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Was I the only one obsessed with rice crispy treats as a kid? My mom used to make them into “easter egg baskets” and stuff them with Cadbury eggs when I was younger…now that was heaven.
Luckily for all of us, these treats are a little healthier for us! I didn’t add any extra oils or sugars – the marshmallows are sweet enough on their own, and the tahini in this recipe keeps them creamy (while also making them taste like caramel, yuuum).
With the addition of salted caramel flavor and crunchy pretzel pieces, these are definitely a dessert that anyone will enjoy.
Before we get on to the recipe, I just want to remind you all to be sure that you are buying vegan marshmallows! Conventional marshmallows contain gelatin, but Dandies and Trader Joe’s both sell vegan varieties. If you want to make these gluten free, you could also use GF pretzels. Enjoy!
Salted Caramel Rice Crispy Treats
Ingredients
- 4 cups Puffed Rice or Crispy Rice Cereal
- 1 cup Pretzel Pieces
- 1 10 oz package Vegan Marshmallows I used Dandies
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 3 tablespoons Tahini
- 1/2 tsp Salt of choice I used Pink Himalayan
Instructions
- Break your pretzels into small, bite sized pieces.
- Place 1 cup of pretzel pieces and 4 cups of rice cereal into a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the vanilla extract, tahini, and salt. Stir well.
- Add the vegan marshmallows to the bowl and microwave at 20 second intervals until the marshmallows are completely melted, stirring every time to make sure the tahini mixture gets incorporated as well. The melted marshmallows will look like a giant white ball when finished!
- Quickly add in the pretzel pieces and rice puffs and stir the mixture rapidly to incorporate the dry ingredients with the marshmallows
- Add the final mixture to a 9×9 pan lined with parchment paper and press down. It helps to cover the mix with an additional layer of parchment paper so your hands do not get sticky while you are pressing!
- Let cool completely and slice into 12 even pieces.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Recipe Notes
- If you don’t like to add salt to your foods, you can leave it out of this recipe — they will just be Caramel Rice Crispy Treats instead 🙂
- I used rice puffs for this recipe, which makes the treats more fluffy and chewy, but if you choose to use crispy rice cereal, these treats will be a lot more dense.
If you’d like to see a step-by-step tutorial, check out my YouTube video:
Damn, they look super yum! I can’t use Tahini because of my histamine intolerance, are there any substitutes for it?
Hi Melina, you could use Almond Butter instead 🙂
I have an 8 by 8 square cake tin, is that okay to use for this recipe which I think is amazing by the way? :)
Yes, that should work just fine!
Thank you for letting me know. And also would i have to refrigerate it so it can set or will it set itself when it cools?
Refrigerating it will speed up the process, but is not necessary
Okay, thank you. Cant wait to make these for my friend.
Hope you both enjoy them! 🙂
What brand of puffed rice did you use for this recipe?
Hi Natalie! It has been a while, but I believe it was by Arrowhead Mills.
Thank you so much for getting back to me. I just wanted to get the right brand because I don’t want them being to dense. 🙂
This looks amazing! I loved making rice crispy treats with my mom when I was a kid and am now obsessed with tahini, so this is definitely going on my “make soon” list!
That’s awesome, Esther! I hope you love them 🙂