4th of July Rice Krispie Treats
These delicious no-bake 4th of July rice krispie treats are a fun red, white, and blue treat filled with candies, sprinkles, and drizzled with candy melts!
Servings: 24 squares
Calories: 177kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 20 oz mini marshmallows
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 9 oz rice krispies cereal
- ¾ cup red, white, and blue M&Ms divided
- 1 TBS red, white, and blue sprinkles
- ¼ cup red candy melts optional
- ¼ cup white candy melts optional
- ¼ cup blue candy melts optional
Instructions
- Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and then either grease with butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Measure out your ingredients so they are ready to go since this recipe moves fast.
- Melt butter in a large pot on medium-low heat. Once the butter is fully melted, you'll add 1 1/2 bags of mini marshmallows into the pot and set the other marshmallows aside for later!1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 tsp salt, 20 oz mini marshmallows
- Mix the butter and marshmallows together with a rubber spatula, stirring continuously until the marshmallows have completely melted, making sure to keep the heat on low.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt, stirring until completely coated.2 tsp vanilla extract, 9 oz rice krispies cereal
- Add roughly half of the rice krispy to the marshmallow mixture, making sure to scrape the bottom thoroughly to incorporate all the marshmallow mixture.
- Once that's all mixed together, add in the remaining marshmallows and rice cereal.
- Fold in 1/2 cup of M&Ms then transfer the treat mixture to the prepared baking dish. Use greased hands, parchment paper, or a greased spatula to gently press the treats into the pan.3/4 cup red, white, and blue M&Ms
- Sprinkle the other 1/4 cup of M&Ms on top of the treats. Add any sprinkles to the top as well and gently press them down into the treats.1 TBS red, white, and blue sprinkles
- Allow treats to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Cut into squares.
- If desired, melt the candy melts in separate bowls in the microwave at 30 second increments, stirring between each increment, until completely melted. Drizzle on top of the treats then allow them to cool again until the candy melts have hardened.1/4 cup red candy melts, 1/4 cup white candy melts, 1/4 cup blue candy melts
- Serve and enjoy once cooled!
Notes
Store the treats in an airtight container in a cool and dry area for up to two weeks. If you don’t use within two weeks, trash.
If the candy melts on the treats aren’t setting as quickly as you’d like, you can put them in the refrigerator to chill but don’t leave them in there for more than 30 minutes as they’ll get hard. You may also want to do this if you live somewhere that is really warm or humid.
Make sure to add the M&Ms at the very end of mixing or the candy coating will melt and bleed into the coloring of the treats and cereal.
Ingredient Notes:
- M&Ms – you can use either regular red, white, and blue M&Ms or M&M minis. I don’t recommend any of the flavored ones (caramel, peanut butter, peanut, etc.) because they’re typically bigger and won’t mix into the rice krispie treats well.
- Mini marshmallows – if you don’t have mini marshmallows and can’t get them, 20 ounces of regular marshmallows can be substituted in place of the mini marshmallows. I’ve found the mini marshmallows work better for melting, but you can use the other ones in a pinch.
- Sprinkles – since these are just for decoration, you can use any sprinkles you’d like – colored ones, shaped ones, etc.
- Candy melts – these are optional but are a fun addition of color to these treats!
Nutrition
Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 174mg | Potassium: 15mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 831IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 3mg