Made without any marshmallows or butter, these Healthy Rice Krispie Treats are a great way to enjoy a childhood favourite!
Today’s post will be short and sweet… just like me… except not really. I can probably pull off sweet well enough, but short might prove to be a little more difficult seeing as I’m all of 5’8.5″. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t, though… like when I tower over guys when I wear heels, or when I can’t cross my legs under a table. But I digress. I promised a shorter post and I’m already rambling, so let’s get to the point, shall we? Or the squares…
No matter how old I get or how many fancy desserts I come across, I have to admit that Rice Krispie squares will probably always be one of my favourite sweet treats. Just three simple ingredients that, when combined, create something magical…
And irresistible! Back in the day, I could put away an entire batch of squares without much of a problem. Soft, chewy, crunchy, sweet… they were perfection. Heck, they still are. Except these days I try to get a little more variety in my diet instead of eating squares for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I’ve swapped out the butter and marshmallows for slightly healthier ingredients like almond butter and honey. The result is a sweet and chewy square that may not taste exactly the same as the original (depending on what kind of nut butter you use), but is just as good and just as addicting.
The recipe comes together in a flash and requires only 5 ingredients, two of which are optional. All you really need to make these is the cereal, honey, and almond butter, but the vanilla adds a lovely flavour, and the chocolate is… well… chocolate. Although to be perfectly honest, sometimes I leave it out because I actually prefer my Rice Krispie treats without anything on them — I just love the basic combo that much.
I also love that I can feel good about eating multiple servings of these, and that they can be made nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and/or vegan, depending on what ingredients you use. Everyone needs a go-to recipe when it comes to the classics (chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, apple pie, etc.), and this is mine for healthy rice krispie treats.
I’d love to know if you make this (or any!) recipe! Tag @runwithspoons on Instagram and Twitter, and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy and delicious recipes straight to your inbox!
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Healthy Rice Krispie Treats
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 12 squares 1x
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (64 g) creamy no-stir almond butter*
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil
- 1/2 cup (160 g) brown rice syrup or honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups (90 g) crispy rice cereal**
- 3 – 4 Tbsp (33–44 g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 (20x20cm) baking pan with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal. Spray foil with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, add the almond butter, coconut oil, syrup, and vanilla, stirring until the almond butter is melted and fully combined with the honey.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the cereal, stirring until it becomes well incorporated.
- Transfer the mixture into your prepared baking pan and use a greased spatula or your hands to distribute the mixture evenly, pressing down firmly to ensure that the mixture is tightly packed.
- Place the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and nuke on high in 20 second intervals, mixing between each. When the chocolate is fully melted, drizzle it over the top of the packed cereal mixture using a spoon.
- Place the pan in the fridge and allow the bars to cool for ~30 minutes before cutting them into squares using a sharp knife.
Notes
* You could also use peanut butter, or use a soy nut butter to make these nut-free. Just be sure to use the no-stir store-bought variety, as the natural oils and different textures could prevent the bars from sticking together properly.
** Make sure to use a certified gluten free cereal if you need these to be gluten free.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
I tried these, they tasted ok but they really fell apart, it seemed like there wasn’t enough mix or it wasn’t sticky enough to hold the rice crispies together well.
Healthy? Not really. Very little difference nutritionally/calorie wise from regular cereal treats. I bet they are tasty, though.
I tried to make these today with homemade cashew butter and unfortunately they didn’t come out well. Maybe it was bc the nut butter was homemade but it didn’t melt or spread at all and so it wouldn’t blend with the cereal. I ended up with a pan of rice crispies with little chunks of rice crispy/cashew butter 🙁 Are the amounts in the recipe correct? 4 cups seemed like a a lot to mix into the nut butter…
Ok, I must admit, I had my doubts and when I was mixing this up it seemed like it wouldn’t stick together well, but I was wrong, they are great and now my problem is, I don’t want to stop eating them! Thanks for the great and simple recipe.
Made these yesterday, and they’re almost gone! Thanks so much for another amazing recipe :))
Healthy rice krispie treats? SO in love with these Amanda! And I love that chocolate drizzle! Pinned and sharing for SNF this Saturday 🙂 Hope you are having a great Monday!
great healthy krispie recipe!
im six foot one! (aka always towering over guys/everyone) I always said five foot 8 or 9 is perfect 🙂
OMG looks amazing! I’m drooling over my computer, lol. I must try to make these
Mmmm I love me some rice krispie treats, but I haven’t had a real one in FOREVER! These look like the perfect substitute 🙂 I’ll take the whole pan pleeeeease.
