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How to make “Rice Krispies Treats” without controversial ingredients like BHT and corn syrup

DISCLAIMER: I can polish off a half of a pan of these Rice Krispie Treats in one sitting, so before you start reading, don’t get mad at me – you’ve been warned. 

Seriously, though it makes me incredibly sad that so many children are eating “treats” full of corn syrup, artificial flavors, BHT, TBHQ, DATEM, and all kinds of additives that are linked to health issues. (1) I grew up with homemade Rice Krispie Treats – they were a staple in my mother’s kitchen. Since then, Kellogg’s came up with this processed crap that makes its way into kid’s lunches everywhere. 

This ingredient list is CRAZY to me, especially since you can make similar treats at home without all that nonsense. Here’s how I make mine, but first let’s talk about the ingredients. 

There are 3 basic ingredients you need to make Rice Krispies Treats: (1) butter, (2) crispy rice cereal, and (3) marshmallows. But you need to be extra careful on how you choose these ingredients…

1. Butter: Look for a pastured grass-fed butter. Here’s why – Conventional non-organic butter comes from cows fed almost entirely GMO corn and soy. The harmful pesticides used on GMOs (like glyphosate) is also being eaten by these cows too and can end up in their milk – and thereby, butter. (2) You’ll also want to stay away from margarines made with inflammatory oils like soybean oil that are most surely GMO (unless specified otherwise). They also can contain hidden trans fat additives (like mono and diglycerides), flavors, and artificial preservatives. (2)

2. Crispy Rice Cereal: Choose a certified organic brand. This is the best way to protect yourself from synthetic pesticides. (3) I like to use 365 Organic Brown Rice Crisps from Whole Foods, as it has no “flavors” added like the Kellogg’s version does. 

3. Marshmallows: This is the most tricky ingredient, but very important to choose correctly because most brands are AWFUL. Unfortunately, I have (yet) to find 100% certified organic marshmallows unless you make them from scratch. So, until then, I use SmashMallow brand, which are made with organic cane sugar and no artificial colors. Did you know they dye most marshmallows with Blue 1 made from petroleum? Steer clear of Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows which are full of GMO Sugar and awful ingredients! 

Here’s how to make the perfect homemade “rice krispies” treats…

And they couldn’t be easier to make…

All you do is melt 3 tablespoons of pastured butter on the stove in a saucepan. I like to use a GreenPan saucepan, so the marshmallows don’t stick. Then you toss in a bag of marshmallows and melt them all together (One of my friends made these with two bags of marshmallows and said they were great. You can use two if you’d like, but I think it would be too sugary! But now I wanna try it, LOL)

Then you’ll take it off the heat and mix in 6 cups of rice cereal… 

After it’s mixed up well, you pour the mixture into a buttered baking pan and press it down well. 

That’s it!

Here’s the printable recipe… 

Food Babe's Rice Krispies Treats
 
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 15-18
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons pasture-raised butter
  • 6 cups brown rice crisps (such as 365 brand)
  • 4.5 ounces* natural marshmallows (1 package of Smashmallows Vanilla)
Instructions
  1. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter on the stove in a saucepan.
  2. Add 4.5 ounces of natural marshmallows to the saucepan and heat until they are melted.
  3. Take the pan off of the stove.
  4. Stir in 6 cups brown rice crisps and mix until well combined.
  5. Press the mixture into a buttered baking pan.
  6. Allow to cool. Enjoy!
Notes
*You can use up to 9 ounces marshmallows (2 bags), but they will be more sugary. I like to use 4.5 ounces (one bag).

**Please choose organic ingredients whenever possible.

 

Here’s a little comparison of the ingredients in my homemade “Rice Krispies Treats” VS. the toxic Kellogg’s brand: 

Which would you rather eat?

Share this recipe with all your Rice Krispy loving friends. I’d love to never, ever, see kids eating out of those blue wrappers again. 

Xo, 

Vani

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35 responses to “How to make “Rice Krispies Treats” without controversial ingredients like BHT and corn syrup

  1. I can’t wait to make these. I am so happy to find good marshmallows for my grandkids. Are the GreenPan pans your recommendation for cooking? I’m in need of new pans. Thank you , I look forward to hearing from you.

