Got to love classic rice krispie treats, and we are flipping this nostalgic treat with a healthy and wholesome twist that is sure to have you doing your happy dance.  These delicious and comforting Healthy Vegan Rice Krispie Treats are brimming with chewy goodness that are perfect for school lunches, a quick snack at work, or for your next family holiday dessert table. They are sure to make your holiday dessert tray shine.

Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.

Hi there, Ameera here!

Mom always made rice krispie treats back in the day. They were always a huge hit; Chris and I would devour them as soon as they were done. Actually, we would stand next to Mom as she scooped the treats into the buttered pan and try to steal some before they made it into the pan.  Dad loved them too!

The original recipe called for loads of butter and ooey-gooey melty marshmallows. Later on, you could buy them at the grocery store in the snack aisle, but nothing was as tasty as Mom’s homemade rice krispie treats.  Hers were magical, or maybe it’s just nostalgia.

Work Treats

I used to get super upset because Mom would make them for work food days at her office.  I would beg for her to leave a bunch at home for me, but whenever she made something for work, there was a tiny to none slim chance that I might get some.  LOL

As a small kid, that was always a hard pill to swallow. I just wanted ALL the rice krispie treats!  I mean who were these “work people” that they always got the goodies!   LOL

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WFPB Conversion  

Now if you are thinking that this Whole Food Plant Based recipe conversion is going to taste just like the original, let me forewarn you, it’s not.

There are no marshmallows, so they aren’t going to have quite the same ooey-gooey texture. I can promise you though that they are super delicious!

For the butter part, we added peanut butter for extra flavor, but you can use any nut or seed butter you’d like. Keep in mind that different nut/seed butters will add different flavor composition to the krispie treats.

Chocolatey Goodness

We made several kitchen tests of this recipe. Both were equally delicious.

In one kitchen test, we added mini (or chopped) chocolate chips at the same time that we added the rice krispies cereal, which created a swirl of yummy chocolate throughout the rice krispie treats – super yummy.  Actually – this was my favorite of all the kitchen tests.

In another kitchen test, we left out the mini chocolate chips and made a chocolate drizzle for the top – this is what you see in the pictures.

Keep in mind this recipe does not need to have any chocolate added in or drizzled on top. It’s super tasty just as is. On a side note: the chocolate version that was swirled in created a more firm, crispy, crunchy rice krispie treat.

We loved both versions, and Dad went crazy and devoured them like the wolverine!  LOL

I’ll let Mom tell you more about these tasty treasures.

Hi!  Robin here!

I can’t make rice krispie treats without thinking of Jim Harvey. He was the Commercial Underwriting Director at my place of business. He was an amazing man: kind, generous, intelligent, witty, and absolutely hilarious.

His quick wit made him famous at work throughout all the regional offices and home office. He graciously hosted numerous events simply because everyone knew they would bust a gut laughing at his amazing sense of humor.  He could spin a story full of hilarity like no other.  His intelligence was legendary as well. He was one of a kind for sure.

Jim LOVED homemade rice krispie treats. I tried to make them often when I worked in Commercial simply because he was always so good to us.  I thought if there was one small way that I could give back to him to show him some small level of gratitude for all that he had given to us so generously that I would make his favorite treat on our work food days.  So that’s exactly what I did, I made lots of rice krispie treats simply because he loved them.

I would always put a few aside just for him to ensure he got some since there was one underwriter who felt that any food on our designated food days left over past the noon hour was automatically his to wrap up and take home. LOL  So food went quickly on work food days.

When Jim passed unexpectedly, we were all devasted and heartbroken. TP109 and I cried buckets of tears. (TP loved Jim too). He was an amazing man who was loved by all. Unheard of in this day and age when a leader could be so loved by so many.

I am all chocked up and balling like a baby just typing this tiny tribute to him in our WFPB food blog.  This Whole Food Plant Based conversion recipe is dedicated to you, James E. Harvey, Jr. (July 30, 1943 to August 22, 2005). May God bless you and hold you close and dear!  We all miss you terribly!

If you try these tasty treats, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us!  We would love to hear from you.

Products Used:

• Food Processor (not required, but can be used to break up the dates)
• Pan
• Parchment Paper

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Vegan Rice Krispie Treats

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook Time: 4 Minutes
• Total Time: 14 Minutes (+4 - 6hrs Refrigeration)
• Yield: 6-9 Bars 1x
• Category: Dessert, Snack
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Got to love classic rice krispie treats, and we are flipping this nostalgic treat with a healthy and wholesome twist that is sure to have you doing your happy dance.  These delicious and comforting Healthy Vegan Rice Krispie Treats are brimming with chewy goodness that are perfect for school lunches, a quick snack at work, or for your next family holiday dessert table. They are sure to make your holiday dessert tray shine.

Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.

