If you have 3 simple ingredients and 2 minutes to spare, then you are on your way to a single serving rice krispie treat in a mug! Satisfy that sweet tooth the right way!

Kids love them. Adults love them. They are a great dessert to feed a crowd. Our brown butter dulce de leche rice krispie treats are just about the best thing you will ever taste in your life! And if you want just a classic rice krispies treat, we’ve got you covered there too! But what if you just need a quick Rice Krispie treat fix and don’t want a whole pan of them tempting you all week long?
My sister and her family make little single serving Rice Krispie treats so that they don’t have a bunch of dessert sitting around that everyone keeps munching on. I thought it was such a great idea!
Here is a special glimpse into a typical evening in the Cheney household. We get the kids down for bed, and all we want to do is sit down with a sweet treat and veg! Is this how it is at your house too? Or are we the only ones? The problem is that most sweet treats come in large quantities. This Rice Krispie treat in a mug for one has been our go-to lately!
The other problem is that we have no time to veg! After the kids are in bed is our prime time to jam out most of our work on the blog. But we aren’t complaining! There is something so fulfilling about being productive with your time! Don’t get me wrong, we quite often turn on some Netflix in the background.

Ingredients for Rice Krispie Treat in a Mug
You only need 3 ingredients to make this sweet treat for one! Here is the ingredients list:
- Butter
- Rice Krispies Cereal
- Marshmallows
If you happen to be out of Rice Krispies, scroll down to the section below for substitution ideas. The measurements needed can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Rice Krispie Treats – A History
Can you guess what year Rice Krispie treats came to be? I had no clue, but it was a lot earlier than I expected! According to Wikipedia, Rice Krispie treats were invented in 1939 in the home economics department of the Kellogg Company as a fund raiser. That means there has been 85 years of Rice Krispie treats magic! Everyone should make this Rice Krispie treat in a mug to celebrate!
Rice Krispie Treats for Special Diets
You can buy Rice Krispies that are gluten free. Just make sure the box says “Gluten Free” on the front. They are different than your regular Rice Krispies. The Great Value Walmart brand is my go-to!
Butter and marshmallows are gluten-free. That is great news for our gluten free friends! However with the butter in there, it is not dairy-free. There is an easy solution for that…just replace the butter with coconut oil! It works like a charm and still tastes like the Rice Krispie treat you know and love!
How to Make a Rice Krispie Treat in a Mug
It only take a minute or two to cook this simple treat, so there isn’t much to it at all. Here are the quick and easy steps:
- Melt: Place the butter and marshmallows in a microwave-safe mug and cook in 30 second intervals until the butter is completely melted.
- Stir: Combine the marshmallows and butter by stirring them together and then add the Rice Krispies cereal and fold them in quickly while the marshmallow is super gooey.
- Enjoy!!
The complete recipe can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post below.

Out of Rice Krispies?
So you head to the pantry to make this Rice Krispie treat in a mug only to find that you are out of Rice Krispies! The agony! You don’t need to send your husband to the store, or curse your children’s names for eating all the Rice Krispies. Have no fear, several other cereals can be used for this treat. Here are a few that we have tried and love:
- Cheerios (any flavor)
- Chex (any flavor)
- Cocoa or Fruity Pebbles
- Crispix
- Honey Bunches of Oats
- Golden Grahams (add some chocolate chips and thank me later!)
- Another flavor of Rice Krispies (I saw they have strawberry right now for Valentine’s Day and the cinnamon ones are so good!)
Learning to Share
Ok, this treat doesn’t have to be strictly for a late night treat after the kids are in bed! The kids love them just as much as we do. Usually we do healthy after school snacks, but occasionally I will surprise the kids with their own mug of Rice Krispie treat. You can add a couple drops of food coloring too and really get the kiddos excited.
Indulge!!
If you really want to spoil yourself or your kids, you can elevate your Rice Krispie treat in a mug with all sorts of extra goodies. Here are a few ideas:
- Mini M&M’s
- Mini chocolate chips
- Peanut butter (1 Tbsp)
- Butterscotch chips
- Cinnamon chips
- Dehydrated strawberries (or any fruit)
- A dash of cinnamon
- A pinch of salt if you like sweet and salty

