Easy Quinoa Pop Krispie Treats

Have you ever just had an unbearable craving for sprinkles… or anything sprinkles I should say?? Yesterday, as I was reading this amazing book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, I couldn’t help but imagine a beautiful stack of something sweet and colorful.

So I took it upon myself to make a dessert. Mind you, it was already 3:30 pm. So I knew I had to make something and photograph it quickly because my natural light window was coming to an end! When I’m in a time crunch like that, I usually reach for something just as fast, like my brown butter strawberry blondies or small batch pumpkin donuts.

I checked my pantry for things I could use, and one thing stood out! I had quinoa pops… yay!! I’ve been meaning to make something with them, but I wasn’t sure when. I also had marshmallows from when I made these amazing S’mores cookies (I will make sure to post them for you guys very soon!). I already love cooking with quinoa in savory dishes, like in my how to cook red quinoa guide, so I was curious to see how the popped version would work in a dessert.

What are quinoa pops or quinoa puffs?

Quinoa pops are pretty much what the name entails! Quinoa that has been popped or puffed. During this process, the quinoa becomes slightly larger and gets a totally different texture.

It often becomes light and airy, with a nice, crisp outside. Popped quinoa still has a nice, earthy, nutty flavor that balances the sweetness of this recipe.

The only difference when using these quinoa pops instead of Rice Krispies is that these are slightly less crispy; don’t get me wrong, they are still crispy enough to make this recipe totally amazing!

What are the benefits of using these quinoa pops for the quinoa pop krispy treats?

If you check out the Kapok Naturals website, it says that these quinoa pops are:

• A low-glycemic complex carbohydrate.
• Have only 120 calories per 1/3 cup.
• It’s a complete source of protein and contains all the essential amino acids. Perfect option for vegetarians and vegans. This recipe isn’t suitable for either since I used regular marshmallows, but you can use vegetarian or vegan marshmallows, and it will be perfect.
• This product is also Gluten-Free !! To make this a gluten-free treat, make sure your marshmallows are also gluten-free. If you love a protein-forward treat like this one, my healthy chickpea pumpkin blondies take the same approach with a chickpea base.

How to make these quinoa pop krispy treats

These quinoa treats are extremely easy to make and will come together in less than 10 minutes. If you don’t have quinoa pops on hand, this same melt-and-mix method works with regular cereal too, my crumbl rice krispies bar cookies and peanut butter rice krispy treats use the same approach.

1. After preparing the baking pan, melt the butter and marshmallow, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula.
2. Add the quinoa pops once everything is melted, and stir to coat them in the marshmallow mixture. Transfer to the prepared baking pan, flatten, and top with sprinkles. Add as little or as much as you’d like here!
3. Let the quinoa kripsy treats cool down before cutting. This will take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on how cold it is where you are.
4. If you are impatient like me, you could pop them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes instead. Slice into 8 equal squares and enjoy! For a chocolate spin on that same technique, my chocolate rice krispie treats use a brown butter and cocoa base.

Substitutions for these quinoa pop krispy treats

There are a couple of easy substitutions that you could make to have this recipe fit your needs;

• Marshmallow – You wouldn’t be using anything other than marshmallow, but you could use a vegan marshmallow. These Dandies marshmallows will do the trick. These Dandies marshmallows are also gluten-free so what a great way to knock two birds with one stone!
• Butter – If you are going for a dairy-free product, you could substitute the butter with either vegan butter or coconut oil.
• Sprinkles – When it comes to sprinkles, you could totally omit them or use some that you prefer the most!
• Want to switch things up even more? Drizzle the top with melted chocolate like I do in my chocolate peanut butter rice krispie treats, or fold in some chopped nuts the way I do in my chocolate walnut slice and bake cookies for extra crunch. And if you’re craving another no-bake, cereal-based snack, my muddy buddies recipe comes together just as fast.