My favorite Rice Krispy Bars are homemade goodness! I make my own marshmallow and end up with the softest, gooiest Rice Krispy bar ever. I made this recipe into Oreo Rice Krispy Bars too!
Rice Krispy Bars
Does the internet really need another Rice Krispy bar recipe? The answer is yes. This recipe is slightly different in that I make my own marshmallow instead of using store-bought, but also in the ratios. I add fewer Rice Krispies than the usual recipe so that there is a LOT of marshmallow. This is just my preference when making the perfect rice crispy bar, feel free to change things up to make this recipe fit your preferences!
Homemade Marshmallow for Rice Krispy Bars
If you read through this I promise you I will give you every single tip and trick to make your own marshmallow for these bars. It doesn’t have to be intimidating and once you have done, it’s actually quite easy!
The ingredients for homemade marshmallow are:
- gelatin
- water
- sugar
- corn syrup
- butter
- vanilla
- salt
To Make Homemade Marshmallow
Start with your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Add 1/2 cup of water to the mixer bowl and then pour the gelatin over top. Now move to your stovetop.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add 1/2 cup water, the granulated sugar, and corn syrup. Stir to incorporate. Add a candy thermometer* to the side of the pan and allow the temperature to get to 240ยฐF. I do not stir while the sugar mixture is heating.
Turn the stand mixer on it’s lowest setting and slowly drizzle the hot sugar mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer where your gelatin has bloomed. Once all of the sugar mixture has been added, turn the mixer on high and let it fluff up. Sometimes it will double in size, sometimes a bit more, but the volume will always increase and the mixture will turn white and fluffy. Let it beat on high for 5 minutes.
Turn the mixture back down to the lowest setting and add in the melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Let the ingredients incorporate for about 30 seconds and then turn back on high for about 2 minutes.
*If you do not have a candy thermometer you will want to cook the sugar to soft ball stage.
- Soft-Ball Stage235ห-240ห โ Dropping the sugar mixture into cold water, it will have the consistency of a soft flexible ball. This stage is perfect for caramels or fudge, or in this case marshmallows. Be very careful as the sugar mixture is hot and you do not want to burn yourself.
While your marshmallow is on its final mixing, make sure you have your pan prepared. I lined a 9×9 pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper in a cross pattern. I cut two pieces the width of the pan but long and then laid one in the pan then the other across it. Think + plus sign. This makes for easy removal.
Sidenote: If you want THICKER Rice Krispy bars, you can certainly use an 8×8 pan. I used an 8×8 pan with my Oreo Rice Krispy Bars and they are mile-high!
Turn off your mixer and remove the whisk. Add the Rice Krispy cereal to the mixer bowl and stir the ingredients together by hand. The marshmallow will start to stiffen slightly, so work quickly and efficiently.
Pour (or pile! ๐) the Rice Krispy mixture into your prepared pan and press down. I will sometimes spray my spoon with non-stick spray so that it pats down easier.
You can leave the bars out at room temperature to firm up or you can pop them into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
Why these are My Favorite Rice Krispy Bars
Well, the first is the taste. You just can’t beat the pure flavor of homemade marshmallows! The second is the texture. These are chewy and soft. There are fewer Rice Krispies than the traditional recipe (which calls for 8 cups, mine has 6) so the marshmallow really is the star. After you bite into a Rice Krispy bar with the texture and flavor of this recipe, you will probably never want a regular Rice Krispy bar again!
Variations for these Rice Krispy Bars
- Yes, you can add more Rice Krispies! My recipe calls for 6 cups, you can add up to 8 cups if you prefer extra crunch! You can also use cocoa Krispies or fruity pebbles for a fun twist.
- Try adding 2 cups of mini marshmallows when you add in the Rice Krispy cereal.
- If you do not want to use corn syrup you can use maple syrup or even honey. If you opt for the maple syrup route, try adding in maple extract for a Maple Rice Krispy Bar!
- To make chocolate marshmallows, add in 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Try changing up your extracts… like use orange, strawberry, or banana extract for a fruity twist.
