Rice Crispy Treats

Rice crispy treats are no-bake bars made by stirring crisped rice cereal into melted marshmallows and butter, then pressing the mixture into a pan to set. Plain bars taste of toasted rice and butter, and flavored ones add chocolate or candy.

How to choose Rice Crispy Treats

  • The ratio. The classic batch is 3 tablespoons of butter, 4 cups of mini marshmallows and 6 cups of cereal. Shifting that balance changes how soft or crunchy the bar eats.
  • Bar size. One classic batch fills a 13 by 9 inch pan and is cut into 2-inch squares.
  • Plain or flavored. The classic recipe has no added flavoring, though some cooks stir in vanilla. Flavored bars fold in fruity cereal or carry a topping spread over the set base.

About Rice Crispy Treats

Rice crispy treats are a sweet bar of crisped rice cereal held together by marshmallow and butter, with no oven involved. Some cooks add a splash of vanilla.

The butter is melted over low heat, the marshmallows go in and are stirred until smooth, and the pan comes off the heat before the cereal is folded through. The warm mixture is pressed flat with a buttered spatula or a sheet of wax paper, left to cool, then cut.

Serve them at room temperature, as a lunch-box sweet or with a glass of cold milk. Keep cut bars in an airtight container.

At a glance

Also called
Marshmallow squares, crispy rice bars
Made from
Crisped rice cereal, marshmallows, butter
Main types
Plain, chocolate, flavored cereal, topped

Rice Crispy Treats questions

Who invented rice crispy treats?

Credit usually goes to Mildred Ghrist Day, an Iowa native who studied home economics at Iowa State and went to work for a cereal company in Battle Creek, Michigan. She and a coworker had the recipe by 1939, possibly adapting an older puffed wheat and molasses recipe and using marshmallows, which she felt would be less messy. It was first called marshmallow squares and reached the cereal box in 1941.

How is crisped rice cereal made?

In the traditional oven-puffed method, whole rice kernels are cooked with sugar, salt and malt, then dried in stages until they hold about 18 to 20 percent moisture. The kernels are flattened between rollers, rested, and finally toasted for 30 to 45 seconds in a hot oven. There they puff into the light, tender grains that give the bars their crunch.

How long do rice crispy treats stay fresh?

They taste freshest the day they are made. A National Park Service copy of the classic recipe advises keeping them no more than two days at room temperature in an airtight container. For longer, layer them between sheets of wax paper in a sealed container and freeze for up to 6 weeks, then let them stand 15 minutes before serving.

Sources: Iowa State University Extension AnswerLine; National Park Service recipe sheet; US patent on crisp rice manufacture.

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