Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars with only 5 ingredients! This crunchy vegan treat is made with gluten-free rice puffs, and the recipe is similar to homemade Scotcheroos bars. This is a very easy no-bake dessert that is perfect to make with kids!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
I am a chocolate addict. That’s right. But I also love peanut butter. The combination of both is simply heaven. Therefore, I really HAD to create this recipe for crispy peanut butter chocolate crunch bars. And it was a good decision, haha.
You will love this recipe if you can answer the following 3 simple questions with YES:
- Do you adore chocolate and peanut butter?
- Do you like a crunchy dessert that is also moist and gooey?
- Are you busy and want an easy 5-ingredient no-bake recipe?
5 Simple Ingredients
Recipes with only a few ingredients are the best, right?! It’s not possible to make these kinds of recipes all the time, but if it’s doable, why make things more complicated. The ingredients are:
- Rice puffs
- Maple syrup
- Peanut butter
- Vanilla extract
- Salt (optional)
- Dairy-free chocolate chips
I used chocolate flavored organic rice puffs, which are already sweetened. However, if you don’t have a very sweet tooth, you can use unsweetened rice puffs or cereal of choice (puffed quinoa is great as well!).
Instead of maple syrup, you could also use brown rice syrup, Yukon syrup, corn syrup, or agave syrup.
I love using crispy peanut butter, which contains only PEANUTS! I really think this is the healthiest version because no sugar and no palm oil are added. Since I like the salted caramel taste, I always make sure to add a pinch of sea salt. If your peanut butter already contains salt, simply leave it out!
If you are allergic to peanuts, you can also use any other nut butter of choice, for example, almond butter or cashew butter. For a nut-free version, I would recommend sunflower seed butter!
My new favorite chocolate chips are “morsels” with a high cocoa amount (60%) and less sugar. Regular chocolate chips are very sweet, so I prefer to order these dairy-free chocolate chips.
How To Make Peanut Butter Crunch Bars?
There are only a few instruction steps that you have to follow, and they aren’t complicated at all.
- First, line a 6×6 inch (ca. 15 centimeters) pan or 7×7 inch (ca. 18 centimeters) pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the liquid sweetener, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Stir with a whisk to combine.
- Add the rice puffs to the bowl and stir until the rice cereal is well-coated.
- Spread the mixture in the pan and press it down firmly with a spatula. You can also use the bottom of a jar.
- I added more peanut butter on top to make the bars even more delicious, but this step is optional.
- Melt the dairy-free chocolate chips in a water bath or in the microwave, and pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter cereal mixture.
- Put the pan in the fridge (for about one hour) to set. It’s also possible to put the pan in the freezer for a shorter time.
- Cut into bars (works best with a hot knife).
- Check my step-by-step VIDEO right under the recipe instructions!
How To Store?
I would recommend storing the peanut butter crunch bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator (for up to 4 days). They taste best on day 1-3. When you freeze the bars, make sure to let them thaw for about 20 minutes before serving.
These No-Bake Peanut Butter Crunch Bars are:
- Vegan (dairy-free)
- Gluten-free
- Super easy to make with only 5 simple ingredients
- Crispy
- Gooey
- Moist
- Perfect to make with kids
- Prepared in about 15 minutes
- A great dessert
Should you try out these crunchy chocolate peanut butter cereal bars, please leave a comment and rating below. Also, don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I would love to see how it turned out!
If you love peanut butter (and chocolate), definitely make sure to also check out the following vegan recipes:
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Cups
- Chocolate Protein Bars
- 3-Ingredient Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Mousse
- Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies (Keto)
- Peanut Butter Truffles (PB Chocolate Balls)
- White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (105 g) maple syrup (or any other liquid sweetener)
- 1/2 cup (120 g) peanut butter (+ 1/3 cup more if you like/see notes)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (optional/see notes)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups (130 g) rice puffs
- 5 oz (140 g) dark chocolate chips (dairy-free)
Instructions
- Check the video in the post for easy visual instructions. I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe.
- Line a 6×6 inch (ca. 15 cm) pan or 7×7 inch (ca. 18 cm) pan with parchment paper. You can also use an 8×8 inch (ca. 20 cm) pan, however, the bars will be less thick.
- Add liquid sweetener, 1/2 cup peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt to a bowl, and stir to combine.
- Add the rice puffs to the bowl and stir until the rice cereal is well-coated. Depending on the size of the rice puffs, you will need 2 1/2 to 3 cups.
- Spread the mixture in the pan and press it down as firmly as possible with a spatula. You can also use the bottom of a jar to compress the mixture.
- I added 1/3 cup peanut butter in addition on top, but this step is optional!
- Melt the chocolate chips in a double-boiler or in a microwave and pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter cereal mixture. Spread it evenly.
- Put the pan in the fridge for about 60 minutes (or in the freezer for a shorter time).
