3 Ingredient Healthy Rice Crispy Treats (Vegan)

This 3 ingredient healthy rice krispie treats recipe is prepped in minutes! Learn how to make rice krispie treats without marshmallows. 

Ever crave healthy rice krispie treats, then think they might be impossible? When I was a little kid, I seriously, seriously LOVED rice crispy treats… or I should say, rice krispy treats. Yep, that “k” was absolutely essential in capturing this goodie’s, uh, goodness. Hehe.

We weren’t allowed to eat it very often, and it took me until semi-adulthood to make my very own treats at home, replete with butter, marshmallows and that bright blue box of crisp rice cereal.

It was almost magical, watching those marshmallows melt and meld with butter and create that sticky sweet glue. Even better was the part when my older sister, Monica, would help me hold the heavy pot of hot treats and pour it into the baking pan to press down.

There’s something oddly satisfying about getting a perfectly tightly-packed layer. 🙂

But now that I’m older and just ever-so-slightly wiser, I know that when I get these cravings, I gotta go for something just a tad (okay, a loooot) healthier. So today, we’re gonna learn how to make rice crispy treats without marshmallows, together. 🙂 The next time someone asks you if rice crispy treats are vegan, you can say, “Well, these are!” Also, “I don’t share.” 😉

I promise you, these healthy vegan rice crispy treats are just as satisfying and way, wayyyy less guilt-inducing. They’re super easy to make—with just 3 ingredients needed. And, there’s also a quick ‘n easy warming process (for the almond butter and maple syrup) that gives you the same cozy vibes as the marshmallows and butter melting together! 😉

the final step in learning how to make rice crispy treats without marshmallow is slicing the treats into bars

How to Make Vegan Rice Crispy Treats – Without Marshmallows

How does one make vegan rice krispie treats with no marshmallows, anywho? Today, I’m going to show you exactly how. We’re gonna skip the marshmallows, and instead, use a sweetened nut butter mixture that’s made with just 2 simple, whole, and vegan ingredients. The final ingredient in our healthy rice krispie treats? Rice crisp cereal made from brown rice. How *good* does that feel?

Line an 8-inch baking pan with wax paper or parchment paper. To make rice crispy treats without marshmallows, we’ll be using almond butter and maple syrup. Add these two ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

Natural almond butter and pure maple syrup in a mixing bowl as a substitute for marshmallows in rice crispy treats

 

Heat almond butter and maple syrup together until warm and fragrant. Whisk in between heating.

hand whisking almond butter and maple syrup in a glass bowl

 

Stir rice crisp cereal into the almond butter mixture. Fold until well mixed.

A hand folding and stirring rice crisp cereal into sweetened mixture for rice crispy treats

 

Pour the rice crispy treat mixture into the prepared baking pan. Smooth into an even, tightly-packed layer.

glass bowl tilted over lined baking pan dropping rice crispy treats mixture into pan

two hands holding a baking pan filled with smoothed and tightly packed rice crispy treats

 

Chill for 1 hour or more until firm in the freezer. Slice and enjoy your vegan rice krispie treats! 

healthy rice krispie treats sliced almost all the way to create 16 bars laying on wax paper

🎞 🎥 For more tips on how to make rice crispy treats without marshmallow, watch the video located in this post! You’ll see step-by-step how I make this recipe, from start to finish. 🙂 🎬 🎞

 

The 3 ingredients you need for Healthy Rice Krispie Treats

Rice Crispy Cereal – my favorite is this brand of vegan gluten free rice crisp cereal.

Almond Butter – together, almond butter and maple syrup work together to create a sticky mixture that acts as a substitute for marshmallows. This way, you can make rice crispy treats without marshmallows!

Pure Maple Syrup – the other half of the equation when keeping these healthy rice crispy treats marshmallow-free! 

The Taste & Texture of Healthy Vegan Rice Crispy Treats

These healthy vegan rice crispy treats have a crispy, crunchy texture with a nutty caramel taste. They’re sweet, but not too sweet, and hit that texture-craving when your sweet tooth needs a hit!

Learn how to make rice krispie treats without marshmallows, using just 3 healthy ingredients! Vegan rice krispie treats never tasted so good.

A stack of three healthy rice krispie treats on a white ceramic serving stand

Healthy Rice Crispy Treat Q & A

Can I substitute the almond butter with another ingredient?

Yes! You can use any nut butter you’d like in this vegan rice crispy treat recipe. Try peanut butter or cashew butter! I haven’t tried sunflower seed butter, but that might work too. Let me know if you try it!

How to Make Rice Crispy Treats without Marshmallows?

Follow this recipe! 😉 For realsies though, I created this recipe with the intent of skipping marshmallows since they are rarely vegan, and if so, are made with a bunch of questionable stuff (no judgement, but you know what I mean). So I used natural almond butter and pure maple syrup to sub so we could make these rice crispy treats without marshmallows!

Where can I find vegan rice krispie cereal? 

Follow this link to buy vegan rice krispie cereal.

