The prettiest purple cereal treats packed with berry flavor, a pop of protein, and a white chocolate blueberry layer on top. These blueberry rice crispy treats make for a sweet no-bake vegan gluten-free snack!
This recipe has been on my ideas list for MONTHS. I knew it would seem very out of place in January, so I’ve been impatiently waiting for spring to test and post this purple-y version of everyone’s favorite crispy cereal treats and they did not disappoint. The wait was so BERRY worth it (I had to, my apologies). And in the midst of all that waiting my brain took things one step further and dreamed up a white chocolate blueberry topping to go with the berry cereal bar underneath. Is the topping unnecessarily extra? Absolutely. Is it delicious and should you make it? Absolutely.
How To Make Blueberry Rice Crispy Treats
Rice crispy treats need to be CRISPY, it’s in the title. So fresh blueberries with all their juice are out, that would be instant soggy sadness. But freeze dried blueberries are the perfect crispy berry form! Regular dried could work too, but personally I think the berry dust you can create with freeze dried is ideal. And yes, this recipe could work with other freeze dried fruits too like raspberries or strawberries. Take yourself to Trader Joe’s, wander to the freeze dried fruit section (I think I saw figs last time I was there!), and let your mind imagine all the fruity rice crispy treat possibilities…
Vegan Rice Crispy Treats Without Marshmallows
You could buy vegan marshmallows and go that sticky sweet route, but personally I prefer to use a combination of liquid sweetener + nut or seed butter in place of the marshmallows for a healthier spin with ingredients that are already in my pantry. You will need:
Crispy rice cereal. Toasted not puffed, I personally like One Degree Organics brown rice cereal but plain ol’ rice crispies are a-okay too.
Protein powder. I did include an option to make these protein rice crispy treats, but you can skip it if you prefer. I used my favorite unflavored variety from Sprout Living, but vanilla would be fine too.
Freeze dried blueberries. The start of the show! You can find these at most grocery stores, or definitely on Amazon. You do have a few options for texture: grind them completely to a powder, crush them so you have powder with some chunks, or keep them whole. All versions will be delicious, just different berry distribution.
Tahini. Any nut or seed butter will work. I chose tahini because a) the light color and b) I love the flavor combination of tahini + blueberries.
Liquid sweetener. Maple syrup, agave, or honey. The stickier the better, but any will work.
Coconut oil. Just a little bit helps them hold together better and slice more cleanly.
Salt and vanilla extract.
Blueberry White Chocolate Ganache Topping
I know you’ve probably had a rice crispy treat with a delicious layer of melted chocolate on top, no? So that’s where this idea started…but then of course I had to give it a pretty purple twist. Dark chocolate turned into white chocolate to let the berry color come through, and just chocolate turned into chocolate ganache so it slices more easily instead of shattering.
So yes, this is essentially a white chocolate ganache, but a dairy-free one made with coconut milk (my favorite gum-free coconut milk!) instead of heavy cream and dairy-free white chocolate chips and with a few tablespoons of blueberry juice added in for color and flavor. As you’ll see below, there was a distinct color difference between batch #1 and batch #2 and that was due to using regular blueberries vs wild blueberries. It amazed me too, but I was not mad about the pretty magenta color the wild berries created. I do prefer to use frozen berries as they yield more juice in my experience, but you could try it with fresh.
Blueberry Rice Crispy Treat FAQs
Do these need to be frozen or refrigerated?
I like to freeze initially to make sure the ganache is really set and make the easier to slice cleanly. After slicing, you can store in the refrigerator. But they will be fine in the freezer too.
Can I make these oil-free?
You can omit the coconut oil, but they may not hold together as well when sliced so I don’t recommend it.
Do I have to make the ganache topping?
No! They are delicious without the topping too, or you can just top with a simple layer of melted white or dark chocolate.
Can I use other types of cereal?
Sure! A flake or O cereal would be fun and delicious too, an unsweetened variety is best regardless of shape.
What did you sprinkle on top of the ganache?
Just more freeze dried blueberries crush up, totally optional.
The prettiest purple cereal treats packed with berry flavor, a pop of protein, and a white chocolate blueberry layer on top. These blueberry rice crispy treats make for a sweet no-bake vegan gluten-free snack!
3/4 cup (190g) tahini (or nut/seed butter of choice)
1/2 cup (160g) maple syrup or honey
2 tbsp (25g) coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
White Chocolate Blueberry Ganache Topping
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cereal, protein powder, freeze dried blueberries, and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine the tahini, sweetener, coconut oil, and vanilla. Microwave together for 30 seconds to melt coconut oil, then stir until smooth.
Add this wet mixture to the cereal mixture, and mix to evenly coat.
Press firmly into an 8 x 8” pan lined with parchment paper.
Refrigerate while you prepare the topping.
Defrost the frozen blueberries (about 90 seconds in the microwave or stovetop). Press through a sieve to extract the juice (about 2 tbsp).
Melt the white chocolate chips with the coconut milk. Stir until smooth. Stir in the blueberry juice.
Let this mixture cool and thicken for about one hour at room temperature. Then pour/spread over top of the bars.
Refrigerate for 4 hours. Then slice. Keep leftovers in the fridge.
Notes
*If you want to omit the protein powder, grind up 3/4 cup of cereal (~1/2 cup after grinding) to a flour like consistency and use that instead. The powdery form will help the treats hold together vs using all whole cereal.
Keywords: gluten free, berry, spring, summer, easy, no bake, cereal, ganache, white chocolate, healthy, easy
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