Get the secret tips and tricks to making the most PERFECT Rice Krispies Treats recipe. From using fresh butter and marshmallows to adding vanilla extract, this is my favorite dessert.
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The BEST Rice Krispies Treat Recipe
There are thousands of recipes for making homemade krispie treats, and I’m putting it out there that my recipe is BEST. You may see some similar nowadays, but they all stem from my original add-ins.
- Only 4 ingredients
- Thick and chewy
- Vanilla flavor
- Perfect ratio of cereal to marshmallows
We love that this classic treat can be changed up using different cereals too!
- Chocolate– Cocoa Krispie Treats
- Fruity– Fruity Pebbles Treats
- S’mores– Golden Grahams Treats
- Cheerios– Cheerio Treats
The Original Rice Krispie Treats
Rice Krispie Treats have always been the key to my heart. Knowing how to make rice krispie treats has gotten me far in life.
- I love crispy treats so much that I’ve created over a dozen flavors….from Fluffernutter Krispie Treats to Cinnamon Roll Krispie Treats.
- I’ve even got these adorable TURKEY Krispie Treats and this Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispie Treat for Thanksgiving!
But, in the end, it’s the classic, original, homemade rice krispie treat that captures my taste buds.
The biggest question is how to spell it. Some people say Rice Crispy treat, Some say Crispy Rice, some say Rice Crispies. Either way, you get the point! This rice crispy treats recipe is the best!
Ingredients You Need
- Butter- use salted butter for this recipe. Just trust me! Don’t have any on hand? Use unsalted butter and a pinch of salt while melting. DO NOT use margarine.
- Marshmallows- you’ll need 9 cups of mini marshmallows, keeping about 1 cup aside to add in at the end!
- Rice Krispies Cereal- any brand of crispy rice cereal will work, just make sure it’s FRESH.
Aimee’s Secret Ingredient
Adding my homemade vanilla extract or any pure vanilla extract takes this recipe over the top. Or make it lemon flavored using our easy lemon rice krispie treat recipe.
How to Make Rice Krispie Treats
Making rice krispie treats is super easy. You’ll only need one pot and a spatula for stirring! Oh, and I love making mine in a 9-inch square pan, for thicker bars, but you can use a 13×9 if you prefer.
- Melt butter & marshmallows.
- Add vanilla, cereal, and remaining marshmallows to the mixture.
- Pour into dish to set! No need to use nonstick spray…but I do love a piece of parchment paper for easy cleanup and removal.
Quick Tips
- Use fresh marshmallows. Using stale marshmallows will result in stale treats. Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way.
- Brown the butter. Learn how to brown butter and make a batch of my flavorful brown butter rice krispie treats next!
- Add my secret ingredient. VANILLA EXTRACT. Not imitation vanilla, but PURE VANILLA extract. It makes a difference in creating the illusion that you’re using homemade marshmallows.
- Kelloggs is wrong. DO NOT press these bars into your pan firmly. Using your fingertips and gentlypress them in just until they are spread out. The harder you pack them in, the harder they are when it’s time to eat them!
- The trick to pressing them in your pan without sticking to your hands is to run your fingers in water. Dip in water, shake off the excess, and press. Voila. No sticking!
- Store in an airtight container for two days. If they last that long, I’d be shocked!
- Make these gluten free by choosing a crispy rice cereal labeled Gluten Free (and check your marshmallow labels too just in case).
Why are my rice krispie treats hard?
As mentioned above, you’ll get hard rice krispie treats a number of ways.
Using stale ingredients will results in stale, hard treats. So always use fresh marshmallows and fresh cereal too.
Avoid pressing your bars too firmly into the pan. The harder you press, the more firm the rice krispies treats will be.
Storing Leftovers
Rarely is this the case in my house, as we all know I can eat an entire pan of homemade rice krispie treats. But, should you find yourself with leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature. I usually just slide them into a ziploc bag.
Or you can freeze rice krispie treats. I was skeptical for a long time, and finally tried it out. I slide my leftovers into a ziploc freezer bag and placed them in the freezer.
Surprisingly, they thaw pretty quickly on the counter and they taste super fresh too!
More Rice Krispie Treat Flavors
Add in some flavored gelatin (or pudding mix) to the melted marshmallow for a unique twist! Cherry Krispie Treats!
Make Lucky Charms Treats for a St.Paddy’s Day dessert idea.
- For best results, name brand cereal stays fresher longer and can hold up to the melted butter and marshmallows better
- Always start with fresh marshmallows. If you use stale marshmallows in hopes that melting them will give you good results, you’ll be disappointed!
- More mix-ins: fold in some m&m’s or Reese’s peanut butter cups for a delicious dessert idea.
Best Rice Krispie Treats
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Rice Krispie Treats Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter
- 16 ounce bag mini marshmallows divided
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 cups rice krispies cereal
Instructions
- Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, add in all but 1 cup of the marshmallows. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring until completely melted.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Add the cereal and the remaining 1 cup of marshmallows and gently stir until combined.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish. Press GENTLY with your fingertips just until completely spread out (the harder you pack them in, the harder they are to eat).
