Bring on the nostalgia with these cereal marshmallow squares. These no-bake Vegan Gingerbread Cereal Marshmallow Squares are packed with crispy rice cereal and ooey-gooey melted marshmallows.
We’re currently just a little obsessed with cereal marshmallow squares so you know we had to give it a holiday makeover. We packed with childhood favourite with our go-to holiday flavour: gingerbread! Each square is both spicy and sweet AND gooey and crispy. It’s truly the best of all dessert worlds.
Did you know that marshmallows are typically not vegan? Yep, most marshmallows actually contain gelatin which contains animal-derived ingredients. Our recipe uses vegan marshmallows from Dandies (not sponsored) that we are able to find at most of our local grocery stores. You can make these cereal marshmallow treats with mini or big marshmallows.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- No-bake, quick, and super easy to make.
- Made with just 8 ingredients!
- Packed with holiday flavours.
Top tips for making Vegan Cereal Marshmallow Squares:
- Use a low-medium heat. The goal is for the marshmallows to melt down without browning or burning. To do this melt the marshmallows over a medium-low heat until smooth.
- Give the marshmallows time to melt. Vegan marshmallows take time to melt until smooth, often more time than the non-vegan counterpart. There should be no whole marshmallows left, just a smooth creamy marshmallow fluff.
- Add cereal when warm. To best mix in the cereal, we add in the cereal right after turning off the heat. Then use a rubber spatula to thoroughly fold the marshmallows and cereal into each other until evenly coated.
- Grease hands before handling. For the best marshmallow treats you want to press it into a square baking pan. Whether using your hand or an offset spatula be sure to grease it with cooking spray or vegan butter to ensure the marshmallow fluff doesn’t stick to it.
- Cool and rest until set. For the best, most even squares the cereal marshmallow squares should be fully set and cool. If you want these for a certain time, we recommend you make them 2 hours beforehand to allow ample time to cool.
Ingredient Notes:
- Crispy Rice Cereal – Not all cereals are vegan but for this recipe you want to find a cereal like Rice Krispies that is vegan-friendly. We use the President’s Choice Crispy Rice cereal that can be found at No Frills, Fortinos, Loblaws, Superstore, and some Shopper’s Drug Marts.
- Vegan Butter – We like to use Becel Plant-Based Unsalted Sticks and recommend using the same if you want as close to a result to ours as you can.
- Vegan Marshmallows – Marshmallows are not typically vegan, but vegan versions are starting to pop up at many grocery stores. We like using the Dandies brand mini marshmallows.
Recipe FAQ:
How do you store cereal marshmallow squares properly?
These will last you over a week if you just store them properly. All you need to do is store them in an air tight container and you have soft, ooey-gooey bars all week long.
Can I make these without crispy rice cereal?
Absolutely! Any cereal you love will work in this recipe. Cornflakes would also be a great option for this recipe.
Other vegan desserts you’ll love:
- Vegan Cereal Milk Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan Fruity Cereal Cookies
- Spicy Maple Chex Mix
- Chocolate Marshmallow Pretzel Cookies
How to make Vegan Gingerbread Cereal Marshmallow Squares:
Vegan Gingerbread Cereal Marshmallow Squares
Ingredients
- 6 cups crispy rice cereal
- 283 g (10 oz bag) mini marshmallows*
- 6 tbsp vegan butter
- ¼ cup fancy molasses
- 1 tbsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp cloves
Instructions
- Lightly grease a square baking pan and line with baking sheet. Set aside.
- Warm vegan butter in large pot over medium-low heat. Once melted add vegan marshmallows and stir until melted.
- Once melted and smooth, bring heat to low and stir in fancy molasses, ginger cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until fully incorporated.
- Turn off heat and fold in the crispy rice cereal until evenly coated with the marshmallow fluff.
- Transfer marshmallow cereal mix to the lined baking sheet and with a lightly greased offset spatula or your hand press the mixture into the baking pan tightly.
- Let rest for 1 hour before slicing into 16 squares with a serrated knife.
Notes
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