Healthy peanut butter pumpkin crispy treats that only require 5 ingredients to prepare. This gluten-free bars are 100% vegan, and also kid-friendly!
This recipe is a STAPLE in my kitchen. You can enjoy these as a mid-afternoon snack, a skinny (or least skinnier than most) dessert, and a sweet fix in the morning for breakfast. My favourite time of day for eating these is first thing in the morning with a nice double shot of homemade espresso.
The upside of devouring one of these at breakfast-I can satisfy my sweet tooth first thing in the morning (meaning I’ll be less inclined to indulge in other sugary treats throughout the day). The downside? My blood sugar level doesn’t appreciate the overload of glucose (albeit refined-free) in the morning, which usually leaves me starving about an hour later. In spite of this, I just can’t ignore these babies when I open the fridge in the morning and practically hear them calling my name. They are divine. And they deserve to be eaten. At any time of the day.
Oh, and did I mention the kids LOVE these. Unfortunately, they aren’t school lunch-friendly for obvious reasons, but the kids can devour them at home for an after school snack. And if the kids so desperately need to bring these to school then the next best thing would be substituting the peanut butter for sunbutter, wowbutter or pumpkin seed butter.
You won’t believe how decadent these bars are, but I’m sure you can imagine since they are made with buttery coconut oil, creamy peanut butter, earthy pumpkin pie spice, and of course, chocolate! These bars are similar to my puffed rice breakfast bars, but much richer and decadent.
You can easily modify the ingredients to suit your taste or dietary restrictions-swap the peanut butter with a nut-free variation like sunbutter or pumpkin seed butter, use dairy-free chocolate chips, or add cinnamon or cocoa powder instead of pumpkin pie spice. The one ingredient I wouldn’t substitute is the brown rice syrup since other sweeteners like agave or maple syrup are much less sticky compared to brown rice syrup. If anything, I would choose raw honey for a non-vegan variation of the recipe.
If you try this recipe (and love it!) be sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram with #bitesforfoodies so I can see your creation!
I don’t like eating sweet stuff for breakfast because for some reason, it hurts my teeth a little (if that makes sense). 🙂 Those peanut butter crispy treats look awesome though for desserts after dinner or lunch meals. I would also like to try the raw honey for a non-vegan variation.
I wish I had some of those right now! They look delicious and would be perfect with a nice big cup of hot chocolate! I can even see them being packaged nicely and given as a gift for guests.
That’s a great idea! I’m not much of a baker, and the holiday season is so busy that I can never find time to bake treats. These would be perfect to bring to the neighbours!
I have had many different flavors of rice krispy treats and I love them all. Your recipe is definitely unique! The combination of peanut butter and pumpkin isn’t one that I would have thought to put together, but it sounds delicious!
That looks like such a delicious treat. Peanut butter and pumpkin? Never thought of combining the two and making it a combination. But it is fall. Pumpkin everything right. LOL! I love baking. Thanks for the recipe.
I use pumpkin pie spice year round…I can’t get enough of it!
Well it is like you know me. I ADORE pumpkin and rice krispie treats so please send me some. Perfect fall treat that I must try for myself. thank you for the creative idea.
If I could I would 😉
These look amazing! And they look simple enough that I would try them. I am not much of a baker, so treats like these are always on my radar
I’m not a baker either, in fact I rarely bake. These types of treats are no-fail and just as delicious.
We are big fans of regular crispy treats so I know these would be a big hit around here. The addition of chocolate and all those good for you flavors make this a must have treat. I like the idea of using it for an after school snack. I like how you can make these allergy friendly but swapping out the type of butter used. Then they would be good to send to my kids school.
These re much more decadent that traditional crispy treats however, I know exactly what’s going in them which makes them a better option for the kids (and myself!)
These treats look and sound so delicious. I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. I know my kids would love this too. We always go for portable treats like these to celebrate everyday moments. I will be trying this recipe this weekend.
Great! Would love to know if they are as well-received as they are here!