Healthy Rice Krispie Treats require only 4 simple ingredients and take minutes to prepare. Made with brown rice cereal and almond butter, they are a perfect kid-friendly healthy dessert or snack.
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Healthy Rice Krispie Treat Recipe
Traditional rice krispie treats are made with Rice Krispies cereal, marshmallows and butter. While this combo produces wonderful, ooey-gooey sweet and salty crispy perfection, the classic treats offer very little nutritional value. They are high in sugar, simple carbs and fat and low in fiber and protein.
The key to making a healthier version of rice Krispie treats is 100% in the choice of ingredients! I experimented with a couple different brands while developing this recipe and I found that the best alternative to good old Rice Krispies is Nature’s Path Crispy Rice cereal made with brown rice flour. One serving of this cereal provides 26g of whole grains, 2g of fiber and 2g of protein.
I knew marshmallows would be the hardest swap. Initially, I tried making this recipe without marshmallows at all and sweetening the treats with honey or pure maple syrup but both experiments failed. I found that the texture of this no-bake dessert is completely wrong. They don’t harden easily and need to be kept frozen to even remotely resemble the crispy treats we all expect.
I started losing hope but then I discovered Max Mallows by Know Brainer in Classic Vanilla! These alternative marshmallows are low-carb, zero-sugar and zero-fat. Sounds too good to be true? I have to say I was skeptical at first but then I tried Max Mallows in this recipe and they worked like a charm producing chewy and sweet rice crispy treats.
Finally, I decided to replace some of the butter with nut butter to add some protein to these normally carb-heavy treats. Runny almond butter is the way to go – it adds a pleasant nutty taste and protein without overwhelming the flavor.
Oh and in case you want to skip the regular butter and only use nut butter – don’t! I found that 3 tablespoons of butter is the right amount to help everything melt together without burning the pot and it adds just enough buttery flavor to this no-bake dessert.
Why you'll love this recipe
- These good-for-you Rice Krispie Treats are made with 100% whole ingredients
- Unlike regular Rice Krispies, brown rice crispy cereal contains less sugar and provides a good dose of fiber
- Low-carb marshmallows contain no sugar
- No refined sugar or corn syrup
- The addition of almond butter adds a little protein
- Guilt free sweet treat!
Looking for more no-bake desserts? Try these No-Bake Freezer Carrot Cake Bars or these Cheesecake Balls.
Ingredient notes
- Brown Rice Crispy Cereal: I used Nature's Path Crispy Rice and it worked great. Another great brand of brown rice cereal is One Degree Organics.
- Marshmallows: I used vanilla flavored Zero Sugar Max Mallows
- Nut Butter: I used natural almond butter (only almonds on the ingredients' list) but creamy natural peanut butter or cashew butter will all work. Almond butter tends to be runnier than other nut butters which makes it an excellent choice for this recipe.
- Butter: for better texture and buttery flavor
- Vanilla: use natural vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
How to make Healthy Rice Krispie Treats
- Line a square baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.
- Melt marshmallows, butter and nut butter in a medium or large pot with a heavy bottom. Place butter in first and melt on low to medium heat, then add almond butter abnd marshmallows. Stir until completely smooth and melted. Turn the heat off.
Pro Tip: If you prefer, you can also melt the butter, nut butter and marshmallows in the microwave. Use a microwave-safe bowl and nuke the ingredients in 15-20 second increments, stirring in between until smooth.
- Add rice crispy cereal and stir with a rubber spatula until the cereal is sticky, gooey and coated in the wet mixture. It may seem a bit dry at first but just keep stirring and be quick but patient.
- Transfer the cereal mixture into the prepared baking dish. Press down using the back of a measuring cup until the mixture has formed an even layer.
- Chill and cut into squares. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set. Cut with a sharp knife into crispy squares and serve or save for later.
Optional additions
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon - mix it in for pleasant warming notes
- Dark chocolate drizzle (on top) - melt dark chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and drizzle melted chocolate on top of the rice krispie layer (before cutting). Place in the fridge, then cut into squares
- Mini M&M’s: mix them in with the rice cereal
- Mini chocolate chips: same as above
Storage and freezing suggestions
Store healthy rice krispie treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Personally, I prefer them cold from the fridge but storing them at room temperature doesn't make them go soft and soffy.
You can also freeze these treats in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Thaw to room temperature or enjoy frozen.
Substitutions and variations
- If you like browned butter flavor in your Krispie treats, melt the butter and cook it until golden brown (careful not to burn!) before adding marshmallows and nut butter
- You can easily make these treats dairy-free by swapping refined coconut oil for regular butter
- For a nut free version, swap almond butter with sunflower seed butter
- If you use unsalted butter, you can use a pinch of sea salt for that sweet and salty flavor
- For peanut butter rice krispie treats use all-natural peanut butter instead of almond butter. Cashew butter, mixed nut butter or any type of nut butter will work in this crispy treats recipe
Recipe FAQs
What is the texture of these crispy treats like?
It is pretty close to classic krispie treats! Crispy and snappy but also slightly chewy and gooey is what you can expect. The Max Mallows won't give you the exact same sticky texture but the treats are still pleasantly chewy.
No. I tried to cut the butter out completely but found that the sticky mixture lacks lubrication, it's very easy to burn the pot as the almond butter sticks to the hot surface and the flavor is definitely lacking. If you don't want to use regular butter, swap it for vegan butter or refined coconut oil.
Yes! If you can't find or don't have crispy brown rice cereal, regular Rice Krispies will definitely work in this recipe.
Yes it will! Swapping regular rice krispie cereal for brown rice cereal and some of the butter with nut butter will still give you healthier rice krispe treats, even if you use regular marshmallows.
More Healthy No-Bake Dessert Recipes
- Chocolate Bliss Balls
- Peanut Butter Bliss Balls
- No-Bake Cake Pops
- Strawberry Cake Pops (No-Bake)
- Chocolate Cherry Nice-Cream
- Homemade Dubai Chocolate Cups
Recipe
Healthy Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 3 cups brown rice crispy cereal such as Nature’s Path Crispy Rice
- 1 package no sugar marshmallows I like Max Mallows
- 3 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup almond butter
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan or pot with a thick bottom on low heat.
- Add almond butter, marshmallows andvanilla. Simmer while stirring until everything is melted.
- . Take thepot off the heat, add rice crispy cereal and stir with a wooden spoon orsilicone spatula until all the cereal is coated in the almond butter mixture.
- Immediatelytransfer to the paper lined pan and push down with the back of a measuring cup to create one even layer.
- Place inthe fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Cut into squares and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.
Margaret says
Healthy(er) rice crispy treats! Woohoo!
Bogusia says
Delicious ☕
Jane says
What size bag mini marshmallows?
Agnieszka says
Hi Jane. I used a 3.4-oz bag of marshmallows.