Eliminating processed foods from the pantry is a difficult road at first. Probably one of the hardest items to stop buying is the ubiquitous boxed breakfast cereal, without a doubt, America’s favorite way to start the day. The problems with conventional boxed breakfast cereals like rice krispies are many. Genetically modified ingredients, loads of sugar, additives, and chemicals with plenty of synthetic vitamins added to the mix. This artificial fortification hides a multitude of dietary sins from the consumer examining the nutrition label.
The issue with organic boxed cereal is less clear. Examination of the ingredients for many brands seems harmless enough with just a few whole foods listed.
The apparently healthy label hides a nasty little secret, however. Violent factory processing is required to manufacture it.
Factory Processing Destroys Cereal Grain Proteins
This factory driven process, called extrusion, applies so much heat and pressure to the cereal grains that they actually liquefy. This slurry allows the grains to be quickly and easily shaped into the puffs, flakes, and other shapes that make each cereal distinct.
The manufacturing process used to make boxed cereal is so violent and denaturing that the proteins in the grains are actually rendered toxic and allergenic as a result. This is why whole grain boxed breakfast cereal is shockingly even more toxic than cheap boxed cereals made with white flour — because whole grains are higher in protein.
The more protein, the more toxic the boxed cereal.
What to do?
The good news is that unhealthy versions of processed foods like boxed breakfast cereal can usually be replicated at home using simple preparation techniques which do not denature the food or add toxins like what happens in a factory.
Homemade Rice Krispies
The recipe below provides an easy way to make rice krispies at home to enjoy as a cereal or to make rice krispies snack bars.
By making your own homemade rice krispies, you can enjoy all the crisp yumminess without taking the risk of developing food allergies or digestive issues from factory-produced versions loaded with toxic grain proteins.
Rice Krispies Cereal Recipe
Make homemade rice krispies cereal yourself with leftover cooked rice. It is a far healthier option than synthetically fortified, GMO-ridden boxed cereals.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white basmati rice
- 3 cups filtered water
- expeller pressed coconut oil
- 3 Tbl Plain, whole milk yogurt
Instructions
Combine rice and water in a pot. Note: It is best not to use wild rice or brown rice for this recipe.
Optional step to add extra digestibility to the rice: Stir in yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, whey or apple cider vinegar and leave covered on the counter for a minimum of 7 hours.
Bring pot to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Remove pot from heat, crack the lid slightly and let cool.
Spread cooled, cooked rice on cookie sheets thinly so that the rice is no more than 1/4 inch thick.
Preheat oven to 275 F/135 C and dry the cooked rice for 2 hours.
Remove dried rice from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
Heat small pan filled with 1 inch of expeller pressed coconut oil to 375 F/190 C using a digital food thermometer. Take care not to heat the oil higher than this temperature or it will cause free radicals called acrylamides to form in the oil.
Break the dried rice into chunks and drop one or two into the frying oil and leave for about 30-45 seconds. You will hear a popping sound as the cooked rice pops like popcorn.
When very lightly browned which takes less than a minute, remove the crisped rice from the hot oil with a stainless steel slotted spoon and place on a large plate covered with a clean tea towel to soak up excess oil.
Repeat until all the dried rice has been crisped.
Once cooled, break the homemade rice krispies into individual grains and store in a large glass mason jar in the refrigerator or cool cellar.
Serve homemade rice krispies in a bowl with milk or cream and a whole natural sweetener like sucanat or coconut sugar (where to find). Top with fresh fruit if desired.
Recipe Notes
Jasmine rice may be substituted for basmati rice if desired. Do not use wild rice.
Buttermilk, lemon juice, or ACV may be substituted for the yogurt but the taste of the cereal may be affected slightly.
If you accidentally end up with burnt rice in the first steps, the linked article provides an easy solution.
The homemade rice krispies may also be used to make rice krispies bars for school lunches and snacks. Click here for a homemade marshmallow recipe.
More Homemade Cereal and Rice Recipes to Try
Love these homemade rice krispies? Here are more healthy versions of boxed store cereals along with healthy rice recipes.
- Wheat or spelt cold breakfast cereal recipes
- Grain free cold breakfast cereal recipes
- Homemade corn flakes cereal recipe
- Perfect yellow rice recipe
- Saffron rice recipe
- Rice cakes recipe
* Why I use white rice instead of brown. This article details how to avoid arsenic contamination in rice.
