at all. Regular peanut butter will definitely work well, but avoid using a super runny/oily peanut butter in these. A thicker natural peanut butter should be just fine, though!
Love this! I used 6 cups cornflakes- Trader Joe’s Organic. 2 1/2 not near enough. I also only lightly crush them. Always store in fridge. Again- awesome recipe!!!
So glad you love them, Angela!