These Homemade Rice Krispie Treats are super gooey thanks to the extra marshmallows used in the recipe! We top ours with sea salt to amp up the sweet-salty flavor!
Easy Rice Krispie Treats
This is the perfect no-bake dessert for families! But, it’s not ANY crispy rice treat, this one has SECRETS!
However, I’ve got a little issue over here. What do you categorize this kid-friendly dessert recipe as? Is it a bar? Do I put it under cookies even though it totally isn’t?
Oh, and let’s talk spelling! In texting with friends and family, I’m learning that everyone spells it differently. Is it “Crispy Treat” or “Krispie Treat?” And what about those “Rice Krispies Treats” people?
In my house we say, Rice Krispie Treats and we want them big, fluffy and extra gooey. That means we go for the ultimate marshmallow dessert recipe.
I think we’ve made every recipe out there but the reason this is the BEST rice krispie treats recipe is because of the ratio of marshmallow to cereal. We use 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal and 8 cups marshmallows, plus an extra 2 cups to stir in. That extra 2 cups is the best!
Trust me, The Original Rice Krispies Recipe on the box will seem so boring and dry to you now.
Rice Krispie Treats Ingredients
You only need five simple ingredients for these no-bake treats. Here’s what all goes into homemade rice krispie treats:
- Unsalted Butter —Ahhh, our favorite ingredient in all the world. The base of a perfect rice krispie treats is butter!
- Mini Marshmallows — These krispie treats are extra marshmallow-y so you’ll need marshmallows for the mix and extra to mix in at the end.
- Vanilla Extract — My friend Kerri adds vanilla and it’s life-changing.
- Sea Salt — Like vanilla extract, salt is a super convenient ingredient and you don’t need much of it, but to skip it is a mistake. Another mistake? Using table salt. Go for the fine grain sea salt.
- Rice Krispies Cereal —You can’t have crispy treat without rice krispies cereal!
How to Make Rice Krispie Treats
- Melt the butter and marshmallows in a big pot on the stove, stirring occasionally (I use my Le Creuset, but a Lodge works as well).
- Remove from heat and gently stir in the remaining ingredients, minus the extra ‘mallows.
- Now quickly add those extra mini marshmallows and stir while it’s still warm so that everything turns extra gooey!
- Up to you, but I like an extra bit of flaked sea salt on top of each square.
Why Do My Rice Krispie Treats Stick To The Pan?
You pan will need to be sprayed well with non stick spray in order to keep the Rice Krispie treats from sticking.
How to Store Rice Krispies
Because of the marshmallow in this rice krispies recipe, these should be wrapped tightly for storage. Note that these dessert squares do not need to be refrigerated. In fact, refrigeration will dry them out more.
Can you Freeze Rice Krispie Treats?
Rice Krispies do not do very well frozen. Unfortunately the marshmallow just never comes back as perfectly as before.
How Long Will Rice Krispie Treats Last?
When stored properly, they will stay fresh for 3 days.
What Makes Rice Krispie Treats Hard?
Ughhhh I bit into a treat the other day and was soooo disappointed! So, let’s chat, here’s how to prevent your homemade rice krispie treats from getting hard:
When the butter and marshmallows get too hot, it results in hard treats. To avoid this, stand with the pot as you stir. Also, NEVER pack the marshmallow rice treats into the pan. I know you want to! I do too! But don’t. 🙂
Rice Krispie Treat Variations to Try
You’re welcome to experiment with other cereals when making these homemade rice krispie treats. A few rice krispie treat variations you can try include:
- Cocoa Pebbles
- Fruity Pebbles
- Cocoa Puffs
- CinnaBuns
- Fruit Loops
- Cheerios
- Cinnamon Chex
- Peanut Butter Cheerios
- Reese’s Puffs
Tips for the Best Rice Krispie Treats
Use fresh marshmallows. Seriously, they make a difference. Don’t grab that bag that’s been in your pantry for months and months thinking it will be okay since you are melting them. It won’t be okay.