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Thank you so much for this! I just discovered pinipig or glutinous rice flakes but sure miss rice crispies- will be giving this a try this week!
Omg this is amazing!!! Making today!!!! Thank you!
Sarah,
curious what you think about deep frying, even in CO or lard or tallow? Many still say it produces carcinogens? sadly we are grain-free here, but we do make chicharones or fried pork skins which are the best chip replacement for guacamole!
thanks !
It’s fine on occasion. Yes, carcinogens called acrylamide is formed whenever you fry starches, but if you keep the oil temp as low as possible and don’t eat these types of foods all the time, it’s fine for most people.
Thank you for the recipe! My non-GAPS son will start preschool in the fall where snack is provided by the school. We don’t eat grains in the house, so I’ve been dreading letting him eat highly-processed crackers/cereal/etc at school. I will be making this for him for sure!
How long will the Rice Krispies keep in the fridge? Can it be frozen? Thanks!
Our homemade cereal never lasts long enough to know the answer to that question 🙂 My guess is 3-4 days. I’ve never frozen homemade cereal before. Not sure how that would work out. If you try it, please let us know!
Awesome. I have always enjoyed Rice Krispies and thought it was one of the “better” choices. Your post opened my eyes to the dangers of processed foods – even innocent looking ones!
I’ll definitely have to try this one. Thanks.
Now how do I make a healthy ‘rice crispy square’ for desert??!!
Dg
One of my goals this summer was to wean my kids off from store bought cereal. I made some homemade granola which has been good, but this will be awesome to add to the mix of choices. Thank you!!
I think making these & homemade marshmallows (made with honey & gelatin) would make some really yummy “rice krispie” treats.
I absolutely love rice krispie bars. How difficult is it to make homemade marshmallows? I stopped making the treats a couple years ago because of the nastiness of commercial marshmallows. Then I learned about how cereals are bad due to the manufacturing process (thanks, Sarah!) not to mention the hybridized wheat used to make almost all cereals anyway. It would be quite a bit of work, I’m sure, to make the cereal and the marshmallows, but that would ensure that these treats are only an occasional indulgence.
Here’s my recipe for homemade marshmallow 🙂 https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/homemade-easter-peeps/
Thanks, Sarah… that marshmallow recipe looks really easy.
This is also a wonderful recipe for the asian recipe “Sizzling Rice.” Just leave the rice in larger cakes and pour a very hot broth (asian flavored) with some stir fried shrimp and snow peas thrown in at the last moment. So yummy, and hard to get, unless you live in San Francisco or NYC.
Hey, I understand why you use white rice, but I am just curious whether you think it would work to use brown rice,
Not sure .. haven’t tried it. My thought is that the rice krispies would turn out too hard.
Brown rice will work fine, assuming you cook it correctly.
Can you use the dehydrator to dry the rice? Mine only goes to 155 degrees F. Does there need to be some moisture in the rice to “pop” when it is fried?
Yes, that would probably work fine!
Whaaaaa? I need to do this! Wow, feeling in the dark right now! Lol!
This recipe, the marshmallows and rice krispy treats would definitely be a labor of love. I love my children, but I think I’ll stick with good ole eggs for breakfast! 😉
I made marshmallows last fall so my allergy girl could have roasted marshmallows camping and she said they were too sweet. I think when you don’t have something for long enough you forget to like it.
Thanks for being a trusted resource for my family’s healthy eating needs!
could you dry the rice in a dehydrator?
Melinda Watkins I am wanting to try this. Hvent read the whole thing though.
Homemade marshmallows from mommypotamus + homemade rice krispies from Sarah + coconut oil = the best ever homemade rice krispies, ever!
Can I use brown rice instead?
Can’t wait to try this!
Should this say “healthy version” instead of “unhealthy”?
“The good news is that unhealthy versions of processed foods like boxed breakfast cereal can usually be replicated at home using simple preparation techniques which do not denature the food or add toxins like what happens in a factory.”
Making it this week before we leave for camp Saturday. At camp, my kids will see the Multi-colored variety of “cereal” including the “O” shaped cereal that I will have to steer them away from every morning. Now, they get to have cereal too!! Can’t wait to see their excitement to eat cereal like the other kids.