These chocolate puffed quinoa bars are a protein-rich recipe with puffed quinoa, a twist on the classic Rice Krispies recipe. These crunchy bars are refined sugar free and have a healthy caramel flavor topped with a thick chocolate top. Make them in under 20 minutes.
This chocolate puffed quinoa bars are an easy crunchy treat typically made with puffed rice or Rice Krispie cereal, but here I used puffed quinoa. These quinoa crunch bars are one of my many recipes using puffed quinoa. including my cherry vanilla protein bars, and my chocolate quinoa bark in my dessert cookbook. I even have a detailed post on how to make puffed quinoa.
In these puffed quinoa bars however, I used store bought puffed quinoa, hence the larger puffs. Homemade puffed quinoa yields much tinier kernels though as big on flavor and protein. Quinoa puffs, actually quinoa in general, provides a ton of nutrition, protein, and fiber to these bars as well as a satisfyingly crunchy bite. So, like my peanut butter oatmeal balls, these protein quinoa bars are energizing.
Why You'll Love These
A healthy Rice Krispie substitute. This version, using puffed quinoa, is a protein-rich treat, a far cry from the sugar-ladened, fun but unhealthy commercial treat made from marshmallows and Rice Krispie cereal.
Protein-rich treat. This recipe is primarily made of quinoa puffs. Quinoa is so high in protein that it supports every cell process in the body and quinoa is the chosen food of NASA for its astronauts while on space missions.
Super easy to make. Recipes using puffed quinoa are simple to make. Just mix in a bowl, spread in a pan and chill. These bars are also easy to customize. Add in chocolate chips, nuts, hemp seeds, or even dried fruit to change things up.
Ingredients
- Puffed quinoa (or your favorite puffed cereal)
- Nut butter
- Maple syrup
- Chocolate chips
- Coconut oil
Variations
Puffed quinoa. Instead of store-bought puffed quinoa, use homemade popped quinoa, or even a puffed rice cereal such as Rice Krispies.
Maple syrup. Instead of maple syrup, agave syrup or date syrup can be used instead.
Steps to Make
For more detail, visit the complete recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
Prep
- Sit jar of coconut oil in a pot of boiling water to melt enough to use.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Measuring out the puffed quinoa into a large mixing bowl.
Make Bars
- Microwave the nut butter and maple syrup in a heat-safe cup until smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla and salt.
- Pour the mixture on to the puffed quinoa in the mixing bowl. Quickly but gentle fold the mixture together.
- Pour the combined mixture into the pan and press down and flatten the mixture using the bottom of a metal measuring cup or other flat utensil.
Make Chocolate Top
- Microwave the chocolate and coconut oil for 60 seconds, remove and stir until allis melted.
- Pour the chocolate over the quinoa mixture. Tip the pan to help the chocolate reach all sides. Then tap on the counter to help the chocolate level out.
- Freeze the pan for at least 10 minutes or longer, and then slice into squares.
Storage
Store in a covered container at room temperature for two days. You can refrigerate them after that for a week but add a paper towel to the inside of the container, so they remain crispy. These puffed quinoa bars won't freeze well and will instead become soggy.
FAQS
Scotcheroos are a treat made by a USA cereal manufacturer, popular in the 1960s. Scotcheroos got their name after an important ingredient used to glue it together - butterscotch.The recipe was originally printed on boxes of cereal in the 1960s. Fun to eat, but full of sugar.
Yes, quinoa is healthy whether cooked or eaten uncooked or raw. This gluten-free pseudo-grain is considered a superfood because of its strong and unusual nutritional profile. Pronounced "KEEN-wah", quinoa is one of the few plant foods that offers a complete protein profile, all nine of the essential amino acids, as well as being nhigh in fiber, iron, zinc, copper, thiamin and vitamin B6, potassium and magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and folate. One cup of quinoa yields 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.
Raw quinoa does not expand into large kernals like popcorn but instead browns and becomes toasty and crunch.
More Protein Recipes
If you tried these chocolate puffed quinoa bars or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Puffed Quinoa Bars
Ingredients
scotcheroos
- 2 cups puffed quinoa (see my detailed post on how to make puffed quinoa, or use store bought popped quinoa.
- ⅓ cup nut butter
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
chocolate top
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
Prep
- To make puffed quinoa. To make puffed quinoa, add dry uncooked quinoa to a pre-heated hot DRY pan and cook over medium heat for one minute, stirring constantly. A puffed quinoa kernel will remain the same size - it won't pop as large as a popcorn kernel; it will smell nutty and appear a bit toasted. See my detailed post on how to puff quinoa here.
- Measuring out the puffed quinoa - either store-bought or homemade - into a large mixing bowl.
- Sit jar of coconut oil in a pot of boiling water to melt enough to use.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Make Crispies
- Add the nut butter and maple syrup to a microwave-safe cup and heat for 1 minute. Stir until creamy. Add in the vanilla and salt.⅓ cup nut butter, ⅓ cup maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch of salt
- Pour the mixture on to the puffed quinoa in the mixing bowl. Quickly but gently fold the puffed quinoa and the syrup/butter mixture together.2 cups puffed quinoa
- Fold the mixture into the pan and press down and flatten the mixture using the bottom of a metal measuring cup or other flat utensil. Set aside to make the chocolate top.
Make the Chocolate Top
- Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a heat safe bowl.1 cup chocolate chips, 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- Microwave for 60 seconds, remove and stir the mixture is creamy.
- Pour the chocolate over the quinoa mixture. Tip the pan to help the chocolate reach all sides. Then tap on the counter to help the chocolate level out.
- Freeze the pan for at least ten minutes or longer, and then slice into squares.
Storage
- Store in a covered container at room temperature for two days. You can refrigerate after that for a week, but add a paper towel in the container so they remain crispy. These won't freeze well, they will become soggy.
Shannon
Delicious!! I made these twice. I double batched the second, and used a little less maple syrup (about 1/2 cup rather than double 2/3) in my second batch and they are great. In the first batch I made, I forgot the vanilla and pinch of salt and it still tasted great (but I would recommend putting it in!).
Dee Dine
Thank you for sharing!