Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats require only 4 simple ingredients and taste better than the original version! Made without marshmallows or butter, this is an easy no-bake dessert you can make in just minutes.
Just like making homemade granola bars, you can also customize these rice crispy treats by melting some dark chocolate chips and spreading the melted chocolate on top.
I also like to add a sprinkle of sea salt to make the flavor pop!
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in peanut butter rice crispy treats?
- Creamy peanut butter
- Honey (or use maple syrup for a vegan version)
- Brown rice cereal (or Rice Krispies cereal)
- Salt
That’s it! You may also want to have chocolate chips on hand, if you’d like to add a topping, and some cooking spray and parchment paper, or wax paper, to help prepare the dish.
How to Make Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats
1. Gather the ingredients. This recipe moves fast, so measure everything out before you get started. Add the cereal to a large mixing bowl, so it’s ready to go for the next step.
2. Boil. Add the honey to a small sauce pan over medium heat on the stovetop, and bring it to a boil. As soon as you see bubbles around the edges of the pan, set a timer for 1 minute.
It’s okay if the honey bubbles significantly, but turn down the heat if you think it will start to reach the top of the pan.
When the timer goes off, remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the peanut butter and salt with a spatula.
3. Mix. Pour the hot peanut butter honey mixture over the cereal in the mixing bowl. Stir well, until the cereal is evenly coated.
Work quickly, as the peanut butter mixture will start to harden as it cools, and will become more difficult to stir.
4. Cool. Prepare an 8-inch square dish by lightly spraying it with cooking spray, then press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom. The oil will hold the parchment paper in place, so it won’t wiggle around as you work, and will make the bars very easy to remove later.
Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan, pressing firmly until the bars are flat and tightly packed inside.
For a chocolate topping, melt a 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips (either in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stove) and spread or drizzle the chocolate over the top. It will harden as the bars cool.
Let these healthy rice crispy treats cool completely by placing them in the fridge or freezer. It usually takes about 1 hour in the freezer, or 2 hours in the fridge for them to cool completely.
5. Enjoy! Slice the cooled peanut butter rice crispy treats into 16 bars and enjoy. You can store this rice krispie treats recipe at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
I find that peanut butter rice krispies treats get softer when you store them at room temperature, so for the most firm & crispy results, keep them chilled.
Frequently Asked Questions & Substitutions
How to make them Vegan: Omit the honey and use pure maple syrup instead. You could also use agave nectar or brown rice syrup, as an alternative sweetener. The brown rice syrup tastes the most like classic rice krispies treats made with marshmallows.
Can I make this with puffed rice cereal? If you are looking to make a healthy recipe, I don’t recommend using puffed rice (or puffed quinoa) cereal, as it doesn’t turn out crispy. The texture isn’t nearly as pleasant when compared to the classic crispy rice cereal we have all come to expect.
Can I make it nut-free? If you’d rather not use peanut butter, you can use tahini or sunflower butter as a nut-free alternative. If you just need to avoid peanuts, you could also use almond butter or cashew butter.
*Allergy Safety Note: When serving these peanut butter based treats to a crowd, please be sure to label them for those who may have peanut allergies, to avoid a tragic story like this one.
More Healthy Desserts
If you love these, you’ll also enjoy the following recipes.
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars. Layers of peanut butter and chocolate make this no-bake dessert a winner.
- Oat Flour Brownies. These gluten-free brownies taste just as good as the traditional version made with white flour and sugar.
- Peanut Butter Ice Cream. With a rich peanut butter flavor, you’d never guess that this ice cream is dairy-free and naturally sweetened.
- Chickpea Flour Peanut Butter Cookies. These cookies have an unbelievably chewy texture, and are naturally gluten-free.
- Chocolate Energy Balls. They taste like brownie bites, only this healthy recipe is entirely sweetened with fruit.
I can’t wait to hear what you try next!
Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats
- 4 cups crispy rice cereal
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Optional Topping:
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Spray an 8-inch square pan with oil and press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan. The oil will hold the parchment in place, so it won't wiggle around later. Since this recipe moves quickly, it's also a good idea to add the cereal to a large mixing bowl, so it's ready to go later.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the honey to a boil. As soon as it's bubbling, set a timer for 1 minute and let it boil until the timer goes off. Turn down the heat if the honey starts to bubble towards the top of the pan.
- When the timer goes off, remove the honey from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and salt. As soon as the mixture is smooth, pour it over the cereal in the large mixing bowl. Stir well, until the cereal is well coated. It will start to thicken up as it cools, and will be very sticky.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, and press HARD to pack the cereal into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the fridge or freezer, so the bars can cool completely. When they are totally cool, they are ready to slice and serve, unless you'd like to add the chocolate topping below.
- For a chocolate topped bar, melt a 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips in the microwave, or over a double-boiler. When the chocolate is melted, spread it over the top of the bars and place the pan in the freezer briefly, just until the chocolate is hardened. Then the bars are ready to slice and serve.
- Leftover rice crispy treats can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, but they will become slightly softer over time. For the crispiest results, I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this peanut butter rice krispie treat recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too!
A few years ago I went through a rice krispie bar phase and this is reminding me of it! Love the clean, simple ingredients in this recipe and can’t wait to make it! I bet a little drizzled dairy-free chocolate on top would be great too!
Bounty bars and super soft ice cream which i now do with frozen fruit and coconut cream topped with cacao nibs – yum! These would taste great with a large cold glass of almond milk… peanut butter and milk goes so well!
Just made these for my husband and daughters lunch boxes, wow they are so tasty 😋thankyou
Ahhhhh you’re bringing me back to the good old days of mallow cups or a butterfinger. As I mentioned in you’re last post I love peanut butter so these rice krispie treats are right up my alley!
I do this version of a Rice Krispie treat too. It’s also great when made with Cheerios, raisins, and peanuts! Yum!
This is the first time that I have really wanted to make a rice krispie treats recipe – they sound delicious! I love peanut butter and honey – I usually throw a jar of natural organic peanut butter in the food processor with 1/4 cup of raw honey as soon as we get it home so that I can have that familiar taste in every bite. A bonus is that mixing it in the processor eliminates the elbow grease needed to mix the oil back in!
What brand of rice cereal do you usually buy?
I used Erewhon brand– the only two ingredients are brown rice and brown rice syrup.
Can you share what is your most trusted/favorite brand of the crisp rice?
I used Erewhon’s organic brown rice cereal for this recipe– the only two ingredients are brown rice and brown rice syrup.
I rated 5 stars but it’s showing as only 1. Here’s the 5!
These look awesome. Thank you!
I just made these with brown rice syrup and brown rice puff cereal. They are super tasty! I’ve made a similar treat from Vegetarian Times, it calls for cocoa powder, almond butter, brown rice puffs and brown rice syrup. Both are excellent, thanks! 5 Stars!
No way- is this my sister in Seattle?!? Great minds…. 😉
Searching for 2nd grade snacks for Mabel’s class.
As I grew up, I heard that you should never heat up honey more than room temperature. Honey loose it’s nature and chemical properties, turn into toxic when you heat up. Feel free to research, thanx!
Heating the honey this high destroys the beneficials enzymes but does not produce anything toxic.
Will this looks and sounds great, my doctor has taken me off all grains including rice beans and potatoes. I know a lot of people still eat rice, but it is frustrating for those of us who cannot eat these things, to see recipes that dominate sites like yours. Is there anywhere to go that does not include any garçons or by products ? HELP!
Most of the recipes on my site are 100% grain-free– recipes like this are a very rare exception. You may want to check out my Paleo recipes and my Cookies & Bars recipes. They are all grain-free!
Do a google search. This site was not designed specifically with you in mind.
As someone who lives with many food allergies, I try to remember that the world does not revolve around my specific dietary needs and I experiment. Life isn’t a one size fits all and I think Megan does a wonderful job at trying to accommodate many dietary restrictions and offer options. Google and experimentation and asking questions is the best way to go.
Have you tried puffed Quinoa, it is great alternative.
