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!
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.
Combine butter, salt, and marshmallows in a large saucepan or pot over low heat. Heat until mixture is melted together and completely smooth.
Remove from heat and add vanilla and cereal, stirring until completely coated.
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.
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.
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.
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, one 16 oz bag 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!
Unsalted butter + salt – the recipe calls for unsalted butter and added salt, but this could also be replaced with just regular salted butter instead. If you do use salted butter, make sure to omit the extra salt.