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An EASY recipe for chocolate crunch bars made with just 3 ingredients!
Rich and decadent chocolate enrobes crispy rice cereal for a deliciously crunchy, crispy chocolate treat in the BEST homemade crunch bars! Gluten Free.
When I was little, crunch bars were one of my favorite candy bars. There was that delicious crunch, the chocolate that melted in your mouth, and the sweet, rich creaminess of milk chocolate.
Now that I’m older, I find that making my own homemade crunch bars are actually kind of fun—and bonus: I get to use my favorite chocolate and gluten free rice crisp cereal to customize these chocolate crunch bars to my taste. Another treat I love making is this tasty Christmas Crack.
Wanna join me? Grab your favorite chocolate chips and head on over to the kitchen with me to make today’s tasty rice crispy chocolate bars!
What are Chocolate Crunch Bars?
Crunch bars are a store-bought candy made by Nestle. It’s made with 2 ingredients: chocolate and rice crisp cereal. Essentially, it’s a chocolate bar with crispy bits in it to make it crunchy.
Today, we’re making chocolate crunch bars, homemade-style, with 3 simple ingredients.
Homemade Crunch Bars with 3 simple ingredients
- Chocolate Chips – use your favorite chocolate chips to make your own favorite homemade crunch bars.
- Coconut Oil – you can use 1 teaspoon of peanut butter in place of the coconut oil, or skip it altogether!
- Rice Crisp Cereal – you can use that blue box of rice crisp cereal you might have on hand, or try this vegan gluten free rice crisp cereal.
How to Make Homemade Crunch Bars
Line
First, line a square baking pan with parchment paper or wax paper.
Melt
Now, melt chocolate and coconut oil until smooth and well incorporated. You can also substitute the coconut oil with 1 teaspoon of peanut butter, or skip it altogether.
Add Cereal
Add your rice crisp cereal to the melted chocolate mixture. Stir and fold everything together until not one piece of cereal is exposed (aka cover it all in chocolate!!). Pour this mixture into the prepped pan and smooth it into an even layer.
Set & Enjoy
Allow the chocolate crunch bars to set at room temperature or chill until firm. Then, slice and enjoy the best homemade crunch bars!
How to Store Chocolate Crunch Bars
- Storing Instructions: Store chocolate crunch bars in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator. Best if stored in the refrigerator.
- Freezing Instructions: If storing your crunch bars in the freezer, allow to thaw for about 10 minutes before enjoying. In the freezer, homemade crunch bars can keep for 1-2 months.
Are Crunch Bars Gluten Free?
Store-bought Crunch Bars are not gluten free [1], as confirmed by the official crunch bar website [2]. For allergens, under wheat, the Crunch Bar website lists “Wheat: may contain wheat.”
Today’s homemade crunch bar recipe is gluten free if you use this vegan gluten free brown rice crisp cereal.
Q&A for homemade crunch bar recipe
- Where do I find gluten free brown rice crisp cereal?
I get this question all the time! Click here for the exact vegan gluten free brown rice crisp cereal that I use.
- What vegan chocolate chips do you use?
If you’re looking high and low for vegan chocolate chips, try these super tasty vegan chocolate chips.
- Where can I find refined sugar-free chocolate to make my homemade crunch bars?
When I want to make sure my chocolate candy recipes are refined sugar-free, I chop up this chocolate bar and use it in place of the usual chocolate chips.
- How do I make these homemade crunch bars low-carb or lower in carbs?
Use these chocolate chips. They’re super tasty & practically sugar-free.
Crispy, crunchy, decadent: chocolate crunch bars made with just 3 ingredients for the best homemade crunch bars ever!
What’s your favorite candy this time of year? Let me know in the comments below, or let me know what you think of today’s chocolate crunch bar recipe! I can’t wait. ‘Til our next chocolate adventure…
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
Delicious Chocolate Recipes and more!
- Chocolate Coconut Candy Clusters
- 3 Ingredient Rice Crispy Treats
- 5 Ingredient Coconut Chocolate Bars
- Vegan Hershey Kisses
- Brownie Cookies
- Rolo Pretzels
3 Ingredient Homemade Crunch Bars (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil*
- 3/4 cup rice crisp cereal
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or wax paper. Or, use this break-apart candy mold. Set aside at room temperature.
