Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

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Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats are gooey, no bake peanut butter marshmallow snacks perfect for an easy treat or any summer cookout.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats Recipe

Is there any treat easier to make than rice krispie treats? I think not.

I try to always make sure that I’ve got a box of Rice Krispies in my cupboard, sitting right next to a couple of bags of mini marshmallows and the peanut butter.

This recipe is a personal favorite because it shares how to make peanut butter marshmallow treats that are easy to eat and stay ooey-gooey till they’re gone.

Having these ingredients on hand brings me peace because I know that when I need to whip up a sweet treat in 15 minutes or less, I can absolutely do it.

Peanut butter rice krispie treats recipe ingredients

• Unsalted butter: Cooking with unsalted butter means you get to add the salt to your own tastes, and you can certainly use salted if that is all you have. Just leave out the Kosher salt.
  
• Mini marshmallows: You may substitute large marshmallows if you cut them into small pieces so they melt easily like minis do.
  
• Kosher salt: This adds a nice flavor profile that compliments both the peanut butter and the sweetness of the marshmallows.
  
• Creamy peanut butter: You can substitute crunchy peanut butter or natural peanut butter.
  
• Rice Krispie cereal: any puffed rice cereal works fine.

Recipe tips

• The secret to ooey-gooey marshmallow treats is to melt the butter and the marshmallows together over LOW heat. You can’t rush this step since this causes rice krispie treats to turn out too hard to chew enjoyably.

• Don’t pack down the rice krispie mixture too much when placing it into the pan to make the bars.

How to make peanut butter rice krispie treats

Spray a 9×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; reserve.

Making this recipe in a 9×9-inch pan makes really thick bars. If you prefer them to be not quite so tall, use a 9×13-inch pan.

In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat. Once the butter is fully melted, add the mini marshmallows and salt.

Just as the marshmallows begin to melt, add the peanut butter.

Stir the marshmallow mixture very often so it doesn’t burn on the bottom and the marshmallows can melt more evenly, about 3-4 minutes.

Once the marshmallow mixture is mostly smooth, immediately remove the saucepan from the heat.

Add the rice krispie cereal to the saucepan and gently stir until everything is evenly coated. This is the sticky part!

If you want the marshmallow treats to be even more ooey-gooey in texture, add 1/2 cup less rice krispies cereal.

Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Gently pressing it down evenly until it is a bit compacted. Too much pressing can make them too hard to cut and eat. Be gentle!

If desired, sprinkle a bit of kosher salt over the treats while still warm.

Let the rice krispie treats cool completely before cutting into bars.

Can you add peanut butter to rice krispie treats

Yes! It’s a delicious flavor to add to rice krispie treats.

We prefer creamy peanut butter, but you could add crunchy peanut butter instead, if preferred.

How much peanut butter to add to rice krispie treats

This recipe calls for 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter for making the rice crispy treats.

If you love peanut butter’s flavor, you could likely get away with adding 2/3 cup of peanut butter to this recipe.

What is a substitute for marshmallows in rice krispie treats?

If you don’t have mini marshmallows for this recipe, you can use 10 oz of large marshmallows that are each cut into 4-6 pieces so they melt quickly.

Are rice krispies puffed up rice?

Rice Krispies is a brand name for a type of puffed rice cereal.

You can use Rice Krispies in this recipe or your favorite generic brand of puffed rice cereal.

How to store peanut butter rice krispie treats

Store the rice krispie treats in an airtight container for up to 5 days on the counter.

To keep them even more fresh, cut the mixture into bars, wrapping each one tightly in plastic wrap.

Can you freeze rice krispie treats?

Absolutely! All rice krispie treats (peanut butter and chocolate included) freeze well in an airtight container.

Or wrap in plastic wrap and pop into a freezer bag that’s stored in the freezer.

This allows you to pull out one or two treats whenever you want some.

Can I double the recipe when making marshmallow treats?

Yes, you can either make two 9×9-inch pans or one 9×13-inch pan.

You can also cut this recipe in half very easily. When I make a half batch, I use an 8×8-inch pan and the bars just aren’t quite so thick (tall).

Rice krispie treats with Fruity Pebbles or Cocoa Pebbles

Use Fruity Pebbles or Cocoa Pebbles cereal in place of the crispy rice cereal.

While the rice krispie treats are still warm in the pan, add a generous topping of confetti sprinkles – kids love this!

Instead of bars in a pan, you can always portion out the warm rice krispie mixture and form each one into a ball.

A cookie scoop is handy for portioning since this will help make them all equal in size.

Melt some chocolate chips with a bit of oil and spread this over the peanut butter rice krispie treats like frosting.

Let the chocolate cool and it will harden on top to make the treats easier to eat.

Let the rice krispie mixture cool a bit, then stir in mini M&M candies before pressing the mixture into the pan.

If you spread the warm rice krispie treat mixture out on a sheet of parchment, you can used greased cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes.

More favorite recipes

If you’re a chocolate fan, try chocolate covered rice krispie treats with peanut butter and chocolate chips. They are rich, ooey gooey, and easily made on your stove top with just 5 ingredients.

Or these Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispie Treats are also so delicious!

No bake chocolate butterfinger pie has a chocolate Oreo crust, chocolate chips, peanut butter, and a cream cheese center. It’s perfect for any sweet tooth!

Indulge your sweet tooth with this chocolate chip mug cake. This recipe includes instructions for making up to four cakes in the microwave at once.