Healthier and homemade LCM Bars are the ultimate 4-ingredient lunchbox fix.
No marshmallows, no butter, just honey, rice bubbles and a good hard press into the tin. If you're on a no-bake kick, try my Healthy Coco Pop Bars or Peanut Butter Crunch Bars next.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Healthier LCM Bars
🕒 Ready In: 5 minutes prep + 3 hours chilling
👪 Serves: 20 bars
🍚 Calories: 242kcal per large serve
🥣 Main Ingredients: rice bubbles, honey, coconut oil, sprinkles
📖 Dietary Info: dairy-free, nut-free, easily made gluten-free
⭐ Why You'll Love It: just 4 pantry staples, no baking and no marshmallow sugar hit.
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Omg these taste amazing, I can't believe they are so easy!!
- Emma
These LCM bars vanish fast in this house. Pack them alongside a Weetbix Slice or a batch of chewy homemade Muesli Bars for easy lunchbox wins, or go full old-school with my Caramilk Rice Bubble Slice.
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Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Just 4 ingredients - no marshmallows, no butter, nothing fancy.
- No-bake and stupidly easy. Little hands can do the mixing while you put your feet up.
- Dairy-free and nut-free, so they're safe for pretty much every school lunchbox.
- Freezer-friendly, because sometimes you need a treat stash on standby for the 3pm meltdown.
Homemade LCM Bars Ingredients
Just 4 simple pantry staples turn into a proper lunchbox treat.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredient quantities and full detailed method.
- Rice bubbles (puffed rice) - grab a fresh box for maximum crunch. Need it gluten-free? Check the label, some puffed rice sneaks in malt.
- Honey is the glue holding this whole thing together, so don't skimp on it. Swap it for maple syrup or rice malt syrup if you want these vegan-friendly.
- Coconut oil - melt it fully before mixing in. If it's not properly liquid, it won't coat the rice bubbles evenly and your bars will end up patchy and crumbly.
Variations
- Fibre Boost: stir through 2 tablespoons of chia or hemp seeds. The grown-ups in the house will love this one.
- Skip the sprinkles and stir through dried cranberries, sultanas or sunflower seeds instead for a fruity swap.
- Vegan Option: swap the honey for maple syrup or rice malt syrup.
- Want a protein hit after sport? Stir a scoop of vanilla protein powder in with the honey. It still tastes like a treat.
- Choc Crunch: mix in mini dark choc chips (and flaked almonds too, if nuts are allowed).
- Kids after the old-school buttery, marshmallow-style LCM? Make my Rice Bubble Marshmallow Slice instead for that extra gooey, nostalgic treat.
How To Make Healthier LCM Bars
Four steps and you're basically done.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredient quantities and full detailed method.
- Step 1: Prep your tin. Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper, leaving a little overhang so it's easy to lift out later.
- Step 2: Mix it all together. In a large bowl, combine the rice bubbles, honey, melted coconut oil and sprinkles. Give it a really good stir until every rice bubble is coated.
- Step 3: Press firmly. Spoon the mixture into your lined tin and press down hard, extra sprinkles on top if you like. The firmer you pack it, the less crumbly your bars will be.
- Step 4: Chill and slice. Pop it in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or overnight if you can wait that long. Slice straight from the fridge with a sharp knife.
Recipe Tips
- Press like you mean it: use the bottom of a glass (or a second tin) to really compact the mixture. The firmer you press, the less crumbly your bars will be.
- Chill before cutting and always slice cold, straight from the fridge, with a sharp serrated knife for neat edges.
- Storage: keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- Freezing: pop them in the freezer for up to 1 month. Pack them frozen straight into lunchboxes and they'll be perfectly chewy by snack time, no thawing required.
- Left out on the bench too long, they'll soften and fall apart. Best served cold, straight from the fridge or freezer.
- After more ideas for the lunchbox rotation? Have a browse through my 100+ Sweet Lunch Box Recipes.
Homemade LCM Bars FAQs
You probably didn't press them firmly enough (been there!). Really compact the mixture down into the tin and chill until completely firm before you try to slice it.
