Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats are gooey, chewy and perfect twist on the classic Rice Krispies. Made with marshmallows, peanut butter, and a thick layer of chocolate on top!
If you love easy recipes & peanut butter – then these peanut butter Rice Krispie treats are just the thing for you. It’s an easy, no-bake recipe that you can whip up in no time. And when there’s peanut butter & chocolate involved, you really can’t go wrong.
As a child, I absolutely loved Rice Krispie treats. Sometimes if I was lucky my Mom would make them for us after school and they’d still be warm, not quite set and all gooey by the time we got home. When I was in university, I made them in the microwave. I’d have a ball of sticky, crunchy, marshmallow deliciousness ready in 2 minutes. And it was the perfect comfort food for late-night study sessions.
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
These peanut butter Rice Krispies are chewy, peanut buttery, and ridiculously delicious with a layer of chocolate on top.
For ingredients, you’ll need:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 10-oz bag mini marshmallows or 5 cups
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 6 cups Rice Krispie cereal (or whatever generic brand works too)
I prefer using mini marshmallows because they melt more easily – but if you only have large ones, 1 cup of mini marshmallows is equal to 8 large ones (so you’d need 40 total for the recipe). To use marshmallow cream, one 7 oz jar is equal to 1 ½ cups mini marshmallows.
Pro Tip: For extra gooey Rice Krispie Treats – only use 5 ½ cups Rice Krispies in this recipe.
I typically make these on the stovetop. But you can also use your microwave to melt together the butter, peanut butter and marshmallows.
To make peanut butter Rice Krispie treats in the microwave, here’s how:
- Add the butter and marshmallows to a large heat-proof bowl.
- Microwave for 1-minute intervals on medium power, stirring between each until they are both melted.
- Stir in the peanut butter.
- Then stir in the Rice Krispies.
- Press into the pan & allow to harden.
Then a layer of delicious chocolate goes on top. It’s optional – but I don’t think you’ll get any complaints if you add the chocolate 🙂 N
Tips, Tricks & Common Questions
Can I use natural peanut butter? I don’t recommend it because the peanut butter can end up separating and then the bars won’t warden.
Can I use chunky peanut butter? Definitely – but I recommend using ¾ cups instead. I personally prefer the texture without the peanuts, but it’s up to you.
Can I freeze them? Absolutely. Place them in an airtight container with wax paper in between each layer of squares. Freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw in the fridge before bringing to room temperature and serving.
Mine got too hard – what happened? If your rice krispie treats get too hard – that often means that the marshmallows started to burn. Next time, turn the burner to a lower heat setting and very slowly melt everything together. You can also try adding in a little less cereal – try 5 ¾ cups. If I end up with a batch that is too crunchy – I often warm them up for about 15 seconds in the microwave before enjoying.
My rice krispies didn’t stick together – what happened? Next time, try packing them down more firmly into the pan. Or if your kitchen is quite hot, you can let them firm up in the fridge.
Do not store Rice Krispie Treats in the fridge – they will get too hard!
If you love peanut butter no-bake treats, try these other favorites:
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 10 oz bag mini marshmallows about 5 cups
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 6 cups Rice Krispie cereal*
- 8 oz chocolate chips about 1 ⅓ cups
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large saucepan melt the butter, mini marshmallows and peanut butter together over low heat while stirring gently.
- Once melted, remove from the heat and stir in the Rice Krispies.
- Press the mixture into the pan (lightly spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray to avoid the mixture sticking to your hands).
- Add the chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) to a medium-sized heatproof bowl. Microwave for 45-second intervals on medium power (not high or standard), stirring in between each burst.
- Once almost melted, stir until smooth and stir in the vegetable oil.
- Pour the chocolate over the top of the bars and let harden at room temperature (about 2 hours).
- Cut into squares and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from Kellogg’s
Ayesha Khan 14ayeshakhan@gmail.com06
Delicious and so simple to make
Lori Hammond
These were so easy to make and tasting amazing.
EJ
Why does the chocolate need oil in it?
Fiona
Since oil is liquid at room temperature, it makes the chocolate a just a little softer so that it’s easier to cut the bars. You could leave it out if you want – but it can make it a little harder to cut the bars without the chocolate cracking.
Iris
Mine could’ve been a little more chewy. Kinda hard. I would use less Rice Krispies next time.
I got 32 squares. I think I would use a smaller pan next time cause my chocolate layer was a little too thin.
I did use a 9 x 13 🤔
Martine
I tried this last night and followed the recipe to a T and it turned out great! I used a 8 x 11 pan though and it was perfect. It just took a bit longer to harden. Easy to make and they are a hit with my teenage son. They taste awesome! I will make this again for sure.
NancyB
We made these bars following the recipe, although we made more chocolate topping after reading others comments. We used quality chocolate, and we did not use the oil in the chocolate and had no problem cutting the bars. For us, the only redeeming quality of these bars is the topping. The Rice Krispy bottom was just dry, tasteless cereal, even with all the marshmallows and butter. I read another recipe that called for adding the peanut butter into the cereal, which would make the bottom a whole lot more flavorful.
Fiona
Hi Nancy,
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the bars. Just to clarify – there is peanut butter in the cereal mixture. If you do feel like trying the recipe again, I’d recommend trying the option in the notes of using less cereal.
Los
I used 5 cups of Rice Krispies and a little less peanut butter the second time around. They were a little hard following the recipe to the letter the first time. And I used white chocolate chips. I have a chocolate allergy. The second time around I didn’t use the chips but spread Nutella overs a couple of them .
Ronda
These look insane! I don’t think I’ll ever look at a regular rice krispie bar the same again after seeing it with Peanut Butter and Chocolate! 😉
Erika
These were perfect! Used 5.5 cups of Rice Crispy for more chewy bars just like you suggested and they turned out great — I have a hard time understanding how some people would find these too hard or dry…must be user error 😛 thanks for the recipe!
Samantha
Great, easy, and delicious dessert (with bonus leftovers!). Just what is needed during these strange and stressful times. Thanks for a great recipe!