My boyfriends would LOVE LOVE LOVE these! I will have to make these for him soonly – I think it would make him a very happy dude!
These look amazing! But is this bad food combining? I thought rice was a starch and was not meant to be combined with proteins (nuts)? I’m learning about food combining right now, and it’s all very confusing.
Yes, this is not proper food combining– just a special treat.
I made these yesterday and they are gone! Truly easy, yummy, and loved by all!! Thanks you, Megan!
I ended up trying to make these with sesame seed butter instead of peanut butter so that they could be a snack for summer camp and my family LOVED them! They’re so nice and quick to make as well, which is great as I don’t have much time to cook!
Pretty much anything that my brothers, doubtful of non-traditional food, approve of and ask me to make more of is a go for me. These did it!!!
I made these this weekend and they were SO tasty! I had 2 variations. I can’t eat honey so used maple syrup instead. And I melted an organic milk chocolate bar and coated the top of half the bars so I could try some with the chocolate and some without. Let’s say neither side of the pan lasted long. My 8 year old nephew is also a huge fan.
Do you know how many calories are in these?
Can these be frozen? Approximately how long will they last in the fridge? Thanks!
Thank you for sharing the recipe with me! Sounds simple and delicious. So thankful to find something that doesn’t use chemical-laden marshmallow goop! I made it for my kids and my husband today and we all loved it! I didn’t cook the wet mixture because I wanted my honey to stay raw, so I just gently warmed it to mix it better with peanut butter. I used organic Veganic Sprouted Brown Rice Crisps by One Degree Organic Foods, purchased in our local Whole Foods. Interested in trying out your recommended brand. Do you know of any Organic Sprouted cereal for this project? The one I used also contained organic coconut sugar, unrefined salt and tocopherols… so not as simple as yours, but I prefer sprouted grains and would love to hear of you source you may know.
Thanks so much again!
Elena
Back to nature sprout & shine has sprouted whole grain brown rice, cane sugar (2g/serving) and sea salt. Not organic, but non-gmo verified.
I made these with plain sunflower seed butter (yummy) and they’re a good substitute. the cereal didn’t soften or get that pleasant chewy texture, possibly because I chose not to boil the honey.
Thanks for this recipe Megan, I will make this again
Yummy! I made them last night but with cocoa crispies. My husband and i loved them! Do you know about how many calories is in 1 square?
I made these using grade b maple syrup insteAd of honey. Delicious.
I just made these, and while they taste really yummy, Mine did not stick together as well, even after packing them super tightly and freezing them. I had a feeling when I was stirring my mixture with cereal that I did not have enough peanut butter and honey, even though I mixed as thoroughly as I could, so next time I will increase to 3/4 cups of peanut butter and honey each. This actually made 12 servings for me. I would recommend it, especially if you have a love for peanut butter like I do!
Wanna try these… will they be crunchy and stick together like regular rice crispys? Ive tried 3 gf recipes this week for rice crispy and all came out goo and mush…. ;(
These are my favorite rice krispie treats ever, and I think they do stick together well– but it’s important that you boil the sweetener long enough, so that they hold together. It took me two practice rounds to get it “just right” but now that I know what I’m doing, they’re easy!
Our family had a recipe similar to this, but it was made as a jelly roll. Use the peanut butter, but press it into a thinner layer on a large cookie. While still somewhat warm, put a thin layer of chocolate icing on top, then quickly roll like a jelly roll. Let cool, and cut into slices.
That sounds amazing.
I don’t usually comment recipes but this one was just too good! I topped them with melted chocolate before refrigerating and they were really delicious, and so quick. They were made in 10 minutes and ready to eat in an hour, and boy are they good! Crispy and peanutty and not sickly like most rice krispy treats, no marshmallow! I love this recipe and will definitely make it again as I always crave peanut butter but never know what to do with it but toast, this is the answer!!!
I followed this recipe but used honeycomb cereal for my daughter’s 1st bee day party!! They are a hit!! We will make these again for sure.
