Honey Nut Cheerio Balls
These easy-to-make Honey Nut Cheerio Balls are a delicious and flavorful cereal twist on classic popcorn balls, perfect for a kid-friendly snack or lunchbox treat.
Peanut Butter Cheerio Balls
Growing up I loved Honey Nut Cheerios — it was one of my favorite cereals! Even with all the crazy sugar laden options with chocolate and marshmallows and cookies, I still went for Honey Nut Cheerios!
If you are a fan of Honey Nut Cheerios cereal like me, you are going to love this recipe!
These treats are just like little popcorn balls, but using Honey Nut Cheerios instead! Actually, they are kind of like the Cheerio version of rice krispie treats!
The best part is that you only need four ingredients to whip up this simple snack or breakfast idea. It’s SO easy!
These Cheerio peanut butter balls are crispy and crunchy, sweet and savory, with a delicious blend of flavors and textures.
Kids will love them for an after school snack or a sweet treat tucked into their school lunch! And they can help make them too!
Related: For another fun kids snack, try our 3 ingredient chocolate peanut butter granola balls.
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Ingredients
Only four simple ingredients needed!
- 1 cup marshmallows
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 5 cups Honey Nut Cheerios
Kitchen Supplies Needed:
Instructions
To Prep: Coat a large cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper or a non-stick silicone baking mat.
- Place marshmallows, peanut butter and honey in a saucepan. Heat this mixture on medium-high, stirring constantly.
- When the marshmallows completely melt, remove from heat and stir in the Cheerios, until the cereal is completely coated in the peanut butter marshmallow mixture.
- Portion out mixture and roll into balls, placing them on the prepared pan.
- When all of the cereal has been formed into balls, transfer the cookie sheet to the fridge. Allow Cheerio balls to chill and set for at least an hour before serving.
Prep Tips
- Peanut Butter Substitutions – If peanut butter is a no-go, you can easily adjust this recipe for different dietary needs. Almond butter or cashew butter would also work great. If looking for a completely nut-free recipe, sunflower seed butter can be used as an alternative.
- Cereal Substitutions – Plain Cheerios can be used in this recipe instead of Honey Nut Cheerios. You could also use another type of cereal; Rice Krispies, Golden Grahams, Honeycomb, Corn Pops, or Golden Smacks would be tasty options.
- Storage – Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. These can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Video Demo:
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Make These into Cheerio Squares Instead?
Absolutely! We rolled our Cheerio treats into balls because they’re easy for little kids to handle and eat. It also makes them do-able for kids to help make! (No knives or cutting required!)
However, you can also press this Cheerio mixture into an oblong baking pan lined with parchment paper. Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours, then you can cut them into squares and pop them out easily using the parchment paper.
More of our favorite easy kids snack recipes:
- Homemade Gummy Bears with Jello
- Under the Sea Fruit Snacks
- Homemade Fruit Roll Ups
- Healthy Green Juice Gummies
- Strawberry Ladybugs
- 3-Ingredient Baby Trail Mix
- Homemade Goldfish Crackers
- Homemade Granola
Honey Nut Cheerio Balls Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Honey Nut Cheerio Balls
Equipment
- Skillet
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper or Silicone Baking Mat
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Marshmallows
- 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
- 1/2 Cup Honey
- 5 Cups Honey Nut Cheerios
Instructions
- To Prep: Coat a large cookie sheet with non-stick spray, or line with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Place marshmallows, peanut butter, and honey in a large saucepan or skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.
- When the marshmallows are completely melted, remove pan from heat and stir in the Cheerios until the cereal is evenly coated in honey-marshmallow mixture.
- Grease a 1 cup measuring cup and portion out the mixture. Roll each cup into a ball and place on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Place sheet in the fridge and allow to set for at least 45 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Peanut Butter Substitutions – If peanut butter is a no-go, you can easily adjust this recipe for different dietary needs. Almond butter or cashew butter would also work great. If looking for a completely nut-free recipe, sunflower seed butter can be used as an alternative.
- Cereal Substitutions – Plain Cheerios can be used in this recipe instead of Honey Nut Cheerios. You could also use another type of cereal; Rice Krispies, Golden Grahams, Honeycomb, Corn Pops, or Golden Smacks would be tasty options.
- Storage – Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. These can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Pin our Peanut Butter Cheerio Treats Recipe on Pinterest:
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Mine won’t form into balls. When u finally was able to form them, I had to spray a bit if non-stick oil spray in my hands.
Then they all collapsed while on the baking sheet waiting to go into the frig.
Anyone else have this problem?
Hi Roberta, it’s possible that there was too much moisture and this caused them to fall apart. Next time, I would try adding more Cheerios if they don’t seem like they are holding their shape. Another reader shared the tip that she makes them in muffin tins — that would help them keep shape too!
These were great! Made them with my two littles today and we loved them! Instead of forming them into 1 cup balls, I greased a cupcake tin and plopped spoonfuls in there and put the tin in the fridge to cool. These portions were a little easier for my littles to eat and the muffin tins kept the mixture together while it cooled! Thanks for a delicious snack!!
Great idea to make them in a muffin tin! Will have to try that!
Great recipe, but can the peanut butter be left out ?
I haven’t tried it that way – because the peanut butter does help with binding. But if you do try, let me know how it goes!
Is there a alternative to the peanut butter. 2 of my 4 little ones can’t eat penut anything.
Hi Naomi, you could try a different type of nut butter, such as almond. You could also try sunbutter for a nut-free alternative.
Turned out great, my kids loved them! What is the best way to store these? How long do they keep?
So glad they were a hit! I’d keep them in an airtight container at room temp (but away from any heat or light sources). They should last as long as rice krispie treats would — a few days.
The recipe calls for honey, but the video says caramel?
It was a typo in the video – I just updated! Thanks for letting me know!
Can I use corn syrup instead of the honey?
I haven’t tried it that way, but if you do, let me know how it goes!
Hi Stacy…The recipe calls for peanut butter.. I would like to not use any peanut butter, sun butter…etc.. what can I use in place of any form of peanut butter…
Hi Antoinette, I haven’t tried to make this recipe without peanut butter (or a similar substitute) because that is one of the ingredients that binds everything together.