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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 love this recipe. I add colored sprinkles to make my granddaughters unicorn rice bars. These are good treats
Hands down the best recipe ever!!!! I sent to my son at college. He was able to trade one small rice crispy treat for two mac and cheese bowls
I can bake almost anything. An elaborate wedding cake? No problem. A 24 layer Dobosh Torte with Swiss meringue buttercream? Can do! Candies, cookies, and more, I can do. But I, for some reason, have never been able to make a halfway decent rice krispie treat. (seriously, you could break your teeth on my earlier attempts.) . Until now. This really is the best recipe around!
Thank you for this recipe. It was a hit for my husband that has never tasted homemade rice krispies! The browned butter adds an extra layer of sophistication.
SoOOooOooo GOOOOD!!!! I haven’t been eating sugar for the past 2 months and decided this was this recipe to cheat with (and it was worth it). These have such a great depth of flavor, I will be making again for F&F 🙂 thanks for sharing!
These were super simple and came out great! I made then for the 4th or July and i went to the store to get the supplies and luckily got the last box of rice crispies!!!
I am an avid home baker. I like Rice Krispie Treats but never made them for anyone but family. I felt like they were a cheat, like store bought cookie dough. And then I made THESE! These are truly The Best Ever. I even tried tweaking them, adding more butter or more marshmallows. Went back to your recipe. I’ve taken them to work, to bake sale, parties… always get the same reaction, they look at them , take one, take a bite, then they get that look on their face! Joy! Thanks for a great recipe. Katrena-June 2018
I made two batches of these for an end of the school year party & they were a huge hit with the adults & children! The amount of browned butter plus addition of vanilla, salt & 2nd batch of marshmallows really amped the flavor without changing it so much they didn’t taste like Rice Krispie Treats anymore. A couple of people said I should sell them!
I made as written but did dip one end into melted white chocolate & sprinkles.
The title does not lie. The combo of the browned butter and vanilla is the kicker. I used more krispies–about 10 cups–cause I don’t like them too goopy. Thought they were perfect. So did everyone at the BBQ. The pan was practically licked clean.
Also used the mallow/butter base for s’mores treats (golden grahams + chocolate chips). All were devoured, with people making a point to tell me they were “seriously good.”
I did notice the marshmallows initially had a hard time mixing with the browned butter. I kept the heat on and vigorously mixed for maybe 4-5 mins and eventually it combined together.
I will be making these again and again. So happy I found this recipe.
I have been using this particular recipe for a few years now, and have it bookmarked on all my devices. I didn’t know much about browned butter before I began making my own RKTs, but now I am obsessed with brown butter blondies with white chocolate. Thank you for inspiring me to do more. You are a genius and it’s obvious you are an expert.