Rice krispie treats in a 9x13 baking dish.

Gooey Rice Krispy Treats

Rice krispie treats are one of my favorite classic desserts, but I wanted a version that stayed perfectly gooey, even after they cooled. So after some testing, I finally found the rice krispie treat recipe that’s worthy for any cabin trip, potluck, or backyard BBQ.

Looking for More Recipes Like This?

Then you’ve got to try our s’mores rice krispie treats! They’re just as gooey with a pops of chocolate, graham cracker, and mini marshmallows.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

butter: Dairy-free butter will work here too.
sweetened condensed milk: This thick and velvety addition retains moisture and is the KEY ingredient for making these bars extra gooey.
mini marshmallows: We love using the mini variety as they’re easier to measure, melt quicker, and provide little pockets of marshmallow in the finished product. If you only have regular sized marshmallows, feel free to use a kitchen scissors to cut them up into smaller chunks.
Rice Krispies Cereal: Because barley malt extract is used in this cereal, it is NOT gluten-free. But there are gluten-free versions out there like Nature’s Path Crispy Rice Cereal.

How To Make Extra Gooey Rice Krispie Treats

A pot with melted butter, vanilla, and sweetened condensed milk. The same pot with added mini marshmallows. — Start by melting the butter and adding in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Then add in almost the entire bag of marshmallows. Save about 3 ounces to be added later.

The melted marshmallow mixture in a pot. The rice krispie cereal added to the marshmallow mixture and stirred to be combined. — Once the marshmallow mixture has melted and has a smooth consistency, add in the Rice Krispies cereal and give everything a good stir to combine.

How To Get Pockets Of Marshmallow

Once the cereal has been added to the marshmallow mixture and everything has been removed from the heat, add the remaining 3 oz. of marshmallows and carefully fold them into the mixture.

A square rice Krispie treat on a plate. — Now pour the mixture into a 9×13 baking pan and gently press them into the pan. Since this is an extra gooey rice crispy treat recipe, let them sit for a bit to allow them to set before digging in.

Recipe FAQs and Tips

fresh marshmallows: If you’re anything like us, you probably have at least 2 bags of half eaten marshmallows in the pantry. Do yourself a favor and throw these away and get fresh ones. Fresh is always best for extra good and gooey rice krispie treats.
don’t refrigerate: If you have any leftovers, just cover the pan and let it sit out on the counter to keep that extra gooey consistency. Putting them into the fridge will make them tough and brittle.
press gently: When pressing these into your pan, do so just enough so that they cover the pan but not so much that they’re super compact. This will help keep your bars gooier for longer.

If you make and love this extra gooey Rice Krispie treats recipe as much as we do, we would appreciate you taking a minute to leave a star rating and review!

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Extra Gooey Rice Krispie Treats Recipe

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Author: Erin Jensen
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 12 servings 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Stove Top
Cuisine: American

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Description

Our epic Extra Gooey Rice Krispie Treats recipe is going to be your new go-to dessert to bring to the cabin, a potluck, or family gathering!

Ingredients

Scale

12 tablespoons butter (regular or dairy-free)
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (reg. or dairy-free)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16 ounces mini marshmallows, divided
9 cups Rice Krispies cereal

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Instructions

Melt: Bring a large pot to a medium-high heat and add the butter to melt. Once melted, mix in the 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Add 13 oz of mini marshmallows and mix until fully melted.
Rice Krispies: Remove the pot from the heat and mix in the 9 cups of Rice Krispies cereal. Then mix in the remaining 3 ounces of mini marshmallows.
Bars: Now pour the mixture into a 9×13 baking pan. Use a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to press them down into the pan.
Cool + Serve: Let these bars cool completely, cut, and serve!

Notes

Cool: Since these are extra gooey bars, you may need to let them sit in the pan for a while before serving.
Dairy-Free: feel free to use a dairy-free butter here and sweetened condensed coconut milk!
Storage: cover the pan and keep at room temperature for 4-5 days. We made them extra gooey so that they wouldn’t try out too easily. Nobody likes a dry rice krispie bar.
Looking for a fun twist? Try our S’mores Rice Krispie Treats!

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 square
Calories: 277
Sugar: 18.3 g
Sodium: 191.3 mg
Fat: 13.9 g
Carbohydrates: 36.1 g
Fiber: 0.1 g
Protein: 2.5 g
Cholesterol: 35.2 mg