3 Ingredient Healthy Rice Crispy Treats (Vegan)

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

A dozen healthy rice krispie treats on wax paper this recipe

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! 📸

More Healthy Vegan Treats

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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

Units 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

Equipment

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.

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About Beaming Baker

It’s nice to meet you! Erik and I love sharing easy recipes that are fun & approachable. I love cozy movies, chocolate, big hugs, and being out at sea.

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109 Comments

  1. So… I’m not vegan so maybe there is something im not aware of but aren’t Rice Krispy treats already vegan if you use a vegan friendly margarine? Im planning on making them for my daughter’s birthday in lieu of cupcakes. To be considerate of those with food allergies. Im well versed in gluten and dairy sensitivities but kinda clueless on the vegan thing.

    Reply

    1. Hi Amanda! So sweet of you to be so considerate of your daughter and her friends. ☺️ Yep, vegan-friendly butter should work fine in a traditional rice crispy recipe. The main issue is that most marshmallows are not vegan because they contain gelatin, which is derived from animal products. Hence this marshmallow free recipe. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  2. a perfect recipe – easy, quick, yummy & satisfying! it’s also interesting because the result doesn’t taste like the ingredients – they transform together into the crispy sweet treat we love.



    Reply

  3. Hi! Do you think I could use peanut butter instead of almond butter and sub agave with maple syrup? Thanks!! 🙂

    Reply

  4. Delicious but don’t seem to hold together. I used fresh ground almond butter from Whole Foods that had been refrigerated. Took them to a covered dish dinner and people loved taste but most used forks to eat. Any suggestions.

    Reply

    1. Hi Charlene, did you get a chance to stir your almond butter until it was very well mixed? The consistency should be very liquidy and mostly smooth (with just a bit of grain from the almonds). Also, I’ve noticed that the nut butter grinders at Whole Foods sometimes yield chunkier, rather than, smooth almond butter. That could lead to the treats falling apart. Hope this helps!

      Reply

      2. Charlene, I just remembered that this recipe needs to be refrigerated. (I just reviewed the notes on the recipe.) Make sure to keep the treats in the fridge or freezer right up until you’re ready to serve, or else they’ll fall apart.

  6. The krispies were slightly nutty and sweet, but with a texture like they had gone stale. They did not hold together. I put them in the fridge over night. When I cut them up, there was at least a cup of loose krispies.

    Reply

    1. Hi there! Hm, was your peanut butter dry or liquidy? If it was very dry (more like a paste), then it would make it harder for the treats to stick together. Also, if the cereal is soft at the start it will affect the final texture of the treats. Hope this helps! 🙂

      Reply

  7. Hi! I want to make these in our after school program! I have a few with nut allergies. Is there a substitution you’d suggest for almond butter? Thanks in advance

    Reply

    1. Hi Molly! Hope fun! . You could sunflower seed butter or soy butter. Hope this helps! 🙂

      Reply

  8. Have just put a batch in the freezer! I used peanut butter and golden syrup as that’s what the pantry had. Am excited to see if they still work out good! Thanks for the easy recipe 😀



    Reply

  18. These look so moreish and delicious. I love that they’re healthy and only need three ingredients.



    Reply

      1. Is puffed brown rice the same thing as brown rice crisped cereal? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

      2. Hi Jessy! Usually puffed rice is soft and puffy (like puffed kamut), while brown rice crisp cereal is crispy and crunchy (think of the cereal is rice crispy treats). Sometimes, however, brands will use the terms interchangeably. Hope this helps!