Homemade Rice Krispies Treats – The Best Recipe Ever

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These homemade rice krispies treats, made with only 3 ingredients, will be the only recipe you’ll ever need!

Marshmallows and melted butter hold crispy rice cereal together for the ultimate homemade rice krispie treat. These treats start with the original recipe but are made by adding extra marshmallows for the ultimate gooey marshmallow filling, which is the secret for the best rice krispie treats. They’re so good you can’t stop with just one. 

Homemade chewy rice krispie treats have been a favorite of mine for a long time. I haven’t met a single person who doesn’t like them, making them the perfect treat to make, whether you’re making these treats for a bake sale or a family gathering.

Everyone knows I’ve been slowly working to reduce our family’s intake of processed foods from our diet, but these are my kryptonite, most likely always having a place in my kitchen because they’re just that good. 

Why You’ll Love This Rice Krispie Treat Recipe

• Everyone from little kids to adults loves homemade krispie treats. 
• Just like homemade date snickers or dark chocolate oatmeal bites, these no-bake desserts are quick and easy to make.
• Uses simple ingredients from the pantry so you can make a pan at a moments notice. 
• Rice krispie treats are a great allergy-friendly dessert. While rice is naturally gluten-free, some rice cereal brands add malt flavoring, which is derived from barley. Be sure to double check the ingredient list if you have allergies.

Homemade Rice Krispies Treat Equipment  

• Large bowl
• Silicone spatula
• An 18 x 13-inch half-sheet pan
• Large pot

The Best Homemade Rice Krispies Treats Ingredients

• Butter – Butter helps prevent the marshmallows from sticking and burning as they melt.
• Crispy rice cereal – I’ve used the original Rice Krispies cereal and the store brand without being able to tell much difference. While most rice crispy cereals are naturally gluten-free, double-check the ingredients to confirm. 
• Marshmallows – Use fresh marshmallows for gooey crispy rice treats. If the marshmallows have gone stale, the end result will be rock-hard cereal treats that difficult to eat. 

The Best Homemade Rice Krispies Treats Instructions

Prepare

​Combine one bag of mini marshmallows with the cereal into a large bowl, tossing to combine. 

Grease an 18 x 13 half-sheet pan. I like to use the butter wrapper, otherwise, spray with non-stick spray.

Melt

In a large pot melt the butter over medium heat. When it’s completely melted, add the marshmallows, stirring to coat the marshmallows with the butter.

Reduce to low heat and stir continually to prevent the marshmallows from burning. Remove from the heat when the marshmallows are 75 percent melted, continuing to stir until they’re completely melted. 

Combine

Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the cereal. Stir with a large spoon to coat the cereal with the melted marshmallows. Be sure to stir in the cereal at the bottom of the bowl.

Pour the cereal mixture into the prepared pan. Using a greased spatula or buttered fingers, spread the treats into an even layer, pressing down lightly to compact and fill in any gaps.

Serve

Let the treats cool to fully set up before cutting them into 24 little squares. 

Store

Store leftover rice crispies treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To prevent sticking place a piece of parchment paper between layers.  

Homemade Rice Krispies Treats Tips

• The trick to soft, gooey rice crispy treats is the have the right cereal ratio to marshmallows. You want enough marshmallows that every bite is soft and filled with little bursts of pillowy marshmallows, but not too much that the krispies treats fall apart. 
• Low and slow! You don’t want to rush melting the marshmallows. When I first began to make these as a teenager, I’d have the heat cranked up on high to melt the marshmallows and it’d be a race to try and melt the marshmallows completely before they burned. It was a difficult, stressful way to make them.
• Replace half of the butter with coconut oil for a subtle coconut flavor.
• A 9 x13-inch pan will result in fewer, thicker rice crispy treats. An 18 x 13 half-sheet pan is perfect to make a large batch of rice krispies treats. 
• Add only mini marshmallows and not large marshmallows to the dry cereal for added small pockets of marshmallow goodness in each bite.
• Use either large marshmallow or miniature marshmallows for the melted marshmallow filling, but I suggest using mini marshmallows since they will melt quickly. 
• Add various add-ins, such as chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, toffee bits, chopped cookies, M&Ms, or pretzels.
• Use brown butter for a buttery, nutty flavor. Melt the butter over medium heat as you stir to distribute the heat. The melted the butter will begin to sizzle around the edges and slowly turn a light golden brown color as the milk solids separate from the fat. Reduce heat and add marshmallows when the desired depth of color is achieved.

I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment and rate the recipe. Tag photos #Lockremhomestead over on Instagram when you share pictures of your Homemade Rice Krispies Treats!