Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
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This Christmas rice krispie treat recipe is an easy holiday treat made with just a few pantry staples. Made with Christmas sprinkles and red and green M&M candies to make them festive for the holiday season. These rice krispy treats come together in minutes making them perfect for a cookie exchange!โ
When it comes to a festive holiday treat, I don’t think there is anything better then this Christmas rice krispie treats recipe It’s an easy festive dessert perfect for your holiday dessert table.
โAnd I’m a huge fan of serving rice krispie treats pretty much any time of year – like my strawberry rice krispie treats, peanut butter rice krispie treats, chocolate rice krispie treats, my brown butter rice krispie treats or my S’mores rice krispie treats!
For this holiday version, I stirred red and green M&M’s and holiday sprinkles into classic rice krispie treats making for an easy treat that has a whole lot of holiday spirit!
So spread a little holiday cheer and put a fun Christmas spin on classic rice krispie treats. โ
See Also:
- Pucker up and enjoy one of these homemade lemon cookies with easy lemon glaze drizzled over them!
- Coconut macaroons are an easy gluten free chewy coconut cookie. Dip in chocolate for an easy chocolate treat!
- Grab a jar of peanut butter and make these wonderfully easy old fashioned peanut butter cookies with criss cross pattern on top!
- Make these brown sugar chocolate chips cookies made with 100% brown sugar making them wonderfully chewy!
Perfect Holiday Treat
- โMixes up in minutes
- No bake holiday treat
- Easy for kids to make too!
- Just a handful of ingredients
- Perfect addition to Christmas cookie tray
- So much fun for kids of all ages!
Ingredients Needed
For the full recipe and instructions, scroll to the bottom for the recipe card.
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter so I can control the salt but you can swap with salted butter. Omit the salt if you’re using salted butter. Or try using vegan butter to make a vegan rice krispy treat.
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 cups mini marshmallows – You can use large marshmallows, but they will just take longer to melt down. If making vegan, use vegan marshmallows (I like Dandies).
- ยฝ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 cups rice krispies cereal
- 1 ยผ cups (1 cup + ยผ cup) red and green M&Mโs, divided
- 3 tablespoons (2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoons) Christmas nonpareils, divided
- 3 tablespoons (2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon) Christmas sprinkles, divided
How To Make Christmas Rice Krispie Treat Squaresโ
Line a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. I like to leave an overhang so I can easily lift out the squares. You can also spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large pot or saucepan, over medium low heat, melt butter and salt.
Once melted, add mini marshmallows and with a wooden spoon or spatula stir until melted.
Add vanilla extract and stir until combined. Be careful to not allow the mixture to burn in the bottom of the pot.
Once melted, remove from heat and slowly fold rice krispie cereal into the mixture. Fold gently so as not to crush the cereal.
Fold in 1 cup of red and green M&Mโs, 2 tablespoons of Christmas nonpareils, and 2 tablespoons of red and green sprinkles.
Spread the rice krispie mixture into a parchment paper-lined 9 x 13-inch prepared baking dish. Gently press the mixture evenly into the pan.
Be careful not to smash or heavily press, as this will cause your treats to be chewy and tough. You can press the mixture in with your hands (I like to grease my hands with cooking spray first so they donโtโ stick.) or parchment paper, or wax paper.
Top with ยผ cup red and green M&Mโs, 1 tablespoon of Christmas nonpareils, and 1 tablespoon of Christmas sprinkles. Allow 1 hour for the treats to set up before serving. Cut into 15 equals treats.
Recipe Tips
- Press the mixture into the 9 x 13-inch baking dish using wax or parchment paper, or spray your hands with cooking spray and press down.
- Melt the butter and marshmallows low and slow, continuously stirring while melting so it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot.
- Don’t press down too much. If you press down too hard you will squash the rice krispies and they will come out hard.
Recipe Variations
- Add green food coloring – To make them even festive, add a few drops of green food coloring to the melted marshmallow mixture.
