A crunchy, healthy dessert with a high protein twist. These protein rice Krispie treats are a rich combination of peanut butter, maple syrup, and collagen powder to bring you 12 grams of protein and a whole lot of flavor.
Learning how to eat more protein doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your favorite treats! The peanut butter protein Rice Krispie treats are so versatile that they can be made for a tasty snack or semi-healthy dessert.
With minimal prep time and zero baking, these rice Krispie squares are a great way to curb a craving, or get more protein into your kids! As a Certified Nutrition Coach who has a major sweet tooth, I use recipes like this in my Strong and Sweet Protein Guide to help show moms it’s possible to reap the benefits of a high protein diet and still enjoy what you eat.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy to make: Only 5 main ingredients and no baking required.
Indulgent: The base recipe is delicious but you can also top them with a thick chocolate or even sprinkles to make them more like dessert.
Healthy: With 12 grams of protein and naturally dairy-free and gluten-free, these protein rice Krispies are a healthy way to indulge your sweet tooth.
Ingredients and Substitutions
You can peek at the ingredients below but you’ll notice there are no marshmallows in this Rice Krispie recipe! This is because I wanted a healthier version of the squares.
Make sure to use natural peanut butter so that it mixes with the oil properly. Also, grab crispy rice cereal and not rice puffs. Otherwise, the bars will be chewy and not crispy.
Collagen powder is the secret ingredient for these protein Rice Krispie squares. You can try protein powder but it’ll absorb differently and may make the bars more crumbly.
Expert Tips To Make It
Take care to mix the ingredients well so that everything is sticky. If pieces are left uncoated the base of the bars will crumble.
Likewise, when pressing everything into the tray, give it all you’ve got. The firmer you press them the better they hold together.
The chocolate topping on the peanut butter Rice Krispies is optional and not included in the nutritional breakdown. If I’m using these squares as a snack, I don’t top them. If I want to make a dessert, I add it.
You need fresh peanut butter so that it mixes evenly and well. The hard part at the bottom of the jar won’t bind everything.
The squares are BIG if you cut them into a 3x3. If you want to scale back the calories, cut the pan into 12 squares.
If you’re topping the peanut butter Rice Krispies with chocolate, let the baking pan sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before you slice them so that the chocolate doesn’t crack.
How To Make..
Step 1: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Step 2: Mix until coated and portion the rice Krispie mixture into the lined pan.
Step 3: Use another sheet of parchment paper on top to press the mixture into the pan until it’s evenly distributed.
Step 3: Melt together the chocolate chips and oil and pour over the bars. Smooth it out and freeze the bars to set.
Step 5: Let them thaw briefly before slicing.
How To Store Them
The protein Rice Krispie treats are stored best in the freezer or fridge in an airtight container. Once the squares have been set, bring them out of the freezer to portion/cut them. Then, store them in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you want to enjoy one from the freezer, let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes or pop it into the fridge the night before.
Flavor Variations
There are so many ways to make these Rice Krispies treats unique! Some of my favorite ones are below.
Festive sprinkles: If using these protein Rice Krispie treats for a special gathering, instead of chocolate I like to add colorful, themed sprinkles into the mix or press on top of the squares
Chocolate chips: Just like these regular healthy Rice Krispies treats, you could add some mini chocolate chips into the mix after you’ve added the coconut oil so that they don’t melt.
Drizzle: Drizzling the treats with a dairy-free caramel sauce is always a delicious option.
Salted peanut butter: Sprinkling on some flakey sea salt after you press the squares is a tasty sweet and salty flavor.
FAQs
Yes! In place of peanut butter use SunButter (sunflower seed butter). I would opt for the regular one as it’s a bit sweeter than the normal one.
More High Protein Recipes You'll Love
- Peanut butter protein ice cream
- Pumpkin protein shake without banana
- Chocolate protein pudding
- Dairy-free protein brownies
- Salted chocolate mug cake
Peanut Butter Protein Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 4 cups Crispy rice cereal
- ½ cup Coconut oil measured solid
- ⅔ cup Collagen powder
- ½ cup Maple syrup natural
- ⅔ cup Natural peanut butter
- 1.5 cups Vegan chocolate chips
- 1.5 teaspoons Coconut oil
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil over low heat and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the collagen and crispy rice cereal.
- Mix the peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil together until smooth and pour it into the crispy rice.
- Mix until everything is sticky, leaving no dry spots.
- Portion the rice Krispie mixture into the lined pan. Use another sheet of parchment paper on top to press the mixture into the pan until it’s evenly distributed. The harder you press the better your squares will hold together.
- If topping them with chocolate, melt together the chocolate chips and coconut oil over low heat. Mix until smooth.
- Pour the chocolate over the rice Krispie bars and smooth it out.
- Pop it into the freezer for 1 hour to set.
- Remove from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before slicing them into large squares.
Video
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
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