Chocolate Protein Rice Crispy Treats
A high protein, low sugar and portable snack- Perfect fuel in between meals or as a pre or post workout boost! Vegan, gluten free and refined sugar free and just FIVE ingredients!
I have this cereal jar where I call it the ‘odds and ends’.
Whenever I use various cereals for recipes or eating as it is, there usually are random portions left. Almost empty bags of crispy rice cereal, expired Kashi Go Lean and even corn flakes– I have all of them on hand. In an attempt to make room for more, I just chuck all the leftover bits in the ‘odds and ends’ jar.
The other week, I looked to see what it currently contained and it was a hybrid chocolate mess. There was-
-A few handfuls of cocoa crispy brown rice cereal
– Puffed kamut cereal (not gluten free)
– Puffed millet cereal
– Puffed rice cereal
– Two weetbix (that was random)
These random combinations call for being thrown into a bowl of yogurt with nuts and voila- An instant meal. However, I wanted to try a twist on my No Bake Rice Crispy Treats by giving it a protein boost and thought…why not use the random remaining cereals (except the weetbix. I ate those with peanut butter as a very poor substitute for crackers).
Rice crispy treats without marshmallows are one of the easiest ‘healthy’ snacks to make and these are no different. I simply adapted my recipe with the current cereal grains I had on hand but they can easily be substituted for all crispy rice cereal (for a completely gluten free bar) or as I did- A combination of all.
I used chocolate crispy rice cereal (I adore this brand) and the only reason these were leftover was because I had no milk left and chocolate cereal MUST be eaten with milk- Purely for the post consumption chocolate milk guzzling.
Confession- I used almost expired chocolate crispy rice cereal. I also ate the entire batch and am still alive so use by dates can go jump in a lake. Except for seafood. BAD experiences there.
- 2 cups gluten free crispy rice cereal (I used cocoa crispy brown rice cereal)
- 1/2 cup puffed kamut/millet cereal (can substitute for an extra 1/2 cup gluten free rice cereal)
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
- 1/4 cup nut butter of choice (I used homemade paleo nutella)
- 1/4 cup protein powder of choice (I used a brown rice chocolate protein powder)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 tsp salt
- ~1/4 cup almond milk*
- Line a deep 9 x 9 inch baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the crispy rice cereal, puffed cereal mix, protein powder, cocoa powder and salt and mix well. Set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine the brown rice syrup and nut butter of choice and microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until the nut butter has melted. Mix well to ensure it is fully incorporated.
- Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and ensure all the cereal is completely coated. Slowly add the almond milk until a very thick batter is formed.*
- Pour the batter into the baking tray and using your hands, press firmly and freeze for 1 hour or refrigerate overnight. Cut into pieces and enjoy.
- Depending on the protein powder you use, you need to be wary of the amount of milk you add. When I made this with brown rice protein powder, it needed the full 1/4 cup. The first time I tried it with whey and I barely needed a tablespoon. If you use a casein protein powder, you would be looking at close to half a cup.
- Bars can be kept at room temperature, but they soften easily. They are best frozen and thawed slightly before consumption.
What do you do with the excess cereal left in the packet?
How wary are you of expiry dates?
Are you a fan of chocolate cereal which leaves you with chocolate milk at the end?
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Boy oh boy- don’t talk to be expiry dates. If living in Mumbai has taught me anything, it’s that they are rarely valid. It always makes laugh when foods like eggs & chicken contain an expiry date- what on earth are they based on?? My motto- so long as it’s kept in the freezer, it’s almost always good to go! Did you ever have Coco Pops? Growing up, that was my favourite cereal purely for the milk at the end. Drinking regular chocolate milk straight up just isn’t the same!
YES- I legit had a friend who I may or may not have only been friends with because his mum bought coco pops and I’d stay the night and eat them in the morning. SO GOOD.
Oh my gosh – us and expiry dates. Loving the use of the brown rice protein – yes!
YES! Works so well in this recipe!
OH LOVE THIS for my daughter’s school snack too!
Thanks Carla!
The excess cereal…. goes into my mouth. But this is a vastly more civilized way of accomplishing that 😀
Hahahaha. But this was the flavourless gross cereal. Punishment cereal when eaten alone.
These are awesome!! I speak from experience having loved your previous no bake rice krispies 🙂 ALSO i definitely just lolllzzed when i read “replaced with cereal grains” as “cereal gains” and i was all #GAINS. but besides that.. i don’t believe in expiration dates. especially on things like cereal and nut butter. when i finish them is when they will end.
