Chewy, chocolate-topped Mars bar slice—an aussie dessert recipe classic to feature in your australian recipes collection.
Some recipes don’t whisper for your attention they sprint into the room, waving chocolate and caramel and shouting your name. That’s how I feel about a good mars bar slice recipe. It’s everything we love about a school-fete tray bake: no oven, five-ish pantry ingredients, and a dramatic chocolate top that cracks beautifully when you cut it.
If you’ve been searching for a version that sets firmly without going rock-hard, cuts cleanly, and tastes just like the ones you remember from tuckshop days, you’ve found it.
In this guide I’ll show you exactly how to make this Australian mars bar slice recipe in your own kitchen. We’ll talk about the right bar-to-butter ratio (so it’s chewy, not greasy), how to melt without splitting, why a pinch of salt turns the flavour from sweet to sophisticated, and the trick to glossy chocolate that slices like a dream. Whether you typed in mars bar slice or “Mars Bar slice recipe Australia,” this is the method I teach friends who want a foolproof tray that disappears at morning tea.
By the end you’ll have a mars bar slice recipe that’s simple enough for the kids to help with and reliable enough to bring to a fundraiser, office shout or dessert platter at your next BBQ. Bonus: you can make it the day before, so it’s ready when you are.
At its core, Mars Bar Slice is a no-bake chocolate crackle’s softer, chewier cousin. Classic Aussie pantry alchemy: melt chopped Mars Bars with butter and golden syrup, fold through Rice Bubbles (Rice Krispies), press into a lined tin, then pour on a layer of melted chocolate. Chill, slice, devour. Our Australian recipe leans into the caramel-nougat core of the chocolate bars, which melts into the butter to create a fudgy base that binds the cereal without turning it soggy. It’s nostalgic, wildly satisfying, and it packs and freezes like a champ.
You’ll find variations everywhere some add coconut, some swirl dark chocolate on top, some go extra with Maltesers. The version below is the classic I grew up with, tuned over years of bake sales and birthday parties so that it sets perfectly even on warm days.
I call this my “right-first-time” mars bar slice recipe. Follow the cues and you’ll nail it.
Standard Australian Mars Bars are 47–53 g each; you’ll need enough to make 270 g (I use 6 × 47 g bars). If yours are larger, adjust accordingly. Chop into small pieces so they melt evenly. Yes, other caramel-nougat bars work, but Mars Bars give the iconic flavour.
Unsalted butter lets you control the salt. If you only have salted, reduce the added salt. Avoid margarine; it won’t set as clean.
This is the Australian magic—golden syrup adds a toffee note and helps the base stay chewy. Honey works in a pinch, but the flavour will change.
The classic cereal for light crunch. You can swap Coco Pops for a double-choc vibe or use half-and-half. If adding coconut or Milo, reduce cereal slightly so the base still binds.
Milk chocolate tastes like childhood. Dark chocolate gives a more grown-up edge. Either way, use decent eating chocolate and add 1–2 teaspoons of neutral oil (or a teaspoon of copha) to help with slicing.
That’s the whole mars bar slice recipe in a heartbeat.
When my son was in Year 3, I made three trays of this slice for the school fete. I cut generous squares and priced them too low—rookie mistake. The first customer took a bite, turned around and bought an entire tray for the volunteers in the sausage sizzle tent. We sold out in seven minutes. Two parents messaged that night asking for “Ella’s mars bar slice recipe (the exact one please).” I sent them this version, ratios and all. It’s been doing the rounds at our school ever since.
24
servings15
minutes160
kcal1
hourA tried-and-true mars bar slice recipe: chewy chocolate–caramel base made from melted Mars Bars, butter and golden syrup folded through crisp Rice Bubbles, finished with a smooth milk-chocolate top that slices cleanly. Perfect for school fetes, office shouts and Friday-afternoon pick-me-ups.
6 standard Mars Bars (≈ 270 g), chopped
90 g unsalted butter, cubed
2 tbsp golden syrup
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 tbsp cocoa powder (optional, for deeper chocolate flavour)
4½ cups (≈ 135 g) Rice Bubbles (Rice Krispies)
200 g milk chocolate (or half milk/half dark)
1–2 tsp neutral oil (sunflower or canola), or 1 tsp copha, for easy slicing
My nougat didn’t melt.
The heat was too high or the mix overheated and seized. Take the bowl off the heat and stir firmly to use residual warmth. A teaspoon of warm milk can help smooth it out.
The base is greasy.
Too much butter, or the mix sat too long before cereal went in. Stick to the measurements and fold cereal in promptly.
The chocolate shattered when slicing.
Let the slab sit at room temp for 10 minutes, or warm the knife. Adding a teaspoon of oil to the chocolate prevents shattering next time.
Slice too soft on a hot day.
Chill longer and keep refrigerated until serving. Use a little less golden syrup (1 tbsp) in summer.
Bars won’t hold together.
Either not enough chocolate–caramel mix or too much cereal. Measure cereal lightly (don’t pack the cup) and press firmly into the tin.
When I returned from parental leave, I wanted to bring something to the Friday stand-up that didn’t require everyone to eat off plates while juggling laptops. A double batch of this mars bar slice recipe did the trick—tidy to hold, guaranteed crowd-pleaser. My boss later confessed it was the first time the whole team stayed in the kitchen to talk about something other than sprint goals. “You can lead retros,” she said. “Anyone who can organise a slice like that can run a meeting.” I’m not saying the slice got me a promotion, but I’m also not not saying it.
While this is definitely not “dinner,” I often build a simple dessert board for casual BBQs: squares of Mars Bar Slice, cut fruit, pretzels, and bowls of whipped cream and strawberries. It sits happily on the table, and guests can help themselves between rounds of chatter. If you’re searching for aussie dinner ideas that end sweetly without fuss, this is it.
Yes, but the flavour will shift and the base may be a touch firmer. Maple syrup is too thin; stick to honey if you’re substituting.
Melt chocolate gently and stir in 1–2 teaspoons of neutral oil. Smooth with an offset spatula. Don’t refrigerate for hours on end; just long enough to set.
Absolutely. Replace up to 50% of the Rice Bubbles with Coco Pops for a cocoa-rich base.
Yes, this recipe is naturally nut-free as written (check your chocolate brand). Avoid adding peanuts and store in a nut-free container.
Up to three days in advance. Keep chilled and slice the day you plan to serve for the cleanest edges.
Per small square (1 of 24): approximately 160 calories, 7 g fat, 22 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein. Values will vary depending on brand of chocolate bars and chocolate used.
There are fancier desserts in the world, but few deliver the delight-per-minute of a great mars bar slice recipe. With a handful of ingredients and a saucepan, you get a slab that slices neatly, tastes like childhood, and makes people light up when they see it on the table.
This Australian mars bar slice recipe is the one I keep laminated inside my recipe binder because it never fails me fundraisers, school lunches, Friday treats, or the dessert board at a backyard BBQ.
Make a tray this weekend, then hide a square or two in the freezer for future you. You’ll thank me later.
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