Before you begin making the rice krispie treats, I recommend getting everything ready ahead of time so that you can quickly move through the recipe without scorching anything. Trust me on this, everything comes together very quickly once you get started!
The trick to pressing these easy rice krispies into your pan without sticking to your hands is to run your fingers in water, shake off the excess, and press. Voila. No sticking!
More Rice Krispie Treat Recipes:
- Golden Oreo Funfetti Rice Krispy
- Rice Krispies for One
- Cookie Butter Rice Krispies Treats
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Krispies
- Milky Way Treats
- Gooey Fluffernutter Rice Krispies
- Scotcheroos (Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Bars)
Rice Krispie Treats
Description
Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons Butter
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 10 Cups Mini Marshmallows, , divided
- 6 Cups Rice Krispies Cereal
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt, , fine grain
Instructions
- Spray a 9×9-inch pan with non-stick spray and line it with a foil or parchment paper sling. Spray again.
- In a very large microwave-safe bowl, or in a pot on the stove over medium heat, place your butter, salt, and 8 cups of mini marshmallows. Microwave in 30-second increments, or heat, stirring in between, until everything is completely melted and smooth.
- Add vanilla and stir again.
- Pour in the rice krispies cereal and mix well.
- Add in the remaining marshmallows while still warm and lightly press into your prepared pan. *
Notes
- *Using a spoon with a little butter on it will help you press the rice krispies into the pan without it sticking all over your hands.
Nutrition
Laura
These are yummy. Any ideas for easy cutting?
Sweet Basil
Thank you Laura! I always use my bench scraper (https://amzn.to/3iE3Hxy). I use the foil sling to pull the whole pan of rice krispie treats out of the pan and then use the bench scraper to cut them into squares. A sharp knife also works great for a metal spatula.
Laura
Love these! Any tips for cutting?
Vickie Dunn
These sound amazing & I ordered all of my groceries from the store & of course they only had the Regular NOT miniature Marshmallows in the 12 oz bag. How does that measure the same? I’m craving these so much, but want it done right. Please help.
Sweet Basil
Hi Vickie! I actually just had this same thing happen to me! The store was totally out of minis so I grabbed the regular sized marshmallows and just measured it the same. They turned out great. They will take longer to melt down so keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
Karen Cliff
I’ve added a jar of marshmallow cream for years, along with extra marshmallows. Yummy. Also, you can buy strawberry fluff marshmallow cream now and add some freeze dried strawberries to the Rice Krispies and extra marshmallows . Yummy as well!
Sweet Basil
Oooohhhhh…that sounds amazing! Now I’m going to have my eyes out for strawberry marshmallow cream! Thanks for the heads up!
Traci
It already calls for 8 cups of marshmallows, so how much more do you add at the end?
Sweet Basil
The recipe card says 8 cups of marshmallows plus 2 extra cups. Those 2 extra cups take these over the top!
Janet
Another variation, throw in a handful of chocolate chips when melting the butter and marshmallows. I discovered this when I accidentally burnt the marshmallows a bit, so they where brown. They tasted fine, so grabbed some chocolate chips and threw them in. I’ve never gotten more compliments about my Rice Krispy Treats! Now I add them on purpose.
Sweet Basil
Yummm…sounds delicious! And slightly burnt marshmallows would be like a s’more. Yum!
Georgia Thompson
Have a question …
In the blog portion, your instructions say to melt the butter and mallows in a pot but in the recipe, you say microwave. Which is best? I think I would prefer stovetop.
Thank you for clarifying!! These sound SOOOO GOOD!!!
Sweet Basil
Hi Georgia! I’m so sorry for the confusion. Definitely go with the stove top instructions. I’m updating the recipe card now. Several people have told us how hesitant they are to use the stove for this, so we will put the mircowave instructions as optional.