These were too sweet for me.. any way to tone it down a bit? Everyone else loved it though. Great alternative to the regular stuff
They are a little on the sweet side for me as well, but since the honey is the binder it is difficult to reduce it! You could try replacing it with half brown rice syrup, perhaps, as that is much less sweet when compared to honey.
add less honey
Natalie, you should probably delete the one star review so it does’t bring Megan’s rating down?
@Megan ~ Thanks for the recipe. I really like recipes with fewer simpler ingredients. I am going to try this soon!
I couldn’t find any marshmallows and I came across this recipe and love it! They taste so good and are a healthier treat!
They did not stick together. I followed the recipe exactly. This recipe is nothing but a waste of time and money.
If you scroll up and look at one of her photos you can even see how the finished product just crumbles apart.
I’m sorry they didn’t stick together for you. Mine cut very smoothly, and I actually just crumbled one intentionally for the photo– I like adding dessert crumbs to photos!
Made these today for my grandson, whose Mum, my daughter, tries very hard to opt for clean ingredients in her food selections. I have been buying store bought peanut butter crispy bars to have on hand for my grandson and my husband and I eat them too. I googled for a recipe without marshmallows and found yours plus I used natural peanut butter, sorry. They are absolutely delicious and so much nicer than store bought, they are also super easy to make. My Grandson will be the final taste tester later today but I don’t have any doubts.
This is the best treats I ever made, and my children they absolutely loved it1!! thx
🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I used sunbutter for a school function & the moms’ went crazy for it. They were happy to have a no dairy or tree nut treat to offer their children. The honey had a really nice flavor that masked the overly earthy flavor that the sunbutter can have sometimes. I used a pinch of regular salt & refrigerated for 1/2 hour. They were chewy, cut nice & did not fall apart. This is a keeper-thanks!
Make these all the time and love them!! Any idea how to make some pumpkin ones?
Thanks!
These are SO simple to make and very delicious to eat! 🙂 Love that I don’t need marshmallows to make them!
Lovvvve these…not a big marshmallow fan….5 star super yum!!!! Thanks for posting this recipe.
Thank you for this recipe! I added 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 tbsp of raw cacao powder. So ridiculously delicious!
Sooooooo good – thank you! My family is having a little trouble not devouring the whole pan in one night! My husband couldn’t believe there is no butter or marshmallow in these, since he is a big fan of both. 😉
A little nervously, I used crunchy peanut butter — all i had on hand — but it worked just fine. Didn’t notice any odd crunch at all!
Im kinda obsessed with this recipe! Just discovered it – the only thing I would say doesnt fit into the author’s post is this sentence: “Store in a sealed container in the fridge for best shelf life” – BUT MAINLY BC IT DOESNT LAST THAT LONG TO NEED a sealed container in the fridge 🙂 Its so delicious, it never lasts that long!
I rarely comment but felt I had to tell you that these are by far the best healthy version of a classic treat i’ve ever made. the ingredients are simple and affordable, and the result is so delicious! I followed this recipe exactly and will be bringing this to any and all potlucks and parties in the future! And a batch to keep on hand at home 🙂 Thank you!
I made these. They were dope AF.
Just made these and they are so good! The kids and I can’t stop chowing them down. Thanks!!
Can these be made ahead and frozen for later enjoyment?
Can you tell me the carbohydrates content per piece, if your recipe is cut in 16 pieces.?i have a grand daughter with type one diabetes.
Gonna make this recipe tonight! Can you tell me if you used raw honey or the runny kind?
I used the runny kind since I was going to heat it anyway.
having really hard time melting peanut butter. I tried this recipe 3 ties and every-time i overheat the peanut butter and honey. I have tried both creamy and crunchy peanut butter and stove top and microwave type heating. I used the microwave and put it on 30 seconds…it wasn’t melted enough. Rice just clumped up. I tried stove top, the PB just remained solid.
so awesome my family loved it!
The best peanut butter rice krispie treats I have ever had, we make them every Christmas!
Ive tried this recipe with Honeycutt cheerios and it was really good too. But today I’m trying this recipe. Can’t wait!