Vegan Rice Krispie Treats

These homemade vegan chocolate peanut butter rice krispie treats are just in time for Halloween. Topped with dark chocolate, salted caramel, gluten free pretzels, peanuts, and candy eyeballs, they're the perfect kid-friendly recipe.

These Halloween-friendly rice krispie treats are topped with chocolate, salted caramel, peanuts, mini pretzels and (why not?) candy eyeballs. No food coloring in sight, and still these might be the most exciting rice krispie recipe yet!

Plus, they're totally vegan and gluten free, so they're perfect for just about any dietary needs.

These are sure to make a splash at your Halloween party, so you may want to make a double batch.

Instructions

Peanut butter marshmallow base

While these vegan chocolate peanut butter rice krispie treats are elevated from the plastic-wrapped treats of my childhood, they're still quick and easy to make. In fact, the base is basically the same.

We boosted the classic marshmallow-cereal combo with creamy peanut butter. A dash of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt enhance the overall flavor of this homemade Halloween candy.

If you're not vegan, this recipe will also work with regular marshmallows. However, if you are using vegan marshmallows, one note. They take longer to break down than the regular 'mallows.

So be sure to keep the heat low to avoid burning. And stir regularly when you're on the heat. Keep cooking and stirring until you get a smooth consistency.

Mini vegan marshmallows cook down a bit faster. If you can only find the bigger size, simply roughly chop the marshmallows to bring them down to size.

Add the Rice Krispies

After you get that creamy, soft texture from the melted marshmallows and peanut butter, add the key ingredient: Rice Krispies. Sure, they may not have a ton of flavor. But this cereal is naturally gluten-free and packs plenty of crunch.

Those snap, crackle and pops don't get squashed by the peanut butter marshmallow mixture. The result is a creamy but crunchy dough that will stand up to some hefty toppings.

The key here is to mix your rice krispie dough very thoroughly. As soon as you add the cereal, the mixture will start to cool and become difficult to stir with a spoon. At that point, it may be easiest to transfer everything to a bowl and mix with your hands.

If you have young helpers on hand, this is a fun opportunity to get their hands dirty (literally). And there's no more heat at this stage, so it's very kid-friendly.

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Next, add everything to a parchment-lined baking dish. Press carefully to make a smooth, flat surface. That will be important when it comes time to decorate and slice the bars. They shouldn't take very long to cool, but give them enough time to fully harden. Otherwise, they'll break easily when cut.

Toppings

Now comes the fun part. While the dough hardens in the pan, get your toppings ready. Melt some vegan chocolate chips in the microwave. Chop some peanuts.

You could even whip up a homemade caramel sauce. Our recipe is only four ingredients and 100% vegan. Of course, there are also tasty store-bought vegan caramel sauce options.

We also topped these spooky treats with candy eyeballs. These are of course not required, especially if you're not making these for Halloween, but they are strongly encouraged 🙂

Gluten-free mini pretzels bring that extra salty bite. And flaky salt elevates everything with texture and flavor.

Here's how we decorate these:

1. Remove the entire hardened dough rectangle from the pan, using parchment paper to keep it together.
2. Top with melted chocolate. Use a spoon to brush it out evenly if you like.
3. Drizzle with vegan caramel sauce.
4. While the sauces are still wet, press gluten free pretzels on top and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
5. Feel free to add more splatters of chocolate and caramel on top.
6. And finish off with a sprinkle of candy eyeballs and flaky sea salt.

Voilà: spooky, crunchy, chocolate peanut butter vegan rice krispie treats! All that's left to do is slice and take a bite!

(Note: you won't be able to stop at just one. They're pretty addictive!

More Homemade Vegan Halloween Treats

• Homemade Vegan Twix Bars. Twix used to be my favorite candy bar. After eating this homemade version, I'll never go back to packaged!
• Raw Vegan Almond Joy Bars. This have a creamy dairy-free center and crunchy dark chocolate shell. Let's just say this is candy that might be too good for the kids.
• Homemade Peanut Butter Cups. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were recently voted America's favorite candy. If you're in that camp, this elevated recipe is about to blow your mind.
• Double Chocolate Cashew Butter Cups with Raspberry Chia Jam. Why not go beyond peanut butter filling? We filled these decadent cups with nut butter (use your favorite kind) and jam. No one will know how easy they are to make!

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