These large Homestyle Rice Krispie Treats are thick and chewy and loaded with lots of gooey mini marshmallows. They are easy to make using just three ingredients and they make a great snack or dessert.
If you can't resist delicious homemade marshmallow cereal treats and one little treat just isn't enough for you, make these big homestyle rice crispy treats instead.
Each treat is more than twice as large as our award-winning Best Rice Krispie Treats. Not only are they thicker but they are also loaded with whole mini marshmallows, so every bite is gooey and chewy.
This recipe uses only three ingredients, but you'll use larger amounts of butter, marshmallows, and Rice Krispies cereal to make a 9 by 13-inch pan of these extra thick cereal bars.
Let's make Homestyle Rice Krispie Treats!
You'll need:
butter - Our taste testers agreed that using salted European-style butter makes the very best-tasting rice crispy bars. There's more butterfat, less water, and more flavor in this ultra-creamy butter so it gives your cereal treats a richer, more decadent flavor.
marshmallows - The trick to making these soft and chewy homestyle marshmallow treats is using fresh marshmallows. Grab two 10-ounce bags of mini marshmallows that have the best expiration date. Soft, fresh marshmallows make soft, fresh treats. You will reserve 1 ½ cups of the mini marshmallows to mix into the treats after they are mixed together and the rest will be melted.
crisp rice cereal - We've taste-tested different brands of crisp rice cereal, and we highly recommend using Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cereal. It has the best flavor and texture.
step 1 - melt butter and marshmallows
- Cut 8 tablespoons of butter into small pieces (the pieces will melt more quickly than a whole stick of butter).
- Place the butter in a large saucepan.
- Set the pan over low heat and allow the butter to begin melting.
- Reserve 1 ½ cups of the mini marshmallows from two 10-ounce bags for later, then pour the rest into the pan.
- Stir occasionally until about 75% of the marshmallows have melted. This will take about 7-10 minutes depending on the type of stove you use and the size of your pan.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir until all the marshmallows melt.
How to keep your marshmallow rice crispy treats soft?
I already mentioned using fresh marshmallows, but another trick to making soft cereal treats is to only partially melt the marshmallows over low heat on the stove. If you remove the pan before all of the marshmallows have melted, the residual heat in the pan will continue to melt the gooey puffs without overheating them.
Overheated marshmallows = hard Rice Krispie Treats!
Can I melt the marshmallows in the microwave?
Yes!
- Pour the butter and mini marshmallows into a large microwave-safe bowl and heat on high power for 1 minute. The marshmallows will puff up and almost double in size.
- Then, let the bowl rest in the warm microwave for a few minutes. The warmth in the microwave will continue to melt the marshmallows slowly.
- Remove the bowl, and stir the marshmallows until melted.
- Only if needed, heat for 15-second increments, stirring after each until melted.
step 2 - mix the marshmallows and cereal and spread into the pan
- While your marshmallows are melting, pour 9 ½ cups of Rice Krispie cereal into a well-greased bowl.
- I like to grease my bowl and my 9x13-inch baking pan with butter but non-stick baking spray works fine too.
- Pour the melted marshmallows over the cereal.
- By pouring the warm marshmallows over the cereal instead of vice versa (pouring the cereal into the hot saucepan) you will not overheat the cereal. If you pour the cereal into the pan, the extra heat can soften the cereal making your treats soggy.
- Gently spread the marshmallow cereal treat mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.
- Do not press the treats down too firmly. Just spread them into an even layer. The harder you press the cereal treat mixture into the pan the harder your finished treats will be.
- Set the pan aside and allow the treats to cool at room temperature for about an hour.
- Then, remove the treats and cut them into rectangles or squares.
If you want really large Rice Krispie Treats, cut the treats in half lengthwise, then cut into 8 bars. I typically get 16 rectangle treats from one 9x13 pan, so these treats are much bigger than a traditional crispy treat. They are thicker too.
printable recipe for homemade homestyle treats filled with marshmallows
Homestyle Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 9x13-inch baking pan
- 1 large saucepan
Ingredients
- 9 ½ cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 8 tablespoons salted butter
- 20 ounces mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Grease your mixing bowl and baking pan with butter or baking spray.
- Pour the crisp rice cereal into the greased mixing bowl and set aside.
- Cut the butter into slices and place in the large saucepan.
- Begin melting the butter over low heat.
- Reserve 1 ½ cups of the mini marshmallows, then pour the rest into the saucepan.
- Heat, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes, until 75% of the marshmallows have melted.
- Remove the marshmallows from the heat and stir the marshmallows until melted.
- Pour the melted marshmallows over the bowl of cereal.
- Stir until combined.
- Pour the reserved 1 ½ cups of mini marshmallows into the cereal treat mixture and stir just until blended.
- Gently press the Rice Krispie treats mixture into the greased 9x13-inch pan.
- Spread into an even layer, keeping the treats nice and thick. Do not compact them into the pan or your treats will be hard.
- Set the pan of cereal treats aside at room temperature for about 1 hour.
- Cut the pan of cereal treats into 8 large rectangles or up to 24 smaller rectangles or squares.
Notes
- The calories listed are for 8 large Homestyle Rice Krispie Treats. You can cut them into smaller treats if you desire.
- Be sure to use fresh marshmallows. Soft marshmallows will make soft treats. Stale, firm marshmallows will make hard treats.
- Do NOT overheat your marshmallows. Overheated marshmallows = hard treats.
- Store your treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- You can freeze your homestyle crispy treats by wrapping them in wax paper or Glad Press 'n Seal, then placing them in a large zip-top bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
More Rice Krispie Treat Recipe Ideas...
If you love salted caramel, be sure to make yourself a batch of these easy Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats. They are amazing!
If you enjoy the additional mini marshmallows in your Rice Krispie Treats, be sure to try this S'mores Rice Krispie Treats recipe. These treats are loaded with mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and graham cereal.
To serve Rice Krispie Treats for a birthday, why not make this festive Bundt Cake Rice Krispie Treat. Top it with lots of colorful sprinkles to make an easy birthday cake.
Toss mini chocolate chips into our winning cereal treat recipe to make these delicious Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Treats. Yum!
We love creating easy Rice Krispie Treats recipes to share with you and hope you find our tips and instructions helpful. ___ - 
Did you make this recipe and think it was great or do have any questions? Leave a comment below and rate the recipe using stars (5 stars is the best!)
Samantha Brown
These were the BEST Rice Krispie Treats ever!!! Your recipe is perfect and I used good butter which made a huge difference in flavor. Thanks for that great tip.