Healthy Rice Krispie Treats have NO butter or marshmallows! This easy Krispie treats recipe is made with coconut oil and peanut butter. 10 minutes to prep, naturally vegan, and gluten free!
The day we moved into our new house, my friend Maggie arrived in our barren kitchen with a pan of peanut butter rice krispies treats. “I don’t know what it is about rice krispie treats,” she said by way of explanation, “but they really hit the spot.” She was right. It had been ages since I’d had one, and I forgot how satisfying a simple rice krispie treat can be. Today’s Healthy Rice Krispie Treats with peanut butter are a wholesome, made-over version of the classic that are guaranteed to hit the spot for you too!
Creating healthy versions of traditional recipes is one of my culinary passions, and when I was brainstorming easy no-bake desserts for summer, the idea of Healthy Krispies Treats was too tempting not to head into my kitchen to play.
What I hoped to achieve were Healthy Rice Krispie Treats that, even if they weren’t *as* good as the original, would still be yummy, reminiscent of the rice krispie treats of my childhood, and receive both kid and grown-up approval. What I actually achieved?
Healthy Rice Krispie Treats with peanut butter that taste like regular rice krispie treats with peanut butter but are made with (wait for it) NO marshmallows and NO butter. They’re also completely vegan, low-calorie, and did I mention they taste delicious?
Healthy Krispie Treats – BITE AND BELIEVE
I realize that what I should do here is flaunt my recipe development prowess and say that I knew from the beginning that Healthy Rice Krispie Treats with coconut oil and without marshmallows or corn syrup or butter or anything else I considered central to rice krispie treat success would work. The truth? I thought this recipe was, in all likelihood, going to flop.
I was wrong. I was so deliciously wrong. Not only are these Healthy Rice Krispie Treats just as soft, chewy, and sweet as traditional peanut butter rice krispie treats, they actually taste like they contain marshmallows! I served them to a group of girlfriends, and no one suspected my secret.
Healthy Rice Krispie Treat Ingredients
Before creating the recipe, I did quite a bit of reading on what I could substitute for marshmallows in rice krispie treats. I also decided that, since I was making the rice krispie treats without marshmallows anyway, I might as well take it all the way and see if I could make it a vegan rice krispie treats recipe too. My exact reasoning on this subject: “Why not?”
My reading lead me to brown rice syrup. (I found a jar at our grocery store, but you can also order it online). While it’s a bit more processed than honey or maple syrup, it’s still fairly natural and certainly a healthier option than corn syrup, the primary ingredient in marshmallows. It also tastes so similar to marshmallows, I was floored!
This Healthy Rice Krispie Treats recipe uses just a few ingredients—peanut butter, coconut oil, brown rice syrup, and vanilla for flavor—and takes only minutes to stir together on the stove. I can see it being a fun, easy recipe to make with kids, as well as a summer staple when it’s too hot to turn on the oven and no-bake desserts reign supreme.
I haven’t tried the recipe with other nut butters or sweeteners yet, but I imagine a no-stir almond butter or sunflower seed butter would be good substitutes for the peanut butter. You do need to use a nut (or seed) butter of some kind, as it binds the bars and is important to their flavor and texture. As far as the brown rice syrup, I think you would be safe to substitute honey, though please note that honey will alter the rice krispie treats’ flavor somewhat, since it has a strong taste of its own, and the treats may be less chewy than if you stick with the brown rice syrup. That said, I imagine they would still be worth second (and third) helpings. If you decide to try the recipe or play around with it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
More Healthy Sweet Treats:
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Chunky Monkey Energy Balls
- Healthy No Bake Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Protein Balls
- For even more ideas, check out my favorite 50 Healthy Desserts!
Recommended Tools To Make Healthy Rice Krispie Treats:
- Favorite 8×8 inch baking pan
- Parchment paper (I love these pre-cut sheets)
Healthy Rice Krispie Treats
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Ingredients
- ½ cup brown rice syrup
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter* I recommend using the no-stir kind that can stay in the pantry, as the refrigerated kind will be too oily and not set properly
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups crispy rice cereal regular or brown rice—make sure it is certified GF if needed
- Optional: 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate for drizzling
Instructions
- Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the sides like handles. Coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown rice syrup, peanut butter, and coconut oil. Stir and heat until smooth and creamy. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt, then the crispy rice cereal, stirring until the cereal is evenly coated.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. With your fingers or a rubber spatula coated with nonstick spray, firmly press the mixture into a tight, even layer. Let rest 30 minutes to set.
- Meanwhile, if you'd like to add the chocolate drizzle, melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, being careful not to let the chocolate burn. Drizzle over the top of the treats. Place the pan back in the refrigerator for a few minutes to allow the chocolate to set. Remove the treats from the pan with the parchment or foil handles. Using a very sharp knife, cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- You can substitute another nut butter for the peanut butter, such as almond or sunbutter. For best results, ensure it is the no-stir kind that does not separate at room temperature, or the treats may become oily.
- Honey can be substituted for the brown rice syrup, but the flavor will differ and the bars may not be as chewy.
- Healthy Rice Krispie Treats are softest the day they are made but can be store in a tightly sealed ziptop bag (press out as much air as possible) or wrapped in plastic and kept in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. They are still safe to eat (and yummy) later on but will be more crisp versus chewy.
Nutrition
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I’m currently dairy free because our newborn has a suspected sensitivity, so I’ve been struggling with desserts/snacks for middle of the night feeds. THESE LOOK AMAZING!! Brown rice syrup is on its way and I can’t wait to try these!
