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A childhood favorite you never outgrow—this Rice Krispie Treat recipe gets a few simple upgrades for even more gooey, buttery goodness.
I’m always hesitant to say a recipe is the “best ever,” especially for a dessert like Rice Krispie Treats that everyone knows and loves. But once you’ve tinkered 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: I use more butter and brown it for a deeper, nuttier flavor, add extra marshmallows and fold some in at the end for gooey pockets throughout, and finish with vanilla and a little salt to balance the sweetness. The result is everything I want in a Rice Krispie treat: buttery, gooey, chewy, and crisp without being hard.
“These really are the BEST rice krispie treats! Moist, delicious, and full of gooey marshmallow goodness!”
What You’ll Need To Make Rice Krispie Treats
- Butter: Using more than the classic recipe makes the treats richer and softer, and browning it adds a deep, nutty flavor.
- Mini marshmallows: I use two bags and reserve some to fold in at the end, creating gooey pockets throughout the treats.
- Rice Krispies: The classic choice, though another crispy rice cereal will work, too. Make sure the cereal is fresh for the best crunch.
- Vanilla & salt: Vanilla rounds out the flavor, while salt balances all that sweetness and brings out the flavor of the browned butter.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Rice Krispie Treats
Brown the butter: Melt the butter over medium heat and continue cooking until it turns golden brown and smells nutty. A light-colored pot makes it much easier to see the color change. Watch carefully toward the end—once the milk solids begin to brown, they can burn quickly.
Add the marshmallows: Stir in most of the marshmallows and cook just until completely melted, then remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
Add the cereal and reserved marshmallows: Fold in the Rice Krispies until evenly coated, then add the reserved marshmallows. They’ll soften slightly from the heat but won’t melt completely, leaving gooey pockets throughout the treats.
Press into the pan: Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press it into an even layer without compacting it too firmly (the butter wrappers come in handy here). A light hand keeps the treats tender and chewy rather than dense and hard. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.
Cut into squares: Lift the treats out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve. You can store the treats in an airtight container at room temperature for several days days or freeze them for longer storage.
Video Tutorial
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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 (23 x 33-cm) pan with heavy duty aluminum foil and lightly grease with softened butter. Set aside 2 cups (110 g) 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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I made these for the very first time! It was a big hit with my family. Very tasty and gooey!! Will never buy them again, will always make homemade ones. I do have 1 question, if I use the regular size marshmallows how much should I use? Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
I can’t find 10 oz bags of marshmallows so how many cups total do you need?
I did some very crude math and I believe you’d need a total of about 12 cups. Hope you enjoy!
These bars were amazing, our 17 year old farm helper said they were the best he had ever had! i tried making them without browning the butter (forgot, didn’t have the recipe in front of me so went of memory) and i think that and the salt are the secret. They are truly amazing.
Thanks!
To step these up another notch use almond extract instead of vanilla.
What size box of Rice Krispies do you buy to get the 8 1/2 cup of cereal?
The family size is 24oz, but I also have an 11oz box of Fruity Pebbles I wanted to make into treats.
Would I need to cut the recipe in half to do an 11oz box of cereal?
I believe the small box of Rice Krispies is 12 ounces and that’s what I’ve used. 11 ounces of the Fruity Pebbles should be enough. Hope you enjoy!
These were delish! The only thing that I didn’t like was the aluminum foil did not work out so great. When I started to cut them into squares, it stuck to the rice krispies treats so much that I had to use a knife to cut foil off. I will def be using this recipe again just won’t use tin foil tho!?
Hi Alaine, It’s important to use heavy duty foil (such as Reynolds) — if you don’t have it, you can also use parchment paper.
They now have non-stick foil. That’s what I use. (typically, the non-stick side is the dull side)
😉
I most definitely will try this because no doubt it has to be a winner. Whenever I make Rice Krispie Treats I spray my stirring utensil w/cooking spray, it helps keeps things from getting so sticky. I also spray the pan for easy removal. I will give the foil method a try. Usually they don’t last long enough to be cut, just pull off some and gobble.
How long can you keep them? I wanna make them now and keep them for 2 months til the event I’m using them.
Hi Sara, You can freeze them for up to 6 weeks. To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container.
This recipie IS the best ever! I’ve already made them twice. Trying to restrain myself and not eat the whole pan! The goey pockets of marshmallow was a genius idea!
These are absolutely delicious. The chunks of marshmallows from the 2C you hold out and the salt are what make these stand out. I am next going to try the recipe with the Golden Grahams!
Thank you for sharing this Jenn.