Easy Rice Krispie Treats Recipe | Adventures of Mel (2024)

How to make the best Rice Krispie Treats ever! Easy recipe for kids too. Makes a chewy, gooey, deliciously perfect dessert!

If it's a classic treat you're after, Rice Krispie treats are the perfect choice. And they don't just taste good; they're super easy to make too.

The best part is it only takes 5 ingredients to make these yummy Rice Krispie squares. And quite possibly, ingredients you already have in your pantry.

One of my favorite things about making marshmallow treats is they require only a teensy bit of stove time. If you've followed more of my recipes, you know how I feel about stove time.

My boys love it when I make Rice Krispies treats; and truth be told I love making them. They're something I can make in a pinch, and something we can easily carry with us if we're headed out on the road or just going outside for a picnic.

I love that they can be dressed up too. While original rice crispy treats are delicious all on their own, I also love making holiday Rice Krispie treats like a Rice Krispies snowman and Christmas tree Rice Krispie treats and Valentine Rice Krispie treats.

WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?

If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to theRice Krispie treats recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card with a longer how to video.

INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED:

• Salted butter – I prefer to use salted sweet cream butter for this recipe.
• Vanilla extract – This adds a nice vanilla flavor to the treats. And as usual, I love using my La Vencedora Mexican Vanilla.
• Salt – Just a tiny amount of salt really adds to the flavor.
• Mini marshmallows – We'll talk more about the marshmallows below.
• Rice Krispies cereal – or any brand of crisp rice cereal. We'll talk more about this too.

Remember, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in theprintable recipe card below.

Dutch Oven or Sauce Pot

Heat-Resistant Spatula – This one is my go to spatula.

9″x13″ Baking Dish

TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE RICE KRISPIE TREATS

Before you get started, prepare your baking dish by spraying it well with cooking spray.

Making Rice Krispie treats is a quick 3 step process…

1. Melt the butter in a large sauce pot or Dutch oven on the stovetop.
2. Stir the vanilla extract and salt into the melted butter.

3. Then add in the mini marshmallows, stirring until the marshmallows have fully melted.

4. Remove the mixture from the heat, and quickly stir in the Rice Krispies.

And that's it! Just spread the Rice Krispies treats into a greased baking dish and let them cool.

Tip: When you're spreading them into the pan, just lightly press them into the pan. Don't overly compress them down.

We're going for soft, chewy treats. Lightly pressing them down will help with keeping the treats soft and chewy, rather than hard and tough as nails.

WHAT KIND OF MARSHMALLOWS SHOULD I USE TO MAKE MARSHMALLOW TREATS?

While you can use either big marshmallows, jumbo marshmallows, or mini marshmallows, I definitely recommend using the minis. You can also use marshmallow fluff, although I've never tried that with this particular recipe.

You have to melt the marshmallows before mixing everything together with the Rice Krispies cereal. The mini marshmallows are an easier choice, as they melt a lot quicker than the jumbo marshmallows.

Plus if you have leftovers, you can put a handful in a cup of hot chocolate.

DO I HAVE TO USE RICE KRISPIES BRAND?

No, you don't have to use brand name. You can use pretty much any crisp rice cereal for this Rice Krispie squares recipe, whether you choose to use the original Rice Krispies cereal, a generic brand, or a store brand.

Personally, I love using Aldi's version of crisp rice cereal because it's completely gluten-free and labeled as such.

CAN I USE MARGARINE INSTEAD OF BUTTER?

Make sure you use salted butter over margarine. Butter will give your Rice Krispies treats a richer flavor and texture.

WHAT CAN I ADD TO RICE KRISPIE TREATS?

There are a lot of different ways you can change up Rice Krispie treats to make them even more delicious, and sometimes more colorful too.

Try a few of the following options:

• M&M's or other chocolate candies – I love Rice Krispie treats with M&M's. My Valentine Rice Krispie treats are just one example of this, and they are so yummy.
• Use colorful marshmallows instead of plain old white marshmallows to add some color.
• Or try adding food coloring for special occasions, like these pink Rice Krispie treats. Hosting a baby shower? Make pink or blue.
• Add freeze-dried berries. Case in point, strawberry Rice Krispie treats are the absolute best!
• Make s'mores Rice Krispie treats by adding in chocolate chips and crumbled Golden Grahams cereal.

HOW TO COLOR RICE KRISPIE TREATS

Adding color to Rice Krispie treats is as easy as pie. It's an easy way to dress up these treats for a special occasion like a wedding, baby shower, birthday party, or holiday.

Just be sure to add the coloring after your marshmallows have melted but before you add the cereal to the melted marshmallows. Stir that coloring into the melted marshmallow mixture, and then stir in your cereal, and you'll have colorful treats for whatever occasion you're celebrating.

HOW TO STORE RICE KRISPIE SQUARES

For best results, be sure to store your treats in an airtight container; they should keep on the counter for about 2-3 days.

If you want to freeze them, again store them in an airtight container, or wrap each square in wax paper and place them in a freezer bag. They should keep in the freezer for about 2-3 months.

MORE NO BAKE DESSERTS

• No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
• Nut Butter Chocolate Granola Bars
• Ritz Cracker Cookies
• Buckeye Peanut Butter Balls
• Fruity Pebbles Christmas Trees

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