Healthy Peanut Butter Cup Quinoa Crispy Treats
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This easy Healthy Peanut Butter Cup Quinoa Crispy Treats recipe is the perfect snack or treat when you want something healthy, crunchy and full of chocolate and peanut butter flavor! Only 5 ingredients needed, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free, what could be better?
More Healthy Treats? We got you! Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes, Keto Chocolate Almond Joy Bark, 35 Homemade Healthy Granola Recipes and how about these Healthy Chunky Monkey Oatmeal Bars?
Why Quinoa is a Great Ingredient for Vegan & Gluten-Free Treats
Have you ever tried Quinoa? Oh My Gosh! I love using Quinoa in recipes since I’ve been looking for vegan alternatives as well as healthy alternatives to rice krispie cereal.
Quinoa is a seed that is pronounced ‘keen-wa’ and is a great option for people who cannot eat gluten. It may seem like a grain in dishes, but it is actually from the same family as beets, chard, and spinach.
Like oats, it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, so it’s a complete protein. In fact, compared to other grains, it has a very high protein content and it’s easily digestible.
People in South America (in places like Peru, Chile, and Bolivia) have been growing and eating quinoa for a long time, as it was a main part of the diet for the Incas and their descendants. Recently, people who love food have been saying it’s a better choice than bulgur wheat, couscous, and rice. I’m beginning to see why!
For this Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Quinoa Cups recipe, I used Sweet Puffed Quinoa Cereal, but if you can find any kind of sweet puffed quinoa cereal at your local grocery or online, get it ASAP! If you’ve ever had Kix cereal, these taste like mini versions of them and they’re so cute!
Why You’ll Love these Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Quinoa Treats
Imagine sinking your teeth into a rich, creamy chocolate peanut butter crispy treat, but without the guilt. These vegan chocolate peanut butter quinoa cups are the the perfect combination of decadence and nutrition.
- This amazing quinoa dessert recipe is not only delicious, but it also packs a powerful punch of nutrients.
- Easy to make – 15 minutes prep! Let them set up in the fridge or freezer, and then devour!
- Delicious and addictive crunchy quinoa treats -you’ll love these if you like rice krispie treats!
- Use either dairy-free white chocolate, milk chocolate or dark chocolate – If you don’t care about these being dairy-free- use any kind of chocolate you want.
- Healthy alternative when you want something sweet and amazing delish!
- Vegan & Dairy-free, Gluten-Free quinoa recipe dessert – Thank you!
Gather Your Ingredients
- agave syrup or maple syrup (can also use honey, but it’s not vegan)
- coconut oil, melted and cooled
- creamy peanut butter
- sweetened Quinoa puffed cereal
Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping
- dairy-free white chocolate, milk or dark chocolate chips or bar, I used Vegan Chocolove for the milk chocolate and Enjoy Life White Chocolate Chips for the white chocolate
- creamy peanut butter
- Optional: Pretzels, Salted Peanuts, Cashews, Almonds
How to Make Healthy Peanut Butter Cup Quinoa Crispy Treats
- Use a silicone muffin tin or line a muffin tin with liners, or grease an 8×8 baking dish, if you wish to have bars. Lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt the coconut oil, let it cool and add to a large bowl with the agave/maple syrup and peanut butter and mix together. Add cereal and mix all together making sure all of the cereal coated well.
- Using a large cookie scoop (¼ cup size) fill each muffin cup with the cereal mixture, then add to freeze for 10 minutes to set.
- Melt the chocolate and add the peanut butter and mix together well.
- Using a tablespoon or large spoon, pour on top of quinoa cups and smooth out.
- Place treats in fridge or freeze and let chocolate peanut butter mixture set for 5-10 minutes.
- Once the treats are set, pop them out of the silicone liners or remove the liners and enjoy! Put remaining treats in fridge and keep them in the fridge, so they stay solid and crunchy! YUM!
Other Options & Substitutions
Love the recipe, but don’t have quinoa cereal? To stay vegan, you could use a puffed brown rice, rolled oats or puffed millet as a substitute. For gluten-free, the same, except use gluten-free rolled oats.
How to Store Treats
Once the peanut butter quinoa treats are set, keep them in the fridge. If you let them set out at room temperature, they will fall apart. You need the fridge to keep them solidly set.
Storing in the fridge for up to 1 week, if they last that long! 🙂
These quinoa dessert recipe will not go unnoticed! For anyone that is wanting to have a very tasty and decadent crunchy peanut butter and chocolate recipe without all the guilt, these are it! Seriously dreamy!
My husband loved them and we ended up making a second batch the next day! Kids and adults alike will go ga-ga over these treats! Just remember to keep them them very cold if you’re transporting anywhere!
Check out 20 Easy Vegan Delicious No-Bake Snacks – a delicious collection!
Other Delish Treats
- Brownie Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Perfect Thin & Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- S’mores Graham Cereal Bars
- Ultimate Gooey Brownies
- Awesome Peanut Butter Buckeye Rice Krispies
- 16 Reese’s Pieces Candy Desserts
- Ultimate Triple Chocolate Cookies
- Chocolate Football Peanut Butter Cookies
- Healthy Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars
- No Bake Chocolate Biscoff Pumpkin Cups
Healthy Peanut Butter Cup Quinoa Crispy Treats
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Quinoa Cups
- 4 tablespoons agave syrup or maple syrup, can use sugar-free maple syrup if
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups sweetened Quinoa puffed cereal
Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping
- ½ cup dairy-free white chocolate milk or dark chocolate chips or bar
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
Instructions
Peanut Butter Quinoa Cups
- Use a silicone muffin tin or line a muffin tin with liners, or grease an 8×8 baking dish, if you wish to have bars. Lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt the coconut oil and add to a large bowl with the aguave/maple syrup and peanut butter and mix together. Add cereal and mix all together making sure all of the cereal coated well.
- Using a large cookie scoop (¼ cup size) fill each muffin cup with the cereal mixture, then add to freezer for 10 minutes to set.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping
- Melt the chocolate and add the peanut butter and mix together well.
- Using a tablespoon or large spoon, pour on top of quinoa cups and smooth out.
- Place treats in fridge or freeze and let chocolate peanut butter mixture set for 5-10 minutes.
- Once the treats are set, pop them out of the silicone liners or remove the liners and enjoy! Put remaining treats in fridge and keep them in the fridge, so they stay solid and crunchy! YUM!
Love this lightened up version of pb cups, with the puffed quinoa! Yum!