These vegan Rice Krispie Treats are made with healthy ingredients! If you want to enjoy some homemade Rice Krispie Treats with no marshmallows and no peanut butter, you’ve come to the right place.
Yes, you can make vegan rice Krispie treats and make them with much healthier alternative ingredients! And I have the easy recipe for you 😍
Rice krispie treats have been a childhood favorite for decades. We all remember them growing up, don’t we? A classic cookie treat that’s fun for kids, easy to make, and loved by all.
However, the original recipe is made with butter and marshmallows. If they are vegan, they are made with margarine and vegan marshmallows.
What makes these healthy Rice Krispie Treats different?
I’m here to show you how to make Krispie treats without vegan butter, without vegan margarine, and without vegan marshmallows!
Crazy talk?
Nope. Recipe magic!
See, when I developed this recipe, vegan marshmallows were just coming on to the vegan market. They weren’t available in many stores or online.
I wanted to create a recipe using more common pantry staples. Plus, I knew I could make vegan rice krispie treats just a little healthier than with margarine and vegan marshmallows!
In eat, drink & be vegan, I created two vegan recipes of rice krispie treats. The first version was more ‘traditional’, using vegan marshmallows. Then, another using macadamia butter.
Later, when creating recipes for Plant-Powered Families, I created a nut-free version of this krispie treats recipe (now my favorite)!
Today, I’m sharing both the nut-free and original versions of my rice krispie treats.
In this video, I show you how to make the original version using macadamia nut butter.
Macadamia nut butter is ahhhmazing, but can be difficult to find. So, if you cannot get your hands on it, try a raw cashew butter.
Or, just go with the version, below. The treats hold together even better and have become my favorite version!
Enjoy the treats! x Dreena
Healthy Rice Krispie Treats (vegan & gluten free)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut butter (not oil, see note) OR 1/2 cup macadamia nut butter (see note)
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup or coconut nectar, see note
- 3 tbsp unrefined sugar can reduce or omit, to taste
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 – 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups natural brown rice crisp cereal
Instructions
- Line an 8×8-in (20×20-cm) pan with parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan on low-medium heat, combine coconut butter or macadamia butter, syrup, sugar, (agar if using macadamia nut butter), salt, and vanilla.
- Stir continually as mixture heats is fully dissolved (reduce heat if mixture starts bubbling).
- Remove from heat and stir in cereal, making sure to fully incorporate with nut butter mixture.
- Transfer mixture to pan and press in evenly (use an edge of parchment paper to press without sticking).
- Refrigerate to cool completely, then cut into squares. Makes 16 squares.
Notes
- Macadamia Note: If you don’t need these nut-free, use macadamia nut butter or raw cashew butter. If using nut butter, it’s helpful to add 1/4 tsp agar powder with the mixture before adding the cereal.
- Use coconut butter, not oil.
- Brown Rice Syrup Note: Don’t substitute with maple syrup! I get this question all the time. It’s not thick and sticky enough. If you need to substitute, only use a thick coconut nectar.
Bella Marin says
Great recipe. Kids loved them!
Nina Javez says
Hey Dreena, I used white puffed rice instead and they turned out pretty good! Would you recommend brown rice?
Dreena says
Hi Nina, if you want to try a puffed brown rice cereal you can. Puffed rice is different than rice crisp cereal – overall the squares will be less ‘crispy’ and not as sweet. But if you enjoyed them with puffed white rice, then by all means give it a try!
Hayley says
Hi there dreena
I can’t seem to find brown puffed rice here in Australia, what about puffed millet? Or quinoa?
Dreena says
Hi Hayley, for sure you can use another puffed cereal. I prefer to use the brown rice crisps rather than the puffed rice for flavor, but the puffed cereals will also work. Good luck!
Nuffy says
Hayley you can buy the brown rice from European bulk stores in Australia, and look it up of Googe search, you will find it listed…
Thanks…
Jane says
I hope I haven’t blown it but I just made these and as a last minute crazy addition, melted chocolate drizzle over the top! Why? I just couldn’t stop myself!
Thanks for your excellent recipes!
Deanna says
This recipe says its NUT-FREE, yet you use cocoNUT butter. For many of us with tree nut allergies, tree nuts INCLUDE cocoNUT. Is there a NUT-FREE substitute for the cocoNUT?
Dreena says
Deanna, coconut is classified as a drupe botanically.
I am not oblivious to the word “nut” included in coconut, but it’s irrelevant. The word “man” is also included in the word “woman” and that doesn’t mean we are technically men.
While there can be cross-contaminant allergies, it is rather rare, and so most recipes that use coconut are classified as nut-free.
Lauri says
I too have tree nut allergies. But I can eat coconuts as they are not truly a nut. I can also eat peanuts, which are also not truly nuts. It is just an individual thing. And these look super good! Thanks for the nut free recipe.
Sara Berberich says
Dreena, your reply made me smile 🙂 Thank you.
Ashley Hoober says
Me as well! What a wonderful way to address someone of that nature.