Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow “Muddy Buddies”

I’m so excited to share with you my Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Spice “Puppy Chow” Muddy Buddies recipe to make sure you’re covered this fall with plenty of pumpkin spice treats.

“Puppy Chow” or “Muddy Buddies” is one of the most addictive treats I make.  I always say I’m going to eat just a handful and then end up eating another and another.

With only 5 ingredients, it’s also one of the most simplest recipes to make too.  You just heat the peanut butter, chocolate chips and pumpkin spice on the stove top for a few minutes, pour it over the cereal then coat it with organic powdered sugar.

And it will be gone in less time than it takes to make it!

I shared a classic “Puppy Chow” recipe a little while back, but wanted to change it up a little by adding pumpkin spice to it.

The cereal I used is “Van’s “Cinnamon Heaven” Gluten-Free Cereal” with this ingredient list:  Van’s Gluten-Free Whole-Grain Blend (Oat, Brown Rice, Millet, Quinoa and Amaranth Flours), Cane Sugar, Oat Fiber, Inulin, Invert Cane Sugar, Non-GMO Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Cinnamon, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Mixed Tocopherols For Freshness.

I especially like it because you get full serving of nutrient-dense whole grains and 5 grams of fiber built in to a dessert recipe.

I recommend using a clean, non-GMO cereal like this one as opposed to the traditional go-to Rice Chex cereal, with this ingredient list:

S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Chex Gluten-Free Rice Cereal

Ingredients:  Whole Grain Rice, Rice, Sugar, Salt, Molasses, Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols) and BHT Added to Preserve Freshness, Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Iron and Zinc (Mineral Nutrients), Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate), a B Vitamin (Niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride HCl), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate), Vitamin A (Palmitate), a B Vitamin (Folic Acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.

While it’s not the worst ingredient list I’ve seen, it does have refined sugar, preservatives, synthetic vitamins and minerals and is not non-GMO.

Also, make sure you use organic peanut butter because non-organic peanut butter can contain up to 8 different pesticides.

This healthier version is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and contains no refined sugar.

Want more healthy, clean eating dessert recipes?  Check out Vegan Pumpkin Spice Rice Crispy Treats, Flourless Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies, Gluten-Free Vegan Pecan Pie Bars or my Clean Eating Cookbook with 3 entire chapters of healthy, clean eating dessert recipes just like this one that you will love!

5 Fast Facts About Peanuts (Peanut Butter):*

• excellent source of vitamin E
• high in folate
• contains tryptophan which helps fight depression
• good source of fiber
• excellent source of vegan protein

5 Fast Facts About Coconut Oil:*

• super high in lauric acid
• rich in antioxidants
• contains natural microbial and anti-bacterial agents
• helps to improve metabolism
• improves cholesterol levels

5 Fast Facts About Van’s “Cinnamon Heaven” Cereal:*

• 5 nutrient-dense grains (oats, brown rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth)
• 1 serving contains 5 grams of fiber
• 3/4 cup contains 1 full serving of whole grains
• gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, corn-free
• Non-GMO Project Verified

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Print

Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Spice "Puppy Chow" Muddy Buddies

Prep 5 mins

Inactive 5 mins

Total 10 mins

Author Karielyn Tillman - The Healthy Family and Home

Yield 5 cups

Vegan / Gluten-Free / Dairy-Free / Egg-Free / No Refined Sugar

Ingredients

• 5 cups Van's "Cinnamon Heaven" Gluten-Free cereal
• 1/2 cup organic peanut butter
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life mini-chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup organic powdered sugar
• 2 - 4 teaspoons organic pumpkin spice
• 1 teaspoon organic coconut oil

Instructions

1. Add the cereal to a large mixing bowl.  Set aside.
2. Add the peanut butter, chocolate chips, pumpkin spice and coconut oil to a small saucepan and melt on low heat.  Stir until everything is well blended and smooth.  Adjust the pumpkin spice to your preference.
3. Remove the peanut butter mixture from the stove top and pour over the cereal pieces in the large mixing bowl.
4. Gently stir everything together until the cereal pieces are covered with the peanut butter mixture and is evenly distributed.  Depending on the size of cereal pieces you use, you may need to add a little more cereal.  You don't want the cereal pieces to be overly coated with the peanut butter mixture, so add an extra 1/4 cup at a time, if needed, until they are thinly coated.
5. Transfer the coated cereal pieces to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread them out evenly so they aren't touching each other.
6. After the peanut butter mixture has cooled completely, sprinkle 1/2 the powdered sugar on them.  This will help to keep them from sticking together in the next step.
7. Transfer the cereal pieces back to the large mixing bowl and sprinkle the remaining half of the powdered sugar on them, then gently toss until the powdered sugar is evenly distributed.  Feel free to use more powdered sugar if you want a thicker powered sugar coating.
8. Store in an air-tight BPA-free container in the refrigerator in an air-tight container until ready to serve.
9. Enjoy!

Notes

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  The recipe and photographs for "Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Spice "Puppy Chow" Muddy Buddies" by Karielyn Tillman of The Healthy Family and Home website are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License and cannot be used without my written permission.

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