rainbow rice krispie treats

Need a fun and easy no-bake dessert? Colorful rainbow Rice Krispie treats for the win! Scroll to the end for a printable recipe and video how-tos.

rainbow Rice Krispie treats

I've been wanting to make rainbow Rice Krispie treats for years now, ever since my daughter declared her never-ending love for rainbows and unicorns when she was little. They are so easy to make  (although you'll need to do extra dishes), and the colorful result can't be beat. They may be my favorite cereal treats yet and got rave reviews from both of my daughters.

I simply divided our perfect Rice Krispie treats recipe by six and colored each part for the colors of the rainbow. Then, layer the treats in your baking dish and let cool. That's it!

how do you color rice krispie treats?

To color Rice Krispie treats, you add the food coloring to the melted marshmallows and butter mixture, before adding the Rice Krispies cereal.

I prefer Americolor Soft Gel Pastes food coloring. You need only a few drops of each color for this cereal treats recipe.

how to make rainbow Rice Krispie treats

• To start, line an 8 x 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
  • As the layers of cereal treats will fill the baking pan completely, let the foil hang over the edges so you can easily remove the treats from the pan.

ingredients you'll need

• 16 ounces marshmallows
• 6 tablespoons salted butter
• 7 ½ cups Rice Krispie Treats
• food coloring in Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple

how to make each layer

Divide the ingredients in six. So, for each layer you will need about:

• 2 ½ ounces marshmallows (1 ¼ cup mini marshmallows OR 12 regular)
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1 ¼ cup Rice Krispies

TIP: The marshmallow amount by weight is an estimate. If you purchase a 16 ounce bag, divide the marshmallows by six before you begin. That way, if 2 ½ ounces is less than 1 /4 cup mini or 12 regular of the brand you purchased, you won't run out of marshmallows before your final layer. Or, buy an extra bag just in case. A few extra marshmallows won't change the recipe!

For each layer:

• Place 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 ½ ounces of marshmallows in a large bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Microwave for 1 minute (or heat in a saucepan on the stove-top over medium-low heat).
  • Be sure to not use a small bowl, as the marshmallows will puff up and you'll want plenty of room to stir in the cereal later.

• Remove from the heat and stir very well until the butter and marshmallow mixture is smooth.

• Add a few drops of your food coloring and stir well. Add more drops until desired shade is achieved. (Note the image below shows the blue for the blue layer of cereal treats, but the next image is the purple layer. I just forgot to take a picture of mixing the purple!)

• Stir in 1 ¼ cup of Rice Krispie treats using a spatula sprayed with cooking spray. Mix until the cereal is fully coated by the marshmallow mixture.

• Spread the colored mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking pan. An off-set spatula sprayed with cooking spray makes this very easy to do.

• Repeat with the other colors, cleaning the bowl and spatulas each time. I went in this order: Purple at the bottom, then blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.

• Let cool, at least 2 hours. Remove from the pan by grasping the edges of the foil and cut into squares.

supplies you need to make rainbow rice krispie treats

check out this video to make rainbow cereal treats

printable rainbow rice krispie treat recipe

rainbow Rice Krispie Treats

Meaghan Mountford

Fun and easy no-bake rainbow Rice Krispie Treats.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 minutes mins

Cool for 2 hours hrs

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16 pieces

Calories 181 kcal

Equipment

• 8 x 8 inch baking pan
• non-stick foil
• cooking spray
• spatulas
• food coloring

Ingredients

  

• 16 ounces marshmallows
• 6 tablespoons salted butter
• 7 ½ cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 6 colors food coloring

Instructions

 

• The ingredients will need to be divided by six, one for each color. For each layer, place 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 ½ ounces of marshmallows in a large bowl sprayed with cooking spray. Microwave for 1 minute (or heat in a saucepan on the stove-top over medium-low heat). 
• Remove from the heat and stir very well until the butter and marshmallow mixture is smooth. Add a few drops of your food coloring and stir well. Add more drops until desired shade is achieved. 
• Stir in 1 ¼ cup of Rice Krispie treats using a spatula sprayed with cooking spray. Mix until the cereal is fully coated by the marshmallow mixture. 
• Spread the colored mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking pan. An off-set spatula sprayed with cooking spray makes this very easy to do. 
•  Repeat with the other colors, cleaning the bowl and spatulas each time. Here, I did purple first, then blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.
• Let cool, at least 2 hours. Remove from the pan by grasping the edges of the foil and cut into squares. 

Notes

The marshmallow amount by weight is an estimate. If you purchase a 16 ounce bag, divide the marshmallows by six before you begin. That way, if 2 ½ ounces is less than 1 /4 cup mini or 12 regular, you won't run out of marshmallows before your final layer. Or, buy an extra bag just in case, as the few extra marshmallows used won't make a difference. 

I suggest Americolor soft gel paste food coloring. 

Note the layers will fill the entire baking pan, so be sure and line with foil that hangs over the edges so you can easily remove the treats.  

 

 

Keyword rainbow Rice Krispie treats

more rainbow food ideas

Hosting a rainbow or unicorn party? We have you covered. Check out these rainbow-themed food ideas.

• rainbow s'mores dip
• rainbow unicorn cake 
• rainbow popcorn 
• rainbow pigs in a blanket 
• roundup of 40 more rainbow food ideas 

pin for later

other Rice Krispie treats you may like

Funfetti Rice Krispie treats

Unicorn Rice Krispie Treats

chocolate-dipped Rice Krispie Treats