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Would you believe that I didn’t like the packaged Rice Crispy Treats as a kid? Even back then, the taste was way too sweet for me.
I did always enjoy homemade versions. In fact, to this day I remember the first time I ever saw someone make rice crispy treats. I was at my junior high boyfriend’s house and his mom whipped up a batch in less than 10 minutes right in front of me. I had no idea how they were made. No one in my family baked growing up… though I don’t know if you’d even technically consider this baking! Either way, I was amazed.
This recipe for Brown Butter Rice Crispy treats is an up-leveled but still very easy version.
I actually first stumbled upon this version of rice crispy treats in the Flour cookbook and mentally bookmarked it. Then, just a few days later, Trader Joe’s had a huge end-cap display of their crispy rice cereal. The universe was telling me to make rice crispy treats (because the universe has nothing better to do).
I’m so glad I did because this is my new favorite rice krispies treats recipe!
Check out all the baking tips in the pink tip box below for making the Rice Crispy Treats of your dreams.
How to Make the BEST Rice Krispie Treats
What are Rice Crispy Treats?
Whether you call them Rice Krispies, Rice Crispies, Rice Bubbles, etc., this classic breakfast cereal is the base for these oven-free desserts, which mimic the Kellogg’s-brand classic after-school snack! They’re little squares of crispy yet sticky gooey heaven.
How Do You Make Homemade Rice Krispies?
The original Rice Krispie Treats are a packaged bar made from the puffed rice cereal and a bunch of artificial sweeteners – which we replace with gooey marshmallows (for sweetness and to bind it all together) and brown butter, for a delicious nuttiness like no Rice Crispy Treat you’ve ever had before!
Just take a look at how much thicker and more gooey and chewy these homemade rice crispy treats are (left) compared to the store-bought pre-packaged kind (right):
Instructions for How to Brown Butter:
- Use a stainless steel sauté pan for best results. Nonstick prevents the butter from browning completely and prevents you from being able to visually see how browned it’s getting. Same with the dark color of cast iron. Something with a wider surface area, like a sauté pan instead a saucepan, encourages more browning more quickly.
- In a medium skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Swirling the pan occasionally, continue to cook the butter. It should become foamy with audible cracking and popping noises.
- Once the crackling stops, continue to swirl the pan until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Don’t swirl the pan too often; we want to encourage those nice brown bits on the bottom to continue to form, and stirring constantly will prevent that.
- Once the bits are amber in color, about 2 to 3 minutes after the popping stops, remove from heat.
How to get Perfectly Chewy Rice Crispy Treats:
- Ingredients are key. Ensure your Rice Krispies cereal and mini marshmallows are fresh for best results. Hard marshmallows will make hard Rice Crispy Treats, and stale cereal is still unpleasant once mixed with the other ingredients.
- After the butter is browned, use a gentle heat to melt the marshmallows. If the heat is up too high, it will cook the marshmallows and make the resulting Rice Crispy Treats hard and brittle. Just be patient and let the marshmallows melt slowly and gently.
- When spreading the finished mixture into the pan, don’t be too aggressive pressing the mixture into the pan. You want to be firm enough to bind the mixture together, but not so firm that you compress it super solidly. The more tightly you pack it in, the more solid the end result will be once set. Be a little gentle so they stay chewy once set.
- Once set, store in an airtight container at room temperature so they stay perfectly chewy longer!
Which Pan Should I Use for Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats?
How Long Will These Rice Crispy Treats Keep?
These Rice Crispy Treats can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Do Rice Crispy Treats Need to be Refrigerated?
No. I recommend keeping these Rice Crispy Treats in an airtight container at room temperature. Refrigerating will make the marshmallow in them super hard, so I advise to leave them at room temperature.
Can You Freeze Rice Crispy Treats?
I do not recommend freezing Rice Crispy Treats, as they will get super hard in the freezer. You can experiment and try freezing them in an airtight container, separated by wax paper, and then thaw overnight at room temperature, if you need to make them ahead – but we prefer them fresh!
More Copycat Recipes You’ll Love:
-
2
sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter
-
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
2
10-ounce bags of mini marshmallows*
-
1/2
teaspoon
kosher salt
-
9
cups
(225 grams) crispy rice cereal**
-
Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or grease with a stick of butter.
