Milk and Cereal Breakfast Bars

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/30/21
Healthy Milk and Cereal Breakfast Bars

The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Freeze: 4 hrs
Total: 4 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 6 servings

Milk and cereal bars are the perfect complete breakfast on the go. This homemade version is a great alternative to make yourself instead of the packaged kind—with no added sugars, oils, or preservatives. Instead of additives, this recipe uses real milk ingredients. Greek yogurt and boxed cereal are all it takes to make these delicious breakfast treats. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of vanilla greek yogurt (skim or whole milk yogurt)

  • 1 tablespoon honey, optional

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

  • 1 1/4 cups of Honey Nut Cheerios or other boxed cereal, seeds, or nuts can also be added

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Milk and Cereal Breakfast Bars ingredients

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  2. If using optional ingredients, mix with yogurt first. Some yogurts are sweeter than others and may not need additional sweetener.

    yogurt and honey in a bowl

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  3. Line a loaf pan with a sheet of parchment paper. The paper should cover the bottom and sides.

    baking pan with parchment paper

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  4. Evenly spread yogurt onto bottom of loaf pan.

    Evenly spread yogurt onto bottom of loaf pan

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  5. Pour cereal onto yogurt. Use a spoon to press cereal into yogurt, so it will freeze together. 

    cereal on top of yogurt

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  6. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 4 to 8 hours or until frozen solid. 

    plastic wrap on top of the cereal and yogurt mixture in baking pan

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  7. Remove bars from loaf pan by lifting up sides of parchment paper. Remove from parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Cut widthwise into 6 bars.

    Milk and Cereal Breakfast Bars on a cutting board

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  8. Wrap each bar individually with a sheet of wax paper. Place wrapped bars in one large ziplock bag and return to freezer.

    Milk and Cereal Breakfast Bars in a plastic bag

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Recipe Variations

  • You can use any kind of cereal you like. This recipe calls for Honey Nut Cheerios or other similar cereal, but you could try anything from Cinnamon Toast Crunch to Lucky Charms to Honey Bunches of Oats. You could also add things like dried fruits and nuts to create a lovely texture and additional flavor.
  • The recipe calls for Greek yogurt but you can also use regular yogurt. The Greek yogurt freezes well and stays solid for a long time.
  • Most vanilla-flavored yogurts are sweetened but some are sweeter than others.
  • Add honey if you would like to make the yogurt a bit sweeter.

Tip

This recipe uses the freezer to create the bar shape. They are perishable but take a while to melt and can easily be eaten on your morning commute. They last up to 6 months in the freezer. You can make large batches and have them handy for weeks! No cook recipes are especially helpful in the summer months because there is no need to heat up the house with a stove or oven when you can simply whip these bars up and store them in the freezer. They are also individually wrapped after they have been frozen. It's as easy as unwrapping an ice cream sandwich! Who doesn't love pretending to eat ice cream for breakfast?

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
89 Calories
2g Fat
14g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 89
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 5mg 2%
Sodium 97mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 2mg 11%
Calcium 172mg 13%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 211mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)