Rice krispie treats to the rescue! I hope you enjoy them, Rachel!
Because the original recipe does not contain peanut butter, I wonder how this recipe would work without it…just a thought. I think that brown rice syrup would definitely be easier to mix compared to marshmallows, plus I already have this in my pantry. Whole recipe sounds good and very simple to make.
Hi Chris, I think you would to use a nut (or seed) butter of some kind, as it binds the bars and is important to their flavor and texture. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to give it a try!
I should have considered that – duh!
Where were these rice krispy treats when I was in grade school? Man oh man they were my fave back in the day, especially the ones with the chocolate drizzle! Love these healthier homemade ones!
Thanks Bethany! Hooray for bringing back childhood classics!
These look amazing, thanks Erin! I’m not vegan but a lot of my friends are so I’m always looking for easy dessert recipes to share with them. Plus I love peanut butter–can’t wait to try these!
Thanks so much, Erica! I hope these are a hit if you do give them a try!
Believe it or not, I’ve never had a Rice Krispie treat in my life, that I know of. I would probably choose to make these with almond butter and forget the chocolate (my doctor has taken me off chocolate, boo hoo!). About nut butters: it’s very easy to make your own if you have a food processor or high speed blender. The only ingredient required is the nuts (just keep processing and scraping down the sides of the bowl until the right consistency is achieved), so you don’t have the oil separation issue. (I just looked up Rice Krispie Treats and discovered that they are older than I am, so clearly I had a deprived childhood…)
You definitely should try these, Susan, and let me know what you think with the almond butter!
what a great idea! I can’t wait to make these for the kiddos and not be totally guilt ridden about all the junk in them.
YAY! I hope you all love them :)
Was your peanut butter sweetened? Or was it the “just peanuts and salt” variety? Thanks!
Hi Karra! I used Jif natural peanut butter (the no stir kind). I don’t recommend using the kind that needs to be refrigerated (which I think is what you were referring to), as it will be too oily.
Looks wonderful! That brown rice syrup sounds interesting (:
Straight up candy was always just too sweet for me. Wouldn’t want to get diabetes in one bite – Erin to the rescue again
hey girl- these look so yummy! Very creative! Keep ’em coming!
Thanks, Shawnna! I will! :)
Thanks for a fun recipe and very creative. These were a hit. Now I am wondering what to do with the rest of my rice syrup? Thank you!
Hi Kelly, I’m new to rice syrup myself, so I’m afraid I don’t have any other recipes calling for it right now. That said, I know that there are lots of homemade granola bar recipes that do call for it, so you could try a Google search or even look on Pinterest for ideas. Or make some more rice krispy bars ;-) I’m glad you loved the recipe, thanks for leaving this wonderful rating!
Hi Erin! I am assuming it would be ok to replace rice syrup with honey in this recipe ?
Hi Whitney, honey can be substituted for the brown rice syrup, but the flavor will differ and the bars may not be as chewy. I hope you enjoy!
I made these today and my kid loved it. Since he does not like chocolate (I know, it is weird since I LOVE chocolate ) we used coloured coconut as topping. Maybe it is not the healthiest dessert out there but way better than those ready to eat Krispy bars?
Thanks for taking the time to leave this awesome review, Andrea! I’m so happy to hear these treats were a hit for you and your son. :)
Wondering if you could put a protein powder in these, if so what kind would be best?
Hi Lisa, I’ve never tried anything like that, but I would be worried it would make the bars too dry. You’re welcome to experiment and add more peanut butter or rice syrup to make sure that the bars are nicely coated and sticky if you do decide to add protein powder!
I enjoyed making these and love all of your recipes. Even without the chocolate it was a little too sweet for me though and I’m wondering what modifications could me made so that they would still stick together. Thanks again for your great work.
Thank you so much, Lisa! As for modifying, you could try replacing some of the brown rice syrup with additional peanut butter. I haven’t tried it this way, so it’d be an experiment. I’d love to know how it goes if you do give it a try!
Hi Maggie, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe after adjusting the salt to your taste! Thanks so much for taking the time to review.
These were delicious! Such a simple recipe to follow! We will DEFINITELY be making these again and again!
Leigh, I am SO SO SO happy to hear it, thank you!!!!!
What brand cereal did you use that was gluten free??
Alissa, I’m afraid I don’t remember now, but our grocery store does have a gluten free aisle with several cereal options! I’d check your local store and read the labels. Sorry I can’t be more specific!
What would be your second choice for a syrup to be used in this recipe rather
than rice syrup?..
I currently have 100% Maple, Agave, and Raw Honey on hand.
Hi Stacy, honey can be substituted for the brown rice syrup, but the flavor will differ and the bars may not be as chewy. I hope you enjoy!
Can you use maple syrup instead of brown rice syrup?
Hi Christina! I recommend using honey. Honey can be substituted for the brown rice syrup, but the flavor will differ and the bars may not be as chewy.
Thank you!
These are fantastic! The perfect flu shot reward for my kiddos – they are a delicious treat AND aren’t too terrible for you!
Hi Rachel! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Greetings! Can I substitute maple syrup for the brown rice syrup?
Hi Tricia! I haven’t tried it myself but you probably could. Although the maple syrup is stronger in flavor. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
These are sooo good! I used honey and bulk crispy rice cereal from the grocery store and topped with a combo of dark chocolate and butterscotch chips! What a yummy treat! This will be on repeat in my house!
Hi Tess! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!