M&M Rice Krispie Treats
M&M rice krispie treats are a super easy no bake dessert perfect for all kinds of occasions. This recipe is a simple classic your kids will love.
There is something just so nostalgic about perfect sticky-sweet homemade rice krispie treats. Universally loved by kids of all ages, rice krispie treats are a fun dessert that is unbelievably simple to make. Just melt some marshmallows and butter, add some vanilla extract and rice cereal, and these yummy treats are done. Only about 10 minutes of hands-on work with no baking and no fussing. This is one of my favorite recipes to keep in my back pocket for crowd-pleasing sweet treats in a pinch.
Adding colorful m&m candies is a fun way to customize these easy treats for any occasion. There are tons of seasonal m&m varieties. Try red and green for Christmas (like I did here). Use a green, orange and purple mix at Halloween. Or get a pastel color mix in the spring for Easter. You can cut your treats into squares, or cut them out with a seasonal cookie cutter. Try drizzling some melted chocolate over top if you want to take your rice krispie game up a notch.
You Will Love This
- These simple no bake treats are perfect for any time of year. Use seasonal M&Ms, or choose colorful sprinkles, to customize these treats for Christmas, Valentines Day, Halloween… the options are endless.
- This is the perfect treat to whip up when you are short on time. They don’t need to bake, and they only take about 10 minutes to prep. Ideally they should cool for about an hour before you eat them, but my kids never complain if I cut them at 40 minutes.
Ingredients
This easy recipe requires the following ingredients (exact measurements are in the recipe card below):
- Rice Krispies cereal
- Mini marshmallows, divided: Most of the marshmallows will be melted down with butter to make the sticky-sweet glue to hold our treats together. I like to keep at least a cup of extra marshmallows unmelted to mix into the bars.
- Salted butter
- Vanilla extract
- M&M candies: I used red, green and brown M&Ms here for Christmas. You could use pink and red for Valentine’s Day or an orange, purple and green mix for Halloween. I used full size M&Ms but mini M&Ms would work great too.
Instructions
Step One: Melt the butter in a large saucepan or skillet over low heat.
Step Two: After the butter melts fully, add 8 cups of mini marshmallows to the pan, reserving one cup for later. Stir the butter and marshmallow mixture until the marshmallows are fully melted and the mixture is smooth and bubbly, about 3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine.
TIP: Be patient with the marshmallows. They only take a few minutes to melt fully at low heat. Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up to high or you could scorch the marshmallow mixture and end up with tough bars.
Step Three: Remove the pan from the stove top. Add the rice krispie cereal to the melted marshmallow and stir with a spatula until fully combined. The mixture should be very sticky!
Step Four: When the cereal mixture has cooled slightly (just a couple minutes), stir in the reserved mini marshmallows and M&M candies. I like to keep just a handful of marshmallows and candies out of the mixture to sprinkle on top.
Step Five: Line a medium baking dish with parchment paper. I used a 10.5 x 7.5 inch rectangular pan, but a 9 x 9 inch square baking dish would work great too. Pour the rice krispies mixture into the prepared pan and gently press it into an even layer with a rubber spatula. Don’t press too hard, or your treats will be too dense and hard to bite into. Sprinkle your reserved marshmallows and m&m candies on top of the treats and press them in slightly.
Step Six: Refrigerate the treats for one hour. After an hour, remove them from the pan. Cut them into squares with a knife, or use a cookie cutter to make a fun shape. I like to let the bars warm back up to room temperature before eating.
Storage
After the initial cooling period in the refrigerator, rice krispie treats can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a 3-4 days. I like to wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then keep them in a ziplock bag in my pantry. Be sure to keep them in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight.
M&M Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 9 cups mini marshmallows divided (approx. 16 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups rice krispies cereal
- 1 cup M&M candies
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan or skillet over low heat.
- After the butter melts fully, add 8 cups of mini marshmallows to the pan, reserving one cup for later. Stir the butter and marshmallow mixture until the marshmallows are fully melted and the mixture is smooth and bubbly, about 3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine.
- Remove the pan from the stove top. Add the rice krispie cereal to the melted marshmallow and stir with a spatula until fully combined. The mixture should be very sticky!
- When the cereal mixture has cooled slightly (just a couple minutes), stir in the reserved mini marshmallows and M&M candies. I like to keep just a handful of marshmallows and candies out of the mixture to sprinkle on top of the bars.
- Line a 10×7 or 9X9 baking dish with parchment paper. Pour the rice krispies mixture into the prepared pan and gently press it into an even layer with a rubber spatula. Don't press too hard,or your treats will be too dense and hard to bite into.
- Sprinkle your reserved marshmallows and m&m candies on top of the treats and press them in slightly.Refrigerate the treats for one hour. After an hour, remove them from the pan.Cut them into squares with a knife, or use a cookie cutter to make a fun shape.I like to let the bars warm back up to room temperature before eating.
