Rice Cake With Peanut Butter is a viral TikTok sensation and we’re here for it! Spread creamy peanut butter over a mini rice cake and then spoon on melted chocolate. Add a sprinkle of sea salt if you’re feeling fancy!
This Rice Cake With Peanut Butter recipe is a BONUS recipe as part of our Back-To-School Lifesavers — a series of recipes that are intended to have little (or no) veggie chopping, minimal prep time, around 10 ingredients or less (not including pantry staples), and use kid-friendly ingredients. This (obviously) isn’t a dinner recipe, but a fun back-to-school snack or addition to a balanced breakfast. Click here to see all the recipes in the series!
Rice Cake With Peanut Butter
A couple of months ago, my sister sent me a viral TikTok video with a version of this recipe. The video shared a large rice cake topped with peanut butter and a hard chocolate shell. She captioned the message, “Make me this?!”
Naturally, I had to add my own twist to it and make a more manageable (smaller) version for the perfect after-school snack. And no plain rice cakes here — caramel flavor or bust! 🙂
Rice Cake With Peanut Butter Ingredients
Only four ingredients in these mini rice cake treats:
- Ghirardelli’s® chocolate-flavored melting wafers: We like dark chocolate best here, but use your favorite melting wafer flavor. See the “quick tip” box below.
- Caramel rice crisps: We love the flavor of the caramel rice crisps, but use any (sweet) rice crisps you can find or enjoy. If you can’t find the minis, large rice cakes will work just fine too.
- Peanut butter: A good creamy peanut butter you enjoy is best here.
- Coconut oil: A little coconut or vegetable oil helps thin the chocolate helping it to go on the rice cakes smoother.
Quick Tip
The better the quality of chocolate, the better the flavor will be overall. You’ll get both a better melt and a richer flavor. My favorite chocolate for these rice cakes is Ghirardelli® or Guittard®. Cheaper brands can have a waxier content that is less flavorful.
How To Make A Rice Cake With Peanut Butter
- Start with a parchment-paper-lined sheet pan. This keeps any chocolate from sticking to the pan and ripping apart the rice cakes. Also, it keeps the mess to a minimum!
- Melt the chocolate slowly and stir it often. To avoid burning the chocolate, don’t rush the melting process. Microwave the chocolate in bursts of time, remembering that the chocolate is still melting even after you take it out of the microwave. Make sure to give the chocolate plenty of time to melt outside of the microwave as you stir.
- Don’t allow any liquid near the chocolate. If it gets wet, it will seize and harden, and you don’t want that. Here’s why.
- Microwave the chocolate wafers in sturdy, heat-safe bowls instead of using plastic.
Variations
- If you love salty-sweet flavors, add a small sprinkle of sea salt flakes to the chocolate coating before it hardens.
- Make a large rice cake with peanut butter. If you can’t find the minis or want a bigger rice cake, grab the large rice cakes instead.
- Try a different flavor. We love caramel best, but chocolate is also tasty (double-chocolate treat!).
- Try apple-cinnamon rice cakes. We love these apple cinnamon rice cakes topped with almond butter and a white chocolate coating. Sprinkle on some cinnamon before the white chocolate hardens for even more flavor!
Storage
Storage
Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Place coated rice cakes in single layers, separated by wax or parchment paper.
They’re also tasty chilled (my favorite way to enjoy them)! We’ll often keep them in the refrigerator, eating them right out of the fridge.
Can you freeze ’em? Yes! Place them on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes. Once fairly frozen, transfer to an airtight container or bag and return to the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months. When thawed, the chocolate on top may look white/milky — they’re perfectly safe to eat, this is just the milk solids from the chocolate rising to the top.
More Quick Snacks:
- Banana Bites made two ways — peanut butter banana “sushi” and banana sandwiches
- Apple Nachos made two ways
- Blueberry Energy Bites with dried blueberries
- Chocolate Covered Dates with a peanut butter filling
- Chewy Granola Bars with miniature chocolate chips
Rice Cake With Peanut Butter
Ingredients
- 1 bag (16 total) caramel rice cakes
- 16 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate melts
- 3/4 teaspoon coconut or vegetable oil
- Optional: sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner and set aside.
- Place 16 mini rice cakes on the pan. Top each with 1 teaspoon of peanut butter, spreading it smoothly.
- Combine chocolate melts and solid coconut oil. Microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring for 15 seconds between each burst, until fully melted.
- Spoon melted chocolate over the rice cakes to coat the tops. Repeat until all rice cakes are covered. If desired, sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Set aside to harden at room temperature.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Make a large rice cake with peanut butter if you can't find minis or prefer a bigger size. Use plain or caramel-flavored rice cakes.
- Try different flavors. Caramel is our favorite, but chocolate is also delicious for a double-chocolate treat.
- For apple-cinnamon rice cakes, top with almond butter and a white chocolate coating. Sprinkle with cinnamon before the chocolate hardens for extra flavor!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These rice cakes with peanut butter are a delightful treat! The combination of textures and flavors is fantastic. A perfect snack or dessert option for any time of day.
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much! 🙂
Love dark chocolate and peanut butter together but I think I’ll wait until this So Cal heatwave is finished before I make these.
You can stick them in the freezer and they’re just a little cold and so delicious! 🙂