Vegan 4 ingredient chocolate peanut butter cereal is a fun breakfast or dessert treat that’ll take you straight back to childhood, minus the sugar crash. Simple, gluten free, and fruit-sweetened!
Happy Friday, guys!!! I have been TOO EXCITED to share this recipe with you for like, 2 weeks now. The day I made it I was shoooook by how good it was, and I couldn’t wait to get it on the blog for you.
Well today’s the day, and honestly I feel like vegan 4 ingredient chocolate peanut butter cereal is the most Friday-appropriate recipe I’ve ever made.
I absolutely love making cereal because it’s just the best fun snack. Super addictive, and amazing any time of day. You guys know I like to keep things healthy and wholesome around here, so obviously the ridiculously sugary store-bought cereals with unrecognizable ingredients aren’t making the cut. Instead, we’re making our own!
I’ve already shared my healthy + vegan version of cocoa puffs (made with just 3 ingredients!), and a fruity, summery version quickly followed. Then fall came, so we had healthy cinnamon toast crunch, also made with just 3 ingredients. Finally, this past summer we had this 2 ingredient banana cereal, which are sweet, chewy, banana-y bites of heaven.
So today, we’re making a healthy, vegan verison of another childhood classic: reese’s puffs. Sweet little orbs of chocolatey, peanut buttery goodness, made with just 4 simple ingredients!
I don’t know about you guys but I am SO READY FOR THIS.
Ingredients for vegan 4 ingredient chocolate peanut butter cereal
- Rolled oats: you’ll blend the oats to flour consistency, which helps hold the cereal balls together.
- Cocoa powder: cocoa gives the chocolate cereal its dark chocolate flavor.
- Medjool dates: dates hold the cereal balls together and provide natural, fruit sweetness.
- Peanut butter: make sure to choose peanut butter that’s unsweetened and oil-free. A lot of store-bought nut butters have a lot of added junk, so check the ingredients!
Tips for making vegan 4 ingredient chocolate peanut butter cereal
- You’ll make 2 doughs, but both are very simple. The chocolate dough is the same as my healthy cocoa puffs, and the other other also only requires 3 ingredients, subbing out the cocoa powder for peanut butter.
- Measure the rolled oats before blending into flour. I always list the amount of oats used BEFORE they’re blended for flour. So in this case, for each dough you’ll measure out 1 cup of whole, rolled oats, then put that 1 cup into your blender to make flour.
- Put your patient pants on. Rolling out the dough into tiny spheres can take a few minutes. Listen to a podcast or some music while you work to help pass the time!
- Press, don’t roll. The chocolate dough is pretty easy to roll into small balls, but the peanut butter dough is a bit more dry and crumbly, so rather than rolling between your hands, I found it’s easier to press it into a ball shape. Repeat the process for each dough until it’s all gone.
- Let the cereal sit out to get crunchy. After baking, the cereal needs to sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours. This is when it gets that crunchy texture! Because oats are the main component of the cereal, it will soften up a bit when stored in a tupperware container.
This vegan 4 ingredient chocolate peanut butter cereal is the best combination of chocolate + peanut butter, without any of the nasties of store-bought cereals. It’s a great snack any time of day, full of natural, fruit sweetness, whole grains, and healthy fats. The texture is firm and crisp on the outside, and still a bit soft and chewy in the center. My favorite way to eat it is just like traditional cereal, in a bowl with plenty of oat milk. It’s also great as a smoothie bowl topper, or just for grabbing a handful on your way out the door.
Hope you guys love this one as much as I do. And if you don’t love cereal…I’m not even sure what to say, other than that we probably wouldn’t be friends in real life. Kidding! Kinda.
Xo,
Sara
Vegan 4 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal
Ingredients
Chocolate Cereal
- 1 cup whole grain rolled oats, blended into flour
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup date paste – I use 8 pitted medjool dates blended with 1/2 cup hot water, then measure out 1/2 cup paste
Peanut Butter Cereal
- 1 cup whole grain rolled oats, blended into flour
- 1/4 cup date paste – I use 4 pitted medjool dates blended with 1/4 cup hot water, then measure out 1/4 cup paste
- 1/4 cup natural, unsweetened peanut butter – only ingredients should be peanuts and salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- I recommend making 3/4 cup of date paste first, then splitting it between the two bowls – so put 12 pitted medjool dates in a high speed blender or food processor and blend with 3/4 cup hot water, then measure out 1/2 cup for the chocolate cereal and 1/4 cup for the peanut butter cereal.
- Make the chocolate cereal dough by mixing the oat flour, cocoa powder, and date paste and stir until everything is incorporated into a thick dough.
- Pinch off about a 1/2 teaspoon of the dough and roll into a small sphere, then place on a lined baking sheet – repeat until all the dough is on the sheet. This takes awhile, so listen to a podcast, put on some music or recruit someone to help with the fun 🙂
- Make the peanut butter cereal dough by mixing the oat flour, date paste, and peanut butter and stir until everything is incorporated into a thick dough.
- Pinch off about 1/2 teaspoon of the dough and roll into a small sphere, then place on a lined baking sheet – repeat until all the dough is on the sheet with the chocolate dough. The peanut butter dough may be slightly more dry, so rather than rolling between your hands, you may need to use your fingers to press it into a sphere shape. This takes awhile, so listen to a podcast, put on some music or recruit someone to help with the fun 🙂
- Bake the cereal for 30 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the cereal to sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours – this is when it will get crunchy.
- Mix up the two flavors and store in a tupperware at room temperature. The cereal will soften slightly when stored and is best enjoyed within a couple days of making it.