-
Melt butter in a large stainless steel pan over medium-low heat. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally. It should become foamy and crack and pop audibly. When the crackling stops, continue to swirl the pan until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Once the bits are amber in color, 2 to 3 minutes after the popping stops, add the vanilla, marshmallows, and salt to the pan. Reducing the heat to low, stir constantly until the marshmallows are completely melted. Remove from heat.
-
Add the rice cereal and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the cereal is evenly coated. Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking pan, pressing the mixture gently with your spatula, wooden spoon, or damp fingers into an even layer. Don’t be too aggressive pressing the mixture into the pan. You want to be firm enough to bind the mixture together, but not so firm that you compress it super solidly. The more tightly you pack it in, the more solid the end result will be once set. Be a little gentle so they stay chewy once set.
-
Allow to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cut into 12 squares before serving. Squares can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
* 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.
To make a half-batch of Rice Crispy Treats, simply divide all ingredients in half and use an 8×8-inch baking pan.
Adapted from the Flour cookbook.
This post was originally published in 2012 and updated in 2022 with new photos. Photos by Joanie Simon.
I can’t believe I’ve never actually made rice krispie treats before! They were so easy, and not sickly sweet like the store bought ones. I made them for a co-worker with a soy allergy’s birthday, these are soy free!
My kids said these were the best rice crispy treats they have ever had! They were so simple and the browned butter really elevated the taste.
Great summer treat, easy to make with a few ingredients. I added some crushed Oreos to mine.
super easy, quick, and cheap to make. taking only a few mintues longer to brown the butter is definitely worth it for and elevated, nostalgic, and delicious treat!
These are SO delicious! My new favorite easy treat to make!
The brown butter made all of the difference! Definitely worth this extra step, as the flavor was deepened. I also used premium vanilla. A winner!!
These were a hit. Definitely way more tasty and a better texture than store-bought!
I made these for the August baking challenge and let me tell you what…These are the BEST Rice Krispy Treats that I’ve ever tasted! Make these NOW!
By far the best Rice Krispie recipe I’ve tried. Will definitely make again.
This turned out great and tastes even better
I haven’t baked in a while and these rice crispy treats were the perfect beginner recipe to get me back into the swing of things. Browning the butter was much easier than I anticipated and made a huge difference in the flavor. Overall these were super easy to make, a fun treat to share and absolutely delicious!
So so yummy! The best version of a classic around.
best rice krispy recipe I’ve ever tried! super quick and easy and they were all gone in one day!
I made these this past Saturday… despite not watching the butter as closely as I should and it exploding all over my stove (lol!!) THESE WERE AMAZING!! So delicious, and the browned butter adds incredible depth of flavor, I was shocked at how elevated these were in taste in comparison to simply melting the butter. Definitely, DEFINITELY give these a try, but don’t turn your back on the butter! Make sure to have all nine (9) cups of your cereal measured out, make sure all bags of your marshmallows are OPEN, and also that your vanilla is measured out and off the side for when you’re ready. Thanks again, Tessa!
The brown butter makes it so much better. It gives it such a nice nutty flavor. These are my new favorite rice kripsy treats recipe..
These are SO good and SO easy!! I’ve never made brown butter before so I was a little intimidated but it was really simple and it elevates the flavor soo much. I don’t think I could make regular Rice Krispie treats again. I halved the recipe and put it in an 8×8 pan and they were perfect.
Delicious! These are the best rice crispy treats I’ve ever had, definitely an elevated version of the ones my mom used to make. I brought them to a cookout and they were the first thing gone. The texture was soft without being gummy and the flavor was great
Woohoo! Glad these were a hit for you, Lauren! 🙂
Thumbs up from the office staff! The brown butter made all the difference. Once of the staff members said she never really liked rice crispy treats but she said this while eating her second one! 🙂
I didn’t think Rice Krispie treats could be improved upon but after making these, I’m never going back to the recipe on the box. These are amazing! Much more depth of flavor and the texture is chewy and perfect. Can’t wait to make them again!
Woohoo! So thrilled to hear this, Marissa! 🙂
So delicious and easy to make! I had already made the browned butter toffee chocolate chip cookies so I knew the browned butter for the Rice Krispie treats was going to be a win!
These were super easy to make and so good!
I’ve made these so many times, they are so easy and everyone loves them
Quick, easy and delicious! The extra step of browning butter takes very little time and makes all the difference in adding a depth of flavor. I will definitely make these again.
Another perfect recipe!
