These fun and easy M&M Rice Krispie Treats are made extra delicious with brown butter, M&Ms and mini marshmallows! Drizzle or spread chocolate on top for the best treat!
Rice krispie treats are easy to make, kid friendly and perfect for any occasion. They are like classic Rice Krispie Treats but more delicious thanks to brown butter, mini marshmallows, M&Ms and chocolate!
These rice crispy treats with M&Ms were inspired by my Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Treats.
For another no bake treat, try my Peanut Butter Butterscotch Bars and these No Bake Chocolate Mousse Bars.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- This chocolate covered rice krispie treats recipe is made with butter, marshmallows and Rice Krispies!
- Some of the mini marshmallows are only partially melted marshmallows. They turn into gooey little pockets of melted marshmallows!
- Salt enhances all the flavors! This recipe also includes vanilla extract for extra flavor.
- Brown butter adds more flavor than melted butter.
- They are filled with chocolatey M&Ms and covered with chocolate! Drizzle chocolate over them or spread the chocolate on top for the best chocolate covered rice krispie treats!
Ingredients
Below are some useful notes about some of the ingredients for these rice krispies treats with M&Ms. See recipe card below for full list of ingredients and measurements.
- Unsalted butter: Rice krispie treats always start with melted butter. For extra flavor, brown your butter. Brown butter is butter that has melted and cooked down to release its milk solids. Those milk solids then toast on the bottom of the pan and the butter deepens in color.
- Marshmallows: Use mini marshmallows. Most of the marshmallows get melted into the butter. A small amount are added in at the end. Those last minute add ins melt slightly and become gooey.
- Rice Krispies: Use original Rice Krispies cereal.
- Salt: Salt balances out the sweetness from the marshmallows and chocolate.
- Flaky sea salt: Flaky sea salt is an optional, delicious topping. Sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt over the finished squares. It brings out the chocolate flavor and makes these feel a little gourmet!
- M&Ms: M&Ms add pops of color and lots of chocolate flavor!
- Chocolate chips: The chocolate topping is made by melting chocolate chips.
INSTRUCTIONS
Below are instructions on how to make M&M rice krispie treats. Please see recipe card for detailed instructions.
Step One: Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium low heat. Stir occasionally at first. Once the butter begins to foam, whisk constantly as you watch for it to turn a light, amber color then light golden brown. When it becomes light brown and has a nutty smell, remove the pan from the heat.
Step Two: Add the marshmallows. Next, stir in 9 1/4 cups of marshmallows into the brown butter off the heat until the marshmallows have melted.
Step Three: Add the rice krispies. Then stir in the vanilla, salt, and the rice krispies. Allow mixture to cool in the pot for about five minutes.
Step Four: Add the remaining marshmallows. Fold in the remaining 1 3/4 cups of mini marshmallows.
Step Five: Add the M&Ms. Stir in the M&Ms.
Step Six: Press treats into a pan. Press the chocolate rice krispie treats into a 9×13 inch pan lined with parchment paper. Leave some of the parchment paper long on the sides to help you remove them. Leave the treats to set for about 30 minutes.
Step Seven: Slice and cover with chocolate. Slice bars in squares or rectangles. Slice any size you like. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 20 second bursts. Stir after each burst until melted. Spread the chocolate or drizzle it over the treats before or after slicing.
Hint: Spray the sides of the pan with baking spray before lining it with parchment paper to make it easier to remove the m and m rice krispie treats from the pan.
SUBSTITUTIONS
- Chocolate– instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, melt some dark chocolate or white chocolate to dip treats into or spread or drizzle on top!
- M&Ms- use mini M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces instead of M&Ms
- Mini marshmallows– mini marshmallows can be replaced with regular sized marshmallows.
- Brown butter-instead of browned butter, simply use melted butter.
VARIATIONS
- Patriotic – use red, white and blue M&Ms to make patriotic versions for Memorial Day and the 4th of July
- Easter – add pastel colored M&Ms for Easter
STORING
Store leftover chocolate rice crispy treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Rice krispie treats made with Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal are not gluten free since that brand contains gluten. There are gluten-free cereals that you can use to make gluten free rice krispie treats.
Rice krispy treats last for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Freeze individual rice krispie treats in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Allow treats to come to room temperature before serving.
EXPERT TIPS
Tip #1: Avoid pressing too much. Press the rice krispie treats in the pan as little as needed. Pressing down too much can make the finished treats compact and hard.
Tip #2: Wet or grease your hands. Wet your hands or grease them with butter before spreading the treats in the pan. You can also use a leftover butter wrapper to press the mixture into the pan to set.
MORE RECIPES TO YOU WILL LOVE!
M&M Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
M&M Rice Krispie Treats
- 11 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 11 cups mini marshmallows divided
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 9 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- ¾ cup M&Ms
- flaky sea salt optional, for sprinkling
Chocolate Topping
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips* melted
Instructions
M&M Rice Krispie Treats
- Lightly spray a 9×13 inch dish with baking spray. Line with parchment paper leaving excess on two sides (this will make the treats easier to remove from the pan once finished). Lightly spray the parchment paper with baking spray.
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium low heat. Stir occasionally at first. Once the butter has melted, stir occasionally with a whisk. It will begin to bubble. Once it begins to foam, whisk it constantly as you watch for it to turn a light, amber color then light golden brown. Milk solids will begin to sink to the bottom of the pot. They'll start to turn light brown and then the butter will begin darkening and will develop a nutty smell. When this happens, remove the pan from the heat. Keep whisking since the residual heat will turn those brown bits into an amber color. There will be some little light brown bits on the bottom of the pan. That will add flavor. Leave the brown butter in the pot and continue with the next step immediately.
- Stir 9 ¼ cups of mini marshmallows into the brown butter until the marshmallows have melted.
- Next, stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Stir in the Rice Krispies until the Rice Krispies are coated with the marshmallow butter mixture. Allow to cool in the pot for 5 minutes. Once the mixture has cooled slightly, fold in the remaining 1 ¾ cups of marshmallows followed by the M&Ms.
- Turn the mixture out onto the pan. Use your (greased or slightly wet) hands, a greased spatula or a leftover butter wrapper to gently spread and press the mixture evenly into the pan. Avoid pressing down too much as this can make the treats hard.
- Let the rice krispie treats set for about 30 minutes.
- Use parchment paper to lift them out of the pan. Drizzle or spread the chocolate over the whole thing or first slice them into squares then cover with chocolate individually. Enjoy!
Chocolate Topping
- Pour chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 25 second bursts. Stir well in between each burst. Continue until chocolate is just melted.
- Drizzle chocolate over the treats before or after cutting into squares. Alternatively, you can spread the melted chocolate over top or dunk bottoms or tops of the squares in a shallow bowl filled with melted chocolate.
Saw this recipe last night and I knew I had to make it! These turned out to be absolutely delicious and better than any other rice crispy recipe I ever made and everyone in my family loved them.
Hey Gina,
So happy you and your family enjoyed these rice krispie treats with M&Ms! Thanks so much for making them! Have the best week:) xo Natalie
So Delicious and easy to make! Loved adding the M & M’s!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed them! Can’t beat a quick and yummy recipe like these rice krispie treats! 🙂