By Scotcheroos? Chocolate peanut butter rice krispie bars? No matter what you call them, this version is so nostalgic in the best way, but much healthier made with honey and packed with extra peanut butter. That, plus hemp seeds, brings our protein count to a whopping 10 grams per bar! Now that's a dessert a nutrition coach can get behind (that's me - I'm the coach).
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Dan and I have a daily debate as to the best type of meal. Mine is always light, refreshing, and fruit-forward. His is always greasy, meat-heavy with roasted vegetables, and some chocolate involved. So when he wanted to make pb rice krispie bars, I was skeptical, but I'm so glad he did because these are perfection!
Imagine your grandma's scotcheroos (yes, they are that simple) but with a few tweaks here and there to make them lighter. They are made with only natural sugar and have more protein and fiber, thanks to extra peanut butter and hemp seeds. So when you're headed to the next family get-together, be sure to bring these!
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Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispies (10g protein)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup honey (or agave)
- 1 cup peanut butter (creamy, all-natural, no sugar added)
- 3 tablespoon butter (vegan as needed)
- 3 cups rice krispies (*use the name brand)
- ¼ cup hemp hearts
Topping
- ¾ cup milk chocolate chips (vegan or dairy-free as needed, or semi-sweet to make them less sweet)
- ⅓ cup peanut butter (creamy, all-natural, no sugar added)
Before you start!
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Instructions
- In a large saucepan, melt the 3 tablespoon butter and ⅓ cup honey on low heat until they're fully melted and combined, about 3-4 minutes.
- Next, stir in 1 cup peanut butter with the melted honey until fully combined and without chunks.
- Next, gently stir in the 3 cups rice krispies and ¼ cup hemp hearts into the peanut butter mixture. Then, press into a 8x8 inch glass dish (or similar size, we used 7x9 inch).
- Melt the ¾ cup milk chocolate chips and ⅓ cup peanut butter together. This can be done in a saucepan on low heat. Otherwise, you can melt it in the microwave by cooking in 20 second increments and stirring in between rounds until the chocolate is melted.
- Spread the chocolate peanut butter mixture on top of the rice krispies and put in the freezer to cool for at least 20 minutes. Then, enjoy!
Video
Notes
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
Nutrition
be gentle
The key to those light and airy Rice Krispie bars is not crushing the cereal while stiring or fitting it into the pan. So use a rubber spatula to stir it all together and gently press it into the pan just like you would with classic protein rice krispie bars.
ingredient notes & substitutions
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See the recipe card for quantities.
- Honey: We love our natural sugar, if you didn't notice. Agave will work too. Maple syrup tends to be too strong of a flavor.
- Peanut butter: We tested this recipe with creamy peanut butter and powdered. For this one, all natural creamy (with the oil mixed in) won out both in texture and protein content. The Costco brand is great for this!
- Rice Krispies cereal: We tested other off-brand and organic puffed rice cereals, but traditional Rice Krispies result is by far the best texture and doesn't make the bars fall apart.
- Butter: Use vegan as needed.
- Hemp hearts: One of our favorite ways to sneak in extra protein and healthy fats without altering the taste or texture. You won't even notice they're there!
- Milk chocolate chips: Swap for dairy-free, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate for a less sweet version.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
high protein ingredient spotlight: peanut butter
Peanut butter is an interesting ingredient because it's higher in protein than many other plant-based sources and high in fat. This actually makes it not a high-protein food in terms of the protein to fat to calorie ratio, but when used correctly in a recipe, it is a great source of protein. Especially for sweets, like our chickpea smoothie, peanut butter blossoms, peanut butter truffles, and, of course, in delicious no-bake treats like these!
here's how to make chocolate peanut butter bars
Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full pb protein bar recipe!
- Melt: Mix together the butter and honey until melted, then add the peanut butter.
- Make it crunchy: Fold in Rice Krispies and hemp hearts until coated, then press into a baking dish.
- Chocolate time: For the topping, melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a saucepan or microwave until smooth.
- Combine: Spread the chocolate peanut butter topping over the Rice Krispies layer.
- Freeze: For at least 20 minutes to set, then slice and enjoy!
quick recipe video
expert tips
- Use water: If your spatula is sticking to the Rice Krispies mixture when you're trying to press it into the pan, just lightly wet the back. This prevents the honey peanut butter mixture from sticking.
- Microwave melting: When melting the chocolate and peanut butter for the topping, use 30-second increments in the microwave, stirring well after each round. Chocolate can easily burn in the microwave, so this method prevents that!
troubleshooting & testing notes
peanut butter ratio
We tested this with different peanut butter ratios mixed into the honey. One cup of pb with ½ cup of honey was too sweet. So we decreased the honey and now it's perfect!
hemp hearts
We add hemp hearts to bump up the protein without having to use protein powder! We basically replaced some of the cereal with hemp hearts to keep the bars at the perfect consistency.
how to store & meal prep it
These bars make a great high-protein dessert, and they also made our list of high-protein snack recipes!
- Fridge: Store your bars right in the 9x9 dish with a cover in the fridge for up to 5-7 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze these bars for up to 2-3 months. You can store them in the covered 9x9 dish or a Tupperware-type container. Otherwise, you can wrap individual bars tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Just let them sit out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes to thaw before you eat them!
This looks great. Is there any substitute for butter?
Hey Diana, yes! Margarine or plant-based butter can be used instead.
Thank you for making my favorite treat without high fructose corn syrup!!! 😘
Glad to hear you like it, thank you!
Can you use coconut oil instead of butter? Also, will adding protein powder change the texture? I’m going to use almond butter instead of peanut butter, per preference. Assuming that won’t change anything? Thanks!
Hey Elise, we haven't tested with these modifications, so let us know how it goes if you make it! I believe the coconut oil will be fine to substitute instead of butter. The protein powder will likely dry it out a bit so I'd add more coconut oil to balance that. As for the almond butter, that should be fine as long as it's not too thick. The peanut butter we used was natural peanut butter so it was drippy, which added some necessary moisture.
Made these today! They are super yummy, but they did come out a little less sweet than expected so next time I'll probably add some more honey. The chocolate top is a bit thinner than expected too so next time I'll probably melt a bit more chocolate and pb for the top 🙂 overall though super yummy and a great snack with some added nutrition to have throughout the day!
Glad you enjoyed them!
Made these and wow! These will be on repeat!
We love hearing that!
These are INCREDIBLE!!! Absolutely dreamy! The sweetness level was perfect. I made them with butter and honey this time and will be making them vegan for my bookclub next week! Definitely a keeper recipe!
Thanks so much Louise!
I appreciate you adding the nutrition facts. Can you share how much is one serving? I apologize if I missed it somewhere
No worries! One square is a serving and there's 9 in a pan so each one is about 2"x2" in size.
Sorry, 12* in a pan.
These are great! I thought I had hemp hearts but it was a package of hemp seeds. Still delicious.
Awesome, glad you enjoyed!
Almost didn't make it to the fridge because I kept eating spoonfuls of it! Delish and easy. Thank you for the recipe!
that's amazing to hear!!