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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats

    Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats

    Published on Apr 16, 2019 · Last updated on Aug 24, 2021 ·

    519 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Super easy 4-ingredient rice krispies treats made with chocolate and peanut butter. They are so delicious and a huge crowd-pleaser! And bonus point – they are much healthier than traditional rice krispies treats (less sugar, no butter, no marshmallow)!

    Stack of three chocolate rice krispies treats

    A friend of mine brought these to a dinner we were hosting and...I'm so grateful she did haha. It was the end of the meal, we were stuffed and yet, we all came back for seconds.

    And the leftovers she left were gone the next day (you can credit Solal my hubby for that). We all asked for the recipe and we've been making them on repeat since then – even the friends who don't cook much.

    This should give you an idea of how freaking delicious these bars are.

    Honestly, they are addictive and it's hard to stop at just one. Consider yourself warned!

    Rice krispies treats squares on a grey white background

    How to make chocolate rice krispies treats – step by step

    • Step 1 – Place some chocolate (dark or semisweet, you choose!), peanut butter and honey in a bowl large enough for all the puffed rice (so, a big one!) and microwave-safe.
    • Step 2 – Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each. When the chocolate is almost completely melted, remove it from the microwave and stir until smooth.

    Honey, peanut butter and chocolate in a large glass bowl, then melted together

    • Step 3 – Add the puffed rice cereal to the bowl.
    • Step 4 – Mix, mix, mix until all the rice is covered with the chocolate mixture.

    Puffed rice mixed with melted chocolate and peanut butter, in a large glass bowl

    • Step 5 – Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish (9x13" ideally). If you're not using a glass or ceramic dish but a non-stick like me, you may want to line it with parchment paper so you don't damage it when cutting into bars.
    • Step 6 – Press as much as you can! You can use the back of a spoon, or a tall glass, a measuring cup...anything with a flat bottom you can press on!

    Chocolate rice krispies treat mixture in a baking dish and pressed with a spoon

    • Step 7 – Freeze for about one hour and they're ready to be cut into bars and devoured!

    Chocolate rice krispies treats cut in squares with a large knife

    Tips and variations:

    • You can use your favorite chocolate: dark or semisweet (aka milk chocolate). You can also melt chocolate chips if that's what you have on hand.
    • Use different kinds of nut butters: I love them with lightly salted peanut butter but they're delicious with almond butter too for instance.
    • Cut them into different sizes depending on your needs: "classic" square (pictured) for a dessert or mini-bars for a potluck or party. See all the details below in the recipe box.
    • Sorry but maple syrup won't work here!
    • Keep them in the freezer to make them extra firm (otherwise, in the fridge).

    Three rice krispies treats squares with more in the background

    Stack of three chocolate rice krispies treats
    5 from 1 vote
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    Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats

    Super easy 4-ingredient rice krispies treats made with chocolate and peanut butter. They are so delicious and a huge crowd-pleaser! And bonus point – they are much healthier than traditional rice krispies treats (less sugar, no butter, no marshmallow)!

    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Keyword #crowdpleaser, #partydessert, #partyfood, #partyrecipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Freezing time 1 hour
    Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings 24 squares
    Calories 131 kcal
    Author The Passolt Family

    Ingredients

    • 7 ounces /200 grams chocolate dark or semisweet – roughly chopped
    • 1 cup smooth peanut butter the natural kind, without added oil or sugar
    • ½ cup honey
    • 5 cups unsweetened puffed rice cereal I find them at my local grocery store – see notes

    Instructions

    1. Place chocolate, peanut butter and honey in a large microwave-safe bowl (make sure it'll be big enough for all the puffed rice later on). 

    2. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each and watching carefully so that the chocolate does not burn. When the chocolate is almost completely melted, remove it from the microwave and stir until smooth.

    3. Stir in puffed rice and mix thoroughly until all the rice is covered with the chocolate mixture.

    4. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13" baking dish, spread it evenly and press very firmly with the back of a spoon.

      Note: If your baking dish is non-stick like mine, you may want to line it with parchment paper so you don't have to cut the squares directly in the dish and damage it.

    5. Place in the freeze for about an hour. Cut into squares and serve!

    6. You can either store the squares in the fridge or in the freezer if you prefer them extra firm (we love to keep ours in the freezer). They will keep for at least 10 days (they were all devoured beyond that).

    Recipe Notes

    How to cut the bars

    • For a dessert, the ideal size is what's pictured. Cut them in 6 lengthwise (the long side) and 4 crosswise (the short side). This makes 24 bars.
    • If you're bringing them to a potluck, party or if you're making them for yourself as a snack, I'd recommend cutting them in smaller pieces to make mini-bars. In that case, cut them in 8 lengthwise (the long side) and 6 crosswise (the short side). It makes 48 mini-bars.

