Best Rice Krispie Treats
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A few tweaks to the back-of-the-box recipe make these the best Rice Krispie Treats ever.
I’m always hesitant to say a recipe is the “best ever,” especially for a dessert like Rice Krispie Treats or chocolate chip cookies that everyone knows and loves. But once you’ve tinkered around with a recipe for weeks—asking your kids, their friends, and anyone who passes through your house to sample different versions—you can say it’s the best with some confidence. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the original back-of-the-box Rice Krispie treat recipe, but it can be made so much better with almost no effort. Here’s how:
- Use more butter (lots more) and brown it to deepen the flavor.
- Increase the marshmallows and stir in some at the end for extra gooeyness.
- Add vanilla extract for flavor.
- Add salt because a little salt makes anything sweet taste so much better.
Table of Contents
“These really are the BEST rice crispy treats! Moist, delicious, and full of gooey marshmallow goodness!”
What You’ll Need To Make The Best Rice Krispie Treats
- Butter: Provides the rich, buttery flavor and helps bind the treats together.
- Mini Marshmallows: The main sweetener and binder, melted marshmallows create the gooey, sticky texture that gives Rice Krispie treats their characteristic chewiness.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a touch of vanilla flavor, enhancing the overall taste of the treats.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Rice Krispies: The star ingredient, these crisped rice cereal pieces absorb the melted marshmallow mixture and provide a crispiness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by melting the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Save the wrappers – you’ll use them later.
After the butter melts, it will begin to bubble, foam, and turn golden around the edges. Eventually it will turn a dark golden color and smell nutty – watch carefully, it will go from golden brown to burned quickly.
You’ll see little bits of golden brown sediment forming; that’s okay. But if they get too dark, go ahead and strain them out and then pour the brown butter back in the pot.
Add all but 2 cups of the marshmallows, the vanilla, and salt.
Place the pot over medium heat and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the marshmallows are completely melted.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the cereal.
Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir until evenly combined.
Add the reserved 2 cups of marshmallows.
Stir until they are softened and partially melted. Don’t overmix – you want pockets of goo.
Transfer the mixture to a foil-lined 9×13-in baking dish.
Using the butter wrappers, press into an even layer.
Let cool for at least an hour, then use the foil overhang to lift the treats onto a cutting board.
Use a serrated knife to cut into squares. Store the treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, place the treats in layers separated by wax paper in an airtight container; freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let the treats stand at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Absolutely! You can swap out a portion of the Rice Krispies in your treats. One of my favorite ways to make them is with a combination of Golden Grahams and Rice Krispies, like in these Chewy, Gooey Golden Rice Krispies Treats. Lucky Charms is another popular variation, especially around St. Patrick’s Day.
Yes, you can add chocolate chips, dried fruit, or candy bits, but keep in mind that some add-ins will melt from the warmth of cereal and marshmallow mixture, so let the mixture cool slightly before folding them in. This way, they’ll partially melt but still maintain their distinct texture in the treats.
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Best Rice Krispie Treats
A few tweaks to the back-of-the-box recipe make these the best Rice Krispie Treats ever.
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
- Two 10-oz bags mini marshmallows, divided
- ¾ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8½ cups Rice Krispies or crispy rice cereal (see note)
Instructions
- Line a 9 x 13-in pan with heavy duty aluminum foil and lightly grease with softened butter. Set aside 2 cups of the marshmallows.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, preferably with a light bottom so you can monitor the color, melt the butter over medium heat (save the butter wrappers; you'll use them later for pressing the mixture into the pan). Swirl the pan occasionally to be sure the butter is cooking evenly.
- As the butter melts, it will begin to bubble and foam, and the color will progress from bright yellow to golden to, finally, a toasty-brown. Once you smell that nutty brown butter aroma, take the pan off the heat. (You'll see little bits of golden brown sediment forming; that's okay. However, if the sediment looks almost black, go ahead and pass the butter through a fine sieve to strain it out, then return the brown butter to the pan.)
