Vegan white chocolate is not just delicious but also incredibly easy to make with this tested recipe! You can use it to make homemade candy or a holiday dessert of rice crispy treats with freeze dried berries!
This recipe is perfect for those who have peanut, gluten, dairy, or egg allergies. Yes, it’s vegan too! Because life is too short to miss out on your favorite treats, especially if you have kids living with these allergies.
“My kid has X allergy, and X allergy, and X allergy. And I don’t know what to make them for Valentines Day, birthdays, school treats, or healthyish treats in general. HELP!”
Oh friends, this is a question (a plea, rather) that I receive often. Not to worry, I’ve got you covered!
We’re making a recipe for vegan white chocolate today (tested 4 times already)! On top of that, we’re using it to make a VERY SIMPLE Valentine’s Day treat recipe. Puffed rice crispy treats with raspberries. Super easy recipe. Super tasty treats. And kid approved. Like for reals.
Here’s whatcha need:
Ingredients for vegan white chocolate crispy treats
- Coconut butter (manna) (coconut oil may be used as a substitute)
- Cashew butter – Other allergy friendly nut butters like sunflower seed butter will also work
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar – To cut down on the sugar content, you can use powdered monk fruit sugar or GMO-free powdered erythritol.
- Puffed rice cereal – If you have a gluten allergy, be sure to use gluten free puffed rice cereal.
- Freeze dried fruit – I’m using freeze dried raspberries in this recipe. You can swap for whatever you like; strawberries, blueberries, etc.
First things first. A little Q&A to clarify.
Is coconut butter the same as cocoa butter?
Coconut butter, the key to making vegan white chocolate, is not the same as cocoa butter. They’re similar in the fact that they’re both dairy free and vegan, but that’s where the similarity ends.
Cocoa butter comes from the fatty portion of cocoa (chocolate) beans. Coconut butter is made by grinding dried coconut until it liquifies, like a puree.
So, if it’s vegan too, why not just use cocoa butter? Well, because coconut butter is a healthier choice. All of the nutrients in raw coconut remain in coconut butter. This means, my recipe for vegan white chocolate makes a sweet treat that offers:
- Manganese – This is essential for bone strength, and it helps the body metabolize carbohydrates.
- Iron – Essential for healthy red blood cells.
- MCT – Medium-chain triglycerides are saturated fats that the body uses to produce energy. (To learn more about them, see my post, 3 Ways to Use MCT Oil.)
- Soluble fiber
Hooray for healthier sweet treats that are ALSO delicious, right?! RIGHT!
Now, let me show you how to make the white chocolate and give you the recipe for the vegan white chocolate crispy bars. Trust me, y’all, these make a fantastic allergy-friendly Valentine’s Day treat!
How to make vegan white chocolate crispy treats
Ready for the step-by-step instructions? Here we go!
- Finely chop the coconut butter and add it to a heat safe bowl. Place the bowl above a medium sized saucepan with 1 cup or so of water in it. Be sure that the bowl is not touching the water. This setup creates a homemade double boiler. Set the heat so that the water simmers; you don’t want it to boil.
- Stir the coconut butter gently with a silicone spatula over the hot water to help it melt. Once melted, mix in the nut butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. The batter will be thick, but keep stirring while the bowl is still over the hot water, so that the mixture stays hot. Stir on medium heat until everything mixes in easily and is smooth. Set aside. If you want to keep the white chocolate by itself, see my notes in the recipe card.
- Fold in the freeze-dried raspberries and puffed rice cereal, then mix thoroughly. Spoon into a lined 9-inch square pan and press down with the back of a spoon.
- Chill the bars in the fridge until set, about 30 minutes. Then, if you want to dip the bars in more vegan white chocolate, go for it. If so, you will need to chill them again before you can cut and serve the bars.
Vegan White Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 9-11 bars 1x
Description
Vegan white chocolate is the key to making allergy-friendly rice crispy treats. With freeze-dried raspberries, the bars make the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups raw Coconut butter, chopped ( you will need extra if you want to coat the rice crispy treats after making them. See notes)
- 2 tbsp (60g) Cashew Butter or Sunflower Seed Butter
- 1 cup (120g) Powdered Sugar or Powdered Sugar Substitute, sifted
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Non dairy milk – only as needed (2-3 tbsp)
- 2.25 cups puffed rice cereal (unsweetened)
- 1/2 to 1 cup freeze dried berries (to be crushed)
Instructions
- Add chopped coconut butter to a heat safe bowl and place it above a medium sized saucepan with 1 cup or so of water in it. Be sure that the bowl is not touching the water. This setup creates a homemade double boiler. Set the heat so that the water simmers; you don’t want it to boil.
- Stir the coconut butter gently with a silicone spatula over the hot water to help it melt. Once melted, mix in the nut butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. The batter will be thick, but keep stirring while the bowl is still over the hot water, so that the mixture stays hot. Stir on medium heat until everything mixes in easily and is smooth. Set aside. If you want to keep the white chocolate by itself, see notes.
- Place freeze dried berries in a ziplock bag and crush with fist. You may also do this in a bowl or food processor.
- Fold in the freeze-dried raspberries and puffed rice cereal, then mix thoroughly with spatula. Spoon into a lined 8×8 or 9×9-inch square pan and press down with the back of a spoon.
- Chill for 30 minutes until set, then cut and dip in extra vegan chocolate and crushed freeze dried berries, if desired.
- Let the chocolate cool again. Store in airtight container. Best kept in fridge or covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- If you want to use any vegan white chocolate by itself to dip the bars into, or to make homemade chocolates, allow the mixture to cool briefly before transferring to a measuring cup for pouring into molds or dipping.
- If you want to dip the rice crispy treats in vegan white chocolate after they are chilled, then make an additional batch. I don’t recommend doubling the recipe as it will not mix thoroughly.
- For refined sugar free option use Monk Fruit powdered sugar
- Category: desserts
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: vegan white chocolate, rice crispy treats, allergy friendly, gluten free, dairy free, vegan
Alright my friends, if you have any questions about how to make vegan white chocolate, don’t hesitate to reach out, email, comment, etc. We’re here to help!
That being said, if you make these and love them, please share and/or let me know how they turn out. I made them 3x already. Just sayin..
LC
Not sure where I went wrong with this recipe but I ended up throwing away two batches. I just couldn’t get the white chocolate consistency thin enough to stick all the rice crispies together, let alone to dip them in after setting. Mine came out more like chalky, crumbly granola bars. Baking just isn’t my sweet spot!
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OH no! That’s not good! what type of coconut manna did you use? Here’s a little video, if this helps! Keep me posted Ericka. I would love to help remedy this. https://www.facebook.com/CotterCrunch/videos/1473195416189673/
Hey! Thanks for sharing the recipe and taking into consideration the allergies people might have from peanut,gluten,dairy or eggs. The recipe looks really simple and easy, i will definitely try this on Valentines day.
Happy to help! Keep me posted Sophy!
This looks incredibly good! Love how simple the ingredient list is too!
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These sweet treats are so perfect for Valentine’s Day! Delicious and still vegan!
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Yes, I think so too! Thanks!
I love how easy these were! They make the perfect Valentine’s Day treat, and the information on cocoa butter and coconut butter was really helpful!
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Yes, they really are easy to make! So glad that info was helpful to you Katie!
thank you for sharing an allergy friendly recipe like this!
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You’re welcome Lisa!
My kids loved it! Such a great idea for Valentine’s Day treat.
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Glad they loved them! Thanks, Toni!
I absolutely love white chocolate and this one looks incredible! Thank you so much for this recipe!
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