Rice Krispie Treats
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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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Hi Jenn.
Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe! I wanted to make some special treats for our 14 kids at our Kids Club! I followed your exact recipe, but added mini chocolate chips with the last 2 cups of marshmallows and it turned out Awesome!
Each child received a very large piece and just loved it!!! This is a keeper and I will make it again for my 2 granddaughters!!! So gooey and delicious!!!
Delicious!! I made these before my kids came home from school today and they were excited to see Rice Kripie treats when they walked in the door. They loved your recipe and we’ll never go back to making them the old boring way. Thanks Jenn!
WORST. RECIPE. EVER.
I’m sorry I wanted to like it but no, just no.
I honestly don’t see how someone could mess this up.. It was super yummy! I actually formed mine into little “birds nests”for Easter using a cupcake tin and pushing it down in the center. I have mini Cadbury eggs I’m putting in them too! I like store bought rice Krispy treats, but nothing beats homemade!
I love butter also, but 12 tablespoons??? That’s crazy. Way more than needed. I’d say about 6 should do it. But thanks for your version, I may try it
The recipe was ok it might be because I used off brand ingredients because it looked like the picture but the rice krispies where a little tough (not like rubery but not normal) it tasted good but I needed it to be perfect because I was using this recipe for my demonstration speech about how to make homemade rice krispies treats for my first thing I have made that didn’t get burnt it turned out ok
These are over the top! The BEST! So full of gooey goodness! Thanks, Jenn, for another outstanding recipe!
These are the absolute best rice krispie treats ever! Your tweaks to the traditional recipe are spot on Jenn. I have made this recipe several times and they are always a hit. My husband even won the Paul Bunyan trophy at work with your recipe for rice krispies. So thank you Jenn! That said, my husband wants me to make them with cocoa krispies. What do you think? Would it work? Would you make any other adjustments to the recipe?
~Cathy
Hi Kathy, so glad you like these and that they were award-winning in your husband‘s office! 🙂
I’ve never made these with Cocoa Krispies so I can’t say for sure how they would turn out but I think you could substitute some of the traditional Rice Krispies with Cocoa Krispies without any other modifications. You may want to start out using half regular Rice Krispies and half Cocoa Krispies just to test it out. Please LMK what you think if you try them this way!
I’ve made several different types of cereals to make my crispy treats Edibles and ALL have been loved. Fruity pebbles, cocoa pebbles, Pb and chocolate pebbles etc., and I didn’t mix w rice crispes, also different flavored marshmallows and fluff as well. Sky is the limit of ur taste buds and imagination 👍
I’m actually about to make Pumpkin spice ones for the 1st time right now. Happy Making 😀
I added a handful of semi sweet chocolate chips. Added even more sinful goodness.
I made these for the first time last night, super easy and delicious! I used 7 1/2 cups of crispy cereal because I like my treats gooier. I also used vegan marshmallows and vegan butter, so they’re tasty and vegan! I couldn’t find vegan mini marshmallows so I just tore up the regular ones into mini pieces. 5/5 will definitely make again.
Very good recipe! So gooey and soft! We loved it and will definitely use this as our go to Rice Krispy Square recipe! Adding the extra marshmallows at the end put it over the top!