Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats
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Treat yourself to the vibrant pop of freeze-dried strawberries in these Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats. Made using just a handful of ingredients and a few simple steps, they have that irresistible combination of chewy marshmallow, crunchy rice cereal and fruity berry flavour in every bite.
After making gluten free rice krispie treats recently, I seem to have slipped down the rabbit hole of different flavoured rice cereal treats, which has led us here, to these little squares of delight.
I love the combination of the sweet marshmallows and the pop of tartness from the strawberries in these crunchy no-bake squares. And they’re just as easy to make as classic rice krispies 🎉
I have flavoured these with freeze-dried strawberries, which are a great way to get that real flavour of strawberries without the moisture of fresh strawberries – which will make the rice krispies soggy and sad.
There are other ways to make strawberry rice krispies – some are made with strawberry jello (strawberry gelatin), and others are made with strawberry extract or essence. But I think the freeze-dried berries give the best flavour, I hope you’ll give them a try and taste just how good they are.
What You’ll Love About These Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats:
Ingredients
Crispy Rice Cereal – You can use Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, or any similar cereal of your choice. If you need the strawberry rice krispie treats to be gluten free, make sure you choose a gluten-free cereal, as regular Rice Krispies contain gluten. See my gluten free rice krispie treats post for tips on what to look for.
Marshmallows – I usually use regular-sized marshmallows, and also toss in some mini marshmallows with the rice krispies, so they stay whole and make little marshmallow pockets. You can use all mini marshmallows, or if you can only get large marshmallows, chop them into smaller pieces using oiled scissors so they melt faster. I have used pink marshmallows here, but if you can’t get pink ones and you still want that pink colour, you can add a drop or two of pink food colouring.
If making these gluten free, make sure you check that the marshmallows are gluten free, as some are not.
Freeze-dried strawberries – I’ve used freeze dried strawberry pieces here, so we get those lovely chunks of berry flavour, but you could use 2-3 Tablespoons of freeze-dried strawberry powder if that’s what you have. You can buy them in many grocery stores, and also online.
Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter here. I use unsalted, if you use salted you can omit the pinch of salt from the recipe.
Vanilla extract – This is optional, but I love vanilla in everything. You can leave it out, or even swap it for some strawberry extract if you prefer.
Salt – This helps balance the sweetness of the marshmallows.
Optional Extras
While I think this is the perfect strawberry rice krispie treat recipe as-is, there are a lot of ways you can fancy it up a bit more. You could drizzle the top with melted chocolate, toss in some white chocolate chips, or replace the strawberries with any other freeze-dried fruit. For Valentine’s Day, some heart-shaped sprinkles on top would be lovely.
How to Make Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats
Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe, or keep reading for step-by-step photos and instructions.
Start by crushing half of the freeze-dried strawberries. You can do this in a mini food-processor or just use the end of a rolling pin or the back of a spoon. It doesn’t have to be a super fine powder, but crushing some of the strawberries means that strawberry flavour really gets into the marshmallow mixture.
Warm the butter in a very large saucepan over medium heat until just melted, then add the vanilla and salt. Toss in your marshmallows. If your marshmallows are very large, you can chop them up (oiled kitchen scissors are great for this!).
Return the pan to medium-low heat and stir until the marshmallows are completely melted and the mixture is smooth and well combined. Stir in half of the crushed strawberries.
If you are using white marshmallows but want your bars to be pinker, you can add a few drops of pink or red food colouring to the marshmallow and butter mixture.
Stir in the rice krispie cereal until well combined. It’s easier to do this in 2-3 additions to make sure it all gets well coated in the melted marshmallow. Crumble in the rest of the freeze dried strawberries, and toss in the mini marshmallows, then mix well.
Tip the mixture into a pan lined with baking paper or parchment paper, and very gently press it into an even layer.
It needs to set at room temperature for half an hour or so, then you can cut it into pieces.
Storage
As with all rice krispie treats, these are at their very best the day they’re made, but they keep well for 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Tips for Making the Best Strawberry Rice Krispies
- Don’t press the mixture too firmly into the pan – if you do, it will make the mixture set too hard and firm. Being gentle will give you the best chewy, stretchy rice krispies.
- Likewise, don’t overcook the marshmallow and butter mixture, as it will make the mixture set too hard. It only needs to be heated gently until the marshmallows melt.
- Line your cake pan and spray a spatula with oil spray before you start. Once the mixture is made it will start to set, so you want to be ready to press it into the pan right away. Melted marshmallows are super sticky, so oiling the spatula will stop it from sticking so much.
- For nice clean cuts when cutting the rice krispie treats into pieces, use a large sharp knife, and lightly oil it first (I just spray my knife with the oil spray).
More Berry recipes
White Chocolate and Strawberry Mousse
Gluten Free Trifle
Easy Fruity Popcorn
White Chocolate and Raspberry Fudge Slice
Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 20 g freeze-dried strawberries (1 cup)
- 150 g unsalted butter or salted butter (1 ¼ sticks or 10 Tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 425 g marshmallows mini or regular (15oz)
- 350 g crispy rice cereal (8 cups)
- 60 g mini marshmallows (1 cup) optional
- oil spray or melted butter for greasing
- a few extra freeze-dried strawberries to decorate
Instructions
- Prepare a 9" square baking pan (or any roughly equivalent-sized pan) by lining it with baking paper (baking parchment). I like to line the pan with two crisscrossed strips of baking paper (baking parchment), as it makes it easier to lift the rice krispies out later. Lightly spray the paper with oil spray, or brush lightly with melted butter.
- Crush half of the freeze-dried strawberries, either in a mini food processor or in a bowl with the end of a rolling pin or back of a spoon. It doesn't need to be a powder, just finely crushed.
- In a very large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Stir in the vanilla and salt, then add in the marshmallows. Continue to stir over medium-low heat until the marshmallows are just melted. If the mixture starts to bubble at any point, turn the heat down.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the crushed strawberries. If you're using white marshmallows and want the bars to be pinker, then add a couple of drops of pink food colouring now.
- Stir in the rice cereal (I like to do this in two additions).
- Use your hands to roughly crumble in the remaining half of the freeze-dried strawberries, toss in the mini marshmallows, if using, and mix until everything is well combined.
- Tip the mixture into the prepared pan, and gently press it into an even layer using an oiled spatula. Don't press it in too firmly, or the rice krispie treats will be too hard.Sprinkle with a few more crushed freeze-dried strawberries.
- Leave to set for half an hour or until firm, then remove from the pan and cut into pieces using a sharp knife. For clean cuts, lightly oil the knife.
- Store the rice krispies in an air-tight container at room temperature. They are best eaten within 2-3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Any nutritional info provided is a computer generated estimate and is intended as a guide only.