You should bring these to blend… just sayin… 😉
These look so good! My college cafeteria made what they called ‘vegan rice krispie treats’, and they had some mixture of honey and nut butter in them. They were the size of your face but as addicting as I would imagine drugs are.
I’m 5’0″ and I absolutely hate it. People always tower over me and I always feel like I have to wear heels – not that I mind, I love wearing heels.
I finally bought puffed rice cereal (yay!) so I can finally make your rice krispie treats… they were definitely one of my favorite treats as a child – I loved eating them warm out of the pan!
Spoons you are a bloody giant…..I think I’m 172 cm or 173 cm but no idea what that works out to be in ft inches blah blah blah.
No marshmallows? Blasphemy!
I’m thinking that’s something like 5’7 or 5’8.
I just love how versatile and neutral almond butter is! Best way to make something hearty but healthy, in my opinion. 😀 And mannn isn’t it always that way??! We always want what we can’t have. I’m merely 5’1-2″ ish and I’ve always wanted to be long and tall, but then nowadays I’m appreciating being petite because I was able to fit in little spaces that required work when Selah was throwing things on the floor while at a restaurant, hahaha. There’s pros and cons to everything I guess. 😉 Have a beautiful day, m’dearrr!
Work that height, lady! I’m all of 5’3 and count myself lucky since my asian side is pretty tiny. Then again, my dad is Norwegian and all my Norsk cousins are around 6’3 to 6’4 in height. I think I got the short end of the stick (hahahah literally made myself LOL with that pun. I’m so lame ;)).
ANYWAYS. These look delicious and I can’t believe you managed to make them without marshmallows or butter- they look like the real deal!
Hahaha I just had to comment on the huge gap between your Asian and Norwegian sides! I can relate in the sense that my baby is over the 75% of height and is just….a large, healthy baby! But my husband is 6′ and I’m 5’1″ ish, so I guess she decided to stay with the Germans. 😉
I can’t tell you how many rice crispy treats I have indulged in back in the day. Oh my.. so good.
I will have to give these a go! I do miss those treats, but I know they won’t work well with my stomach.
Do these taste any different from your rice krispie energy bars?
Slightly less sweet and vanilla-y. You can taste the cereal and almond butter better.
Yummm these look so good! I’ve never been a big Rice Krispie square fan, but that’s because they’re not usually made with chocolate. The chocolate drizzle on these makes them like a million times better!
Girl, sometimes I feel I would give anything to be 5’8! Being 5 feet tall is annoying sometimes… especially when it means having to climb onto counters to get things from my cupboards, always having to pay to get my pants hemmed, being towered over by my 14 year old cousin, and always without fail getting IDed haha.
These look so amazingly delicious!
Thank you for sharing!
xx
Linda
Beauty And Tips
Mmmm. Just because these involve nut butter, I think I’d enjoy these even more than the original!
I’m a short 5’2″ kid, but it’s a nice height. It would be nice to not be mistaken for a middle schooler every now and then, but at least high heels can fix that 😉
These look deliciousssss. Rice krispies definitely take me back to when my mom used to pack them in my lunches in elementary school Bawwwww. I’m old.
I’m tempted to say that I’m probably older 😛
Mmmm… I’m all about rice krispie treats, especially if they’re healthy 😉 As for height, I’m going to take my grandma’s side… as she always said, ‘I wish I were taller because then I could eat more.’ Hehehe! Although if I were taller, I’d tower over Kyle in heels so I’m okay with my measly 5’4″ 🙂
rice crispy treats will always be a favorite, no matter what age. They just work! and who doesn’t love melted almond butter?
Thank you for sharing these, Amanda! As a vegetarian, I do not eat marshmallows since they contain gelatin. It is so nice to see a marshmallow-free version 🙂
I don’t know what it is about rice crispy treats, but they are one treat that I just can’t pass up! Thanks for this healthier version, so I can make them without so much guilt! Almond butter is one of my very favorite things, and I love how you’ve used it here. 🙂