If you love sweet and salty snacks, you've got to try these easy-to-make Potato Chip Rice Krispie Treats. These crispy and chewy marshmallow cereal treats are packed with crunchy potato chips. They'll make the perfect afternoon snack or party treat.
Are you on team salty or team sweet? I have a serious sweet tooth but crave salty snacks occasionally too. Having a treat that combines both salty and sweet is perfection in my book.
We've shared recipes to make Maple Bacon Crispy Treats, Cashew Rice Krispie Treats, and Pistachio Rice Crispy Treats which all combine salty and sweet ingredients but none of them have quite the contrast of flavors as these potato chip crispy treats.
They are packed with potato chips and really pack a salty punch. I used an entire 7.8-ounce bag of wavy chips in this recipe.
I also used Salted Butter which we suggest when making any of our Rice Krispie Treats recipes. If you like even saltier snacks, you may even want to sprinkle some flaked salt over your pan of treats.
Are you ready to make some potato chip treats? Let's get to the recipe. You can scroll to the bottom of the post for a printable recipe or read our step-by-step instructions for more tips.
Ingredients
- Rice Krispies Cereal - Use Kellogg's cereal for the best texture and flavor. Check out our marshmallow crispy treat taste-test results. We tested a variety of crisp rice cereal, butter, and brands of marshmallows in 20 versions of the classic Rice Krispie Treats to create our award-winning recipe.
- potato chips - Use wavy or rippled potato chips. They are thicker than traditional potato chips and will remain crispy when mixed with melted butter and marshmallows. I used a 7.8-ounce bag of chips.
- salted butter - We always recommend using European-style butter like President or Kerrygold Irish Butter. This type of butter contains less water and more butterfat than American-made butter which means better tasting treats.
- marshmallows - You can use mini or regular marshmallows. We recommend using Jet-Puffed Marshmallows. They have the best texture when melted. Many store-brand marshmallows produce overly sticky treats. Check out our Marshmallow conversion chart for information on measuring different brands of marshmallows.
Supplies
- large mixing bowl
- medium-large saucepan or large microwave-safe mixing bowl if you make your treats in the microwave
- silicone spatula or wooden spoon
- 9x13-inch pan
Instructions
Start by greasing a large mixing bowl, your spatula or spoon, and a 9x13-inch baking pan with butter (preferable) or non-stick baking spray. I like to use butter so the exterior of my treats tastes buttery not like baking spray.
Break andy of the large potato chips into smaller pieces. Reserve ½ cup for the top of your treats. Then combine 3 cups of Rice Krispies Cereal with the remaining potato chips (from a 7.8-ounce bag of chips) in your greased mixing bowl. Set aside.
Set a medium-large saucepan on the stove over LOW heat (using low heat is very important so you don't overheat your marshmallows). Add 6 tablespoons of butter that is cut into small pieces or slices. Allow the butter to begin melting.
Pour in one 16-ounce bag of marshmallows. I like to use mini marshmallows because they melt easily.
Toss the marshmallows with the melted butter and allow them to begin to melt, stirring occasionally.
Once about 75% of the marshmallows have melted (this may take 6-9 minutes), you want to remove the pan from the heat.
This will keep the marshmallows from overheating. If the marshmallows get too hot and crystalize, they will make hard treats that are difficult to eat.
Off heat, stir until all of the marshmallows have melted and are creamy and smooth.
Then, pour the melted marshmallows over your bowl of Rice Krispies and potato chips.
Tip
If you use a non-stick saucepan, scraping all of the marshmallows out of your pan will be a breeze. If you use a stainless steel pan, you might want to grease the inside of the pan with butter or baking spray so that the marshmallows don't stick.
Using the microwave...
If you prefer, melt your butter and marshmallows using the microwave. Combine the two ingredients in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high power for 1 minute. Then, let the bowl rest in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. This will give the marshmallows time to melt slowly.
Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir until all the marshmallows have melted. If needed, you can heat the ingredients for an additional 10-15 seconds and then stir until melted.
When melting them in the microwave, it's best to use regular (large) marshmallows (instead of minis).
Gently fold the marshmallow mixture into the cereal and chips until everything is well coated. The potato chips will break into smaller pieces as you mix, but try not to crush them into fine pieces.
Spread the mixture into your greased 9x13-inch baking pan.
Immediately, while the marshmallows are still sticky, press the reserved potato chips over the top of the treats.
Variations
These treats taste great on their own but you can add these other ingredients if you'd like.
- Drizzle 1-2 ounces of melted chocolate over the top of your potato chip crispy bars for an added layer of flavor.
- Swap out 1 cup of the potato chips with ½ cup of peanuts.
- Or, swap out 1-2 cups of potato chips with 1-2 cups of mini pretzel twists, broken into small pieces.
- Stir in ½ cup of peanut butter to melted butter before adding the marshmallows to make Peanut Butter Potato Chip Rice Krispie Treats.
If you'd like, you can skip using the Rice Krispie Treat cereal in this recipe and use a 12-ounce bag of potato chips instead.
Storage
Store your potato chip treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Or, place them in a zip-top bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Related Recipes
If you enjoy making these Rice Krispie Treats made with potato chips, you might also like these other delicious Rice Krispies Treat recipes.
Browning butter to make your treats gives them a nice nutty flavor. Check out our Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treat recipe. Swap in some potato chips if you like.
Swapping out some potato chips for Rice Krispies in these Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats would add a nice salty flavor to this snack.
Fluffernutter Rice Krispie Treats - Toss in a handful of potato chips to make these taste like a Fluffernutter and Potato Chip sandwich. Kids will love them! Adults will too.
Recipe
Potato Chip Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 medium-large sauce pan (non-stick preferably) or a large microwave safe bowl (if making your treats in the microwave)
- 1 silicone spatula or large wooden spoon
- 1 9x13-inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
- 7-8 ounces wavy or rippled potato chips
- 6 tablespoons salted butter*, plus more to grease the bowl, spatula, and pan
- 16 ounces marshmallows
Instructions
- Grease a large mixing bowl, a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, and a 9x13-inch baking pan liberally with butter (or baking spray).
- Pour the Rice Krispies Cereal into the large mixing bowl.
- Break the larger potato chips into smaller pieces. You want them to be about 1 to 2 inches in size.
- Measure out ½ cup of potato chip pieces and set them aside. You'll use them to decorate the top of your treats.
- Pour the remaining potato chips into the bowl with the cereal.
- Cut the butter into slices and place it in a medium-large saucepan.
- Set the pan on the stove over LOW heat.
- Allow the butter to begin melting.
- Then, stir in the marshmallows.
- Allow the marshmallows to heat slowly, stirring often, until they are about 75% melted.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and stir until all of the marshmallows have melted and are smooth and creamy.
- Alternatively, you can melt the butter and marshmallows in a microwave-safe bowl on high power for 1 minute. Then, let the bowl rest in the warm microwave for 2-3 minutes before stirring. If the marshmallows aren't fully melted, heat for another 10-15 seconds, rest, then stir until melted.
- Pour the melted marshmallows over the bowl of cereal and chips.
- Stir until well-coated. Some of the potato chips will break into smaller pieces but be careful you don't smash them into tiny pieces.
- Spread the potato chip Rice Krispie treat mixture into the greased 9x13-inch pan.
- Set the pan aside for at least 45 minutes to cool and set.
- Then, remove the treats from the pan and cut them into 16 bars (approximately 2 inches by 3 inches).
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