This amazing base recipe for Rice Krispy Bars is one that you can truly customize to fit your tastes!
Homemade Rice Krispy Bars
Ingredients
HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOW
- ยฝ ounces unflavored gelatin powder
- 1 cup (237 g) water, divided
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (336 g) light corn syrup
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla, (can use up to 1 more teaspoon if desired)
- โ teaspoon kosher salt
RICE KRISPY BAR
- 6 cups Rice Krispy cereal
Instructions
- Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment.
Homemade Marshmallows
- Mix gelatin and 1/2 cup of the water in the bowl of an electric mixer. Prepare the sugar mixture and while you are doing this the gelatin will bloom.
- In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of water, sugar, and light corn syrup to a boil.
- Boil until it reaches 240ยฐF and then remove the pan from heat. (this usually takes about 6 minutes)
- With the mixer on medium speed and using the whisk attachment, slowly pour the hot liquid into the gelatin.
- Increase the speed to high and beat mixture until it becomes white and fluffy (about 5 minutes)
- Turn the mixer to low and add in melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Allow to mix on high for another minute or so and then remove the bowl from the stand mixer.
Rice Krispy Bars
- Add in Rice Krispies and stir by hand. Stir until everything is well-coated, this should take about a minute and a little elbow grease.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes (or up to overnight) to make sure the marshmallows set.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
I still used traditional marshmallows because they are so much easier. I have made marshmallows and they are delicious, but take a bit of effort. But I also add loooots more marshmallows than is called for and more butter- because butter makes everything better. But your’s do look amazing.
Do you remove pan from heat for 6 minutes or boil about 6 minutes?
You cook until it reaches 240ยฐ which usually takes about 6 minutes. Then remove from heat.
I’m a Krispy treat junkie, but too lazy to make marshmallows. Do you think jars of fluff would work? I usually add about three big scoops to the melted marshmallows already. Also, the treats were a great way to use up my leftover peeps.
I tried these and they were a weird texture. I do live at 7400 ft. elevation so not sure if I didn’t cook it long enough, I tried to adjust temperature for altitude. Kinda bummed but it was more than likely operator error! Yours look so good.
I’m not sure what you mean by weird texture? Did your gelatin not bloom? That would be the only thing that would affect the texture. That or stale rice krispies. Can you give me some more detail about what yo9u were disappointed with so I can help?
What’s the total prep time for these? They look amazing!
I thought these tasted delicious! I tried the regular and oreo versions this weekend. However, like another reviewer, my Rice Krispys got soft within hours and so they tasted stale and chewy, not crispy. I’m assuming it’s because the homemade marshmallow mixture is more moist than normal or that it’s takes longer to set up?? Have you had this issue?
No, haven’t had the issue of rice Krispies tasting “stale”. The texture, however, will be different because there is a higher ratio of marshmallow.
I make my marshmallow treats using marshmallow creme. I prefer them that way cause it keeps them soft and chewy
Amanda, like several others, I had trouble with the rice krispies staying crisp and the texture was too gelatinous.I’m about to try again with less gelatin. The recipe says 1/2 oz gelatin so I weighed it. Do you know how much gelatin by measurement should be used? All my girls are hoping I can make this work. We all love rice krispie treats.
I think the result is based on expectation. If you want a CRISPY rice krispy bar, you can use more rice krispies (I talk about this in the post). I wouldn’t change the marshmallow recipe. I based this recipe off of a gourmet rice krispy bar that I had on vacation. It was soft, chewy, and the marshmallow was the star of the show. It’s not meant to be a hard rice krispy treat. Sorry if I didn’t explain that well enough! It’s not going to be like every other rice krispy bar you’ve ever had.
Your recipe looks yummy! Here’s a version that I concocted for a Christmas party: use cocoa Krispies and dried cranberries. It was a big hit!
Our Pastorโs wife makes these and frankly there is none better. You are correct they do have a different texture however it happens to be one I absolutely love. So I feel it is a preference thing.
Agreed!! Thank you for sharing that. <3