- Dip in white chocolate – After you cut into squares try dipping in melted white chocolate and adding on more sprinkles. You can also use green or red candy melts. Try drizzling melted chocolate over each rice krispy square.
- Use a cookie cutter – Cut out Christmas trees with a cookie cutter and make a fun festive treat! You can add green food coloring to make them green!
- Use a different cereal mixture– Instead of rice krispy cereal try putting a fun spin on these yummy treats by using a different cereal like Cocoa Krispies (for the chocolate lovers) or Golden grahams
Recipe FAQs
Store these Christmas rice krispy squares in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. I like to layer mine with wax paper so they don’t stick to each other.ย
Yes you can freeze these cereal squares in an airtight container layered with wax paper for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Yes you can use a smaller pan but your bars will be much thicker.
More Recipes To Try
- Self Rising Flour Biscuits
- Lemon Cookies
- Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 20 Self Rising Flour Recipes
- Milk Bar Cake
Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 cups mini marshmallows
- ยฝ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 cups rice krispie cereal
- 1 ยผ cups red and green M&Mโs divided
- 3 tablespoons Christmas nonpareils divided
- 3 tablespoons Christmas sprinkles divided
Instructions
- Line a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. I like to leave an overhang so I can easily lift out the squares. You can also spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large pot, over medium low heat, melt butter and salt.
- Once melted, add mini marshmallows and with a wooden spoon or spatula stir until melted.
- Add vanilla extract and stir until combined. Be careful to not allow the mixture to burn in the bottom of the pot.
- Once melted, remove from heat and slowly fold rice krispie cereal into the mixture. Fold gently so as not to crush the cereal.
- Fold in 1 cup of red and green M&Mโs, 2 tablespoons of Christmas nonpareils, and 2 tablespoons of red and green sprinkles.
- Spread the rice krispie mixture into a parchment paper-lined 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Gently press the mixture evenly into the pan. Be careful not to smash or heavily press, as this will cause your treats to be chewy and tough. You can press the mixture in with your hands (I like to grease my hands with cooking spray first so they donโtโ stick.) or parchment paper, or wax paper.
- Top with ยผ cup red and green M&Mโs, 1 tablespoon of Christmas nonpareils, and 1 tablespoon of Christmas sprinkles. Allow 1 hour for the treats to set up before serving. Cut into 15 equals treats. Serve and ENJOY!
Notes
- Storage: Store these Christmas rice krispy squares in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. I like to layer mine with wax paper so they don’t stick to each other.ย
- Freezing: Yes you can freeze these cereal squares in an airtight container layered with wax paper for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Pan size: You can use a smaller pan but your bars will be much thicker.
- Butter: If using salted butter, omit the added salt.
- Press the mixture into the 9 x 13-inch baking dish using wax or parchment paper.
- Melt the butter and marshmallows low and slow, continuously stirring while melting.
Great recipe. I am obsessed with Christmas, so I would have these all year round. Will be making them again with my nieces when they come to visit next weekend!
Thank you so much! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Who says Christmas treats are only for the holidays? Have a fantastic time making them together! ๐๐โจ
Love these so much! They are so cute and festive. My daughter adored them.
I’m so happy to hear that you and your daughter loved the Christmas Rice Krispie Treats! Making festive treats together is always so special. ๐๐ฌ
Can’t wait for the holidays to come around again ~ the minute I see those holiday M&Ms I’ll be making these!
I can’t wait for the holidays, either! Those festive M&Ms definitely add that extra touch of holiday magic to these Rice Krispie Treats.๐
The festive colors and gooey marshmallow goodness brought smiles to everyoneโs faces. These treats are as fun to make as they are to eat, making them perfect for holiday gatherings.
I’m thrilled to hear that the Christmas Rice Krispie Treats were a hit! Bringing smiles and joy is what holiday treats are all about, thank you!๐๐ ๐ฌโจ
This recipe is so pretty and delicious, I am saving this for Christmas
Wonderful, thank you!