- Cut into bars (which works best with a hot knife) and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- You can use any other nut butter instead of peanut butter. Some examples are almond butter, cashew butter, etc. To make the recipe nut-free, simply use sunflower seed butter.
- The additional 1/3 cup peanut butter will make the bars moist, but at the same time, they will stay crunchy. You can leave out the additional layer of PB though.
- Please do NOT add water to the recipe otherwise the bars get soggy!
- I recommend using salt if your peanut butter is unsalted.
- For a "Scotcheroos twist", sub half of the dairy-free chocolate chips with vegan butterscotch chips!
- Recipe serves 9. Nutrition facts are for one (of 9) bars.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Equipment
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
First off, these are delicious. I followed your recipe to a tee. I keep mine in an airtight container in the freezer but once thawed the rice puffs come out chewy. I used Cascadian Farms brand chocolate rice puffs. I’ll be making this again soon but I’ll either try another brand. of cereal or leave it out all together. What brand of cereal do you use?
Hi Brian, I used the Thrive Market Organic Cocoa Rice Puffs Cereal. 🙂
Dear Ela,
Oh my stars, what a super duper recipe. This is a keeper for my work out days!
Shared my first batch with my friends and they were ‘ga-ga”
So so glad and grateful you are here for us!
Georgia
That’s awesome, Georgia! I am so glad you and your friends loved it. 🙂
The best ever protein bars!thankyou for the recipe
I am so glad you loved them, Dolly! Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Absolutely love ur recipes! Was wondering if i could substitute the rice/quinoa puffs with rolled oats? Can’t wait to try these!
Hi Anne! So glad you like my recipes. I wouldn’t recommend using oats because the bars won’t be crunchy at all. 🙂
Could u substitute either a portion of the maple syrup or the peanut butter out for coconut oil? can’t wait to make these! I have dairy free espresso chips to use on top ????
Hi Dani, yes, I think you could sub a small portion of the peanut butter for coconut oil. Espresso chips sound AMAZING! 😀
These were so easy to make. My 3 year old enjoyed helping too. He loved the taste of the mixture. Currently waiting for it to set. I’m sure they will taste great!
Great! I hope you will enjoy these crunch bars. 🙂
My mom used to make something similar and they are dangerous because I couldn’t stop eating them! I’ll have to share this with her!
Haha, they are quite addictive, right. 🙂
First let me say how much. I enjoy AND appreciate you responding to your followers…… YOU are one of the few who actually take time to coment back or respond……even if its2 someone else handling correspondence…….IT IS VERY MUCH appreciated!!! Thank you!!!
Now for my question, can i substitute rice crispy with pain Chereeos?
Thank you in advance.
Zaida =)
Hi Zaida, thanks so much for your kind message! Yes, it’s me who replies to all comments and I hope I will never get too busy to not reply to questions. 🙂
I think Cheerios might work well in this recipe, but since they are quite big I would recommend crushing them slightly (either with a knife or food processor). Hope this helps.
Ela 🙂
Great recipe! easy to make and so delicious. I sprinkled cocoa nibs on the chocolate layer before refrigerating. It added another extra layer of crunch and no added sugar. I’m a huge fan of low-ingredient and clean dessert/snack recipes. (and a huge fan of you too.) Thank you!!!
Such a great idea to add cocoa nibs! Thanks for sharing, Lia. 🙂
Received your email and made these right after! They are amazing and so quick and easy! My 15 year old daughter is loving them!
Wonderful! I am so glad you both enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Made them yesterday and they were so good!!
But…after a few hours they weren’t crispy..all soft, in and out the fridge 🙁 did I do something wrong?
That’s weird, mine stayed crispy, even on day 6. Did you store them in an air-tight container as mentioned in the recipe? That’s really important. If you don’t have an air-tight container you could also store the bars in the freezer.
The ones outside the fridge yes, the other ones not so that could be a thing. Mayme in an air-thight container in glass.. thanks for the tip, i’ll try next time! ?
You are welcome! 🙂
These were SO easy to make and such a yummy treat to have!
Yay, I am very glad that you liked the recipe, Lauren! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
Can I freeze them ? Amazing I‘m melting the chocolate rn 😉
Yes, you can! It’s actually mentioned in the blog post. They are totally freezer friendly. 🙂
Enjoy!
They sound delish, what can you use if you cannot eat wheat, corn, soy or brown rice ? ? I don’t eat much cereal, do you think sprouted rolled oats would work (dried, of course) . P.s., you should edit the instructions for melting the chocolate using a double-boiler, not a water bath (totally different things).
Can you eat quinoa? Puffed quinoa would be a great alternative! Oh, and thanks for the information regarding the double-boiler. In Germany, we call it “Wasserbad” (water bath), haha. I will edit it. 😀
Love the look of these crunch bars Ela! Anything with peanut butter and chocolate and I’m sold! 🙂 x
Thank you so much, Anna! These bars are my favorite dessert right now! My boyfriend loves them too, which is so funny since he normally doesn’t like to eat dessert at all, hahaha. 😀