Perhaps i should make these for my trip this weekend! Perhaps i should just sit down for an intimate setting on your blog and make all of these protein recipes (that are vegan and gluten free and literally calling my name) so that i can have fun things to eat and make everyone and their crumbled plane pretzels jealous 😉 Your recipes just keep getting bettterrrrrr and i love every second of it!
Hahahahah #cerealgains. You funny bunny!
I have a box of Kashi Go Lean with an expiry date ending in 2012. I’m still going to eat it.
yum!! It depends on the food and the expiration date… meat, poultry, and milk… toss… anything else is fair game!
I like your style!
Haha, this is so me! I have a ton of opened, almost gone, bags of random cereals. Some I’ve had for months, but I’m weird and never mind eating stale cereal anyway…so eventually it gets used 😉
Haha you have my respect. I had crumbs of cereal the other day and you know what I did? Mixed it all with honey and made 1 bar out of like.. 10 cereal types.
I don’t do anything fancy with the last bits of my cereal… I just eat it. I like your odds and ends jar idea, though!
With things like dairy and meat, I am very cautious about dates, other than that… I usually just do the sniff or taste test. I’m still alive, so I guess it’s working…
I LOVE any type of cereal that leaves a flavorful milk (or almond milk in my case) at the end!
Ohhh yes! Fruit loops need to come back into rotation!
These are awesome! Rice Crispy Treats without the marshmallows is such a brilliant idea! I would love to have a batch of these to bring to work to get me through those long 12 hour ER shifts.
You’re amazing Sonali. Working those hours, running a job. You can eat the whole tray.
Totally digging these bars, Arman! I’ve always been a sucker for rice crispy treats, but love how you turned these into a healthy snack. Happy 2015, mate!
Cheers mate! I think in 2015, you should come visit. Just saying.
Chocolate cereal milk is the best. I have so much random cereal because I buy a box then eat like one bowl and never go back to it. I know, my willpower is insane.
I do not care about expiry dates. It’s a wonder I haven’t accidentally food poisoned myself yet.
You and me both! Expect for that salmon…and it wasn’t even PAST the expiry date!
Love this healthy version of rice crispy treats – great for snacking 😉
Thanks Jeanette- Very great. Or eating 5 as a meal. Not that it’s happened…
We have this super healthy gluten free chocolate brown rice cereal for my kids, so I might give this a try for them. They don’t love the cereal that much but I think this might spruce it up, plus I’m always looking for healthier portable snacks for them.
Oh nice! If it’s erehorn, that’s the brand I used!
Confession: I used to use chocolate milk instead of regular milk in my cereal when I was a kid. Some people thought I was weird and crazy…I thought I was pretty genius.
I think you should be the new Queen of the commonwealth for that. I think your mum is awesome for BUYING you that to begin with!
This sounds great. We never have any left over cereal…we are kind of like animals and just eat the last little bit straight from the bag…lol. I am a HUGE fan of chocolate cereal hat leaves me with chocolate milk at the end. It’s like an added treat.
Those were my childhood highlights haha!
Yum, these look great! If I ever had just a bit in the bottom of the cereal box, I usually just ignore it until it’s way past expired, then toss it haha.
WHAT. Kell, I’m buying you an ‘odds and ends’ jar.
I haven’t eaten cereal in so long. But I used to mix a few kinds together when I did. And yes, I always abide by the expiration dates!
Haha, then again- With those oats I wouldn’t steer too far 😉
pffft, expiry dates. unless it’s dairy that’s like, weeks expired, I don’t pay attention to them. If it looks good and smells good (and isn’t stale) then it’s fine!
YES- Actually, I swear I read somewhere that Greek yogurt is better past the expiry date. Although…I could be wrong. Maybe do one for the team and try it out 😉
Any cereal that leaves some chocolate milk at the end is the way forward I think.
I used to be obsessed with expiry dates when I lived at home, but then when I started having to pay for my own food I became a lot less bothered about them haha. I haven’t been ill because of it either. I think they just make the dates up a lot of the time.
Hahaha YES! Exactly! Except Salmon- ALWAYS look at the salmon date.
I love rice krispie treats!! Like, so much. It’s ridiculous. My sisters and I used to make them all the time, but we’d form them into big balls and carry them around the house. We’re kinda weird.
Would this work with honey? I’ve never heard of brown rice syrup – are there benefits to this?