    1. I have mostly stainless steel and cast iron pans – but I do use the green pan for things that tend to be sticky like this recipe 🙂

      1. What size baking pan? 13×9? 9×9? 8×8? I have the ingredients and I’m ready to go!

  2. I’ve never made rice crispy bars any other way… Didn’t know you needed more then three ingredients…. Why would you

  3. I saw they have strawberry flavored marshmallows by that brand.. do you think that would taste good too?

    1. Someone on Instagram commented that that’s how they make them – sounds delicious!

    2. I totally grabbed the strawberry ones and tried the recipe today — SO GOOD (they don’t have that artificial strawberry taste — it’s very, very subtle). You won’t be disappointed.

  4. I saw they have strawberry flavored marshmallows by that brand.. do you think that would taste good too?

  5. I wasn’t hoping to see your recipe for homemade marshmallows. Did I just over look it. I still want to thank you again for reforming the color in Kraft Mac and cheese. I still don’t use it but am happy after all your work you made a difference.

    1. I don’t have a recipe for marshmallows that I like yet… but when I do, I might make some and share the recipe. If anyone reading these comments does – please share!

      1. I would use vegan marshmallows from Trader Jos – I don’t eat gelatin 🙁

  6. To kick these up a notch… any yes you will thank me later lol…you totally need to brown your butter prior to adding the marshmallows. And yes extra marshmallows are better. Even if just a half a bag more, but its already opened might as well dump the whole thing in. *I always add more butter if I use extra marshmallows.

    And then in your dry cereal sprinkle in some Sea Salt.

    Now combine everything as you normally would. Enjoy! And try not to eat the whole pan in one sitting. 🙂

    1. That’s right – I don’t like natural flavors – but at least we know this one comes from vanilla. In circumstances like these, I made an exception, since I don’t eat these on a regular basis – it’s just a fun re-made childhood favorite. Natural flavor is probably one of the reasons I can’t stop eating them and eat half a pan!

    2. Dandies.com… dandies marshmallows have much better ingredients than smash mallow. They are vegan so they don’t contain the nasty gmo fed cow gelatin. The melt and taste just the same and are non-gmo project verified. I use these with chocolate sprouted organic crispies!

      1. Dandie’s has Carrageenan in it, which is not good at all.. that’s the only problem with those, otherwise I would buy them because they are easier to find.

      2. I tried Dandies and it 100% doesn’t melt properly. I have been making Rice crispy treat since I was 10 years old, so I am not new to making them. It was a FAIL with dandies. I’ve never tried them with smash mellow, so I don’t know the result. Perhaps you need the gelatin for it to melt properly???

  7. Hi, have you tried VitaFiber syrup? That might work with this recipe rather than marshmallows. I’m going to try it as soon as I can get to the store for crisped rice. Don’t worry I’m not pushing the product, just find it useful, especially for making ice cream.

  8. Thanks for the good work. My wife is a vegetarian so I’ve been on the lookout for marshmallows with vegan or vegetarian gelatin. I’m not ready to try marshmallows from scratch.

  9. Just looked on Amazon and SmashMallow is currently unavailable and they don’t know when/if the product ever will be. Any other recommendations of where to find this brand?

    1. Not sure where you live, but if in Texas they sell them at HEB. Otherwise, Target always has them.

      1. What size baking pan? 13×9? 9×9? 8×8? I have the ingredients and I’m ready to go!

  10. Vani, I loved the rice krispie recipe. Excellent!!!

    I wanted to ask would you consider a private consultation from me?

    Thanks……Sue

  11. Whole Foods sells Toonie Moonie, which is a marshmallow creme with NO natural flavors or thickeners. Haven’t tried it yet, but it’s in my cart.

      1. I’m definitely trying! Love that it doesn’t not have natural flavors!

  12. Has anyone tried adding melted chocolate to the recipe? The chocolate ones were the favorite of my kids, hubby included..

  13. Do you know what happened to Smashmallow? I can’t find them anywhere. I loved this recipe, it tasted much better than any others I’ve made and was so easy to make! Do you have any other options for marshmallows?

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