Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats

Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispies are a delicious & healthy vegan & gluten free take on the classic rice crispy! Great for dessert or after school snack.

Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats

You can never be too old for a little back-to-school snack, right?

My sister and I used to love rice crispy treats as kids. Since I rarely eat marshmallows these days, I’ve been loving this slightly healthier alternative that uses almond butter and brown rice syrup as a binder instead. I also packed in omega-rich hemp seeds, almonds, and shredded coconut – making these a filling treat to get you over that 3 o’clock slump.

Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats

To make these lightly sweet treats a little sweeter, I smothered them in chocolate. At first I was going to be good and just do a little drizzle of chocolate.

Look how pretty it was starting out (pictured above).

Right after that, photo nerves got the best of me, my drizzle became uglier, and I decided a full layer of chocolate was necessary. So there you have it – cute, yummy, chocolate-y bars.

Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats

5.0 from 7 reviews

Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats

 
Author:
Serves: 12 bars
Ingredients
  • 2 cups puffed brown rice cereal
  • â…“ cup chopped almonds, toasted
  • â…“ cup hemp seeds
  • â…“ cup shredded coconut
  • pinch of sea salt
  • ½ cup almond butter
  • ⅓ to ½ cup brown rice syrup*
  • 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
Chocolate topping:
  • ½ cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips**
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
  1. Line an 8x8-inch pan, or similar sized pan, with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the brown rice cereal, almonds, hemp seeds, coconut and salt.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together the almond butter, ⅓ cup of the brown rice syrup and coconut oil.
  4. Pour the almond butter mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir to combine. Mix until everything is evenly incorporated (I find it easiest to use my hands). If the mixture is too dry, add a little more brown rice syrup. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Tip: use a separate piece of parchment paper to help press the mixture down without it sticking to your hands.
  5. Melt the chocolate and the coconut oil (use a double-boiler or a glass bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water) and pour over the top of the crispy treats. Freeze for about 30 minutes to set.
  6. Once set, use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the whole thing out of the pan and place onto a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into 12 bars. Store, covered, at room temperature.
Notes
You can sub peanut butter for almond butter in this recipe.

*I've tried using maple syrup in place of the brown rice syrup and it doesn't hold these together. I get this brand of brown rice syrup at Whole Foods.

**If you need these to be vegan, just check the ingredient label of your chocolate chips. I enjoy the Enjoy Life brand.

 

23 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Kristin
    07.09.2020

    These are SO incredibly delicious!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.10.2020

      Hi Kristin, I’m so glad you loved them!

  2. Shawna from creativeshawna.com
    10.31.2017

    PS. I’m a big fan! I love your recipes.

  3. Shawna from creativeshawna.com
    10.31.2017

    Hi! Any substitute for brown rice syrup?
    Would Agave or honey work?

  4. gina
    04.24.2017

    any way to get the nutrition stats on these?

  5. Lucy
    04.14.2017

    These were so easy to make. I did sub peanut butter w/ the almond butter but they are amazing. They were a big hit w/ everyone.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.14.2017

      Hi Lucy, thanks for sharing, I’m so happy they were a hit!

  6. Lala
    03.15.2017

    Wonderful and super easy to make! Healthy, tasty, crispy treats. My toddlers, myself and hubby enjoyed 😀. I will make again for sure!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.14.2017

      I’m so glad the whole family enjoyed these!

  7. Casey K.
    02.23.2017

    I made these exactly as described with the exception of nuking the chocolate chips instead of melting them on the stove (microwave = lazy girl’s double boiler). These crispies are excellent and were so easy for this non-chef to make. Thanks for the recipe!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.28.2017

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing!

  8. love how your dose of chocolate evolved from a drizzle but still includes so many healthy ingredients, thank you for this very creative twist on the original!

  9. Julia from simplydeliciousblog.com
    11.29.2016

    These look so amazing! This blog always has the most delicious recipes–it’s a huge source of inspiration for my own blog! Thank you for sharing 🙂

  10. Diane
    09.17.2016

    Made these today and they were sooooo yummy! I added a bit of cinnamon which was great. I will be making a lot of these for the family in the future. Thanks for another delicious recipe😊

  11. Carrie
    09.15.2016

    Made these with honey instead of brown rice syrup and PB rather than AB and they worked perfectly. So yummy!

  12. I used to love rice krispy treats as a kid, but your version looks even better! That chocolate drizzle mishap was definitely a blessing in disguise! More chocolate = more happiness 🙂

  13. Helen
    09.11.2016

    Super yummy treat that appeals to whole family! Tastes great and I love that it is not too sugary sweet. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thanks so much!

  14. I have tried white chocolate and peanut butter in rice krispies before, but never almond butter! And with chocolate? Yum, yum, YUM!

  15. To be honest I’ve never been a fan of rice krispy treats. But your version has completely won me over (no surprise) and I’m excited to try them out!

  16. Jen
    09.09.2016

    Do you think honey would work?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.10.2016

      I haven’t tried honey, but I do think it would work (it’s similarly sticky) – let me know if you give it a go!

  17. Wow, this is so amazing and yet simple to make, thank you so much for this recipe! <3

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.