All Mondays should call for 5-ingredient recipes, am I right? Nothing too fussy or complicated - just 5 ingredients and 5 steps on the way to healthy snacking bliss - AMEN. I've been reading through responses from the reader survey I put out last week (you can fill one out here if you haven't already!), and one thing I've noticed is that you guys love your healthy recipes ← and I love that. So, as promised, I'm giving you what you want in the form of quick and easy cereal bars made with nothing more than a few natural ingredients, sweetened with agave, and loaded with (healthy!) almonds and strawberries. Wooh!
The best part is that they taste like GOOD snacking, not just healthy snacking. There's all kinds of crunch and texture from brown rice cereal, sliced almonds, and tangy freeze-dried strawberries, plus the perfect amount of sweetness from the agave and some almond butter. Plus, did you see what we did just there? ↑ Every single ingredient named in one sentence. Now THAT'S what I call a good snack - simple, natural, healthy, the end. ;)
5-Ingredient Strawberry Almond Cereal Bars {GF, Vegan}
A healthy grab-and-go snack made with 5 all-natural ingredients that's loaded with crunch, texture, and tangy freeze-dried strawberries.
- Yield: 12 bars
- : Alexandra Azary
Ingredients
- 2 ½ ounces (2 cups) brown rice cereal
- 1 ounce (1 ½ cups) freeze-dried strawberries, coarsely chopped
- 3 ½ ounces (1 cup) sliced almonds, toasted*
- 4 ½ ounces (½ cup) almond butter
- 4 ½ ounces (⅜ cup) agave nectar
Instructions
- Line an 8" square pan with foil and grease foil with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, toss together the brown rice cereal, freeze-dried strawberries, and almonds.
- In a small saucepan set over medium heat, heat agave until temperature reaches 255ºF on an instant-read or candy thermometer. Remove from heat immediatley and add to dry ingredients along with almond butter. Mix everything together until evenly combined.
- Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan in a flat, compact layer. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, or until firm. Use foil to lift bars from pan and slice.
- Once cut, transfer bars to an airtight container and store in refrigerator. For best texture, allow to soften at room temperature for a couple minutes before eating.
Notes
*To toast almonds, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast in a 350ºF oven for about 8 minutes, until golden and fragrant.
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Amy Tolley
great recipe sound amazing thanks for sharing with us
Ana
What can we substitute agave with?
alexandra
Honey would work; technically that would make the recipe no longer vegan though.
Ashley
I love how few ingredients these bars have! I don't know if I've ever bought freeze-dried strawberries before ... madness!
alexandra
I just bought them for the first time a couple months ago... between those and freeze-dried raspberries I'm obsessed! They really open up your options when fresh fruit is too juicy. Trader Joe's has them!
Ilona @ Ilona's Passion
Yum! So easy to make, just couple ingredients and it's delicious!
Emma {Emma's Little Kitchen}
You are so right, lets keep it simple! I have some brown puffed rice cereal languishing in my cupboard. Looks like they may have a purpose after all!