We recently received a request from one of our amazing Eat REAL America members...
how can you make Rice Krispie Treats healthier?
We love requests from members and, honestly, we love a good challenge!
So, what's so bad about Rice Krispie Treats?
If you have made them at home, you know they typically call for A LOT of butter and A LOT of marshmallows. What about those convenient, pre-packaged versions? There is more going on in those little packets than you might think!
Check out the ingredients from one version:
TOASTED RICE CEREAL (RICE, SUGAR, SALT, MALT FLAVORING, NIACINAMIDE, REDUCED IRON, RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), MARSHMALLOW (CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, GELATIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), FRUCTOSE, MARGARINE (VEGETABLE OIL [SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS], WATER, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL BUTTER FLAVOR [CONTAINS MILK], DATEM, ACETYLATED MONOGLYCERIDES, BHT FOR FRESHNESS, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D), CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF DEXTROSE, GLYCERIN, SALT, NIACINAMIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), SOY LECITHIN.And, of course, you can get them loaded with cookies or candy bars, covered in chocolate or many other sugar-loaded varieties.
Have you ever wondered what's in the puffy, white squishy squares we call marshmallows?
Are they really that bad?
Well, here is an example of their ingredients:
It's pretty obvious this is NOT REAL FOOD!
So, we took on the challenge and discovered -- it IS possible to make a better-for-you rice krispie treat!
There are 3 main parts to rice crispy treats, and the great news is you have options - based on your personal preference - on which healthier ingredients you choose!
The Crisp Rice Cereal:
There are several options beyond the Snap, Crackle & Pop Rice Krispie cereal we have all grown up with. There are brands that offer recognizable ingredients and a few tips you should know:
There are brands such as Erewhon that include just brown rice, salt, and less than 1 gram of sugar. Mom's Best Cereals offers a cinnamon and chocolate version, although these of course include additional ingredients, including more sugar. These two brands were easy to find and look exactly like the traditional Rice Krispie brand.
- There are even simpler and cleaner brands. For example, Kashi makes a 7 Whole Grain Puffs Cereal with a blend of whole grains. And, Nature's Path and Arrowhead Mills make a version that has only one ingredient: whole grain brown rice. The chewier consistency of these is more like puffed rice (or a corn puff). Just know that picky eaters may notice they look and taste a little different, and might take a bit of getting used to -- but they still taste really good and work well!
- The key - as always - is reading those ingredient labels!
The "Butter:"
No, not actual butter! This part of healthier rice krispie treats includes other butters such as nut butter:
Almond butter and natural peanut butter both work great - keep in mind, you may have to adjust the sweetness depending on whether your almond butter and peanut butter include sugar.
- If you are a coconut fan, coconut butter (or coconut puree) also works really well and actually makes the rice krispie treats seem very close to the original. We like coconut, and didn't feel like it had an over-bearing coconut flavor.
- Other nut butters, such as cashew butter and hazelnut butter, also produce great results.
The "Sweetness:"
The sweetness in rice krispie treats doesn't have to come from marshmallows!
You can substitute honey or pure maple syrup and get the same sweet result!
Optional Add-ins and Toppings:
Feel free to get creative and mix it up!
- Add chopped peanuts
- Add coconut flakes or shredded unsweetened coconut
- Add mini chocolate chips
- Drizzle with melted dark chocolate on top
- Add 1/4 cup ground flax seed with the cereal before adding the nut butter/honey mixture (yes, we did this and the kids had no idea!)
How do you put it all together?
The process of making homemade rice krispie treats is still the same...you are just using better ingredients. This will make 16 treats in an 8 x 8 inch pan (2 inch squares):
3 cups crisp rice cereal (reduce to 2 3/4 cup if adding in 1/4 cup of ground flax seed)
1/2 cup nut butter (such as peanut butter, almond butter or coconut butter)
1/3 cup honey (or pure maple syrup, adjust to taste)
- Grease an 8 x 8 inch pan.
- Pour the cereal into a large bowl.
- Melt the nut butter and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat, or in the microwave in 20 second increments. Stir frequently and, once melted, remove from the heat and pour over the cereal. Immediately stir until well coated. Add to the pan, pressing down into the pan with the back of a spoon.
- Drizzle with melted dark chocolate if desired.
- Let sit for 15-30 minutes - at room temperature or in the refrigerator - to set before cutting.
Remember, as Zonya always says,
"it's the dose that makes the poison"!
So, go ahead and enjoy a sweet treat and remember to keep it in moderation!
Let us know what you think - and your favorite combination of ingredients!
Do you have a favorite recipe or sweet treat you would like us to try to transform into healthy, REAL ingredients? Please let us know and we will give it our best shot!
OMG! Mind Blown! I am going to try this! Love the quote as well. Thanks for the inspiration.
I know, our minds were blown too! And, why had we not thought of this before now?! Thank you!
I’ve seen Gluten Free cereal that may also work for GF version. I may try it and see how it turns out. Thanks for the update on the new recipe.
Thank you! Please let us know what you think!
Kelloggs now has gluten-free Rice Krispies and brown rice Krispies but I have not tried them yet.
Thank you for the tip and please let us know if you try them and have success!
I work in a school and Rice Crispy treats are my downfall on class party days! I am defiantly going to try making this healthier version!! I may even share with the teachers. LOL
Thank you for teaching us about REAL FOOD
Thank you for everything YOU do! What a great idea – please let us know what they think! We hope they will be pleasantly surprised!
I hope I will have time to make this to share with my class, if not this week, next week for sure.
Can’t wait to try this out!
Thank you! And, we can’t wait to hear what they think!
Hello ladies!
Thank you for the great ideas. Thanks for taking the time to follow up on my request. Hope your visit to Saginaw last night was a good one. Sorry I could not attend. Happy Valentines! Hubby has been so happy with his lower blood pressure. He really believes that we received the information about the Eat Real book because of divine intervention. No doubt He always cares and knows best for us.
Thanks for all you do….and also for this Rice Krispy recipe.
Peace ~ Mary Lou
Mary Lou – thank you so much for your inspiration and feedback! Zonya and I are so grateful for your request to challenge us – please keep your ideas coming! And, so happy for your husband’s improved health – it truly is a blessing! Thank you!
Have a pan all ready for tonight’s class. I just had to try them. I will let you know what the class thinks!
Thanks for this great alternative. I will have to get some coconut butter on line as I can not find it in our area, I will want to try it with that as well. thanks as always!
So happy we are having a “sweet” treat tonight!
Thank you for sharing – we can’t wait to hear what you think!
Thank YOU! Please let us know what your class thought of these treats! Thank you for your passion and inspiring others!
What kind of Kaski cereal did you use?
Thank you for asking! We really liked the Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs cereal and the Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice cereal worked well too. Depending on your location and stores, the Erewhon was fairly easy to find. Hope that helps – thank you! We would love to hear what you think!
I had to use the Kashi 7, almond butter and honey. Everyone liked them, but they compared them to haystacks instead of Rice Krispie Treats. I also have someone in class who is not a big fan of peanut/almond butter, so before our last class I will get coconut butter and try to get the Erewhon cereal for comparison. I really liked it as a sweet treat, thank you!!
We agree! We mentioned corn puffs, but that is true — they are similar to haystacks with their chewier texture! We thought the chewy texture was interesting and it definitely grows on you, because they are still really tasty. We would love to know what you think of the Erewhon cereal with coconut butter – we think it’s really similar to the original version! Thank you again and so glad you enjoyed this sweet treat!