The Best Rice Crispy Treats
Just when you thought the best snack couldn’t get any better….I made these! The Best Rice Crispy Treat recipe has a few extra things to make them the BEST EVER you will ever sink your teeth into. Sweet, gooey and completely, insanely amazing.
Best Rice Crispy Treats
There’s nothing better than a classic and this homemade Rice Crispy Treats recipe is like a quick trip down memory lane. Simple to whip up with common pantry ingredients, this crispy treat recipe is gooey perfection and a hit with kids young or old.
Rice Crispy Treats are also naturally GLUTEN FREE so they’re the perfect treat for friends or family that may be gluten intolerant.
What are Rice Crispy Treats?
Almost everyone I know is familiar with the crunchy sweet bars made of crispy rice cereal. Blended with a melted concoction of butter and marshmallows, this simple snack is a lunchbox staple and has been a favorite in our house for years.
This recipe is a riff on the original Rice Krispie Treat recipe I found in my recipe box from my teen years and I amped it up just a bit to make them extra decadent.
They’re pretty simple to make and the base for so many of my cereal treat recipes….like these fun footballs that are perfect for tailgating or these chocolate covered Halloween treats.
I even dyed a batch red for my son’s Valentine’s treat to take to school last year and share with his class since these Santa Krispie Treats were such a hit last time.
Ingredients For Rice Crispy Treats
The ingredient list for crispy cereal treats is short and “sweet.”
- Crispy Rice Cereal – While this recipe is for regular rice crispy treats you can use any flavor rice cereal you want. This even works to make Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats!
- Marshmallows – I use a combination of large and mini marshmallows for best results. If you’re feeling ambitious, this recipe is other level when made with HOMEMADE Marshmallows!
- Butter – Regular, salted butter is all you need here.
- Vanilla – Don’t skip the vanilla here. I used vanilla bean paste but standard vanilla extract works well. I’ve used both in a pinch.
How To Make Rice Crispy Treats
It’s insanely easy to make Rice Krispie Treats from scratch! They become the very best by adding a few extra things like….extra marshmallows, vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) and extra butter.
The combination makes the flavor completely amazing and gives you extra ooey, gooey Rice Krispie Treats that are completely and totally insanely addictive.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the large marshmallows.
- Stir until completely melted.
- Add the mini marshmallows continuing to cook until they are melted but still lumpy. Those lumps create the stretchy, sweet heaven that makes these amazing.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Fold in the crispy rice cereal.
- Press the cereal mixture into a 13×9 inch pan coated with cooking spray.
- Allow to set for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.
- Eat all the crispy cereal treats all by yourself. Seriously….so hard to stop.
If you’re looking for something a little different, you can also try these easy Scotcheroos!
Tips for the Best Rice Crispy Treats
- Fresh is best – Be sure to use fresh marshmallows here, homemade is even better! Resist the urge to use up those stale marshmallows here because they’ll just leave you with hard, stale rice krispie treats right off the bat.
- Get Dirty – Using your hands, appropriately greased up with butter or cooking spray, to press your krispie treats into the pan will help you from packing the mixture into the pan too aggressively.
- Line the pan – Lining your pan with parchment that has an overhang is your secret weapon to easy cutting. When you’re rice krispie treats have set, you can remove them easily from the pan and transfer to a cutting board to cut your squares.
- Lube that knife – Before cutting your treats into squares, coat your knife with cooking spray or butter to help prevent sticking.
Variations
Make your Krispie treats even more fun by adding your favorite additions to the mix!
Here are a few suggestions:
- Sprinkles – Funfetti Rice Krispie Treats are a fantastic alternative to birthday cake IMO.
- Chocolate Chips – Fold in a handful of chocolate chips for a chocolatey punch.
- Flavored Drink Mix – Use your favorite drink mix like Orange or fruit punch for a fun twist on a classic.
- Nut Butter – Stir in a scoop of your favorite nut butter like we did for these Peanut Butter Treats!
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Get the Recipe: The Best Rice Crispy Treats Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal, or other crispy rice cereal
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 16 ounce package large marshmallows
- 2 cup mini marshmallows
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, or pure vanilla extract
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
- 1 baking dish
Instructions
- Pour the cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Over medium heat, add the butter to a large saucepan and melt.
- Add the large marshmallows to the pot and stir to combine with the butter. Continue to stir until the marshmallows have melted and are smooth.
- Add the mini marshmallows to the pot and stir until they melt but are still visible.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste.
- Pour the marshmallow mixture over the cereal and stir to combine.
- Pour the cereal mixture into a 13×9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Press the mixture into an even layer with your hands coated in butter or cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Cut the Krispie treats into squares and serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Video
4 Comments on “The Best Rice Crispy Treats”
Adding a little more salt usually brings out the creaminess to get the salted caramel effect. But the recipe looks great, and the pics are mouth watering
This recipe looks so good! I could eat an entire batch of these myself!!
These look amazing! We like to make ours by making a little chocolate caramel and stirring the Rice Krispies into it! But you can’t beat the chewy goodness of that marshmallow! That picture of one being pulled apart is our absolute favourite! We are going to have to make a a Rice Krispie run ASAP!
That’s such a great idea to add the chocolate caramel.