These plant-based Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Crispy Treat Squares are an easy and healthy no-bake dessert that's a cleaned-up version of the classic treat made without marshmallows, vegan butter or refined sugar!
Here's Why This Recipe Works
My top 3 favorite reasons:
- It's a Healthy No-Bake Plant-Based Dessert
- No Faux Vegan Ingredients (Vegan "Marshmallows" or Vegan "Butter")!
- Made with Only 6 Clean Ingredients
This is a really easy and clean eating Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Crispy Treat recipe that needs only 6 clean ingredients that's a treat for both kids and adults!
I love to make clean vegan crispy treat recipes and some of my favorites are Gluten-Free Vegan No Bake Crispy Pumpkin Spice Squares, Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Crispy Treat Squares, and Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Squares.
"Feel good about what you eat..."
- Karielyn Tillman
Ingredients
Here are the clean ingredients I used to make this recipe. Try to use organic if possible.
- Cashew Butter
- Coconut Oil
- Maple Syrup
- Ground Cinnamon
- Brown Rice Cereal
- Mini-Chocolate Chips
Here's How to Make This Recipe: Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's how to make this recipe and I'll show you how easy it is with step-by-step instructions below.
Step 1
Add all the ingredients for the crispy treat mixture to a small saucepan.
Step 2
Melt the mixture on the lowest setting and stir the entire time until creamy and smooth while taking care to not let it burn.
Step 3
Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to completely cool (the heated mixture will melt the chocolate chips when mixed together.
Step 4
Transfer the cooled mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Step 5
Add in the brown rice cereal and mini-chocolate chips to the large mixing bowl and gently stir until everything is well distributed.
Step 6
Transfer the mixture to an 8 x 8 baking dish lined with parchment paper.
Step 7
Press the mixture down firmly and evenly, then place the dish in the freezer for approximately 1-2 hours, or until it firms.
Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions
Here are some expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:
Cashew Butter: I used cashew butter because it's a neutral-flavored nut butter, but you could also use your favorite nut butter. For example, peanut butter, almond butter or sunflower butter would all work well.
Coconut Oil. If you don't like the taste or flavor of coconut oil, you can use organic refined coconut oil which has zero coconut oil taste or flavor.
Maple Syrup. You can substitute with another liquid sweetener such as organic date nectar, organic brown rice syrup or organic coconut nectar.
Ground Cinnamon. I added this for flavor but it can be omitted if you prefer.
Chocolate Chips. I recommend using "mini" chocolate chips since they are smaller and won't be overwhelming in the crispy treat squares.
Brown Rice Cereal. I used One Degree Organic Gluten-Free Sprouted Brown Rice Crisps to make this recipe which contains the following four ingredients: organic sprouted whole grain brown rice, organic coconut sugar, unrefined salt, tocopherols (vitamin e). However, feel free to use your favorite gluten-free + vegan brown rice cereal.
Storage: One thing to keep in mind when making an all-natural, clean dessert without preservatives is this recipe will not be ideal for transporting, in a heated environment or lunchbox. You will need to keep these in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve because they will become soft and lose their shape if left out at room temperature - due to the coconut oil, which is what holds everything together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Store-bought rice crispy treats are a classic S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) favorite snack that is routinely packed in school lunch boxes and even vending machines.
However, most people may not realize that not only does it contain highly processed and GMO ingredients, but they are not vegan as they contain butter and gelatin.
For example, here's the ingredient list for the popular store-bought crispy treat snack:
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Kellogg's Rice Krispy Treats Ingredients: Toasted Rice Cereal (Rice, Sugar, Salt, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Malt Flavoring, Niacinamide, Reduced Iron, Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Marshmallow (Corn Syrup, Sugar, Gelatin, Artificial Flavor), Fructose, Margarine (Vegetable Oil [Canola and/or Sunflower Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oil, Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, TBHQ and Mixed Tocopherols For Freshness], Water, Natural and Artificial Butter Flavor [Contains Milk], Acetylated Monoglycerides, BHT [Preservative], Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D), Corn Syrup Solids, Contains Two Percent or Less of Dextrose, Glycerin, Salt, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Soy Lecithin
They basically contain everything you do not want to consume like GMO ingredients (high fructose corn syrup, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, corn syrup solids, soy lecithin), preservative, artificial flavors, refined sugar and salt, and even margarine!
It's so easy to make a clean, healthier version at home where you have control over the ingredients used and can make it vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, no-bake, no refined sugar, and no fake vegan foods (vegan "butter" and vegan "marshmallows".
They can be! Traditional S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) store-bought and homemade rice crispy treats are made with butter and marshmallows, both of which are not vegan.
My recipe is made with coconut oil instead of butter and maple syrup and cashew butter as a binder in place of marshmallows.
It's also a Real Food Vegan™ recipe meaning it's a vegan recipe without using fake vegan ingredients such as vegan "butter" or vegan "marshmallows".
Vegan "marshmallows" are not a real food but instead are a processed food. While the ingredients are not as bad as in S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) marshmallows, it is still a processed food. And they are not needed to make vegan rice crispy treats!
For example, here are the ingredients in a popular brand of vegan "marshmallows":
Dandies Original Vanilla Marshmallows Ingredients: Tapioca Syrup, Cane Sugar, Filtered Water, Tapioca Starch, Carrageenan, Soy Protein, Natural Vanilla Flavor.
They contain a known GMO ingredient (soy protein), contain carrageenan, and do not use real vanilla but a "natural vanilla flavor.
However, in my opinion, they would still be a better option than non-vegan marshmallows with the following ingredient list:
Jet-Puffed Marshmallows Ingredients: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Dextrose, Modified Cornstarch, Water, Contains Less than 2% of Gelatin, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate (Whipping Aid), Natural and Artificial Flavor, Blue 1.
Yes! Traditionally marshmallows are used to bind the rice crispy treat together and give the dessert its sweet taste.
However, my vegan version uses healthier, real food ingredients to do the same thing. For example:
Instead of marshmallows --> maple syrup and cashew butter
Instead of butter --> coconut oil
The coconut oil, once it hardens, acts as a binder to hold everything together, the maple syrup gives the recipe the sweetness, and the cashew butter acts as a thickener to assist in holding everything together.
Top Tip
Make sure the crispy treat mixture is COMPLETELY cooled before adding it in with the chocolate chips or it will melt the chocolate chips!
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Crispy Treats
Ingredients
For the crispy treat mixture:
- 1 cup organic cashew butter
- ½ cup organic coconut oil
- ¼ cup organic maple syrup
- 1 pinch organic ground cinnamon
For the add-ins:
- 4 cups organic brown rice cereal
- 2 cups Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare an 8 x 8 baking dish lined with parchment paper, then set aside.
Prepare the crispy treat mixture:
- Add all ingredients for the crispy treat mixture to a small saucepan and melt on the lowest setting, stirring the entire time until creamy and smooth and taking care to not let it burn.
- Remove from heat and cool completely (VERY IMPORTANT because the heated mixture will melt the chocolate chips when mixed together).
- After the crispy treat mixture has completely cooled, and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
Add the add-ins:
- Add the add-ins to the mixing bowl and stir until everything is well combined and evenly distributed.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish and press it down evenly and as firmly as possbile.
- Place the baking dish in the freezer for approximately 1-2 hours, or until it hardens.
- Store in an air-tight, BPA-free container in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve because the crispy treats will get soft and lose their shape if left out at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The instructions, notes, and photographs for this recipe by Karielyn Tillman of The Healthy Family and Home™ website are copyrighted material. This copyrighted work is protected and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) and cannot be legally used without my written permission.
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