Are rice krispie treats vegan? Are rice krispies healthy?

Most storebought rice krispie treats are not vegan or healthy. But today’s recipe does yield rice krispie treats that are vegan and healthy.

How do I store these healthy rice crispy treats?

You can store these healthy rice crispy treats in the freezer or the refrigerator. You can store them at room temperature after they set for the first few hours and you’re in a cooler environment. If it’s too hot, the treats will likely fall apart. I recommend keeping them in the fridge just in case. 😉

many healthy rice crispy treats on a gray serving tray with a plate of treats in the background

Where to Buy Ingredients for the Best Vegan Rice Krispie Treats

  • Unsalted, natural creamy almond butter – one of the most important ingredients in making healthy rice crispy treats–I mean, there’s only 3, so…  This one’s great because it doesn’t include any extra ingredients such as added oils, sugars or anything else.
  • Vegan gluten free brown rice crisp cereal – everyone’s always asking me where I find vegan AND gluten free rice crispy treats cereal–here it is! 😉 This crisp rice cereal is made from brown rice and goes great in your healthy vegan rice krispie treats!

Are you ready to get your no bake on? Let’s do it! You grab the almond butter, I’ll grab the gluten free crisp brown rice cereal! It’s truly my life’s joy sharing and creating these treats and memories with you. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and enjoy a sweet moment with me. ‘Til next time…

Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️

📸 Did you make this healthy rice crispy treats recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker & tag @beamingbaker. I’d love to see it! 📸

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3 Ingredient Healthy Vegan Rice Crispy Treats


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Description

Healthy Vegan Rice Crispy Treats: this 3 ingredient healthy rice krispie treats recipe is prepped in minutes! Learn how to make rice krispie treats without marshmallows.


Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with wax paper or parchment paper. Set aside for later.
  2. Add almond butter and maple syrup to a microwave-safe bowl. Whisk until well mixed. Heat in 20-second increments in the microwave until warm and fragrant, and the mixture begins to dry out and caramelize (about 4-7 rounds). Whisk in between heating increments. *Stovetop directions in Notes.
  3. Add rice crisp cereal to the almond butter mixture. Stir and fold until well-incorporated.
  4. Pour into the prepared baking pan. Using a rubber spatula, smooth into an even, very tightly packed layer.
  5. Chill in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove and slice into 16 square treats. Enjoy! Storing notes below.

More Healthy Vegan Treats

Notes

Where to Buy Ingredients:

*Stovetop Directions: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add almond butter and maple syrup. Whisk until well incorporated. Stir occasionally, heating until this mixture begins to bubble. Pour over rice crisp cereal placed in a heatproof bowl.

Storing Instructions: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer for 1-3 days. Best on the 1st day.

  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Category: Dessert, Snack
  • Method: Chill
  • Cuisine: American

© beamingbaker.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. Please do not use my images or recipe without my permission. Please do not republish this recipe, instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.

Easy Healthy Treats To Make You Smile

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107 Comments

  1. Would this recipe work to mold into christmas trees? I wanted to drizzle with matcha “frosting”. Or are they crumbly?

  2. Hi, I am having a problem with the rice crispy treats being crumbly and also the cereal getting stale and not being as crunchy? Am I doing something wrong, I followed the recipe. Should these be refrigerated after they cool?

    Thank you,
    Jasmin

  3. This looks great! Thank you.

    I am not a big fan of maple syrup and it is not really available where I live anyway, so could I use some liquified dates? (soak some dates is warm H2O)

    1. Hi James! I haven’t tried it myself, but I know other readers have used honey and dates in some of my other recipes with good results. I would love to hear how the liquified dates go if you try it.

  4. Enjoyed this cake yesterday, topped with chocolate – snickers-like. Remembered a friend in primary school made the rice puff cake, and searched for it. I like the simplicity and minimalism of this recipe, thanks!

  5. Delish. Did not have almond used peanut butter .
    3 pros over marshmallow version. Can’t wait to feed to my grandkids, oh yeah added Chico chips.💕






  6. Hi, just wondering if they actually only stay good for 3 days because I am seeing other recipes with similar ingredients that are saying 3 weeks.

    1. Hi Jack, I find that 3 days equals the freshest rice crispy treats. Once the crisp cereal is exposed to the warm caramely sweetened almond butter mixture, and to air (yes, even in the container), it tends to go stale after about 3 days. But that can change depending on your climate, etc. Go ahead and give it a try, and let me know if yours is fresh beyond the 3 days. Enjoy!

  7. No dessert in the house. No marshmallows for regular rice crispy treats, so googled , found this recipe. Low on maple syrup. Used half maple, half golden syrup. The caramelized syrup almond butter is key. Sprinkled on maldon salt. Delicious! Thank you for this fun, easy, yummy recipe.






    1. Yep–I’ve totally been there! When the craving hits and you don’t have the usual recipe ingredients on hand and need to get creative! I’m so happy that you enjoyed my recipe. 🙂 The maldon salt on top sound fabulous! You’re so welcome. 🙂