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These extra gooey and soft rice krispie treats are absolute perfection. Just 5 simple ingredients, 6 easy steps, and my secret tips and tricks make rice krispie treats that are a step above the rest.
Perfect Crispy, Chewy Homemade Rice Krispie Treats
This homemade rice krispie treat recipe using everyday ingredients that are incredibly simple to prep, with one secret ingredient: extra marshmallows! When you follow the recipe below, you’ll end up with perfectly gooey rice krispie treats that are soft and delicious.
This recipe is a game changer. This is perfect to make any time you need something quick and easy that is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. Kids love them, adults love them, you really can’t go wrong. You can even make them festive for special occasions, like my Christmas version.
If you’re making these gooey treats for the first time, I’m going to walk you through the easy steps below and share my best tips for this delicious no bake treat! Keep reading and let’s make your new favorite treat!
Best Rice Krispie Treats Ingredients
These soft and chewy rice krispie treats are made with just 5 simple ingredients. Keep reading for all my tips and tricks and the full measurements in the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter
- Mini marshmallows
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Rice Krispies cereal
Which marshmallows make the Best Rice Krispie Treats?
The best marshmallows to use in a rice krispy treats recipe are mini marshmallows. They melt the easiest and create perfect little spots of gooey marshmallow throughout the treats.
How to Make Rice Krispie Treats
One of the great things about these sweet treats is that they’re no bake! Follow these 6 easy steps and you’ll have delicious rice crispy treats without even heating up your oven!
- Measure out 10 cups of mini marshmallows. Then set 2 cups aside for later.
- Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. You can skip the parchment paper and grease your pan with butter if you prefer.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter and 8 cups of mini marshmallows over medium-low heat. Stir until melted. Then stir in the salt and vanilla extract. Remove from the heat.
- Mix in the rice krispies and additional 2 cups of marshmallows, stir until completely coated, the added marshmallows won’t melt completely, which is what we want!
- Transfer the mixture to the baking dish. Gently press the rice krispies into the pan. The more you press them down, they become more dense and not quite as airy and gooey. Pro tip: use slightly wet hands when pressing them, this helps to prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands.
- Allow them to set, about 1 hour. Then slice with a sharp knife into squares and enjoy.
Rice Krispie Treats Variations
- Food coloring. Dye the melted marshmallow mixture with gel food coloring for a more festive, fun treat for any holiday, birthday party or special occasion.
- Melted chocolate. Drizzle white chocolate chips or chocolate candy melts over the top.
- Make them for any holiday. You can make these for any occasion. Check out my Easter Egg Rice Krispies and Pumpkin Rice Krispies.
Rice Krispies Treats Recipe Tips for Success
Here are a few of my best tips and tricks for making the best rice krispies:
- Avoid over-mixing. Stir the marshmallow mixture until the cereal mixture is well-coated but don’t over-mix. This will ensure you end up with fluffy, soft, and gooey treats.
- Add in extra marshmallows. My recipe tells you to add in 2 cups of marshmallows after you mix the melted mixture with the cereal. This increases the ratio of marshmallow to cereal and results in the gooey-ist cereal treats!
- Don’t press them too much. While you want to gently press the cereal mixture into the pan, know that the more you press them, the less fluffy and gooey they will be. It really depends on personal preference but if you like them airy and fluffy, only press them down a bit.
- Wet your hands when touching the mixture. To prevent all of the marshmallow goodness from sticking to your fingers, wet them just a bit with water before you start pressing down on the mixture.
Storing Homemade Rice Krispie Treats
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature. If you’ll be enjoying them within a day or two, there’s no need to individually wrap them. They will stay fresh for 5-7 days if you tightly wrap each one in plastic wrap before placing it in an airtight container.
What is the best way to keep Rice Krispie Treats fresh?
The best way to keep these fresh is to individually wrap each cut square/piece in plastic wrap tightly, then place in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for 5-7 days.
Can you freeze Rice Krispie Treats?
Freezing these is not recommended because they lose their texture. However, if you wish to freeze them you can layer them between wax or parchment paper and store them in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to eat them.
Easy Rice Krispie Treat Recipe FAQs
Homemade rice krispie treats are fresher and tastier, in my opinion, than store bought ones. They may specifically taste different due to the different ingredients used as well as the melted butter used in homemade recipes.
This tends to happen if you melt the marshmallows over too high heat. It takes away a lot of the gooey chewiness when it comes to the marshmallows. To avoid this, just take the extra few minutes to melt them at a lower temperature.
To keep these soft, I added extra marshmallows into this recipe. Pressing the krispy treats gently into the pan also helps them stay airy and gooey. The more you press them down, the more dense they become.
More Rice Krispie Treat Recipes
- Spider Rice Krispie Treats
- Oreo Rice Krispie Treats
- S’mores Rice Krispie Treats
- Pumpkin Spice Scotcheroos
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Homemade Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter, 1/2 cup
- 10 cups mini marshmallows, divided, this is about two 10 oz bags
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Instructions
- Measure out 10 cups of mini marshmallows. Then set 2 cups aside for later.
- Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. You can skip the parchment paper and grease your pan with butter if you prefer.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter and 8 cups of mini marshmallows over medium-low heat. Stir until melted. Then stir in the salt and vanilla extract. Remove from the heat.
- Mix in the rice krispies and additional 2 cups of marshmallows, stir until completely coated, the added marshmallows won’t melt completely, which is what we want!
- Transfer the mixture to the baking dish. Gently press the rice krispies into the pan. The more you press them down, they become more dense and not quite as airy and gooey. Pro tip: use slightly wet hands when pressing them, this helps to prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands.
- Allow them to set, about 1 hour. Then slice with a sharp knife into squares and enjoy.
Ummm…WOW
I’ve been searching for the perfect rice krispie treats recipe, and every person in my family (okay, there was one exception, but he doesn’t like bacon on food, so clearly his opinion doesn’t count) picked this as their favorite.
Making it again today. Thank you!