Crunchy, chewy, and delicious, these vegan rice crispy treats are popular with kids and kids-at-heart! They’re easy to make, have just 6 ingredients, and have a decadent chocolate shell.
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With my son’s birthday approaching recently, I got to thinking about vegan options for kid-approved party food!
Rice crispy treats were a staple party item when I was growing up, but they were typically made with marshmallows, sprinkled with candy, and overall pretty sickly sweet…
I wanted to try making a healthier version, that was just as fun, just as delicious (if not more so!), but a whole lot healthier and with no added refined sugar. Something that wasn’t just allowed as a birthday treat.
Enter these vegan puffed rice bars with dark chocolate topping!
Using peanut butter instead of marshmallows, and plain puffed rice instead of Rice Krispies, you’re cutting out a whole lot of sugar, but replacing it with flavorsome goodness instead. I promise you, you’ll end up loving these puffed rice snacks more than the ‘real deal’.
Are Rice Crispy Treats Vegan?
Traditionally, no. Let’s start with their main ingredient – Rice Krispies.
The original Rice Krispies from Kelloggs aren’t vegan as they contain a type of Vitamin D that’s derived from lanolin. If you’re not already aware, lanolin is the oil that’s produced by sheep to keep their wool waterproof. So any rice crispy treats that use Rice Krispies as an ingredient aren’t going to be vegan.
Next up, they normally use marshmallows and butter as binding agents.
Marshmallows are made with gelatin – a product normally made by boiling down animal ligaments, skin & bones. And we all know where butter comes from.
Luckily these ingredients are easily subbed for more vegan-friendly alternatives, that are also much healthier for you too!
Vegan Rice Crispy Treats Ingredients
These healthy rice crispy treats contain just 7 ingredients.
Puffed Rice – unsweetened & gluten-free
Peanut Butter – smooth and organic pure peanut butter works best
Coconut Oil – unrefined
Pure Maple Syrup – not maple-flavoured syrup
Pure Vanilla Extract – not vital if you don’t have any
Salt – just a pinch
Dark Chocolate – for topping
How to Make Vegan Rice Krispie Treats
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the puffed rice and chocolate.