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Ingredients

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Sauce Ingredients:

• 6 Medjool dates, pitted, fine dice *
• ¼ cup organic maple syrup (+/-) *
• ½ cup unsweetened peanut butter *
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened plain plant milk (+/-) *
• 1 teaspoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt (+/- to taste) *

Other Ingredients:

• 4 cups brown rice crisps cereal *

Optional Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup (mini, chunk, or regular) chocolate chips *

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Instructions

1. Line a baking dish (or similar dish) with parchment paper width-wise with parchment paper hanging over the edge for easy removal later when the treats are ready to serve, set aside.
2. Finely chop the Medjool dates by hand or place in a food processor, then place in a large stock pot with all the remaining Sauce Ingredients. Stir constantly over low heat until the mixture is melted together. Use the back of a rubber spatula to mash the chopped Medjool dates into the peanut butter/maple syrup mixture. There will be some visible pieces of dates in the mixture, that is fine. Mash them up as much as you can, approximately 3 to 4 minutes, stir well, then remove from stove.
3. Immediately place the brown rice crisps cereal into the large pot with the hot sauce mixture and stir until the cereal is well coated and sticky. If adding chocolate chips, stir them in now. It’s OK if the chocolate chips start to melt.
4. Dump the mixture into a parchment paper lined baking dish. Press the cereal mixture down firmly to form a cohesive bar, cover and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hour before serving.  (see notes of refrigeration)
5. Optional: After the treats have refrigerated for at least one hour.  Score and cut the treats, then drizzle individual treats with melted chocolate, refrigerate to set the chocolate.

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Notes

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Medjool dates:  If using another dried date other than Medjool dates, you may need to soak them first. Typically, Medjool dates are very soft.  However, if you are using a different date, test the date by pinching it.  If the date is very soft, gooey, and pliable, then you can just add them to the food processor to break them up (or chop by hand).  If the dates are drier and stiff, then you will need to cover them with boiling water, and let stand for about 20 minutes to soften them up before adding the dates to the food processor (or chopping by hand).

*Organic Maple Syrup:  You can use all Medjool dates if you prefer not to use a mixture of Medjool dates and maple syrup. We found that the combination of the two works best. If using all Medjool dates, then you will need to add a little water to basically make a sticky date syrup. We have not tried this substitution ourselves, but we believe it will work.  Again, it will need to be refrigerated.

*Unsweetened Peanut Butter:  You can also substitute using a different nut or seed butter with the understanding that the flavor will change based upon the nut/seed butter selected.

*Unsweetened Plain Plant Milk:  You may or may not need the plant milk. When cooked the mixture should be on the thicker side, yet easily stir-able.  We found we needed 2 Tablespoons of plant milk to get that consistancy.

*Brown Rice Crisps Cereal:  We used Barbaras Organic Brown Rice Crisps Cereal.  It is Whole Food Plant Based.  The only ingredients are Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice, Organic Pear Juice Concentrate, and Sea Salt. Note: The link above to Amazon is just for visual reference as we are aware it is a bulk purchase of 6 boxes of cereal. We found this product at our local health food store (Earth Fare.)  If you wish to search stores to see if you can find a local store near you, Barbaras has a Find The Store link.

*Baking Dish:  You can use just about any size baking dish you wish, largely dependent upon how thick or thin you want your treats.  We used a 6.5 x 8.5 inch dish.

*Melted Chocolate Chip Drizzle:  We used Enjoy Life Mega Chocolate Chunks for drizzling.  Simply place the chocolate chips/chunks in the microwave and heat for 10 seconds at a time, stir, then repeat until the chocolate has melted, then drizzle the treats. (Shown in the photos)

*Mini Chocolate Chips:  We used Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Dairy Free Mini Chocolate Chips. If adding the chocolate chips directly into the cereal mixture, use mini chocolate chips rather than regular sized ones. They melt right into the mixture, which is what you want. (Not shown in the photos, made in a kitchen test, very tasty) If you can’t get mini or don’t want to use mini, you can use regular sized, chunked, or bar of chocolate and chop it into small tiny pieces so that it melts throughout the rice krispie treats. If you want chunk of chocolate to bit into, then keep them on the larger side.

*Refrigeration:  These healthy treats are not your typical rice crispy treats that use melted butter and marshmallows to hold them together.  They stick together perfectly, but we have found the best results are refrigerate them for 4-6 hours or over night and to keep them stored in refrigerator.

*Tips for success:  Line the baking dish with parchment paper with paper hanging over the two longest sides.  This will make it easier to pick up and remove the treats from the baking dish after they have been refrigerated.  When placing the treats into the parchment paper lined baking dish, try to evenly distribute the mixture as it is difficult to move around once it is in the dish. Then press down very firmly to compress the mixture together and create one cohesive block.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before scoring.  When ready to score, run a thin bladed sharp knife along the edges that are not covered by parchment paper (2 short sides), then lift the treats up by holding the edges of the parchment paper.  Place on a flat surface, score and cut with a very sharp knife. Keep the blade clean with every cut.

*Serving:  6 to 9 treats

*Storage:  Refrigerate and use within 14 days.

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.