These 3-ingredient Vegan Rice Crispy treats are as easy to make as the ones from your childhood. They’re perfectly sweet, crispy, and chewy.
Marshmallow cereal treats are so nostalgic for me, and these vegan rice crispy treats are super delicious and simple to make. I guess technically I should call them Vegan Marshmallow Treats, since you can make them with any cereal you want!
More Ways to Use Vegan Marshmallows: S’Mores Cream Pie, S’mores Vodka Flip
What’s Not Vegan About Rice Crispy Treats?
You might be wondering what could possible not be vegan about marshmallows and cereal. There are two non-vegan ingredients in the traditional version of this recipe, one of which isn’t even vegetarian:
- butter
- marshmallows
Butter makes sense (and is easy to substitute by using vegan butter!), but you might be wondering why marshmallows aren’t vegan.
Marshmallows are made with gelatin, which is ground up bones and ligaments, usually from cows. Kosher gelatin usually uses the ground up bones and ligaments from fish.
No, thank you!
Vegan marshmallows used to be hard to find. Now, though, they’re widely available and work as well as the animal kind in this recipe!
I used Dandies for this recipe, but any vegan marshmallows will do the trick. Trader Joe’s marshmallows are also vegan, and they’re very affordable. TJ’s marshmallows are a seasonal item, so when you do see them, stock up!
Marshmallow Treats Using Other Cereals
When it comes to the cereal for this recipe, you’ve got options. Let’s get into it!
I think a lot of folks grew up eating rice crispy treats as a special snack, but my nostalgia for these actually comes from college.
I did my sophomore year at the University of Miami, and we’d have cereal treats in the cafeteria almost daily.
They made cereal treats out of whatever was going stale, so we had Cap’n Crunch treats, Fruity Pebbles treats, Cocoa Puffs treats….it was almost an endless list!
So sure, you can make these with crispy rice cereal, but you can also mix things up! Check your pantry for cereal to use, or hit the grocery store and get creative.
For the treats in these photos, I used a three cups of vegan crisp rice cereal and one cup of Love Grown Sea Stars.
I’d love to see what cereal ideas you come up with for your marshmallow treats! Make sure to share a photo of your own recipe and tag me.
Recipe
Vegan Rice Crispy Treats (aka Vegan Marshmallow Treats)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter – or coconut oil (See note.)
- 3 cups vegan mini marshmallows – (See note.)
- 4 cups vegan cereal of your choice – (Choose your own adventure!)
Instructions
- Start by lining an 8×8" glass pan with parchment paper. Make sure the paper goes up the sides. You may need 2 sheets to make this happen. You can grease the pan instead of lining, but lining the pan makes cleanup such a breeze!
- In a saucepan on low heat, melt the vegan butter or coconut oil, then add the marshmallows and keep stirring until they melt, too. They're ready when they get very soft and runny.
- Fold in the cereal gently, making sure to coat it well with the marshmallow mixture. Turn off the heat, and press the cereal into the lined glass pan. Let the treats cool for 20 minutes in the freezer, then pop them out and cut them into 9 squares.
Equipment
- 8×8" pan
- parchment paper
Notes
- About the coconut oil: Unrefined coconut oil will give these treats a nice, mellow, coconut flavor. Use refined coconut oil, if you prefer that your treats don’t taste like coconut.
- About the marshmallows: Mini marshmallows work best in this recipe, but if you can only find full-sized vegan marshmallows, you can still make these treats! Just slice or tear the marshmallows into quarters before you start. They’ll melt much better at this size.
acookinthemaking
How cute!! It just so happens that I have actual Rice Krispies going stale in my cupboard at the moment, but the rice Chex look really yummy in this too!
Becky Striepe
I mean I think you have no choice but to make rice crispy treats, right? You’re basically required.
acookinthemaking
Agreed!