The Best Rice Krispies Treats Recipe (2024)

Introduction: The Best Rice Krispies Treats Recipe

By fungus amungussupamoto

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Rice Krispie Treats are trickier to get right than you might think. Make the rice krispies stick together is easy, but getting the texture right is tricky. Often they're not much more than a brick of cereal that's only good for those who are either teething or desperately hungry.

So I decided to try and find out what is the best Rice Krispies treat out there. Eating them fresh is key, but what else can be done? This Instructable is all about the goal of making the best basic Rice Krispies treat and not about all the other tasty stuff you can add to make it more complex.

OK, let's begin!

Step 1: How to Make Rice Krispie Treats

The basics of making Rice Krispies treats are simple. Here's how it goes:

  • Over low, low heat, melt the butter in a pot
  • Once it's melted, add the marshmallows
  • Still with low heat, stir the marshmallows until thoroughly melted and cook another minute
  • Turn off heat
  • Stir in cereal
  • Transfer to buttered pan
  • Cover with wax paper and press down
  • Let cool for 20 minutes and cut it up

If you've made Rice Krispies treats before, all of this should be familiar. I just want to emphasize the low heat. The flame should just tickle the bottom of the pan. Be patient, it still doesn't take that long.

Extra: For easy clean-up, just soak the pot in hot water and give it a few minutes

With the technique down, let's make some treats!

Step 2: Official Recipe

From the Kellogg'sweb site, here's the official recipe:

  • 3 tbsp (42g) butter
  • 4 cups (180g) mini-marshmallows
  • 6 cups (158g) Rice Krispies

It's a decent recipe as everything sticks together, but it's a little unsatisfying. Testers at the office described it as "dense," "dry," and overall "emptier" than the rest, but at least it was the "crunchier" option.

So it's OK, but not exciting. We need some changes!

Step 3: Extra Butter Recipe

This other recipe from allrecipes boosts the butter and reduces the cereal so that there is more butter and more marshmallow per cup of cereal than the original.

  • 4 tbsp (56g) butter
  • 4 cups (180g) mini-marshmallows
  • 5 cups (132g) Rice Krispies

This improves the texture a little bit. Our testers found it to be "gooier," but still "dry" and many couldn't tell much difference between this and the original recipe.

Clearly, more testing was needed.

Step 4: Extra Butter + Milk Recipe

This recipe goes one step further and adds a splash of milk to the butter marshmallow mix.

  • 4 tbsp (56g) butter
  • 4 cups (180g) mini-marshmallows
  • 1.5 teaspoons milk
  • 5 cups (132g) Rice Krispies

The recommendation to add in an extra bit of milk was interesting and we had high hopes, but it didn't change the texture in any noticeable way from the other Extra Butter Recipe. Some testers thought it had a slight flavor improvement, but there was no agreement.

The only thing to do now is take this even further with more marshmallows!

Step 5: More Marshmallows Recipe

This recipe boosts the marshmallows instead of the butter.

  • 4 tbsp (56g) butter
  • 5 cups (225g) mini-marshmallows
  • 5 3/4 cups (152g) Rice Krispies

This recipe was by far the favorite out of all of them for the testers. They said it was "the best" and "deliciously gooey." While the testers had to think about the differences between the others, this was a quick decision. Of the dozen testers, only one thought it was too gooey.

If there's any one recipe to make for the gooey treats, make this one and eat it fresh. It's totally worth it and don't worry about eating more marshmallows. Goo is good for you!

Step 6: Bonus #1: More Butter With Vanilla

Since we were going strong with the other recipes, we also tried out a recipe that added a splash of vanilla. All we found out is that if you like vanilla you might like the added flavor here. This recipe evenly split our testers between thinking that it added a little extra and thinking that it was going in the wrong direction.

Step 7: Bonus #2: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Recipe

Starting with the More Butter Recipe, add a 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter to the marshmallow mixture.

We added to it by drizzling melted chocolate on top.

The results here were again mixed. Some dug it, others thought it was too much. Ah well.

In the future we might try some other more extreme variations. Meanwhile, if you have any favorite recipes to share please do so in the comments!