- Allow to set, about 1 hour. Cut and enjoy!
Notes
- How many marshmallows do I need? One 16 ounce bag of marshmallows is about 8-9 cups. You’ll melt all but one cup of the marshmallows in the butter, reserving the last cup for adding with the cereal.
- Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. This way you don’t have to worry about extra butter on your fingertips, or the other extreme of your bars sticking to the pan! Use binder clips to help the parchment paper stay in place.
- 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.
- Add my secret ingredient. VANILLA EXTRACT. Not imitation vanilla, but PURE VANILLA extract. It makes a difference in creating the illusion that you’re using homemade marshmallows.
- DO NOT (I repeat) DO NOT press these bars into your pan firmly. Using your fingertips, GENTLY press them in just until they are spread out. The harder you pack them in, the harder they are when it’s time to eat them!
- The trick to pressing them in your pan without sticking to your hands is to run your fingers in water, shake off the excess, and press. Voila. No sticking!
- Store in an airtight container for two days. If they last that long, I’d be shocked!
- Make these gluten free by choosing a crispy rice cereal labeled Gluten Free (and check your marshmallow labels too just in case).
- Can you freeze rice krispie treats? YES! I slide them on a parchment paper lined sheet into a ziploc freezer bag. Thaw on counter until soft again!
Video
Nutrition
Original Rice Krispie Treats recipe with all the tips and tricks for making them thick and chewy!
If RK treats are your passion, you really should include homemade marshmallow as the basis for them. It’s not difficult and a great economizer, especially for large batches.
Yeah then you can turn a 10 minute recipe in to more of an all day affair. 🙄 You know that bags of marshmallows are like $1.00 ?
Hi, my son is making rice crispie squares for the first time and following the recipe to the letter. You forgot the instruction “stir in the rice crispies until combined with the marshmallow mixture. Just an FYI. Thank you for posting!
Hmm…I see it there in the directions. Hope you enjoyed the treats.
Perfect! it’s a normal bag of the big marshmallows if you get the bigger size. I switched up 2 cups with golden grahams to give it a change.
There was someone above mentioning her RC Treats falling apart after making them. I’m not sure how altitude affects these,but I learned just a few years ago while working for a few weeks at around 8800ft. above sea level that most foods cook much differently once your altitude increases a few thousand feet. It was really quite surprising how differently cooking and baking must be done at higher altitudes. So,if the person asking about her RC Treats falling apart after baked,made them at higher elevation that may be the problem.
I hope this helps.
These were absolutely DELICIOUS and probably the best Rice Krispie treats I have ever made!!!! I think the 1 tsp of vanilla extract was key. Thank you for an amazing recipe! Will use this every time I make Rice Krispie treats 🙂
So glad you loved them 🙂
My marshmallows come in a 10 ounce bag…with whole marshmallows. Should I cut them up and use a bag and a half?
Cooking is an art, I love it, learning and updating new recipes has always motivated and loved me. Today was a lucky day, Perfect Rice Krispie Treats Recipe was great, just follow the instructions and everything else is simple, I know something new, I love that. Thanks for your sharing
I have a sweet tooth but hav not thought about making rice krispies for ages. Thanks for the inspiration
I brown my butter and add a pinch of kosher salt to the cereal before stirring in – seriously delicious!
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE FOR THE TOP
Thank you, Aimee!! I am totally in love with this recipe for Rice Krispie Treats!! This is definitely the best recipe I’ve ever tasted!! ???
I absolutely loved this recipe! So moist and didn’t change anything except added red and blue sprinkles for 4th of July!!!
I’ve made a 4x batch a few times in one of the large catering aluminum pans. SAVE THE BUTTER WRAPPERS!
4 bags of 16oz mini marshmallows
1Tbs of vanilla
4 sticks of butter
24 cups of Rice Krispies
I line the aluminum pans with foil then butter it, usually takes 3 Tbs to coat. I reserve half a bag of the marshmallows to add with the Rice Krispies.
Pat it into the pan using the butter wrappers, they are wax paper covered in butter, nonstick.
Last batch I sprinkled 2 cups of Coco Krispies for a layer of chocolate rice. Press into the still warm and sticky treats. Pour off excess Coco Krispies.
In that large pan I usually make about 3″ thick Krispies. I end up cutting in a grid 6×12 making 72 – 2″x2″x3″ squares
Great crowd pleaser
Screw the crowd! I’m looking forward to making and eating 72 RC treats to ma-SELF 😂🤤
Made a half batch – perfect quantity. Thx!
Could I use the regular size marshmallows
During fall/winter, I make these using pumpkin or ginger flavored marshmallows. Then I add in some white chocolate chips when I mix in the rice krispies. Soooo goood.
I love this recipe! Made it 2 times already! Thank you so much!
I have always bought it made. This time I’m going to make it!!
I made these and they fell apart because the ingredients say 16oz of marshmallows but the actual recipe says only 2 cups, which is not enough to hold them together. So divide the marshmallows into two parts, not 2 cups.
It’s look so tasty! I love this and i want to eat it….