Pink Rice Krispie Treats

Marshmallow cereal treats can be pretty in pink and they are super easy to make using just four ingredients.

Whether you want to make light pink Rice Krispie treats for a baby shower, medium pink treats for Valentine's Day, or bright pink treats for a birthday party, you can do so by simply adding pink food coloring to our Best Rice Krispie Treat recipe.

The trick is knowing when to add the coloring and how much coloring to use to get the desired shade of pink.

Keep reading and I'll tell you how.

Ingredients

• butter - We suggest using European-style salted butter for the very best flavor. Check out our taste test results if you'd like to know more about this recommendation.
• crisp rice cereal - Kellogg's Rice Krispies is our go-to cereal when making treats.
• marshmallows - You can use mini or regular marshmallows just be sure to use a fresh package.
  • Old marshmallows will be too dry and will cause your treats to be dry.
  • We highly recommend using Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows. Store-bought marshmallows can be too chewy and sticky.
  • Read our Marshmallow Conversion post for more details.
• pink food coloring

See the recipe card for quantities.

Which pink food coloring to use:

There are so many varieties of food coloring on the market. When making marshmallow cereal treats, you can use gel, liquid, or powdered food coloring.

The more concentrated the food coloring, the less you will need to use. I chose to use Wilton's Pink Color Right Food Coloring. It's very concentrated and very bright.

But, any of the food coloring pictured above will work just fine.

Instructions

You will start by melting the butter and marshmallows. I like to use the stove, but you can use the microwave too. Check out our Microwave Rice Krispie Treat Recipe for detailed instructions if you choose to use the microwave.

Set a medium saucepan over LOW heat and add the butter to the pan.

Once the butter begins to melt, stir in the marshmallows.

Let the marshmallows begin to melt, stirring them often.

Mini marshmallows will melt more quickly than large ones.

Once 75% of the marshmallows have melted, remove the pan from the heat. This is important!!!

Off heat, stir the butter and marshmallows until completely melted and smooth.

Color the melted marshmallows.

Start by adding a few drops of pink food coloring.

Stir until the food coloring is well blended into the marshmallows.

If you are happy with the color, then pour the melted marshmallows over your cereal. If not, add more coloring (see below).

Stir the marshmallows into your cereal. You will notice that the color will become lighter when the cereal is mixed in.

For brighter treats, add more food coloring stirring after each addition until you are happy with the color. It should be brighter than you want it!

Pour the bright pink melted marshmallows over the crisp rice cereal then stir until it's well blended.

Be sure to mix the marshmallows and cereal until the color has evenly coated all of the cereal pieces.

Then spread it into a well-buttered square baking pan. I recommend using an 8 or 9-inch non-stick pan.

Hint: Gently press the marshmallow Rice Krispie mixture into your pan. If you press down too much, your treats will get too compacted and will be hard to chew.

Be sure to check out our How To Make Rice Krispie Treats FAQ for more tips and tricks.

I made three different pink crispy treats using varying amounts of pink food coloring. I used the same bottle of coloring to make all three of these treats.

Tip: Start out using 1-2 drops of coloring if you want a lighter color. Add more as needed until you get a shade brighter or darker than you want your treats to be.

Variations

If you don't want to use food coloring, you can make pink treats using mix-ins instead.

• Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats get their pink color from starlight mints or crushed candy canes.
• Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats have a wonderfully natural reddish-pink color created by freeze-dried strawberries.
• For a more vibrantly colored fruit-flavored treat, use freeze-dried raspberries.

You can also turn pink Rice Krispie treats into fun desserts for Valentine's Day by adding sprinkles or cutting them into shapes. These pretty Rice Krispie Treat Hearts are easy to make using a cookie cutter.

Be sure to check out all of our Valentine's Day Rice Krispie Treat recipes.

More colored Rice Krispie Treats

Equipment

• medium saucepan
• silicone spatula (butter it before mixing the marshmallows and they won't stick!)
• extra-large mixing bowl (butter it before adding the cereal)
• 8-inch or 9-inch square pan

Storage

Store your treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

To keep them longer, you can place the treats in a zip-top bag, remove all the air, and freeze them for up to 3 months.

Recipe

Pink Rice Krispie Treats

Beth Klosterboer

Color marshmallow cereal treats using pink food coloring. Create light pink, medium pink, or bright pink Rice Krispie Treats to use for baby showers, birthdays, or Valentine's Day.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Resting Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Calories 115 kcal

Equipment

• 1 extra-large mixing bowl
• 1 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan
• 1 medium saucepan

Ingredients

  

• 4 ⅔ cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 10 ounces marshmallows
• 3-15 drops pink food coloring

Instructions

 

• Grease an extra-large mixing bowl and an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with butter.
• Pour the cereal into the mixing bowl.
• Cut the butter into 4 pieces and place in a medium saucepan.
• Set the saucepan on LOW heat on the stove.
• Allow the butter to begin melting, then add the marshmallows.
• Let the marshmallows begin to melt, stirring often.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat as soon as about 75% of the marshmallows have melted. It will take about 5 minutes to reach this point.
• Off heat, stir the marshmallows until they are completely melted.
• Do not melt the marshmallows completely on the heat or overheat them as this will cause the sugar to crystalize causing your treats to be hard instead of nicely chewy.
• Add a few drops of pink food coloring (for light pink treats) and stir until well blended. If you want brighter pink, add more drops of food coloring. Add more coloring as needed.
• Be sure your marshmallows are brighter than you want your treats to be. Once they are mixed with the cereal, the color will be muted.
• Pour the pink-colored melted marshmallows over the cereal and stir until well blended.
• Spoon the marshmallow cereal mixture into the well-greased baking pan.
• Gently press the cereal into an even layer in the pan. Do not compact the cereal or your treats will be too hard.
• Allow the treats to cool down at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cutting them into squares.

Notes

Large Batch 

To make your treats in a 9x13-inch pan, use these quantities:

• 7 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 16 ounces marshmallows

Microwave Melting Method:

If you prefer to use the microwave, combine the butter and marshmallows in a mixing bowl (preferably one with a spout and handle). Heat on high power for 1 minute. Then, let the bowl rest in the microwave for 3 minutes to allow the residual heat to continue to warm the marshmallows.

Remove the bowl and stir until melted.

Only if needed, you can reheat for 10-15 seconds. Remove and stir.  

Do not overheat!!!

Pour over the cereal, mix, then spread into the pan. 

Storage

Store your pink rice crispy treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week or freeze them in an airtight container or large zip-top bag for up to 3 months. 

Best ingredients to use:

Marshmallows

Use fresh marshmallows. Old marshmallows will cause your treats to be tough. 

Store-brand marshmallows tend to be overly sticky and are hard to blend with the cereal. We recommend using Jet-Puffed or Stay-Puff Marshmallows for the best results. 

Be sure to check out our Marshmallow Conversion chart to find out how many marshmallows are in 10 ounces (or 16 ounces) for this recipe. 

Butter

Our taste testers preferred Rice Krispie Treats made using European-style salted butter. We recommend using something like Kerry Gold or President butter. 

Natural Food Coloring

You may opt to use a store-bought natural pink food coloring or you can use crushed freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries or crushed candy canes to add a pink hue to your treats. 

Tips for making perfectly chewy treats:

Do not smash the cereal mixture into the pan, overheat the marshmallows, or use old marshmallows.

Do not pour your cereal into a hot saucepan or the cereal may get soggy making your treats taste stale. 

 

Keyword pink rice krispie treats, rice krispie treats