These Healthy Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats are made with 6 good-for-you ingredients and come together in minutes! There are no marshmallows or corn syrup in this recipe! They are the perfect easy, no-bake, gluten & dairy-free dessert to satisfy your chocolate peanut butter cravings!
These Healthy Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats speak to me on so many levels
They are easy, no-bake bars of chocolate peanutty bliss that are made with only 6 healthy ingredients and require mere minutes of hands-on prep time. Plus they’re gluten, dairy and refined sugar free! Quick & easy dessert perfection.
How to make Healthy Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats
I am going to walk you through making these scrumptious treats step-by-step, because each step in this crispy treat making process is deliciously beautiful
Step 1: Gather your ingredients.
There are only 6 ingredients in these Healthy Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats, and it’s important to measure them all out before you begin making the recipe!
Step 2: Melt and Mix
I love that these Healthy Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats have no marshmallows or corn syrup but are still out-of-this-world delicious! I think they’re even easier to make because melting peanut butter and honey is much easier than melting mallows! 😉
If you use a super creamy, natural peanut butter and a smooth honey you may be able to skip the melting process all together. However, I find it’s easier to mix these treats together if all the ingredients are slightly warm. You can use the microwave or stovetop, just be careful not to overheat the mixture!
Step 3: Form the Crispy Base & Add Chocolate!
To ensure easy removal, line the baking pan with parchment and lightly grease it! Use a greased spatula to spread the peanut butter crispy mixture into the pan and spread it out evenly.
Pour the warm topping onto the crispy base. Then pop them into the fridge or freezer to chill!
Step 4: Cut & Serve
One the bars are sufficiently chilled, remove them from the fridge to warm slightly before cutting. If you try cutting them when the chocolate topping is really cold, it will crack!
Serve the bars at room temperature. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator!
Healthy Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats: Substitutions
This recipe is actually pretty versatile for only containing 6 ingredients! Here are a few possible substitutions!
- Peanut Butter. Any nut or seed butter can be used in this recipe! Be sure to choose a variety that complies with your dietary needs!
- Honey. Use maple syrup or brown rice syrup for a vegan version of these treats!
- Crispy brown rice cereal. I used Barbara’s Organic Brown Rice Crispy Cereal {found here} but any crispy rice cereal would work great in this recipe, including classic Rice Krispes!
- Bittersweet Chocolate. Choose your favorite variety of chocolate that complies with your dietary needs! For a dairy-free & vegan options choose SunSpire or Enjoy Life Foods products!
More no-bake treats!
Here are some more heathy no-bake treats to try!
- These no bake oatmeal bars are SO good!
- These no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies get a healthy twist!
- I love these no bake chocolate oat bars so much!
IF YOU MAKE SOMETHING FROM JOYFOODSUNSHINE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS! DON’T FORGET TO RATE THIS RECIPE AND LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW! ALSO, FOLLOW ALONG WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE AND TWITTER FOR MORE RECIPE INSPIRATION AND A GLIMPSE INTO OUR EVERYDAY LIFE!
Healthy Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats:
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups crispy brown rice cereal
Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping:
- 1 cup (4oz) bittersweet chocolate
- 1 TBS creamy peanut butter
Instructions
Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Base:
- Line an 8x8” or 9x9” square baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease and set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl or on the stovetop over medium-low heat, melt together the honey and peanut butter, stirring until combined. (be very careful to not overheat).
- Remove from heat and stir in the sea salt and vanilla extract until combined.
- Add the crispy rice cereal to a large clean & dry mixing bowl.
- Pour peanut butter mixture on top of the cereal and stir until completely combined.
- Pour mixture into the prepared baking pan. Use a greased spatula to spread it until the top is even and smooth.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping:
- To make the topping: melt the chocolate and peanut butter together in a small microwave-safe dish or on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Stirring until just combined.
Putting it together:
- Pour the topping over the peanut butter rice crispy treat base, using a spatula to spread it evenly and smoothly.
- Place treats in the refrigerator for 60 minutes (or in the freezer for a shorter chill time).
- Remove 5-10 minutes before serving to let them warm up slightly before cutting or the chocolate will crack. Serve at room temperature!
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Terri
These looked like a healther treat to make for a camp. I did have some sugar in them as the natural peanut butter I had has sugar. I also used dark chocolate chips for the topping. Whoops, out of rice crispy so had to use cheerioes. THEY WERE DELICIOUS!!! I used just one bowl as I microwaved everything. After putting the honey/peanut butter in the pan, I even used the same bowl for the chocolate. So easy and delicious!
Khadijah
Hi! Are these freezer friendly? If so how long do you recommend they will last in both refrigerator and freezer? Thank you!
Ashley
I’ve made these four times in the last four weeks. My teenage children, husband, and I absolutely love them. I don’t feel guilty eating these and they’re delicious. Thank you for posting the recipe.
Laura
Thank you so much Ashley! I’m so grateful they have brought delicious joy to your entire family!
Marie Wildman
Recipe was definitely simple and delicious. I adjusted a bit to use what I had on hand, substituted agave and maple syrup (half each) for the honey and worked just fine. Also much better without marshmallows. I did have to switch over to a spatula that was more spoon shaped to prevent the krispies from flying out of the bowl (and yes I did use a big bowl.)
My only issue is that I ended up with a sink full of dishes. What’s the reason why I can’t just pour the cereal into the PB mixture? And why can’t I then melt the choc/PB in that same bowl? No flavor differences to keep separate and then clean up would be a lot faster.
PS for a totally different taste/texture try this with an oat product (Cheerios or Chow Mein noodles). My mom would do this in the 60’s and I loved it.
Ashley
I use one pan for the whole thing. I mix the top 4 ingredients and then add my rice crispies. After I put it in my 8×8 I use the same pan to melt the chocolate chips and more peanut butter. I’m all about less dishes.
Chris
Thanks for this recipe!
In case you’d like to leave a note for other readers:We tried using natural peanut butter (no palm oil), and the consistency just didn’t work. They were still delicious, but the crispies did not combine well with the peanut butter and honey mixture.
(We still enjoyed ours, even if they were very crumbly!) 😁
Kaitlyn Friesen
thanks so very much for this healthy rice cereal squares recipe. they were delectable; i definitely will make again!
Sharon
I made these with my kids over the weekend and it was a hit. It’s easy enough for the kids to do and definitely decadent!
I mixed in a cup of oat flakes, replacing a cup of brown rice crisps. We made them into 2 long trays and we ate a tray in a single sitting.
Julie
Ummmm…..just trying really hard not to eat it all at once. I also threw in a little rum and almond extracts, plus some cinnamon and grated ginger. Thanks for the guidelines, it was just what I was looking for. I may have eaten a serving or 3 before it made it to “chill” stage. Note: chill stage has yet to be completed. 😳😜 😉
Laura
LOL! I’m so glad you love them Julie! And waiting is the hardest part!
GBC
I doubled the recipe by using a 10 oz. bag of Ghirardelli chocolate chips, 16 oz. bottle of unfiltered honey, and a 16 oz. jar of organic creamy peanut butter. All other ingredients doubled as well. It all fit well into a 13 x 9 pan. Easy to make with just three dishes for microwaving and stirring.
Laura
Thank you so much for the notes on doubling! So glad you enjoyed them!
Linda McGrath
Hello…wondering if doubling the recipe would fit into a 9 by 13 pan…thankyou Linda
Erica Finnegan
Yep! I doubled for a 9×13 pan and they were perfect!
Denice Golden
Do you have to use brown rice krispes
Laura
Nope!!!! I’ve made them with normal rice crispy cereal and they’re perfect!