    Can you use Rice Krispies® or Cocoa Krispies® cereals?

    In terms of texture, it would work perfectly, yes. However, since I haven't tested it, I can't tell if it would be too sweet or not since these cereals are already sweetened (and reducing the amount of honey may compromise the texture and make them more crumbly). My guess is that it should be ok if you are used to sweet treats (since in the traditional recipe, we also add marshmallows) but you would need to test it yourself. If you do, let me know!

    Substitutions

    • Peanut butter: you can use your favorite nut butter. I tried with almond butter and it was delish. 
    • Honey: I wouldn't use anything else. Maple syrup wouldn't work here. 
    • Chocolate: you can use chocolate chips instead of a chocolate bar.
    Nutrition Facts
    Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats
    Amount Per Serving (1 square)
    Calories 131 Calories from Fat 54
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 6g9%
    Saturated Fat 2g13%
    Sodium 59mg3%
    Potassium 102mg3%
    Carbohydrates 17g6%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 11g12%
    Protein 3g6%
    Calcium 6mg1%
    Iron 1.4mg8%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    If you tried these chocolate rice krispies treats, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

    More crowd-pleaser recipes you would love:

    • Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites
    • Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge
    • Vegan Strawberry Mini Cheesecake
    • Easy Paleo Bounty / Mound Bars
    « Zucchini "Meatballs"
    Healthy Chicken Schnitzel »
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Andreea

      April 17, 2019 at 5:09 am

      Hi, these look yumm! my daughter is allergic to honey however, any other substitute please?

      • Marie

        April 17, 2019 at 8:58 am

        Hi Andrea! Sorry to hear about your daughter's allergy. Unfortunately honey is difficult to replace in this recipe because it acts both as a sweetener and a binder. The only other ingredient I could think of that might work is brown rice syrup (aka rice malt syrup) if that's available where you live – but I haven't tested the recipe with it so I can't be sure.

    2. Denise

      April 17, 2019 at 3:04 pm

      Wow! This is a recipe of my dreams! What a fantastic idea of bringing together peanut butter and chocolate with rice crispies! I bet they are quite addicting once you start to eat them too!

      • Marie

        April 19, 2019 at 9:08 am

        Thanks Denise! It's honestly hard to stop at one!!

    3. Annie @ Annie's Noms

      April 17, 2019 at 3:36 pm

      Oooh I love the addition of peanut butter! There's something about Rice Krispie treats which is just so addictive, I love them and no matter how many times I make them I always want more!! These look fantastic!

      • Marie

        April 19, 2019 at 9:10 am

        Peanut butter always and forever <3 lol I know exactly what you mean Annie, these little treats are addictive!

    4. Stephanie

      April 17, 2019 at 3:59 pm

      Wow. These sound perfect and so easy. Can't believe you only need four ingredients. Will be trying soon.

      • Marie

        April 19, 2019 at 9:10 am

        Thank you Stephanie! Easy recipes are my favs 🙂

    5. Jen

      April 17, 2019 at 4:26 pm

      These look so good! Totally making them today for my kids. I know they'll be a huge hit!

      • Marie

        April 19, 2019 at 9:09 am

        Hope they love them! Let me know how it goes!! 🙂

    6. Demeter

      April 17, 2019 at 4:28 pm

      What a fantastic treat! Love the idea of the peanut butter in them too. Yum!

      • Marie

        April 19, 2019 at 9:08 am

        Thanks Demeter! Peanut butter is always a good idea in my book 😉

    7. Inge

      May 05, 2019 at 4:56 am

      These look good, but just want to point out for anyone who truly cannot have gluten, Rick Krispies are NOT gluten free because of the barley malt syrup in them (bummer), so this is not a gluten free recipe.

      • Marie

        September 06, 2019 at 10:14 am

        This recipe does not use Rice Krispies cereals, just puffed rice so it is indeed gluten free 🙂

    8. Krishna Pait Pooja West Footscray

      June 06, 2019 at 11:07 am

      i made this recipe it was delicious thanks for sharing

      • Marie

        June 10, 2019 at 5:29 pm

        So happy to hear, thank you!

    9. Carolyn

      July 15, 2019 at 5:11 am

      Sounds lovely. I don't have a microwave. Would stove top saucepan work?

      • Marie

        September 06, 2019 at 10:15 am

        Absolutely! Just use a very large one if you can.

    10. Bree

      March 20, 2020 at 1:20 am

      Thank you Google for bringing me to your recipe. Every recipe I looked at called for marshmallows and I don't have any. The honey as the binder was just what I needed! Thanks so much for this! They’re firming up in the freezer as we speak. I took a little sneak taste from the bowl and they are going to be AMAZING! Thanks again!!

      • Marie

        May 06, 2020 at 6:59 pm

        Hi Bree! Woot, Woot!!! SO happy you love them as much as I do! Greetings

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