We had just gotten home from a trip cross country (during a pandemic!) and with my 3 little ones, all I had energy left for was my fun fruit flag and that’s what I was planning.

Fast forward to the 4th of July. The girls were disappointed they didn’t get cotton candy at the parade (my daughter saw it but we couldn’t find where they were selling it). So I looked around my kitchen in search of a treat I could make with them FAST. I had One Degree Organics Rice Krispies and Dandies vegan marshmallows (both I had just gotten from my Thrive market delivery… want a discount to get groceries at your door? Click here!). I also had E3Live Blue Majik spirulina and some organic beet root powder. Voila: Red, White & Blue Rice Krispies treats!

Having made a version of this MANY times before, I knew it would be fast, easy, the kids would love it AND they could help me make it if they wanted, too!

Having made rice crispy treats many times before I knew how to make them but the color part was a bit of trial and error. First I melted the marshmallows in Earth Balance vegan butter first. Then I divided the marshmallow mix into 3 pots. I added beet root powder to one and blue spirulina to another pot of melted gooeyness. At first the color wasn’t quite strong enough, so I added a little more powder of each. (I left the 3rd alone, for the white part! I added rice krispies to each pot and stirred to combine. Next I added it to my glass pyrex dish one at a time and refrigerated to make sure it was firm, before slicing.

It really was that easy and fast and turned out GREAT! I’m not sure why, but we all agreed it was the BEST rice krispie treat I’ve ever made, and I’ve made many before. I actually think it might have been something about the antioxidant/superfood powders that just toned down the sweetness and stickiness and made it perfect! And gave us a health boost which was a nice benefit! You probably know by now, I love my dessert to have benefits! 😉

I hope you enjoy the recipe. Please let me know what you think and share it with someone you think might like it too! This would also be great for Labor Day coming up or any summer BBQ or gathering! 

Hope you had a great 4th of July!

Red, White & Blue Rice Crispy Treats (vegan & gluten free)

By Abby Phon
Yields: 9 bars (if cut big, I cut them small though so we get more!)

INGREDIENTS

• 4½ cups Brown Rice Crisps (I used One Degree Organic Foods – no sugar added, organic, sprouted, vegan & GF)
• 1 bag (10 oz) Dandies Marshmallows (they are vegan but don’t taste any different! Also, non-GMO & Kosher)
• ¼ cup Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread
• ¾ tsp E3Live Blue Spirulina
• 1 tsp organic Beet Root Powder

TOOLS USED

• 4-quart pot
• silicone spatula
• parchment paper
• 8×8″ glass Pyrex baking dish
• Measuring cups & spoons

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt vegan butter in a pot.
2. Once melted, add marshmallows and stir until melty and gooey. (Dandies don’t entirely melt, but when they are soft they mix with rice krispies just fine.)
3. Divided melted marshmallows in 3 pots.
4. Add beet powder to one pot and blue spirulina to the other pot. Stir until the color is well combined. If you find the color too light, add a little more spirulina/beet root ¼ tsp at a time. 
5. Add 1½ cups rice krispies to each pot and stir to combine.
6. Put in a lightly greased (I used a coconut oil spray) glass pyrex dish one at a time and press down each time you add a layer*.
7. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until set and slice.
8. Enjoy!

* Note: I did each color as its own bar, and cut a thin slice through all 3 to stack and make a Red White and Blue bar. If I did it again, I might try layering red then white then blue layers of krispies to get all 3 colors in one shot, but it was easy this way too.