Yes. Just swap the honey for maple syrup or rice malt syrup and you're good to go.
Yep, they're nut-free and dairy-free. Just pack them cold or frozen so they hold together until snack time.
You can, but the bars won't set as firm and they won't be dairy-free anymore. Coconut oil goes hard in the fridge which is what gives these bars their proper snap, butter stays softer so your bars will be a bit more delicate.
Honestly? Nobody really knows for sure, it's one of those Aussie lunchbox mysteries that's never been properly solved. What we do know is this homemade version tastes just as good as the original, minus the marshmallow sugar hit.
More Rice Bubble Recipes You'll Love
Rice bubbles are a pantry staple in our house. Here's some other fun ways to use them up:
Homemade LCM Bars
Ingredients
- 120 g (4 cups) rice bubbles (or any puffed rice)
- 170 g (½ cup) honey
- 70 g (⅓ cup) coconut oil liquid
- sprinkles or 100s and 1000s
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm square cake tin with baking paper.
- Place the rice bubbles, honey, coconut oil and sprinkles into a bowl and mix together really well (the rice bubbles should all be coated with the honey and coconut oil).
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and press down firmly (see notes). Add extra sprinkles.
- Place into the fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight. Cut into slices straight from the fridge (with the slice still in the tin). Store in the fridge for up to 7 days (or freeze for up to 1 month). Serve straight from the fridge (see notes).
Thermomix Method
- Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm square cake tin with baking paper.
- Place the rice bubbles, honey, coconut oil and sprinkles into the Thermomix bowl and mix on REVERSE Speed Soft - Speed 1 using the spatula to help mix. Continue mixing until the rice bubbles are all coated with the honey and coconut oil.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and press down firmly (see notes). Add extra sprinkles.
- Place into the fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight. Cut into slices straight from the fridge (with the slice still in the tin). Store in the fridge for up to 7 days (or freeze for up to 1 month). Serve straight from the fridge (see notes).
Notes
- Firm Pressing is the Key: Use a second tin or the bottom of a glass to REALLY compact the mixture. It's important that the mixture is pressed down very firmly so that it doesn't crumble when sliced.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- Freezing: Freeze up to 1 month - perfect for batch-making.
- Serving: These bars are best served chilled - warm they can become crumbly when the honey and coconut oil soften.
- Lunchbox Note: If you're sending them to school, keep them frozen until morning, or pack with an ice pack - they'll defrost just in time for morning tea break. Or save them for a favourite after-school snack!
Julia says
These look yum, do you think date syrup would work instead of honey?
Lucy says
I haven't tried that sorry!
Lee M says
These crumbled apart even straight out of the fridge. I think with more coconut oil and less honey they might work!
Elise says
What could the honey be substituted for to make them suitable for under 1s? I’m thinking rice malt syrup or maple syrup, but don’t want them too sugary. And would it be 1:1 swap?
Lucy Mathieson says
Hi Elise, you could use rice malt syrup for sure - the only thing is that they wont hold together as well as when you use honey. xx
Emma says
Omg these taste amazing, I can't believe they are healthy!!
Lucy says
I'm so thrilled you like them!
Caterina says
My kids loved these. I made the sprinkles as per the recipe provided and used them instead of the 100,thousands. Thankyou
I stored these in the freezer.My kids ate these straight from the freezer as an after dinner treat.
Lucy says
Fantastic!!
Grandy 2-6 says
If I replace the coconut oil with Copha, do I need to increase the quantity? and will this make a firmer slice? thank you 🙂
Lucy Mathieson says
Hi there, I haven't made them with copha so you might need to experiment a little - as long as the rice bubbles are nicely coated it should be fine. xx
di says
Hello
How long will these last?
Lucy says
Hi Di, these will last a week in the fridge 🙂
Kellie says
I always have an ice brick in my son's lunch box for his yoghurt so these might actually stay chilled enough to stay set
Lucy Mathieson says
That's a great idea!!