- Off the heat, add the remaining marshmallows, vanilla, and salt.
- Place the pot back over medium heat and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the marshmallows are completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cereal. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir until evenly combined.
- Add the reserved marshmallows and stir until they are softened and partially melted. Don't overmix; you want pockets of goo. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and, using the butter wrapper or damp fingers, press the mixture gently into an even layer in the prepared baking pan. Let cool at room temperature for at least an hour.
- Use the foil overhang to lift the treats onto a cutting board, then use a serrated bread knife to cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Note: Kellogg's no longer makes a gluten-free version of Rice Krispies, so if you have a gluten-sensitivity, make sure the cereal you purchase is certified gluten-free.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (24 servings)
- Calories: 162
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Sugar: 15 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 93 mg
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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These are the best ever Rice Krispie bars! I was visiting family and they had this recipe to make for a sweet treat. They were easy to make and really are the best I have ever tasted! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I absolutely love this recipe! I’m 15 and I love to bake, and I had no experience of browning butter, but your descriptions really helped! I nailed it on the first try! They taste really good and I was worried about having too much butter at first, but the cereal absorbed it. Adding the marshmallows at the very end was genius! I agree, it may be too buttery for some, but I like it!
So glad you enjoyed these, Cassie (and love that you’re 15 and know your way around the kitchen!) 🙂
I am a serious fan of RKTs. Wanted to start making my own because I am tired of spending $3 for one at Starbucks every time a craving hits! This was my first attempt (ever) at making RKT and I went with this recipe because of all the great reviews. While the browned butter, salt and vanilla additions are great, the sheer amount of butter used here is just entirely too rich. I had one and almost immediately felt sick. And I’m far from a lightweight (in both body mass and eating habits!) Proceed with caution here. I could cut the butter in half and I’m sure they’d still be great, and actually edible. Perhaps to each their own. But this was way too rich for my blood/stomach.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! This was the first time I was able to make RKT without them turning into bricks! Amazing recipe, truly the best I’ve ever had! The only bad part is, I’m going to be gaining 10 lbs of marshmallow to my waistline! Also, beautiful pictures and step by step instructions, thank you!
This recipe is absolutely perfect! I never thought of adding mini marshmallows a after mixing in the cereal! This will be a go to for me! ❤️
This recipe is seriously incredible. It takes rice krispie treats to a whole new level. My daughters came home from college and that pan was gone in an hour. There’s simply no going back after trying these. To press it down, I just sprayed my hands with cooking spray pushed them firmly down. Waiting for them to cool down is the hardest part!
These are the BEST Rice Krispies recipe EVER!!! I would probably add a little extra marshmallows in the middle of process to add even more of the gooey texture.
Honestly thought how different could any Rice Krispie treat recipe be from any other. But this recipe is really great. The addition of the vanilla and pinch of salt makes all the difference in the world.
I made these for Valentine’s Day and they were absolutely delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly and everyone loved them. They were not too sweet at all… they were perfect!
These were way to sweet and could never feed these to my kids. Way to much marshmallows and butter. I had one and instantly felt sick. These reviews must be wrong.
I agree way too sweet.
Yes and way too much butter had to throw out the whole batch
Agree!! What a waste of ingredients. All the grease at the bottom and a glob of brown marshmallow. I’ve made RKT so many times and this was awful!! So frustrating also!!
Not wrong, just different taste preferences.
I agree. I really wanted to like these but the sheer volume of sugar and butter is just too much. The texture is also soggy and gross. Boo. I really wanted some Rice Crispie Treats tonight too. I bought Jens cookbook bc the recipes and reviews sounded so sensational and she seems like a really sweet lady, but the amount of salt and sugar in the recipes is off for my family by a lot in the four recipes off the website and the cookbook I’ve tried. I might try another recipe with half the recommended salt/sugar but it’s frustrating to have to mess with adding ingredients/double/triple the recipe to end up with something my family will eat.