Best Rice Crispy Treats Recipe
Posted Jul 07, 2019, Updated Nov 25, 2023
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This is the best Rice Crispy Treats Recipe! They are gooey, soft, flavorful & easy to make with 5 ingredients in 5 minutes!
Everyone needs an outstanding rice crispy treat recipe in their repertoire, and this is mine! They are an easy dessert to whip up for last minute dinner guests or for an afternoon playdate.
I’ve tested many rice crispy treat recipes in my lifetime, and this is the best. They are gooey, soft and flavorful thanks to the addition of vanilla extract and sea salt. Plus they’re easy to make with only 5 ingredients in 5 minutes!
My daughters often put on bake sales, and these homemade rice crispy treats literally fly off the shelves (along with our famous chocolate chip cookies, of course).
Rice Crispy Treats: Ingredients and Substitutions
- Crispy rice cereal. Generic or name brand cereals both work very well in this recipe. I have also used brown rice crispy cereal with great results! You could have fun and substitute some (or all) of the crispy rice cereal with another cereal like fruity pebbles, cocoa pebbles, etc.
- Mini Marshmallows. Large marshmallows don’t melt as well as minis, but one 10 oz bag of mini marshmallows equals 40 regular marshmallows (or you could weigh the larger marshmallows and use 10 oz or 283 g).
- Salted Butter. unsalted butter works well. Or, try using brown butter, it’s delicious.
- Sea Salt. Please note that this recipe calls for pure sea salt. If you use iodized salt I recommend decreasing the amount by half. Please don’t omit the salt. It’s one of the ingredients that makes these the perfect rice crispy treats.
- Vanilla extract. This is another ingredient that makes these rice crispy treats extra special. Vanilla bean paste can be used in place of extract.
How to Make Rice Crispy Treats
We will walk through this recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video
It’s important to have all the ingredients measured out before you get started. Because once you begin, the recipe is fast-paced and you need to move quickly.
Begin by preparing your baking pan by lightly greasing it with cooking spray or butter so that it’s ready to go.
Once you have all the ingredients ready to go, begin by melting the butter. Patience is the key to making the best rice crispy treats.
You cannot rush the butter/marshmallow melting. Use low heat and melt slowly. I recommend slicing the butter into at least 4 pieces to make the melting process go faster without using too much heat.
Once the butter is melted, add the mini marshmallows and stir every 15-30 seconds until the mixture is smooth and most of the marshmallows are melted.
When the mixture is smooth and all the marshmallows are melted, turn off the heat or remove the pot from the heat.
Next, add the vanilla extract to the marshmallow mixture and stir to combine. The vanilla extract will bubble when it’s added, that is normal! Vanilla makes these taste amazing.
Once the mixture is smooth, quickly add the rice crispy cereal and sea salt to the pot and stir to combine. This is the point of the recipe where time is of the essence and you need to work quickly.
As soon as the mixture is uniform throughout and looks like the picture on the left, transfer it to a lightly greased baking pan (8×8″ or 9×9″ both work perfectly). If desired, add mix-ins here like sprinkles, more mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, etc.
Using greased hands or a greased spatula, gently press the mixture into the baking pan until the top is level. If desired, this is a great place to add sprinkles to the top (or chocolate chips, nuts, etc.)
Let the rice crispy treats set until they are completely cooled, then cut them into squares.
Serve
You can cut these rice crispy treats into 9 or 16 squares, depending on your preferred size. Serve them at room temperature.
Store
Store leftovers by wrapping them in plastic wrap and putting them in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature – do not refrigerate.
Freeze
To freeze, let the rice crispy treats cool completely, then wrap them up and put them in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 1 month. Set them out at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
Rice Crispy Treats Recipe FAQs
Stored properly, they will last for 3 days at room temperature.
No, I do not suggest refrigerating this recipe.
Let them set for at least 30-60 minutes before cutting.
Yes! Wrap them up and put them in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 1 month. Set them out at room temperature for 1 hour before serving!
There are a handful of reasons why rice crispy treats could turn out hard:
They are exposed to the air too long (not stored properly).
You overcook the butter/marshmallow mixture or melt the ingredients too quickly over too high heat.
Accidentally adding too much cereal.
Using old/stale marshmallows.
Pressing the rice crispy treats too hard into the pan.
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Best Rice Crispy Treat Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 oz mini marshmallows (6 cups)
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 5½ cups Crispy Rice Cereal
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grease a 8×8” or 9×9" square pan, set aside.
- Melt butter in a large, deep sauce pot (5 quarts) over low heat.
- Once butter is mostly melted, add marshmallows and stir until smooth (this takes about 3-6 minutes).
- Once butter/marshmallow mixture is smooth remove the pan from the heat, add vanilla extract and stir to combine.
- Add crispy rice cereal and sea salt to the large pot with the marshmallow mixture and mix until combined. (If desired, at this point you can add mix-ins like sprinkles M&Ms, etc.)
- Quickly pour the rice crispy treat mixture into the prepared pan.
- Use a greased spatula or greased hands to gently press the rice crispy treat mixture into the pan until the top is level.
- If desired, at this point you can add sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc. to the top. Just be sure to gently press them onto the top of the rice crispy treats.
- Allow the rice crispy treats to sit at room temperature until cooled, about 1 hour.
- Cut into 9 or 16 squares and serve!
Video
Notes
- Crispy rice cereal. Generic or name brand cereals both work very well in this recipe. I have also used brown rice crispy cereal with great results! You could have fun and substitute some (or all) of the crispy rice cereal with another cereal like fruity pebbles, cocoa pebbles, etc.
- Mini Marshmallows. Large marshmallows don’t melt as well as minis, but one 10 oz bag of mini marshmallows equals 40 regular marshmallows (or you could weigh the larger marshmallows and use 10 oz or 283 g).
- Salted Butter. unsalted butter works well. Or, try using brown butter, it’s delicious.
- Sea Salt. If using iodized salt I recommend decreasing the amount by half.
- Vanilla extract. Vanilla bean paste can be used in place of extract.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! Can you use marshmallows cream instead of marshmallows? If so would the amount you need of the cream be the same as the marshmallows. Thanks!
Going to make these….can’t wait to make them in an 8×8 pan!!!
Just a quick question I am going to use regular size marshmallows!!! How many would you use???