Every time I see Rice Krispie treats in a bakery, they’re HUGE! And for some reason, this makes them taste better. I’ve been chasing after that rich and nutty vanilla flavor you get from bakery Rice Krispie treats and how to make them so big.
This is the only Rice Krispie recipe you’ll ever need!
Related: 30+ Easy No-Bake Desserts, No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, and 40+ Easy Picnic Food Ideas.
What’s the Secret to the Best Rice Krispie Treats?
Two things. Browned butter, which is optional in this recipe, but so good! And, adding some of the marshmallows along with the cereal so you get those gooey globs of melted marshmallow throughout.
Ingredients
- Butter – You can use salted or unsalted. It doesn’t make a huge difference here.
- Sweetened condensed milk – This adds another flavor level and gooeyness.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor
- Mini marshmallows – You will need a 16-ounce bag, divided
- Rice Krispie cereal – Yes, you can use an off-brand if you like.
How Do you Make Rice Krispie Treats Soft?
Don’t press the treats into the pan too firmly. It’s only necessary to press enough in order for the treats to fill the entire 9×13 pan, but if you press too firm, it can make your treats hard.
Also, the ratio of marshmallow to cereal is important. In this recipe, we use 16 ounces of mini marshmallows to 9 cups of cereal.
Other No-Bake Desserts You Might Enjoy
- No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- No-Bake Banana Cream Pie
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- No-Bake Cheesecake Truffles
- No-Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- No-Bake Key Lime Pie
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Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup condensed milk (sweetened)
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10 ounces mini marshmallows (for melting)
- 6 ounces mini marshmallows (unmelted)
- 9 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot
- 9×13" lightly oiled baking dish
- Parchment paper
Instructions
- First, brown your butter in your pan or dutch oven. To do this, set stove to medium heat. Melt butter, stirring frequently, until butter is a dark gold/amber color. It should smell nutty and there might be little bits of brown in your butter—that's all good! This step adds lots of flavor but it is optional if you'd rather simply melt the butter.
- Once the butter is browned (or just melted), add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Turn down heat to medium-low.
- Add 10 ounces of mini marshmallows to the pot and stir with your butter/milk mixture until everything is melted and smooth.
- Add your Rice Krispies and stir until thoroughly combined. If needed, you can also pour the melted marshmallow/butter mixture into a large mixing bowl containing the cereal if you do not have a dutch oven or pot large enough to hold and stir everything together.
- Then, add the remaining 6 ounces of marshmallows—you want these to keep their shape to add some texture, so be sure the Rice Krispie mixture isn't so hot it will melt your marshmallows.
- Carefully pour the Rice Krispie mixture into a buttered 9×13 dish. Take a piece of parchment paper and run it over the top of the dish to perfectly smooth out the Rice Krispies.
- Wait at least an hour until Rice Krispie treats are thoroughly cooled, then cut into desired number of servings. If you want GIANT treats, I think 9 is perfect.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
The BEST treats to take to a party! Even better than any bakery bought marshmallow bars!
Can these be put on a stick and dipped in chocolate, or are they too soft?
This recipe really gives a great texture and softness to the often hard and dry rice crispy treat. You can easily modify it with different add ins and flavors and cereals (like flavored Chex ). Crushed or powder freeze dried fruit with a few whole pieces, PB powder, naturally flavored extracts, etc. work great, too. Heck I’ve even used a little jam in my fruit flavored ones. Just add a little extra sweetened condensed milk or butter to offset any “dryness” if you feel it’s needed. I just made a blueberry and blackberry flavored one tonight.
These are fantastic! This is my go-to recipe now.
These were the best rice Krispy treats ever! I don’t even know how to describe them other than gone in 60 seconds! Making them again as I type this.
I love this recipe so much.
I made them and told everyone I know how great they are.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Debi
Thank you Debi! xx
Do your think I can use this recipe but substitute Coco Pebbles for Rice Krispies? I am not finding any recipes with Coco Pebbles that call for condensed milk. I look like I know my way around the kitchen when I show up with these Krispie treats. They are impressive!
Yes, I think you could sub the rice krispies for any similar sized cereal. Sounds delish!
I used the fruit loops with marshmallows and it turned out great
These are so gooey and perfect!!
These were delish! The whole marshmallows added toward the end is a nice touch. The kids helped top them with sprinkles. They were gone in 24 hours!
My childhood favorite made even better!
Thanks for this recipe, will be trying it out with my kids this summer
At last! A rice crispy treat recipe that actually uses the whole box of rice crispies! Thank you so much.
So I wanted to at least drop in my recommendation for those that enjoy dense rice krispie treats. I honestly had never made any before, and I settled on giving this recipe a try. My fiance very much prefers hers dense, so I followed the instructions exactly, but I did break up/smash the mixture in my Dutch oven a bit. Once in the pan, I absolutely pressed the mixture down as much as I could.
She LOVED them. I took extras to a part, and everyone kept raving about them. So my suggestion is to just smash/press it into the pan to get a good dense treat.
Are these firm enough to dip in chocolate?
Yes, especially after the marshmallow cream part has completely cooled.
BEST recipe !!! I could never get my bars soft but this recipe was exactly what I needed. I don’t leave reviews, but this one was worth it.
Can these be turned into peanut butter flavor?
Oh my! The neighbors watched our house while we were on vacation so I made these for their kids. Oops. Have to make them again! We ate them alllll. So good.
Delicious! Followed exact recipe. Hands down best RCT ever.
Total hit at my son’s party! Delicious!
The greatest of all time. For real