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!
I’m going to make a batch tonight. Because Christmas is the end of the week, I plan to add to your recipe, a partial box of Lime powdered Jello, for more flavor, and the green color it will make. If I need it a bit greener, I’ll use cake decorating gel food coloring to make it greener. Then, I’m planning to use a Jelly-Roll pan, and once it’s begun to set, I will take a small, individual Christmas Tree Cookie Cutter, I purchased at Michael’s Crafts, and alternate the direction I’m using with the tree cookie cutter (to get more Christmas Trees, out of the batch), will cut them out. Next, I will use from the bottled Cake Decorating candies, red Pearl Candies, sparingly used like Christmas Ornaments! I cannot wait to begin making them! Has anyone added the “Powdered Jello”, into the marshmallows, & stirring until dissolved, prior to adding the Rice Krispie Cereal, before??? I’m hoping to hear that it turned out successful! Thank you. You had many people remark with some great ideas, as well as what you’ve posted, yourself! Thank you. (I’ll keep a watch for more comments…& especially of any with having added JELLO to the melted marshmallows, melted butter, and Vanilla!).
That sounds delicious. Here’s a recipe I added the gelatin to the krispie treat: https://www.shugarysweets.com/cherry-krispie-treats-with-dark-chocolate/
I’ve made these a few times now, and they do come pretty close to the ones my grandma used to make.
I do a few variations:
– I don’t reserve any marshmallow. I tried it, but just personal preference, I prefer an ‘even blend’.
– Instead of parchment paper, I use a little bit of butter to ‘grease’ the dish. They come out great.
– To pat them into the pan, I use wax paper and just give them a gentle little press. It sticks very minimally to the wax paper when you remove it, and what does stick provides a little snack you can scrape off your finger while you impatiently wait for them to cool 🙂
– I am definitely going to try another comment’s suggestion of splitting 4 T unsalted & 2 T salted butter next time. I think that would be an awesome balance to all of the sweetness.
Just made the Rice Krispie Treats. Can’t wait to dig in at supper time!
I plan on making these this afternoon; the only change being using colored mini marshmallows for the part where you add them last. Thank you for this recipe. It is a great “blank page” idea where you could do anything for any holiday or party theme.
I make a Christmas version with corn flakes, add green food coloring to melted marshmallows and then shape in a flat round wreath shape and add 3 red hots while warm! They are so pretty! Taste great too! Family Tradition.
These killed at the teacher cookie exchange at my kids school. Gluten-free and delicious. These are so fluffy and delicious, I have trouble keeping hands off while they cool!
I’m a bit confused- you say that 16oz is 8-9 cups but google says it’s 2… in any case for any Rice Krispie treat a good rule of thumb is throw in a little extra butter- keeps them soft
It’s a 16 oz bag.
16 fluid oz is 2 cups. 16oz by weight can be any number of cups. For example, a pound of rocks and a pound of feathers will not be the same number of measurable cups.
Can i link to this recipe on my blog?
Is the recipe suitable for a 9×13 pan?
Yup! Just double it 🙂
I have made these over and over and great the best reviews from friends and family. I will continue to use this recipe. Heck, I already threw out all the other “rk treats” recipes, lol.
I made these with only one change – 4 tbspns unsalted plus 2 tblspns salted butter. The little bit of salt provided an excellent contrast to the sweetness of marshmallows. Delicious!
Glad you said this! I’ve made these a few times now and I think they do need just a touch of salt. I’ll try this next time 🙂
I’m loving Kellogg’s carmel and chocolate rice Kristi’s treats right now! Would be a great recipe to try!
Any tips on non stale Krispie treats? Mine are always so Krispie and perfect the minute they are mixed but after letting them set up. They always seem stale I’m using fresh marshmallows and fresh cereal, the recommended amount of butter but they always disappoint me Does stick vs tub butter make any difference? Help!!
Definitely do not use tub butter. As for more tips, I included a whole bunch of them in the blog post if you want to scroll up 🙂
Have you ever put them in the refrigerator to set before cutting them or do you recommend not to do that?
I don’t recommend that as it will make them hard and less chewy.
Has anyone tried using vegetarian marshmallows (without gelatin)? Just wondering how they might work, as my daughter is a vegetarian. Thanks!
I’m vegetarian too and have made Rice Krispies Treats using Dandies vegan marshmallows. Im not sure about other brands but those work perfect! (:
I used to melt separately and spread each over half. Delish
Thanks for a terrific recipe!
So long time after you sharing it but I just tried it yesterday. It came out greater than I think. Thank you much again.
Better late than never 🙂
I have not tried to make these Treats yet but I cannot wait especially after reading all the reviews. I like to read the reviews after looking at the recipe because a lot of times people add to the recipe. There ideas are good. I always follow the recipe the first time to perfection but then I do agree a lot of your ideas seem very good. Aimee, you have one great recipe there. I am looking forward to making it myself. I will probably be adding to the reviews after I have tasted them. Enjoy all of you with your Treats.
These came out absolutely amazing! Everyone wondered how I got them so soft and chewy with marshmallow pockets mixed in without melting! Perfect recipe!!!
also how much of everything would you put in if i only have a 10 oz bag of marshmallows? thank you!