It’s buttery, gooey, crunchy and sweet! This Rice Krispie treat in a mug is exactly what you need for that late night craving! Take a picture of you and your hubby eating this Rice Krispie treat in a mug and post them to social media tagging us!
More Tasty Dessert Recipes for One:
- Peanut Butter Mug Cake
- Brownie in a Mug
- Pumpkin Mug Cake
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Baked Oatmeal in a Mug
Rice Krispie Treat in a Mug
Description
Ingredients
- 1/2 Tablespoon Butter, unsalted
- 1 Cup Rice Krispies Cereal
- 1 ¼ Cup Mini Marshmallows, or 9 Large Marshmallows
Instructions
- Place the butter and marshmallows in a microwave safe mug and microwave in 30 second intervals, or until the butter is completely melted.1/2 Tablespoon Butter, 1 ¼ Cup Mini Marshmallows
- Stir the marshmallows with the butter and add the rice krispies cereal quickly, stirring as soon as it has been added.1 Cup Rice Krispies Cereal
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products

Deanna Jacobsen
Going to try this. And add some soft caramel pieces with the rice krispies.
Sweet Basil
That sounds amazing! Thanks for the feedback Deanna!
Michelle
Yummy!
Sweet Basil
Yay! Thanks Michelle!
Laurinda
3 days?! One of those won’t last 3 minutes!
Thank you for this smaller recipe 💜 I love them, but can’t really be trusted with a big batch, lol
Sweet Basil
I feel that Laurinda!! They are so good! Thanks for leaving a comment!
joyce
This doesn’t make sense. The way it’s written, one is to put the marshmallows and butter into a cocoa mug that’s already hot. I’m assuming that what is meant is that the ingredients are to be put into a mug, period, not a hot one, and not one specifically for cocoa 🙄.
Sweet Basil
Hi Joyce…yes, just put them in a microwave safe mug!
Carla
Love this quick and easy recipe! I’ve made this with coconut oil instead of butter and chocolate Rice Krispies instead of plain. So yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Sweet Basil
Thank you Carla!! Coconut oil is a great way to make it dairy free! Thank you so much for the feedback!
Carol
Yep, and its AWESOME!!!!
Sweet Basil
Thank you Carol!!
Judy Casey
When you say large, are they the super large or the normal size for roasting.? Thanks .
Judy Casey Senath, Mo.
Sweet Basil
Normal size…not those giant things they have these days. Enjoy!
Bunny
Any chance this would work without butter or oil?
Sweet Basil
You could try it, but I’m afraid it wouldn’t melt quite right. You could try a healthier oil like coconut oil.
Jody
Oh, my! Super fast and so delicious. Thanks for this recipe.
Sweet Basil
It’s so fast and delicious it’s dangerous! I think about making on almost every night!
Eldonna
Hi. This is a great idea! Thank you.
I use a combo of RK and corn flakes. For add ins I use coconut and pecans.
I once got a batch going and found, just as you said, kids had eaten a lot of the RK. I filled in with corn flakes and it was delicious.
I am not sure how the coconut and pecans happened, but they sure kick it up a notch and add to our enjoyment.
Sweet Basil
Love the sound of those additions Yum! And corn flakes sounds delicious!
Samantha
I used a large marshmallows and I think it worked better with six instead of nine. But then I add it in 1/4 cup of mini marshmallows after it was all mixed together so there was the chunks of marshmallows! Great recipe!
Sweet Basil
Sounds yummy! Thanks for the feedback Samantha!
Angela
This is way better than any microwave mug cake or cookie recipe I’ve tried. Thanks!
Sweet Basil
Yahoo! Thanks Angela!
Lauren
Just heads up Rice Krispies are not gluten free, they contain malt. Rice Chex however are gluten free so anyone who can’t tolerate gluten please don’t use Rice Krispies use Rice Chex instead. I plan on trying it with the cinnamon Chex as they are also gluten free and delicious.
Sweet Basil
Thank you Lauren! I have update the post! It would be delicious using and of the Chex options!!
Jamie
Ok, just whipped this up and am enjoying it less than two minutes later! Perfectly gooey rice krispie treat just like I like it and I won’t have to worry about eating an entire pan in the next 24 hours. 😛 Thanks!
Sweet Basil
Isn’t it just about the best thing ever?! So glad you enjoyed it!