The Best Rice Krispies Treats Recipe (5)

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The Best Rice Krispies Treats Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my homemade rice crispy treats so hard? ›

If you melt the marshmallows too fast, it might result in a Rice Kripsy treat that is harder and crunchy than chewy. Take your time and let the butter and marshmallows melt slowly. Use an 8×8 or slightly smaller pan. Use a small and deep pan if you want thick and chewy rice Krispy treats.

How do you keep Rice Krispie treats from falling apart? ›

How do you make rice crispy treats not fall apart? If your final product is falling apart, it could be because you're trying to cut when the dessert is too warm. Or, you may have added too many marshmallows. Place them in the fridge to firm up and try to slice again.

What happens if you put too much butter in Rice Krispie Treats? ›

What happens if you put too much butter in Rice Krispies Treats? If you put too much butter in rice krispies treats they will become oily, the cereal will soak up the butter and the treats will become soggy, rather than crispy.

What makes Rice Krispie treats soggy? ›

There are a couple of reasons your treats might have come out soggy or too soft. First, your cereal might be too old. Check the expiration and make sure the crispy rice cereal is nice and fresh for the best texture! Second, you may have used too much butter.

What makes rice krispies taste better? ›

Vanilla Extract: Adds a touch of vanilla flavor, enhancing the overall taste of the treats. Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the other ingredients. Rice Krispies: The star ingredient, these crisped rice cereal pieces absorb the melted marshmallow mixture and provide a crispiness.

Can you use hard marshmallows for rice crispy treats? ›

* Make sure your marshmallows are fresh. Stale, hard marshmallows won't result in nice, chewy bars. ** Any brand is fine, but be sure the cereal you use is fresh. Stale cereal will make for stale-tasting Rice Crispy Treats.

Is there a trick to cutting Rice Krispie Treats? ›

To make evenly sized rice crispy treats without measuring, you can use a ruler or a baking pan with marked measurements as a guide. Simply press the treats into the pan and score them with a knife before they fully set. This will allow for equally-sized bars once they are cut.

Do you refrigerate Rice Krispie Treats after making them? ›

Make sure you butter your pan thoroughly before pouring the mixture into it and patting the treats out evenly. You also don't want to press the mixture too hard into the pan. Do rice crispy treats have to be refrigerated? They do not!

How do you cleanly cut Rice Krispie Treats? ›

To prevent the Rice Krispie Treats from sticking together when cutting, you can dip the knife into warm water and wipe it with a paper towel between each cut. This will help remove any residue from the treats and ensure clean, separate pieces.

Why can't Muslims eat Rice Krispie treats? ›

What about Rice Crispy Treats that have marshmallows in them, are they Haram too? Yes, they also use gelatin from pork. All pig products like pork are Haram (forbidden) for Muslims to eat.

Why do Rice Krispies snap? ›

Once the Rice Krispies hit the cereal bowl and absorb liquid (milk), the moisture content increases and the kernel goes from glassy to rubbery. The pockets of trapped air release as the walls of the kernel are weakened, which in turn break the parts of the structure that are still glassy, forcing the Snap! Crackle!

How far in advance can you make rice crispy treats? ›

Allow to thaw at room temperature before serving. Make-ahead- I truly believe the best rice krispies are the ones fresh from the pan but if you want to make them in advance remember to make them no more than 3 days before you plan to serve them or freeze them right away.

How long are homemade rice crispy treats good for? ›

Rice Krispie Treats will stay crispy and fresh, if stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature, for up to a week if you use salted butter, which is what we recommend.

How to keep melted marshmallows from getting hard? ›

To avoid this, it's important to melt them slowly over a low heat.

What to do with hardened marshmallows? ›

If they're stale, hot cocoa. I use stale ones for Rice Crispy Treats all the time. You melt them so it's fine. They will not melt as well, they will not taste as good.

Are homemade rice crispy treats shelf stable? ›

Guideline for Homemade Treats: Homemade Rice Krispies treats generally last about 3-4 weeks after the expiration date of the cereal when stored properly. Ensure that the storage area is cool, dry, and dark to maximize their shelf life.

References

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