The Best Rice Krispies Treats Recipe

Intro: The Best Rice Krispies Treats Recipe

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!

Comments

[TammyL12]

Last fall I found pumpkin marshmallows and tried them in the recipe, they were AMAZING! Now, Im just waiting to find them again.

[rebeccacarroll]

The official recipe on the Rice Krispies website is actually slightly different from the one you listed. It calls for 3 Tbs butter, 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal, and either 1 10 oz package of large marshmallows (about 40) OR 4 cups mini marshmallows OR one 7 oz jar of marshmallow creme. I made it exactly like the official recipe, used the jar of marshmallow creme (which melted very nicely, and it was amazing. Quick, simple, not too sweet, just the right amount of sticky and crunchy. I recommend you try this again with the recipe from the Rice Krispies website - would love to hear how it compares for you!

[emily.sheldon.568]

Great thanks for the recipe I'm using it for Maleificent Candy Apple horns Thx

[EvilLilFuzz]

I made these today, with a twist. I used 3 cups cocoa krispies, 1 cup grahams cereal , 4 tblsp butter, 4 cups marshmallows. they are gooey and sweet, but oh so good

[NatNoBrains]

Thanks for this recipe!
Used it for a pudding for a weekend away!

[jenjenbug]

I use the recipe on the box of cereal, but double all ingredients but the cereal. Makes for a ooey, gooey, wonderful mess!

[nalderson]

Be aware that in New Zealand, Sanitarium Rice Bubbles have gluten added to them. :-\ Go figure. "Take one ingredient that doesn't have gluten in it and add! = less expensive than the gluten free ricies!"

[skimmo]

im from Australia and what my mother makes goes...
125g of butter
1/3 cup of honey
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup of shredded coconut
4 cups of rice bubbles

combine rice bubbles and coconut in a large bowl
put other ingredients into a saucepan and heat over a low heat until simmering. do not stop stirring until it boils and then stop stirring and allow to boil for 5 mins. Mix into rice bubbles and then press into a flat tray which has been lined with bake paper. allow to cool in the fridge and cut into squares

[grannyjones]

I had really good results with the recipe on the box, except melting the gooey part in the microwave.  It works like a charm, is faster and almost impossible to mess up.

[guitarpicker]

Try adding 3 heaping tablespoons of Cocoa to the marshmallows after they're dissolved and before putting in the Rice Krispies. 

Ymmmmmmmmmmmmm

[mman1506]

my dad made them alought when we were little. we added extra marshmallows and a splash of vanilla, they were really great and nice and fluffy and not dry, w never added extra butter though,  i think that would make them to rich for normal consumption  

[mman1506]

oh yah and using holiday rice krispies make it look cool for christmas partys at school

[jess]

The absolute best rice crispy treats I've ever eaten were the usual recipe, but with browned butter, and a bit of added salt.  Browned butter salted rice crispy treats were stupidly, ridiculously tasty.  I think I may have to kick it up even further by incorporating your modifications.  (I found the browned butter recipe here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/11/salted-brown-butter-crispy-treats/ )

[fungus amungus]

That's an interesting variation! Will definitely try that someday. For now I've had quite enough Rice Krispies treats.

[twobusymom]

Our family variation is to use peanut butter and butterscotch morsels. Melt them together & add rice krispies. Pour into buttered pan and put in fridge for an hour or so. You' may never go back to marshmallow.

[BubbaJCrow]

Until we found out the spouse had a sensitivity to whole wheat, we'd use half Rice Krispies and half puffed wheat. They weren't quite as sweet as regular RK Treats, but they had a really nice nuttiness to them. We'll probably try making them with half Rice Krispies and half Cheerios next time.

[gringasheffield]

 My recipe calls for a double batch of the krispies, with a caramel layer in between...to die for!

[knexsuperbuilderfreak]

you forgot the really sugary ones like with the candy inside

[AIMEERS]

Oh my... I think I am having a suger rush just reading all these recipes! They all look delicious!!!

[westfw]

> "deliciously gooey."
Huh.  I tend to prefer them LESS gooey.  And cook them in the microwave (marshmallows in the microwave is entertaining!)  One of the interesting things that has an effect on the final tastes is how long you cook the marshmallow/butter mix.  Too long and you get essentially sugar syrup.  Too little and it doesn't mix with the crispies as well.

Um.  You seem to have the same photo in all the steps except step 7.  Is that intentional?