These were a hit at work!
Foolproof and yummy. I only had 8 cups of Rice Crispies but they still turned out perfect.
These were so easy to put together. I was a little apprehensive about browning the butter, but Tessa’s guidance of made the process a breeze. I will definitely be making this scrumptious recipe again.
So glad Tessa’s instructions were so easy to follow, Stephenie! 🙂
Brown butter takes this classic treat to a whole new level. Absolutely love them and SOOooOooOo addictive. Made sure not to press down the mixture too much and they were light and fluffy!
Cannot stop eating these
These are delicious! The brown butter really takes it to another level!
These were fun to make with kids but turn out very marshmellowy. That’s not a problem, just not how I usually make/eat mine. I’ll just add a little extra rice cereal next time.
I love the added level of flavor by browning the butter first. So much better than microwave version.
The brown butter does add a really nice flavor. Marshmallows here in France come in a mix of pink and white so my finished treats are light pink which is kind of fun. But they still taste like vanilla.
these taste amazing and are so easy and fast! love them!
I might not ever make Rice Krispie treats again without browning the butter first. These are amazing. Did I wait for them to cool before eating? No, I did not!!
haha YAY!! So happy you enjoyed them, Meredith! (I may have snuck a taste before they finished cooling, too)
This recipe was so simple yet so delicious! It is not much more difficult than regular rice crispy treats, but much more flavor!
Very good, the brown butter makes these taste way better than regular rice crispy treats!
Rice cereal treats are just about my favorite treat, and these are extra tasty! Brown butter makes everything better!!
I have never had store bought rice crispy treats. My mom always made them from scratch. Now I make them the same way. My favorite ones are made with sugar, light corn syrup and peanut butter! Yummy!! I will be trying these soon.
Treats made with peanut butter are absolutely delicious (especially with a layer of chocolate on top, yum!). Excited to hear what you think of this recipe! 🙂
Made these for a youth group that was coming over to help burn some yard waste from a big wind storm. I had brownies and these Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats. I was disappointed to find some of the BBRT’s thrown away in the garbage later. Obviously, the younger palate is not yet sophisticated to that degree yet. I really enjoyed them, myself.
Can I cut this recipe in half?
Sure! Just use an 8×8-inch baking pan. Can’t wait for you to try these 🙂
I keep making these, over and over because they’re so dang gooey, salty-sweet. In the summer heat, baking is unthinkable, bit a fresh pan of these treats really hot the spot. I love sprinkling the sea salt flakes on top, as it really elevates the treat to “adult” level without sacrificing the nostalgic taste and feel of the rice krispies traditional flavor. TERRIFIC RECIPE!!!
I like my rice Krispy squares to be extra gooey and this recipe delivers!
I’m so glad I tried this recipe! Best rice crispy treats I’ve ever had. I will never make them any other way now.
I made these yesterday for a get together at my son’s house. Everybody kept asking me how I made them so soft and chewy. The flavor was amazing!! I’m making them again tomorrow for my friend’s birthday. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So good. I can’t stop making these. The brown butter sends these over the edge. Make these once and you won’t stop making them, because they disappear FAST. They are fast and easy to make.
I made this recipe last night for a weekly dinner with friends. Everyone took home leftovers and no one knew I ruined the cookies I had planned to bring! I’ve made this recipe more times than I can count now and it never disappoints. Quick, delicious, and nostalgic.
Just made for a friend and sampled a small piece – they’re delicious! Might have to make a second batch tonight. Thanks for a great recipe!
Amazing. Amazing. Do delicious and chewy- perfect proportions!
delicious and easy to follow, thanks!
These were so amazing and simple to make! Great depth of flavor from the brown butter. Would make again and again.
Do you think you could make these with homemade marshmallows?
If so, would you just use the same weight of homemade as store bought?
Très bonne recette et même que j ‘ai gardé 1/4 de la recette et ajouté du chocolat a la demande mon garçon .
So great… I’ve made them twice this Halloween week!
I made them … and these were so delicious ! Easy ,fast and yummy recipe.
I tend to remove the pot before adding the vanilla (adding it after the marshmallows have melted) as it can scorch.
when do you add the vanilla?
Honestly, you can add it whenever! I did fix the post to add it with the marshmallows and salt.
Adding brown butter sounds like the best idea EVER!
I made these last year and loved them. So nostalgic, but way better than store-bought, especially with brown butter!