These Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats with toasted marshmallows are the the best rice krispies you’ll ever have…and that’s a pretty big promise! They are so gooey and the flavor from the browned butter and toasted marshmallows is just out of this world! There’s also a “secret” ingredient that takes these over the top…keep reading to see what it is!
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What makes these the best rice krispies ever?
- Browned butter
- Toasted marshmallows
- Marshmallow creme (the not-so-secret ingredient!)
- More mini marshmallows
The combination of all these things gives you the best, gooey, flavorful rice krispie treats ever!
How to make brown butter rice krispie treats:
The first step in these is actually an optional step. If you have the time though, I would highly recommend trying toasting the marshmallows! The toasted marshmallows add just another level of flavor. It’s not overly strong but it just takes the rice krispie treats over the top!
How to toast marshmallows in the oven:
- Set the oven to broil and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This will just help with clean-up in case some of the marshmallows ooze onto the pan.
- Place the pan with the marshmallows in the oven, under the broiler. I like to leave the door propped since this only takes about 30 seconds for the marshmallows to toast so keep a close eye on them.
- Once one side of the marshmallows has toasted, remove the pan and use tongs to gently roll the marshmallows so you can toast both sides.
- Place back in the oven, under the broiler until the marshmallows are golden browned on both sides.
Once your marshmallows are toasted, you can set them aside and begin to make your browned butter. Almost all rice krispie recipes start with butter but browning the butter is an easy step that adds such a nice nutty, deeper flavor.
How to brown butter:
Browning butter is actually very easy. It’s no different than melting the butter but you just need to keep the heat over medium and give it more time to brown. After the butter is melted, you’ll keep stirring for about 5-7 minutes until you see the solids in the butter begin to brown. The butter may also foam but that’s totally fine.
Once you’ve browned the butter, you can remove it from the heat and add in those toasted marshmallows. If you decided not to toast the marshmallows, you’ll just add those in after browning the butter.
Along with the marshmallows, you’ll also add in the vanilla extract, salt, and the secret ingredients…marshmallow creme (or fluff). I use a cup of marshmallow creme in this rice krispie treat recipe and it’s what makes them so gooey and decadent!
When the marshmallows are melted into the butter, you’ll have this delicious speckled goodness and you’re ready to add in the rice krispies.
In case you thought we were done…not yet! These rice krispies also get a load of mini marshmallows added in! You just want to quickly stir these in so they don’t fully melt. This will give you big pockets of yummy goodness in every bite!
Once everything is mixed together, you can add it to your greased baking dish. You’ll want to gently press down on the treats but don’t push down too hard. If you compact these too much, they’ll be hard an too dense. I use a piece of parchment paper to keep my hand from sticking as I press down gently.
Now here’s the bad part…these need to sit for about 30 minutes before cutting in to them so they can firm up a bit. If you’re like me, you’ll already have eaten all the yummy bits left in the pan and on the spatula so that should hold us over! 🙂
And that’s it! Even after setting up, these browned butter rice krispie treats are soft and chewy! I can’t wait for you to try them!
How long should rice krispie treats cool before cutting?
A minimum of 30 minutes is usually enough for the rice krispies to firm up and be sliced, although 60 minutes works best for a nice clean cut.
Do homemade rice krispie treats need to be refrigerated?
Nope! You can leave these covered, at room temp for about 5-7 days.

Ash was a very willing participant here. I told him if he helped me with a photo, he could eat the first one! 🙂
Other recipes you’ll love:
- S’more Cookie Dough Truffles
- Cinnamon Apple Muffins (with streusel topping!)
- The ULTIMATE Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies
Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- 16 ounces large jet-puffed marshmallows
- 1 cup marshmallow creme or fluff
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 10 cups rice krispie cereal
- 10 ounces mini marshmallows
Instructions
Toasting the Marshmallows (optional)
- Heat your oven to a high broil and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the large marshmallows on the baking sheet and place under the broiler until browned (it only takes about 30 seconds so keep a close eye on them)
- Take the pan out of the oven, turn the marshmallows over and broil the other side until golden. Remove from the oven and set the marshmallows aside.
Making the Browned Butter Rice Krispie Treats
- Prepare a 9x13 baking dish. You can grease the pan with butter or use parchment paper if you're planning to lift the rice krispies out of the pan before slicing
- Slice the butter and add it to a large pot over medium heat. Allow it to melt completely then continue stirring until the solids in the butter turn brown. You may notice some foam and that's okay. Once browned, remove from the heat.
- Add in the large toasted marshmallows (or un-toasted if you chose not to toast), the marshmallow creme, vanilla, and salt. Stir together until everything is melted.
- Add in the rice krispie cereal and stir everything together. Once combined, stir in 4 cups of the mini marshmallows. (you should just have a few left over for topping the treats)
- Add the rice krispie mixture to the prepared dish and press gently to even them out. (Don't press too hard and compact them or they will become too dense)
- Sprinkle the remaining mini marshmallows over the top and press them gently down so they stick. Allow the treats to set for about 30-60 minutes before slicing.
- Store covered, at room temperature for up to 7 days...if they last that long!
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