LOL. Not weird at all- Me and MY sister did that too, along with the excess marshmallows wedged in our pockets!This would definitely work with honey but maybe a tad less because it’s better as a binder. I prefer brown rice syrup over honey- just personal preference. At the end of the day, sugar is sugar.
That’s it! I’m definitely buying puffed rice cereal this week. These sound like the perfect mid-afternoon snack.
So good, P!
I bought these millet puffs like 2 years ago (maybe even longer, oops) for a recipe, and I still have so many left and never know what to do with them because they’re too bland to eat as cereal. This recipe is perfect for them!
Hahahahaha LOL. That’s why I used them all- They were like eating cardboard.
PS- Our friend loves that cereal.
Uh, yum! Always needing a chocolatey treat.. these look so great!
Thank you! I may or may not have a jar of chocolate chips next to me….
Love all the different grains that are in here! I’ve really been loving kamut lately! So chewy and nutty! This is def a wonderful, portable snack!
Cheers, Min! That’s why I love kamut too!
Your cereal stash sounds just like mine. With the exception that I could never keep the random leftovers mixed in a jar – talk about driving my OCD crazy :D. But I actually came up with a similar bar recipe way back for the same reason of wanting to use up some of the cereal. Only yours sounds even better because hello yes, cocoa cereals win. Now you make me want to go out and pick up a box of that merely for the chocolate milk … not a good idea with my stash in mind. Damn.
Also, screw expiration dates – what are they even?? Actually, they say “best by” so that doesn’t mean we were going to die using them after that, ha! Us expiration date ignorers are saving good food from the trash – go us 😉 !
So good to use up random cereals in bars!
yessss to these little bits of love right here! Ive never actually had kamut before, so I will have to be on the lookout for it!
Also, I don’t do expiration dates AT ALL. I do the sniff test. And the pour test. No sour smell or chunks means its good to go 😉
Haha, don’t bother- Just use all rice crispies!
I completely do not go by expiration dates. If I did I would never have any food. I tell myself if there is some bad on it, it’s strengthening my immune system. I am not the biggest fan of cereal most days. I sometimes get a random HUGE craving for Kix…this weird cereal made for 4 year olds. I get a box, eat it in a day and then the craving is over. Now if chocolate Kix were a thing…I could see that as something I would get behind.
Wow, I’m impressed you can polish off a box of cereal in a day! Nice one!
I don’t even want to know what came of having bad seafood. You’re looking at a girl who’s absolutely terrified of throwing up, so the idea of food poisoning is just… no. That being said, I actually don’t pay much attention to expiration dates. I go by my senses more than anything else. If it smells okay and tastes okay, then it’s probably okay.
Oh dear. My poor spoon. I wish I made you eat tuna in T town.
I do like you use of leftovers here; way to make it work in round two.
Confession: I had my first bowl of cereal this weekend in months and months. It was Raisin Bran. I’m so ashamed. 🙁
Raisin Brain? Oh Grandma.
Sorry, I mean Meg.
Looks delicious! Pinning!
Thank you!
OH I just love this!! Might be my new go to protein bar for after the gym!! Thanks for sharing! Pinnig!
I’ve been loving these after a workout! Enjoy 🙂
Do you think these work work if I used an animal based protein powder (chocolate flavor of course), it’s a shake mix?
I reckon a shake mix would work even better because they tend to have other additions instead of straight protein which helps! 🙂
I’m always looking for new snacks for the kids. They’d love these!
Thanks Julie! Promise they’d be a fan!
I love how easy your treats are! My girls would absolutely love these.
Cheers Sharon! Not going to lie, I’d prefer your cookies 😛
Dear Arman, I have to start incorporating more healthful snacks like this. This would be perfect in the afternoon…or even in the evening! Take care, Catherine
Thanks Catherine. Even over ice cream….it’s good 😉
Any alternatives to that type of syrup? Honey or Walden farms syrup maybe?
Hey Erica! Unfortunately I haven’t tried it with any other syrup besides honey but felt like I needed to add more than stated. I wouldn’t recommend walden farms at all- Their products aren’t designed to be used with this kind of baking- It wouldn’t bind.
These looks so good!
Made these yesterday & they were a HUGE hit!
My son is so excited to come home from Kindergarten today & have these as an after school snack. He’s picky, so I get excited when he loves something. And even more excited when what he likes just happens to be pretty darn healthy. And the boost of protein is perfect!