- Melt the chocolate using the double boiler method, or do the following: add chocolate chips and coconut oil to a medium, microwave-safe bowl (large enough to add cereal later). Heat in 20-second increments until softened and melty. Stir in between heating increments, until smooth.
- Add cereal to melted chocolate. Using a rubber spatula, stir and fold until well incorporated. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking pan. Using the spatula, smooth into an even layer. Tap the pan a few times to help even out the mixture.
- Allow to set at room temperature until firm. Or, for a quick fix, follow freezing instructions. Transfer this pan into the freezer. Freeze for 10-15 minutes. Remove from freezer and allow to thaw for 10-15 minutes. Slice into 18 rectangular bars (3 rows by 6 columns). Enjoy! Storing instructions below.
- Also try the peppermint version: 4 Ingredient Peppermint Chocolate Crunch Bars.
I haven’t seen a Crunch bar in ages! It’s simple enough to make, and gets a 10/10 on nostalgia vibes! It made a crazy day so much better. Thanks!
Aww I’m so happy the recipe was able to give you some good feelings, Ava. ❤️
Hi Demeter,
Just wanted to let you know that two of the links you mentioned in the rice krispie/choc recipe do not work. One is the break apart candy bar mold link, and the other is the gluten free brown rice krispie link. Thought you’d want to know.
I can usually find a gluten free rice krispie cereal, but I had to look in several stores. It’s a “rice” cereal, and they add wheat as filler!! The one I buy isn’t brown rice, and it’s just a generic brand. But it’s the only gluten free rice krispy cereal I can find locally, which is a must have for me! Today, there are a lot more gluten free options than there were, even a couple years ago. So thank goodness for that!
I’ve been making homemade chocolates for eons and have made up lots of recipes. I love your rice krispie recipe in choc., because it’s simple and easy for people to make. I’d also like to mention that you could suggest to your readers that they can buy a top quality chocolate bar, preferably European chocolate, in the grocery stores, give it a rough chop, and melt that instead. They will need 4-5 bars to make a pound, and yes, it’s more expensive, but definitely worth it! Chocolate chips are sadly the most inferior chocolate on the market. Ok in cookies, but not as the main event. I use the “good” chocolate chopped up as chocolate chips in cookies. Much better.
If you have an Aldi store in your town, they have a great assortment of European chocolate bars to choose from, and so do other chain grocery stores. I always blend my chocolates. Melt the dark chocolate first, because it has a higher melting point than milk choc. Then add milk choc and blend together in a double boiler. Mix well. I love good milk chocolate, but it’s much richer with some added dark chocolate, and you don’t have any bitter flavor.
The ratios of dark to milk are totally up to you, depending on your preference. My husband loves dark choc, and I prefer milk choc, so I just make one batch for both of us, that’s a nice compromise, and we both love it. I use about 1/3 dark chocolate and 2/3 milk chocolate. It’s
perfect. You might enjoy it in different ratios. It’s all about your own preference.
The one ingredient that takes all chocolate to the next level: Caramel. Homemade caramel is not difficult to make. And you haven’t lived until you’ve tasted it! And don’t forget the coarse sea salt on top! Yum!
Best to you, and continued success,
Jackie
Hi Jackie! Thanks for letting me know about the links, just got those updated. 🙂 And I know, it used to be such a pain to track down ingredients like brown rice cereal! So nice things are easier now. Great tips about the chocolate, too. Sometimes it’s nice to treat yourself to some fancier chocolate for a little something special. I know all about the different chocolate preference, too, as I’m a big fan of dark chocolate but my mom only eats milk chocolate. Thanks for taking the time to leave such a nice comment with all the tips!
Absolutely delicious! So easy to make and so great tasting! Will make again and will add some pecans for a change
So glad you’re enjoying the bars, Ger! And I’m totally into adding pecans—-yum!
So, so easy. I tried my first batch with white chocolate. It was too sweet, but I ate them anyways (who wouldn’t), but the next batch I used semi sweet dark with the addition of crushed walnuts and sprinkled some coarse sea salt on top. Thanks for the recipe!
LOL I definitely wouldn’t say no to some white chocolate crunch bars. And walnuts plus sea salt? Total yum! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Lynn!
Nice and easy, thank you!
You’re so welcome, Lyn!
Really good! I threw in a handful of dried cranberries to make it even better.
Ooh now that sounds delicious, Sue! I’m so happy you enjoyed the bars! 😄