Stir bits of freeze-dried strawberries into our very best Rice Krispie Treat recipe to create these deliciously refreshing Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats. Each no-bake chewy cereal bar is bursting with strawberry flavor.
Strawberries + Rice Krispie Treats = Deliciously Amazing Dessert!
I am totally in love with this recipe and hope you give it a try. I know you will love it too.
When I set out to make this recipe I tried a few different things. I started by using Kellogg’s Strawberry Rice Krispies and the same ratio of cereal, butter, and marshmallows that our taste testers found to make The BEST Rice Krispie Treat Recipe Ever!.
The end result of this version of the strawberry cereal treat recipe was alright but I felt the flavor was a bit bland. They didn’t have a strong strawberry flavor.
I also realized that the strawberry flavored crisp rice cereal wasn’t available in every grocery store so I wanted to come up with a recipe that anyone anywhere could make.
I also made batches of the cereal treats flavoring them with strawberry marshmallows and strawberry extract.
Once again, these recipes were alright but I felt they tasted too artificial. I really wanted my treats to have a fresh strawberry flavor.
So, I grabbed a few bags of freeze-dried strawberries and gave my recipe another try.
Freeze-Dried Strawberries
Freeze-dried strawberries are real strawberries and I hoped they would offer my cereal treats a fresh strawberry flavor.
They are really dry and are meant to be hydrated. I realized that when mixed with the melted marshmallows they became soft which was perfect.
Plus the flavor was fresh and bright. Just what I was hoping for!
Where can I find freeze-dried strawberries?
- You can find pouches at most grocery stores and health food stores.
- You can also order freeze-dried strawberries from Amazon.
- You’ll need approximately 2 ounces of the strawberries to make these treats so be sure to check the weight. If your pouches are a bit larger, don’t worry about getting an exact measurement. Using a bit more than 2 ounces will be fine.
How to crush freeze-dried strawberries?
- You can easily crush the dried strawberries using a food processor. Just pulse it until the strawberries are broken down into small pieces. Some will become powder, which is fine too.
- You can also crush the strawberries using mortar and pestle.
- Or you can smash them (still in their pouch or in a large zip-top bag) using a meat mallet, a rolling pin, or the bottom of a skillet.
Let’s make some treats…
Ingredients:
- 4 2/3 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
- 2 ounces of freeze-dried strawberries, crushed into very small pieces or powder
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 10 ounces marshmallows
Stove Top Method
- Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan and a large mixing bowl with either butter or non-stick cooking spray.
- Pour 4 2/3 cups crispy rice cereal and 2 ounces crushed strawberries in the large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Pour 4 tablespoons of European Salted Butter and 10 ounces mini or regular sized marshmallows into a large saucepan.
- Set the pan over low heat and allow to melt, stirring often, until about 75% of the marshmallows are melted.
- Remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir until all the marshmallows melt.
- Pour the hot marshmallows over the strawberries and cereal.
- Stir until well blended.
- Gently press the cereal treats into the prepared pan.
- Let the treats cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into 16 squares.
- Enjoy!
Microwave Method
- Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan and a large mixing bowl with either butter or non-stick cooking spray.
- Pour 4 2/3 cups crispy rice cereal and 2 ounces crushed strawberries in the large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Combine 4 tablespoons of European Salted Butter and 10 ounces mini or regular sized marshmallows in a medium-large microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat on high power for 1 minute then remove and stir until the marshmallows begin to melt.
- Heat for additional 15 seconds then let the bowl sit in the microwave for a minute before removing.
- Stir until the marshmallows melt and blend together with the butter.
- Keep stirring! The heat from the melted marshmallows will continue to melt the bits of marshmallows that remain.
- Of course, every microwave heats differently so at this point if your marshmallows are still not fully melted you can heat for 15-second bursts of high power, stirring after each until fully melted.
- Just be careful to not overheat the marshmallows. If they get too hot they will become more like hard candy and will create hard rice Krispie treats.
- Pour the marshmallows over the strawberries and cereal and stir until well combined.
- Gently press the cereal treats into a prepared pan.
- Set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into 16 squares.
How to prepare my pan?
- I prefer to use a non-stick pan to make my cereal treats because even as gooey as they can be they won’t stick much to a non-stick pan.
- To ensure the treats won’t stick I like to butter the pan first.
- You can also spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray if you prefer.
- If you use a glass pan it will be essential that you butter or spray the pan.
- You can use an 8-inch or 9-inch pan with this recipe.
Can I use a 9″X13″ inch pan?
- Yes, but you will need to adjust the quantities…
- Melt 6 tablespoons salted butter and 16 ounces marshmallows using the stovetop or microwave instructions above.
- Then pour the hot marshmallows over 7 cups of Rice Krispies Cereal and 3 ounces of crushed freeze-dried strawberries and stir to combine.
- Spread into a 9 inch by 13-inch, greased, pan,
- Cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into 24 pieces.
You can even scoop out the strawberry cereal treat mixture onto chocolate-dipped ice cream cones.
See the recipe and video tutorial to make these fun Rice Krispie Treat Ice Cream Cones here.
Recipe
Be sure to rate the recipe using the star rating system in the comment section below.
Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
- 8-inch non-stick pan
- large mixing bowl
- medium-large saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 2/3 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
- 2 ounces freeze-dried strawberries, crushed into very small pieces or powder
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 10 ounces marshmallows
Instructions
- Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan and a large mixing bowl with either butter or non-stick cooking spray.
- Pour 4 2/3 cups crispy rice cereal and 2 ounces crushed strawberries in the large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Pour 4 tablespoons of European Salted Butter and 10 ounces mini or regular sized marshmallows into a medium-large saucepan.
- Set the pan over low heat and allow to melt, stirring often, until about 75% of the marshmallows are melted.
- Remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir until all the marshmallows melt.
- Pour the hot marshmallows over the strawberries and cereal.
- Stir until well blended.
- Gently press the cereal treats into the prepared pan.
- Let the treats cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into 16 squares.
- Enjoy!
Notes
How to store cereal treats?
- Your cereal treats will taste best if eaten within the first few days but they will stay crispy and fresh for up to 10 days if stored properly in an airtight container or large zip-top bag.
- Do not refrigerate the treats as they may become soggy and soft.
- You can freeze them if you wrap them well in plastic wrap, over-wrap them in tin foil, then place them in a large zip-top bag. They’ll keep for up to 3 months.
For more tips and tricks for making perfect cereal treats be sure to check out our Cereal Treats FAQ page.
You might also like these other cereal treat recipes…
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We love creating easy Rice Krispie Treats recipes to share with you and hope you find our tips and instructions helpful.
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